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As The Wall Street Journal reports, UBS plans to release the names of 4,450 Americans holding UBS accounts as part of its settlement with the US and Swiss governments. The initial release of 4,450 names represents only about half of the total identities the US hopes to receive from UBS. With this information, the IRS and Department of Justice can begin criminal tax-evasion proceedings against these individuals. At issue is an estimated $10 billion on which US income taxes were never paid. Simultaneously with the announcement that UBS was releasing the names, the Swiss government moved to sell shares it held in the bank. This is largely seen as a move to distance the Swiss government from UBS at a time when it is increasingly interjecting itself into the banks affairs.

While the release of names was not unexpected (see “UBS, Swiss Government Reach Settlement with IRS” and “UBS Troubles Spread to Hong Hong“), it represents a significant weakening of the once-infamous Swiss bank privacy laws. To combat this problem, the process by which the IRS will receive the names is a bit tedious. UBS will first turn the names over to the Swiss government’s tax administration for review, after which the names will be forwarded to the IRS and Department of Justice. To begin, 500 names will be released, with the remaining provided in batches in future months. For the thousands of American clients of UBS who now find themselves in the government’s crosshairs, there is a bit of hope.

Until September 23, 2009, the US government is accepting voluntary disclosure of the accounts not previously reported to the Treasury. Theoretically, those who volunteer their information will face less-stringent prosecution than those the IRS discovers on its own. Either way, many individuals are likely to face criminal prosecution for tax evasion. Given that the average size of the UBS accounts in question is approximately $1 million, the fines and penalties can be substantial. Already, the IRS has begun prosecuting some former clients of UBS and reached settlements with others.

For more detail on the settlement and more information regarding the ongoing negotiations between the US government and UBS, see the Journal’s original article, “UBS to Give 4,450 Names to US.”

From NPR: “Study: Your Brain Thinks Money Is A Drug,” http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111579154.

Dow Jones Newswires reported yesterday that the U.S. Trade Commission is opening an investigation into potential patent infringement in the flash-memory market. According to the report, Pennsylvania-based BTG International, Inc. claims that Samsung Electronics infringed on its patents in the design of its flash-memory chips. If BTG’s claims are found to be true, Apple, Research in Motion (maker of the BlackBerry), Dell, Sony, and Lenovo (purchaser of IBM’s personal-computing line) could all find themselves paying royalties to BTG.

The core of BTG’s complaint, according to the Newswires report, is that it Samsung is infringing on its “patented methods by which flash memory can store multiple pieces of information per cell without becoming larger or more expensive.”

Given the lengthy nature of patent infringement disputes, this move is unlikely to have an immediate impact on either Samsung, BTG, or the companies using the allegedly-infringing devices. If, however, BTG’s claims are found to be true, Samsung and its customers may be forced to pay substantial royalties to BTG some time down the road. Samsung and its customers may be well-advised to take a page from Echostar’s book and redesign or replace the chips before the dispute ends up in court. Such a move would not necessarily end the litigation, but it could limit the monetary impact a finding in BTG’s favor might have.

A recent editorial in The Wall Street Journal takes aim at the U.S. Postal Service’s monopoly over first-class and bulk mail. After 200 years as a monopoly, I think the writer is on to something. Then there’s that two-year, $14 billion loss. Indeed, I believe it’s time for change to come to the post office.

For the full editorial, see “US Postal Service Needs to Cut Back and Make Changes,” The Wall Street Journal, August 22, 2009.

Today’s Wall Street Journal features an article about Steve Jobs’ return to Apple following a leave of absence for a liver transplant. The article, “Jobs, Back at Apple, Focuses on New Tablet,” confirms the rumor that has been circulating on the internet for some time now: Apple is preparing a tablet computer. From all the mockups I’ve seen, it looks like an oversized iPhone running a full version of Mac OS X. Now that Apple has confirmed the tablet’s existence in a way, the rumors about its features and capabilities will really begin to fly. I, for one, am interested in an Apple tablet if for no other reason than Apple tends to take an already-existing idea and make it kick-ass. I’ve never before been interested in a tablet computer, but Apple is sure to give existing iterations of the concept a run for their money.

Interested in Google Voice? As it happens, I have an additional invitation.

For a chance to win the GV invite, head to http://disparate.info/2009/07/29/google-voice/ and leave a comment on that post. Then browse around disparate.info and comment on a second post.

You have until the end of today’s Red Sox-Yankees game to leave two comments (4:10pm EDT start time, but as with every Sox-Yankees matchup, the end time is a mystery). A winner will be randomly selected from those who qualify.

While already trailing the Dallas Cowboys by 11 in the fourth quarter of tonight’s preaseason matchup, a penalty was called against Tennessee Titans quarterback Patrick Ramsey for intentionally grounding the ball prior to being sacked. Too bad Ramsey was standing in the end zone when he discarded the ball. Unable to penalize for yardage, Ramsey’s move resulted in a safety, giving the Cowboys a 13-point lead with the score 23-10.

Today, General Motors and Chrysler announced plans to advance money to their dealers to cover payments related to the government’s “Cash for Clunkers” program. Ford made no such announcement. In fact, Ford Motor Credit specifically stated that it is not modifying its relationship with Ford dealerships.

Could this be a sign that the sole US auto maker that was not bailed out by the government is running short of cash? As you might remember, Ford only avoided the need for government rescue because it mortgaged most of the company back in 2006.

After reading Phred Dvorak and Joann S. Lublin’s article, “Outplacement Firms Struggle to Do Job,” in today’s Wall Street Journal, I couldn’t believe how similar Ms. Service’s experience was to mine. While my employer did not refer me to outplacement, several recruiters contacted me after I posted my resume on an online job search site. After speaking with two different firms, I arranged to meet with a recruiter from what seemed to be the more reputable agency.

After two and a half hours talking with the recruiter, I was beginning to have mixed feelings. While he seemed to have many contacts in the accounting industry, he knew very little about the field, confusing the most basic of terms related to my work experience. As he planned to revise my resume, this began to worry me. Next he informed me that I could not have a copy of the new resume and that I should not send out any resumes without first clearing the recipients with him. Nonetheless, I left the initial meeting determined to let him start my job search for me. His firm has a decent reputation and, given the economy, I was looking for all the help I could get. As it happened, I was otherwise preoccupied for a few weeks and had little time to look for a job on my own.

My concern turned to worry after not hearing from the recruiter in response to messages I’d left regarding requests he made of me during our initial meeting. I left an additional message and two days later, the recruiter finally returned my call, nearly two weeks since we had last spoken. After politely telling me that the job market is slow right now (tell me something I don’t know), the recruiter asked that I refrain from calling him. Instead, he will contact me if a job prospect becomes available. Needless to say, I will not be working with a recruiter going forward.

In recounting my experience to a family friend in the job search industry, he confirmed for me an ugly truth. It seems that hoarding resumes into a proprietary database is a growing trend in the industry. As the Journal article noted, these template-driven resumes often contain blatant typos and reflect little of the individuals they should represent, doing the applicants more disservice than benefit. Not surprisingly, the family friend reached the same conclusion I did regarding the recruiter: ditch him. If, by some miracle, he does find a lead, great; otherwise, I have no intention of calling him or any other recruiter during my search.

As General Stanley McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, prepares to address Congress on the situation in that country, he was recently presented with a 700-page report on detainee treatment. The report, prepared by Major General Douglas Stone, among other things recommends releasing nearly two-thirds of those individuals being held at Bagram Airfield. Such a move would release approximately 400 individuals, many of whom either are no longer a threat or against whom insufficient evidence exists for prosecution.

General Stone, who oversaw detainee operations in Iraq during 2007 and 2008, was sent to Afghanistan to assess the detainee situation at the behest of General David Petraeus. Given General Stone’s success in Iraq, this assignment is of little surprise. But, considering the vastly different political, social, and legal situations in Afghanistan, the transferability of lessons learned in Iraq is questionable.

According to NPR, General Stone’s report recommends that the US release approximately 400 of its 600 detainees and turn the remaining individuals over to Afghan forces within 12-18 months. Citing growing resentment of US treatment of detainees, General Stone’s recommendations reflect the reality that unhappy Afghans are likely to join the Taliban insurgency. As the focus shifts from Iraq to Afghanistan, military commanders, led by General Petraeus (the general largely credited with the success of the surge in Iraq and creator of the Army’s counterinsurgency training manual), are trying to apply lessons learned in one conflict to the other, hoping to duplicate their success.

Fearing that extended detention is causing more-moderate individuals to join the Taliban insurgency, General Stone’s report recommends transferring or releasing detainees more rapidly, to prevent them from languishing in custody. The complication, however, comes in the mechanics. As previously mentioned, the legal system in Afghanistan is far-less developed than that of Iraq, inherently impeding the process and General Stone’s goal. Furthermore, locating detainees’ families in Afghanistan is far more challenging than in Iraq, further delaying the process. This is where General Stone’s education campaign plays an important role. As in Iraq, General Stone recommends providing vocational training and the counseling of moderate Islamic clerics to prevent detainees from becoming more militant while in custody. Given the success he had in Iraq, General Stone’s plans seem reasonable if his recommendations can be implemented.

Implementing the changes laid out in General Stone’s report may face its largest challenge from a familiar foe: lack of personnel. Funding is a further hurdle. But biggest of all may be the risk of releasing individuals who will join the Taliban insurgency that seems only to be gaining strength. That said, General Stone feels strongly that retraining and releasing the majority of those detainees held at Bagram will serve to blunt the rising Taliban threat by winning the “hearts and minds” of the Afghan population. As the US presence in Iraq is diminished and more personnel move to Afghanistan, Generals Petraeus, McChrystal, and Stone may find that the personnel and funds become available to implement General Stone’s recommendations.