France Contemplates Smartphone Tax to Subsidize Gallic Culture

Image: tech2.in.com

European nations have historically subsidized their arts institutions. In the modern era, those funds typically come from tax revenues. That scenario includes the French film industry, currently under siege from America's stunningly successful export of Hollywood entertainment. The French government believes its homegrown cultural talent needs additional sources of revenue to maintain its artistic independence, Gallic identity, and, presumably, highbrow quality.

To that end, the Hollande administration is considering placing a one-percent tax on smartphones and other electronic gadgets "capable of accessing movies, music, and other content," according to a story in Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Tech companies such as Google have opposed the proposed tax scheme. One suspects that warming up in high tech's legal/PR bullpen is the argument frequently appearing in the United States: taxation would "stifle innovation." Of course, high tech's thin, unsubstantiated perspective pivots on the notion that the forces creating the alleged innovation should not be interrupted from doing God's work.

What goes unstated is that France's suggested one-percent skimming of gadget transaction prices means high tech firms won't see that money. Hey, doesn't Paris understand that God's work is expensive?

2012 Champagne Sales in France Far From Bubbly

Pierre Bonnard poster, from exhibit
at the Milwaukee Art Museum

If champagne sales are a barometer of celebration and good times, then count France among this year's more discouraged nations. According to an Associated Press story picked up by sfgate.com, sales in France of the world's favorite bubbly alcoholic beverage declined nearly five percent from the previous year's results. Apparently, Europe's economic woes trimmed the spirits of Parisians and provincials alike. The story did not reveal if the French found a substitute for champagne, although abstinence does not seem in keeping with the Gallic personality.

Antoine Chiquet, part of a family that has produced champagne and wine for generations, offered a unique perspective on the situation. "We'll have to rediscover optimism," he said.

"L'Express" Article Asserts US Hacked Sarkozy Office Computer

Former French President
Nicolas Sarkozy
(photo: Wikipedia)

Not so long ago, Nicolas Sarkozy was France's elected leader. Many countries had considerable interest in obtaining "early information" on what the French president was planning. Among those nations was the United States. It's a natural impulse among countries to want to gain this type of material. Prior to the electronic world's ascension, information was obtained from human beings. The 21st Century has changed that perspective; the current trend is information acquisition from various forms of gadgetry.

Today's online edition of the BBC summarized a story from the French magazine L'Express which asserts America hacked into computers inside former president Sarkozy's office. The cyber attack, according to the L'Express piece, featured a "'powerful worm'" that went undetected for more time than the leader of any powerful nation would feel comfortable with.

The emergence of sophisticated cyber attacks penetrating seemingly secure venues, such as France's Elysee Palace, is a grave matter. Most facilities essential to a society's smooth functioning rely on uncompromised computer programs and a secure, steady supply of electricity. Nations now possess the means to disrupt the operation of water supply systems, power grids, telecommunications. These forms of attack are much more insidious than the more coarse instruments of conflict, such as bombs. It's not exactly news that China, Russia, the United States, Israel, Britain, Iran, and (yes) France possess the know-how and the will to engage in cyber warfare tactics. I wonder if any of these countries command the parallel skill of knowing how and when to wisely use them.

America And International Cyber Warfare

The Washington Post reported today on an alleged cyberattack on an Illinois water plant. Apparently, the mischief succeeded in creating equipment malfunctions and consequent closure of the water facility. The attack's source was traced to a Russian IP address. The Post story relied for its key information from one source, an "industry security expert," whose due diligence found a report which outlined the incident and its immediate consequences.

(Postscript -- The Saturday, November 26th online edition of the Washington Post reports that the alleged attack on the Illinois water plant "was in fact caused by a plant contractor traveling in Russia." The story, released over the slow-news Thanksgiving weekend, also noted that "Plant and federal officials are still investigating the cause of the pump's failure." Why a contractor's computer activity could shut down a water plant's operation also remains unexplained.)

Regardless of this case's outcome, it does highlight what  mayhem cyber warfare and industrial espionage can cause. For some time, the sources of most high-profile cyberattacks against American assets have been Russia, Eastern Europe, and the People's Republic of China. Israel and France have also conducted cyberattacks and state-supported espionage, principally to acquire sensitive corporate information, rather than disrupt the American security state.

Russian involvement has sinister and dangerous overtones, thanks to its blurring of boundaries between the state and the underworld. However, China is the most ominous state player, with its apparent imperialistic ambitions, aggressive will, and ample means to launch and maintain disruptive activity to American computer-based systems. Beijing's goals include the ability to defend itself against what it perceives as American electronic intrusion. This drive has manifested itself in episodes such as the Chinese government's continuing anti-Google campaign.

Meanwhile, there is increasing evidence that the United States empire is on a collision course with its emerging Chinese counterpart. As the Greek historian Thucydides observed, it is in the nature of hegemony for these conflicts to happen. The Chinese government and military have few doubts about this development. They're getting ready, looking for American weak spots, preparing to exploit advantage when the situation seems ripe for it. Meanwhile, our military-industrial complex and its governmental allies are slowly coming around to understanding the challenge's full dimensions. Ultimately, the American government will need to ally much more openly with its elite tech firms to counteract hostile, state-sponsored cyberwarfare. Whether Silicon Valley libertarians, DC technocrats, and military brass can coalesce to fight back against this shadow over American international dominance remains to be seen.

Economic Warfare School

In a widely reported story today, three key employees of the French car manufacturer Renault were suspended for their alleged involvement in industrial espionage. In the trio's cases, they were suspected to providing sensitive internal information about new electric car technology to representatives of foreign entities.

France is hardly a stranger to industrial espionage. The nation's political-industrial complex has been among the world leaders in conducting industrial spying, sharing leadership in this dubious category with Israel and Russia. The Renault case has turned the tables on the French. It has also brought attention to the People's Republic of China's clandestine efforts to obtain confidential industrial information. (It should be noted that a different perspective on the case was raised in an automotive news blog, which suggested in-house rivalries generated the "espionage," rather than James Bond-style international spy rings.)

One curious aspect of l'affaire Renault was a cogent comment from a representative of an institution called the Economic Warfare School of Paris. The institution, a splendid example of the close links between the French state and key French industries, trains its cadres in the art of economic ju-jitsu. Military experts are among the school's trainers. The school's thumbnail description leaves little mystery as to its purpose, and presumably one's probable career path. It's not as if one gets a job in this field through The New York Times classifieds.

What can the school's application form be like? One wonders how an applicant's professional recommendations are handled. And imagine one's surprise when walking into an office, and on the colleague's wall is a diploma from this unique French institution. Would the diploma be an ice-breaker or a conversation killer? And one should tread carefully on the topic of Renault's new line of electric cars.

How Bees See Their World

The BBC posted a fascinating, brief story about a creation of British researchers called the "Floral Reflectance Database." Essentially, the information enables humans to "see" plant colors as bees and other pollinating creatures would view them.

We've come to understand the importance of bees in plant propagation. In recent years, a mysterious disease called Colony Collapse Disorder dramatically reduced the estimated bee population in New Jersey, where I live. This episode alarmed farmers and agricultural experts, and informed casual observers not to take bees for granted.

Bees also form part of our lore, whether one considers cliches such as "the birds and the bees," "busy as a bee," or "stings like a bee." Their connection to humankind has antecedents including Pharaonic Egypt, ancient Israel, and Homeric Greece. Bees play interesting roles in various mythologies and religions; their connection to fertility is unmistakable and timeless.

A long time ago, I knew someone who decided to become a beekeeper. At that time, France was concerned about a rural population drain in the Pyrenees. To encourage a more permanent, sustainable population in that area, the government permitted immigrants to settle there, as long as they performed some useful agricultural occupation. The program enabled participants to eventually become fully enfranchised French citizens. My acquaintance and her partner determined that the program was something they wanted to do, and off to southwestern France they went.

I still have a slide showing me and the beekeeper standing in front of a Parisian boulangerie.

Lately, my wife and I occasionally visit a local farm which has an apiary. We enjoy its reliable, fresh honey and gain comfort from its humble, yet important work. This support, which doubles as a simple, accessible pleasure, is something more of us can do. We need bees--and they need us.

The color photograph shows a bee pendant from Crete; the ornament is associated with bee worship. The other photograph shows a Sumerian bee goddess.

The Imperfect Game

An unusual event occurred in Major League Baseball last night. A pitcher for the Detroit Tigers threw a perfect game, only to have the first base umpire obviously miss a call that would have been the 27th and final out. The Detroit pitcher, by this egregious turn of fortune, ironically has become a sports celebrity beyond what his achievement would have typically merited him.

Sometimes, a seemingly cruel twist of fate leads to a situation better than one could imagine. When my wife Amy and I were on our honeymoon in France, we looked forward to celebrating my birthday in Paris. However, such was not meant to be. A French rail strike completely paralyzed transportation throughout the country and within Paris. Accepting local advice, we booked a hotel in a town we'd never heard of. The destination turned out to be a medieval town off the beaten track. I can still vividly recall the town, its quiet sense of history, its maze-like streets echoing ancient ways.

It was a birthday to remember.