A Maryland company is accused of defrauding more than 1,000 people out of $70 million in what turned out to be a Ponzi scheme, officials say.5 charged in 'nightmare' mortgage scheme
Also:
Monday, April 27, 2009
Five charged in 'nightmare' mortgage scheme
A Maryland company is accused of defrauding more than 1,000 people out of $70 million in what turned out to be a Ponzi scheme, officials say.
Blown-away Chihuahua reunited with owners
Tinker Bell has been reunited with her owners after a 70-mph gust of wind picked up the six-pound Chihuahua and tossed her out of sight.
Dorothy and Lavern Utley credit a pet psychic for guiding them on Monday to a wooded area nearly a mile from where 8-month-old Tinker Bell had been last seen. The brown long-haired dog was dirty and hungry but otherwise OK.
The Utleys, of Rochester, had set up an outdoor display Saturday at a flea market in Waterford Township, 25 miles northwest of Detroit. Tinker Bell was standing on their platform trailer when she was swept away.
Dorothy Utley tells The Detroit News that her cherished pet "just went wild" upon seeing her.
Police arrest woman they say used Taser on officer
Police have arrested a woman they said used a Utah Highway Patrol trooper's Taser on him. Lisa Parker, 41, was booked into the Salt Lake County jail for investigation of aggravated assault, interference with an arresting officer and unauthorized control of a motor vehicle. Authorities said a Utah Highway Patrol trooper pulled over a truck he thought was stolen on Saturday.
Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Jeff Nigbur said the officer attempted to arrest the female passenger but she hit him with her shoe and bit him.
Nigbur said the trooper tried to use his Taser but it didn't fire, so he threw it aside. But authorities say Parker picked it up and fired a shock called a "dry stun" into the officer.
A K-9 unit and back-up officer arrived, and Parker eventually was Tasered.
Foul-smelling man accused of money laundering
Authorities in Eugene, Oregon said a man accused of money laundering was tripped up because he could have used a little cleansing himself. Court records show that during his trips to a Eugene bank a man drew attention to himself because of a foul odor, possibly linked to fertilizer. A teller vomited. Customers complained. Authorities investigated.
After an Internal Revenue Service investigation into a drug operation involving high-potency marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms, a federal grand jury indicted the man.
He does not face drug charges, but he is accused of laundering cash in dozens of transactions totaling nearly $500,000 in 2007 and 2008.
Court records show he pleaded guilty in 1999 to manufacturing and delivering a controlled substance.
Alderman objects to crime-themed hot dog stand
A Chicago alderman said he doesn't mind that a businessman plans to open a hot dog stand in his ward and hire former convicts to work there, but he does object to the stand's crime-linked theme. Alderman Bob Fioretti said Friday his Second Ward on the city's West Side has major crime problems, so he thinks the stand's name, Felony Franks, is simply not in good taste.
Fioretti also objected to several slogans, including: "Food so good, it's criminal," and "Home of the misdemeanor wiener."
Stand owner Jim Andrews, though, said he thinks the tongue-in-cheek name and a menu that features such items as "burglar beef" and "chain gang chili dog" will help to erase some of the stigma that being a former convict carries.
Beware of 'Census' workers taking bank info
As the first phase of the 2010 Census began this month, the Better Business Bureau of Southern Piedmont is warning people to be wary of scammers pretending to be U.S. Census Bureau workers.
This already is happening in other parts of the country, although no cases have been reported yet in the Charlotte area, BBB spokeswoman Janet Hart said.
The census bureau has recently begun verifying every address in the nation in preparation for its decennial count next year.
Although people are generally wary about giving out banking or other personal information during unsolicited phone calls or visits, they may be more willing to do so if they think the person they are talking to is with the census agency, the BBB said.
The bureau emphasized that Census workers will not ask for Social Security numbers, banking or other financial information.
Other alerts include:
Census workers will carry identification, which people should ask to see.
Census workers will not ask for money, or tell you that you owe money.
Census workers may contact you by phone, mail or in person. They will not use e-mail for any contacts. Scammers have been known to send e-mails pretending to be from various government agencies.
Whitewater Center Going Solar
The U.S. National Whitewater Center, located in western Mecklenburg county near Charlotte, will generate some of its electrical power with a solar roof system to be installed later this week, it announced today.
WHO raises global alert level on swine flu
The Obama administration says it is responding aggressively to the outbreak, and urges Americans to take "common sense" precautions.WHO raises global alert level on swine flu
Also:
US refuses to let jet into its airspace because it is carrying a journalist who criticizes US foreign policy
This just proves george Orwell is alive and well ...
On April 24th, an Air France flight from Paris to Mexico had to make an unscheduled stop in Martinique when US air traffic controllers notified the jet that it would not be receiving permission to fly over US airspace.
The plane was not en route to the US, just passing over some of it.
On board the plane was Colombian Journalist Hernando Calvo Ospina, who works for the French left-wing journal Le Monde Diplomatique and wrote about US involvement in Latin America. Ospina and his publisher said they will sue for compensation."
On April 24th, an Air France flight from Paris to Mexico had to make an unscheduled stop in Martinique when US air traffic controllers notified the jet that it would not be receiving permission to fly over US airspace.
The plane was not en route to the US, just passing over some of it.
On board the plane was Colombian Journalist Hernando Calvo Ospina, who works for the French left-wing journal Le Monde Diplomatique and wrote about US involvement in Latin America. Ospina and his publisher said they will sue for compensation."
What makes the whole incident even more interesting is that Air France had only sent its passenger manifest to the Mexicans, but now it is clear that Mexico shares this information with the United States.Hernando Calvo Ospina has written articles about the United States involvement in Latin America, and is currently writing a book about he CIA. The exact reason for him being on the terrorist watch list is unknown, and we'll probably never know what criteria are used for adding people to it. Air France is considering asking the United States for compensation. Good luck with that.
Indians to prove their vote by flipping the bird
Who ever said India's election commission doesn't have a sense of humor.
It has insisted that when about 500 million Indians vote in the general elections this summer, they will be marked on their middle fingers with indelible ink to prevent double voting.
The photograph below shows the Chief Minister of Maharashtra state (and his wife) showing their middle fingers to the camera, apparently only realizing later what it looked like.
It has insisted that when about 500 million Indians vote in the general elections this summer, they will be marked on their middle fingers with indelible ink to prevent double voting.
The photograph below shows the Chief Minister of Maharashtra state (and his wife) showing their middle fingers to the camera, apparently only realizing later what it looked like.
Yeah, I know the feeling. I've felt like flipping the bird on more than one occasion during elections myself.The Election Commission is ensuring your message goes out loud and clear - they are giving your index finger a go-by, and painting your middle finger with indelible ink instead. A Commission official said the change was necessitated by the recently-concluded elections to local bodies in some parts of the country. "Since these voters will still have their index fingers marked, we decided to uniformly mark the middle finger of the left hand," he said.
Not everyone's amused, though. In many places, politicians and celebrities smiled and posed for the cameras after casting their vote, but realization dawned much later. A Pune-based Bollywood celebrity said, "I did not realize it when I posed for the cameras. But when I saw the photo, my pose appeared to be in poor taste."
Hurricanes reduce ability of forests to store carbon
The destruction of trees by hurricanes and tropical storms could turn forests into net emitters of carbon dioxide.
Hurricanes reduce ability of forests to store carbon
Bicycle helmet laws could do more harm than good
Forcing cyclists to wear protective headgear could cause people to stop cycling and cost healthcare services billions of dollars, a new study claims.
More harm than good
Antimatter
Does antimatter fall up? How do you make it – and could it be used to make a bomb? Find out the answers to these questions and more in our special feature.The five greatest mysteries of antimatter
According to theory, matter and antimatter should have been created in equal amounts at the big bang – yet our universe is almost entirely made of matter.Where is all the antimatter?
Most distant object in the universe spotted
A gamma-ray burst that detonated 13.1 billion light years from Earth is the most distant object ever seen.Most distant object in the universe
Investing in Science
From BBC-Science:
| |  | | | |
 | | President Barack Obama has set a goal of devoting 3% of gross domestic product to US science research. |
Hairy pig draws big crowd
This hairy pig looks like she's trying to pull the wool over our eyes by looking like a Sheep.
Hairdresser builds model out of hair
A Chinese hairdresser has created an incredibly detailed model of a Beijing landmark out of hair collected in his shop.
This guy's got way too much time on his hands.
Wife sues bank when hubby finds secret account
A Long Island dentist is suing Chase bank to recover the more than $150,000 that she says she had to share with her hubby after a bank employee let it slip that she had a huge account balance he didn't know about.
GM kills off Pontiac in restructuring move
Damn! I've always liked Pontiacs!
The storied Pontiac brand is dead and more jobs will disappear as part of GM's attempt to stave off bankruptcy protection.GM kills off Pontiac
Also:
Is swine flu 'the big one' or will it fizzle out?
Public health experts have long feared a new flu could appear and kill millions worldwide.'The Big One'?
Also:
Clever uses for old plastic bags
Those sacks are good for a lot more than carting groceries.Tips to protect yourself from the swine flu
As experts continue to determine the threat risk, some advice to help keep you and your family safe.
Tips to protect yourself
Also:
Who's Naeve?
Good question, but the answer will surprise the one asking.
Skippy over at Skippy the Bush Kangaroo posted this commentary on one of the reasons why we do not take the repugicans, neocons, and other assorted mindless wing-nuts seriously:
It is not a case of "if' they learn to spell it is a case of them being incapable of learning - to spell or otherwise.
Notice the illiterate whack-job who posted the incoherent rant Skippy cited accused others of being illiterate in typical repugican fashion (and, yes, I am spelling repugican correctly), of accusing everyone else of their own foibles while displaying his illiteracy for the world to see in vivid detail.
Yes, the question is ... who is truly naive?
Skippy over at Skippy the Bush Kangaroo posted this commentary on one of the reasons why we do not take the repugicans, neocons, and other assorted mindless wing-nuts seriously:
In response to a Ben smith Politico piece titled in GOP Base, a 'rebellion brewing', an apparently-conservative commentator warns the rest of us:Just last week Obama and his loyal media told us that the Democrats, Socialists and loyal illiterates were totally discouraging the pathetic right. Obama did not even notice that he recieved tons of tea bags nor did the media report on the grass roots. Naeve or blind?To which a later commentator asks "who's naeve?"
If these people ever learn how to spell, we might be in trouble.
*****
It is not a case of "if' they learn to spell it is a case of them being incapable of learning - to spell or otherwise.
Notice the illiterate whack-job who posted the incoherent rant Skippy cited accused others of being illiterate in typical repugican fashion (and, yes, I am spelling repugican correctly), of accusing everyone else of their own foibles while displaying his illiteracy for the world to see in vivid detail.
Yes, the question is ... who is truly naive?
Smart ways to save more money this year
With some easy swaps, these seven tips will help you pocket thousands more in cash.Smart ways to save more money this year
Also:
Our Readers
Some of our readers today have been in:
What seems to be one of our most popular regions ... Ontario, Canada where readers in Sarina, Toronto, Barrie, Kingston and Waterloo hung out awhile.
Like readers in ...
Carlisle, England, United Kingdom
Leipzig, Sachen, Germany
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
London, England, United Kingdom
Noisiel, Ile-De-France, France
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Bath, England, United Kingdom
Riyadh, Ar Riayd, Saudi Arabia
Hettstedt, Sachen-Anhalt, Germany
Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile
Bucharest, Bucuresti, Romania
Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
Sutton, England, United Kingdom
Vienna, Wien, Austria
Roubaix, Nord-Pas, De-Calais, France
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Milan, Lombardia, Italy
Fredrica, Vejle, Denmark
Algiers, Alger, Algeria
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
as well as Hong Kong and the United States
What seems to be one of our most popular regions ... Ontario, Canada where readers in Sarina, Toronto, Barrie, Kingston and Waterloo hung out awhile.
Like readers in ...
Carlisle, England, United Kingdom
Leipzig, Sachen, Germany
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
London, England, United Kingdom
Noisiel, Ile-De-France, France
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Bath, England, United Kingdom
Riyadh, Ar Riayd, Saudi Arabia
Hettstedt, Sachen-Anhalt, Germany
Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile
Bucharest, Bucuresti, Romania
Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
Sutton, England, United Kingdom
Vienna, Wien, Austria
Roubaix, Nord-Pas, De-Calais, France
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Milan, Lombardia, Italy
Fredrica, Vejle, Denmark
Algiers, Alger, Algeria
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
as well as Hong Kong and the United States
Daily Horoscope
Today's horoscope says:
You might be feeling really outgoing and totally ready to party today, but one of your closest friends is going to be in the wallflower mode.
That's a bummer, but it'll be alright. I'll party today and tomorrow then.
You might be feeling really outgoing and totally ready to party today, but one of your closest friends is going to be in the wallflower mode.
That's a bummer, but it'll be alright. I'll party today and tomorrow then.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
