You will find a lot of pay day loans debt collection scams

Scams are all over Illinois for pay day loans debt collection. Current and previous payday loans borrowers have had their personal information stolen by con artist debt collectors. The phone is what the false payday loans no faxing collectors use to call and bully these people by threatening jail time and lawsuits. Lisa Madigan, Illinois Attorney General, issued a consumer alert because of how bad the pay day debt collection scam has become.

Debt collection scammers go by way of intimidation and threats

Most recently, there has been a lot more complaints about bogus pay day debt collectors. These came to the Illinois attorney general’s office. As outlined by Consumer Affairs, most individuals who have received fraudulent pay day loan calls have previously used an online loan lenders and had already paid their debt. The info known by the caller consists of social security numbers, employer, account with your bank numbers and names. Victims think that the scammers are real because of all the information the caller has. To get money out of the victims’ bank accounts, the scammers just have to use threats and intimidation, such as lawsuits or jail. Lawsuits or jail are just two of the threats and intimidation, that are used by the scamm! ers. They use this to get withdrawals made from victims’ bank accounts. The bogus collectors often like to get promissory notes signed by these consumers.

This stops loan company from getting business

Scammers hurt more than just Illinois payday loans no faxing customers. Wallet Pop reports the payday loan scam calls have surfaced in Ohio, Colorado, Florida, Indiana and other states around the nation. Madigan said the scammers say they’re from a variety of bogus companies, such as Morgan and Associates, Federal Bureau of Investigators, DNR Recovery, DNI Recovery, Legal Accounts Association, Department of Law and Enforcement, CashNet USA, America Legal Services, Quick cash loans and ACS. The names are all fake, well, for probably the most part. CashNet USA is one of the only real ones. Scam warnings are on the site for CashNet USA right now.

Debt collection harassment is illegal

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act protects consumers. Debt collectors can’t even call between 8 am and 9 pm. Threats such as lawsuits or arrest aren’t things they can do. Also, they can’t ask for more money than owed or tell a 3rd party about a consumer’s debt. Madigan’s office has reports of numerous victims of the payday loan scam payday hundreds of dollars because of it. WIFR, which is an Illinois TV station, showed advice for if consumers are contacted by scammers that come from Madigan.

People don’t go to jail for failing to pay a debt in this country.

Never give out any personal information over the telephone, especially bank account numbers or credit card numbers.

When in doubt, ask the debt collector to produce documentation that qualifies the debt they seek to collect.

Contact the original creditor to confirm if the debt has been paid. If not, confirm that the debt was sold to a third party collector before making a payment.

Additional reading

Consumer Affairs

consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/08/il_payday_lending.html

Wallet Pop

walletpop.com/blog/2010/08/26/warning-issued-over-bogus-payday-loan-debt-collector-calls/

WIFR

wifr.com/news/headlines/101497999.html?ref=999

Video gaming content debated, Medal of Honor

The popular video game series “Medal of Honor” has become a target of derision because of the latest installment. All titles in the series were set in World War II until now. The war in Afghanistan is the setting for the new one. What’s different about this one? Players also get to be the Taliban in multiplayer mode in “Medal of Honor 2010.” The British Secretary of Defense thinks the game should be banned.

Video game selling opposed to by Liam Fox

The Defense Secretary for Good Britain (British English spells “defense” with a “c”), Liam Fox, has needed a bar of the video game. According to The Guardian, he believes retailers should refuse to carry the game, and people should refuse to purchase it. The opposition to the game is because of the multiplayer mode. Players can choose to be either US or UK characters, or the Taliban. You will find others who oppose the game. It would seem sacrilegious to shoot at American or British troops, even in an online gaming pretend reality. Other games, such as those within the “Call of Duty” series took place in Iraq and Afghanistan. It appears sadly like an inevitability that this would be in a video gaming.

Response from electronic arts

The game is by Electronic Arts, and this version of “Medal of Honor” is the first not to take place in World War II. EA’s PR Representative, in AOL News, said that the video game play is no different than how kids play. Cowboys face off against Indians, cops against robbers, and in the re-boot of the video gaming series, in multiplayer mode “someone’s gotta be the Taliban.” Opponents also observe that Word War II is removed from modern history by a long time, and thus games in which individuals could be Nazis in multiplayer are less harmful as a result.

It is merely a video game

You will find two universal outcomes to any controversial video game. First, some individuals get offended and raise a great ruckus. Second, the video game sells a lot of units, if anyone can recall “Grand Theft Auto” or the first “Mortal Kombat,” for instance. It was inevitable that a video game of this sort had this exact feature. Steven Spielberg really helped to create the first “Medal of Honor.” That first video game had some multiplayer characters that were interesting also. Players could wage war as a German Shepherd, William Shakespeare or a Velociraptor. Remember, this is the game where you can kill Nazis as a dinosaur, so maybe you shouldn’t take it too seriously.

Further reading

AOL News

aolnews.com/nation/article/new-video-game-will-let-you-play-as-the-taliban/19588413

Guardian

guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2010/aug/23/liam-fox-medal-of-honor-ban

Farmers in Missouri and Kansas get U.S.D.A. emergency cash loans

The weather this summer has been detrimental to farmers within the lower Midwest. Flash flood damage left the area around Kansas city in a disaster state and help is coming from the U.S.D.A.. Emergency loans will be made available for any farmers in certain areas that need some advance cash because of damaged crops. The loans can be filed to receive within the next few months. The loans rate of interest has been determined. The rate is low. Excessive rainfall and a brutal tornado season have caused extensive damage throughout the Midwest.

Heavy summer rains

Extensive rainfall has occurred throughout the Midwest. The Oklahoma tornadoes and Milwaukee floods have been really bad as they were storms from the Gulf region to the Great Lakes. Areas around Kansas City have been seriously damaged as well. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced six of seven counties within the Kansas City, Mo., metro area natural disaster areas, and those counties could use some cash now to help rebuild.

Farms severely hurting

Farmers within the region had the summer crops were severely affected by weather throughout the year. According to the Kansas City Business Journal, wind, rain, and flash flood damage has wrecked a good portion of this summer’s crops, and emergency cash loans can be made accessible. Farmers wanting low cost loans can apply for them. This is going through the Department of Agriculture. 100 percent of losses could be covered with the 3.75 rate of interest. Farmers can borrow quite a bit. The max is $ 500,000. Oklahoma has 47 counties considered in disaster when 55 counties in Missouri are announced disaster. This doesn’t contain the six from Kansas City.

Mother Nature taking money away

It has been said more than once that Mother Nature could be a cruel mistress. Too much rain and wind can wreak havoc in agricultural areas, and that can leave farmers — the individuals who make certain all of us can eat — in need of payday cash that is harder to come by these days.

Discover more information on this subject

Business Journal

bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2010/08/23/daily12.html

Primary has Tea Party losing to John McCain

There is a secret. Learn new tricks as an old dog. John McCain’s main goal recently was to beat J.D. Hayworth, from the Tea Party, in the Arizona Republican Primary elections. McCain sure knows how to campaign, although he is not the only one with a comparable candidate. Hayworth can have to wait six years to run again after losing the primary. The Tea Party stuff is what everybody wants to learn about. That is why the Alaska Senate race and Florida Senate race are so closely viewed. Resource for this article – John McCain beats Tea Party candidate in primary by Personal Money Store.

Tea Party not as strong as McCain

A fight was being brought by the defeated Republican candidate from the last presidential election, Senator John McCain. J.D. Hayworth is a previous congressman at the moment running under Tea Party as a republican. He hoped to get, along with other candidates that are anti-incumbent, the Senate seat this year. Hayworth ended up showing his hostility toward the Washington establishment. This didn’t help him at all. 60 percent of the vote went to McCain. That means Hayworth only received 30 percent of the vote. Of course, John McCain did spend about $20 million on campaigning, and he changed his prior tune on immigration, as outlined by CNN. Democrats do not stand a chance this year.

Three options for Sunshine State Senate

Florida might be interesting this year. The election results for 2010 might be different. Governor Charlie Crist is running as an independent. The Republican candidate, and also a Tea Party heavy, is Marco Rubio, a member of the Florida legislature. Kendrick Meek upset Jeff Greene following the Democratic primary ended. Greene self-financed his campaign but failed to capture the primary.

Then there’s Alaska

The home state of Sarah Palin also has a closely viewed election for the U.S. Senate. Longtime incumbent Lisa Murkowski faces a challenge within the Republican primary from Jeff Miller, a Tea Party affiliated candidate who also has an endorsement from Sarah Palin. Miller leads by just a very miniscule amount. Tea Party candidates are thus far somewhat successful in primaries, but the true success can be determined in November.

More on this topic

CNN

cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/08/25/tuesday.primaries/index.html?hpt=T2

WikiLeaks posts additional top secret paperwork this time around from Central Intelligence Agency

WikiLeaks is not a preferred site of the United States government, as they posted some sensitive materials pertaining to the Afghan war. Though WikiLeaks maintains it would never release any info that could put soldiers in danger, the release of somewhat sensitive paperwork has continued. An additional release from the site is quite interesting. It is a Cia record exploring how the U.S. exports terrorism. The Central Intelligence Agency and the Pentagon insist the record is essentially harmless, however aren’t thrilled with its publication. Post resource – WikiLeaks scandals continue with leak of Cia documents by Newystype.com.

WikiLeaks releases Top Secret Cia report

As outlined by CNN, there is a new post via WikiLeaks. The subject was previously a classified record from the Central Intelligence Agency. The report explores possible exporting of terrorism by the U.S. through foreign policy and other avenues. It is entitled “What if Foreigners see the United States as ‘Exporter of Terrorism?’”. How was it found? No one knows. Examples are highlighted such as the Irish Republican Army receiving aid from Irish Americans, Jewish-American support for extremist Israeli terrorist groups and so forth. The file is mostly about potential fallout. The primary concern is what could happen if other nations see the United States of America as an exporter of terrorism.

Perfectly normal for Red Cell

The document was created by a division of the CIA called Red Cell. Basically, that report is the work of Red Cell. The policy and statements of the United States is examined, and Red Cell plays devil’s advocate. More or less, the job of Red Cell is to look at things from a different point of view. The Pentagon is not happy about the leaks, and also the Central Intelligence Agency isn’t really either. Authorities have admitted the record poses no serious threat however that all files from the Defense Department or Cia should be removed and returned.

WikiLeaks top shot in deep trouble

Founder and editor of the site, Julian Assange, is no stranger to being at the center of controversy. Recently, he was arrested in Sweden for rape. Since he wasn’t in Sweden at the time, the arrest was in absentia. The judge presiding over the case dropped it the day after they were filed. Assange has attributed the charges to a smear campaign against him by offended governments conspiring with European lawful authorities. He has been in legal trouble for hacking in Australia, his home country.

Further reading

CNN

edition.cnn.com/2010/US/08/25/WikiLeaks.central inteligence agency.release/?hpt=Sbin#fbid=QdDzKvaTDgY and wom=false

WikiLeaks

file.WikiLeaks.org/file/us-cia-redcell-exporter-of-terrorism-2010.pdf

No longer hot-air is soon going to be the head line

Helium is fun for voice changing at parties, but it has numerous more uses that are exceedingly important. From solar telescopes to rockets and MRI cryogenics to deep-sea diving, helium is a vital, non-renewable resource that many take for of course. Regrettably, most people only know that it is great for filling birthday balloons, so long as it is cheap. However it might not be cheap for long, reports The Independent – helium supplies are fading fast. Helium pricing will fly high as the supply floats out of Earthly existence. Post resource – The world is almost out of helium – be very afraid by Personal Money Store.

Running out of helium may have significant repercussions

In 1996, Congress voted in favor of the Helium Privatization Act – and America’s supply has dwindled at a high rate of speed ever since. Because it is so cheap to get helium, supplies have depleted at an alarming rate. The 1996 law also calls for that all the helium in the United States National Helium Reserve near Amarillo, Texas, be sold by 2015, regardless of market price. The deck is stacked against helium for the rest of the world, too.

The reason why so serious, helium?

Cooling MRI machines with liquid helium have been customary in hospitals for some time. Anti-terrorism forces use helium for their radiation monitors and infrared detectors. If that’s not serious enough, nuclear facilities need helium-3 isotopes for safe operation. Wind tunnels require garden variety helium. Helium is good for safely cleaning rocket fuel tanks, which NASA loves. It could all be gone in 25 to 30 years, as outlined by experts in the know about helium.

According to Nobel laureate and Cornell University physics professor Robert Richardson, “Once helium is released to the atmosphere in the form of party balloons or boiling helium, it is lost to the Earth forever”.

Where do we get helium?

Nuclear fusion from the Sun and the slow radioactive decay of terrestrial rock are the two means by which helium is made. We get helium from the rocks. It can’t be created in any artificial fashion. Since it is taken 4.7 billion years for natural decay to produce the Earth’s current helium supply, waiting around for the planet to make more is not an option.

A rare special for only $ 100 a balloon

Raising the price of helium considerably is Prof. Richardson’s solution. If helium becomes 20 to 50 times more costly than the current rate (15 cubic feet of helium cost about $40 in 2009), motivation to recycle the gas would greatly increase. Thus, expect that a helium-filled Mylar balloon could cost as much as $ 100. There is no other way.

More on this topic

Helium Privatization Act

helium.com/items/874929-understanding-the-helium-privitization-act-of-1996

The Independent

independent.co.uk/news/science/why-the-world-is-running-out-of-helium-2059357.html

University of Denver study on helium

mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/phys/helium.htm

Rising bacon prices helps economy

$ 6.30 is what you are looking at paying when trying to purchase a pint of beer in Europe due to a Russian wheat crisis and harvest troubles that have been happening. But here’s something to really take the sizzle out of your day: bacon prices are stampeding onward and upward. Last year bacon prices were cheaper. CNBC says the price went up 20 percent. Any person who likes their bacon each and every morning is surely upset by this although the U.S. economy is doing better with this rise in price.

Getting bacon can cost $ 4 per pound

The Department of Agriculture has given their opinion on the situation. It feels the rise in price is because there is a supply-and-demand curve that has to be met. The recession has caused more to get rid of their pigs. Tomatoes are at the moment ripe, so BLT sandwiches are a hot item – and thus there’s a need for more bacon. Obama’s Next Crisis,” is what the National Review calls it right about now.

Economy benefits from this sad story

The National Review was all upset about the bacon issues. It forgot to mention all the good things to come from it. This means that more people want to buy luxury items such as bacon. Luxury items are only bought when individuals feel comfortable. This means the economy is likely to get much better. It was said by Rich Nelson of Allendale, Inc. that “They may not be getting steak rather than hamburger, but they will put bacon on their hamburger or other things.” This is good news.

Bacon tends to be in more items at restaurants because of this.

More fattened through demand

Demand has caused many of the pig farmers to pick up some more for the herd. Hog tends to be the most picked up thing. Nelson feels like prices will go down. This should happen by mid-2011. Fat on generic brands of bacon abound meaning there is less meat left after losing the fat. More individuals are buying the generic brands. According to Jason Mosely of Mr. Baconpants, “Your BLT deserves the best bacon you are able to afford!” despite the fact that most know the economy must be recovering as a result of greatness of bacon, including CNBC’s Heather Lauer. Hopefully this means that most plan to celebrate International Bacon Day patriotically. It is September fourth. This really is the case.

Further reading

CNBC

cnbc.com/id/38725523/

The only problem with bacon is that it makes you thirsty… for more bacon.

youtube.com/watch?v=CaK9bjLy3v4

Congress is interested within the cause of the salmonella egg recall

Friday was the day that more producers of Iowa eggs were added to the egg recall list. A total of half a billion eggs are recalled after nationwide salmonella outbreak that has sickened about 1,000 people in 10 states, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Congress has launched an investigation of the salmonella outbreak. July 9 was the beginning of new federal egg safety rules the FDA has decided to put into effect. FDA officials said if the new food safety rules had been in effect the salmonella outbreak could are prevented.

Egg producer expected for this

The largest egg recall in recent history, as outlined by the FDA, began last week when Wright County Egg recalled 380 million eggs. Several days later Hillendale Farms announced a recall of 180 million eggs after the FDA tracked salmonella cases to Quality Egg, one of its suppliers. Monday was the day the House Energy and Commerce Committee asked for documents from the company. CNN reported this. Wright County Egg and Quality Egg are owned by the DeCoster agribusiness empire in the Midwest and Northeast. DeCoster companies have a history of questionable practices. 10 civil counts of animal cruelty in Maine were what Jack DeCoster was accused of. He pleaded guilty to these in June. In 1996, DeCoster was accused of having minors working in a sweatshop on a Maine chicken farm. He paid a $ 3.6 million fee because of this. DeCoster was accused of dumping hog manure in 2000. This led Iowa’s attorney general to call DeCoster a “habitual violator” of state e! nvironmental laws.

New safety rules for making eggs

Until July 9, inspection of egg producers was the sole responsibility of the USDA. Between May and July, there are 3 times more than normal reports of salmonella, which is about 2,000, reports the Center for Disease control. The Wall Street Journal reports the new change. Now the FDA and USDA share responsibility for inspecting. The new egg safety rules contain requiring farms to test eggs and facilities for salmonella, protect feed and water from contamination and getting chicks and young hens from suppliers that monitor for salmonella. Farms have one year to change their standard.

Salmonella served any way you like it

Consumers are being advised to throw out or take back eggs in cartons stamped with certain packing dates and location codes. Even so, a salmonella contamination expert told the Los Angeles Times that there is always some threat of salmonella poisoning from raw eggs. You won’t be able to easy find out if your egg has salmonella. It is not detectable by taste, smell or looks. Many have been getting salmonella poisoning from the way they cook their eggs. Typically it is contracted with hollandaise sauce or by eating sunny side up eggs. Cooking an egg all the way can really help. This will kill any bacteria from salmonella. The yolk should be cooked hard. Making the eggs pasteurized can help dramatically as well. They are always safe. But consumers with eggs on the recall list should avoid any risk and get their money back.

Discover more info on this subject

CNN

cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/23/eggs.salmonella/index.html?npt=NP1

Wall Street Journal

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704504204575445981962961848.html

Los Angeles Times

mobile.latimes.com/wap/news/text.jsp?sid=294 and amp;nid=19361323 and amp;cid=17706 and amp;scid=1053 and amp;ith=1 and amp;title=Health

Biggest risk celebrity that is risky is Cameron Diaz Internet search

Cameron Diaz is bad news. She was awarded top honors in the newest release of the McAfee “Most Hazardous Celebrities” report. Web users downloading subject matter such as screensavers and wallpaper featuring celebs are often duped by malicious hackers who hide adware behind such content material and Most dangerous Superstars is a list of the Hollywood stars they use most often.

Superstars which distribute threatening downloads the most

McAfee has compiled its Most dangerous Stars list for the past four years to promote its free SiteAdvisor service that scans web sites for the presence of adware. MSNBC reports that McAfee uses SiteAdvisor to identify celebrities with the “highest percentages of risk” for individuals who want to download photos, videos or screensavers featuring them. When looking for Cameron Diaz photos and downloads, web users take a 10 percent chance of landing on a site that’s tested optimistic for spyware that might lead to consequences from degraded PC performance to identity theft.

Detrimental hackers play on followers of rich and famous

The hot topics that interest everybody else on the web are especially enticing for cybercriminals. As reported by ABC News, hackers track one of the most popular superstars and create content featuring them accessible for download that contains hidden programs intended for stealing passwords and other vital personal info that users have stored on their PCs. The tactic is not a recent innovation, but Dave Marcus, McAfee Labs’ director of security research, told ABC News the spread of malicious downloads is increasing at an accelerated pace. McAfee tracked more malware from April through June than ever before. Within that span of time, McAfee uncovered 6 million freshly written malware programs-the equivalent of nearly 60,000 occurrences each and every day.

Actors and models are probably the most hazardous

The top 10 very threatening celebs are most often the hottest movie stars and Victoria Secret models. A CNET report on the phenomenon noted that spyware showed up in 19 percent of the websites found when SiteAdvisor searched “Cameron Diaz and screensavers” . Other actors dominated the top 10. Julia Roberts had to settle for second place. After taking top honors last year, Jessica Biel got bumped to third. One more familiar face (and body) was fourth. Gisele Bundchen is not only the world’s richest supermodel, she’s also one of the most dangerous. The first male on the list is Brad Pitt in fifth-a jump from 10th last year. Some celebs aren’t that dangerous. Politicians typically bring up the rear. Barack Obama ranked no. 49. Sarah Palin, who craves the spotlight, might have been disappointed by straggling in at no. 50.

The McAfee Very threatening Celebrities

1. Cameron Diaz

2. Julia Roberts

3. Jessica Biel

4. Gisele Bündchen

5. Brad Pitt

6. Adriana Lima

7. Jennifer Love Hewitt and Nicole Kidman: tie

8. Tom Cruise

9. Heidi Klum and Penelope Cruz: tie

10. Anna Paquin

Additional reading

MSNBC

msnbc.msn.com

ABC News

abcnews.go.com

CNET

news.cnet.com

The aim of the Naruse pedal to place the brakes on vehicle accidents

Most modern cars accelerate, brake and shift gears using pedals, and that has created some noted disadvantages that come naturally. Although installing a jet style throttle into your automobile would be totally awesome, there has not been a fantastic deal of variation on the theme of separate accelerator and brake pedals. This can pose issues, as a person who jams a foot down in an emergency can hit the gas rather than the brakes, which can cause accidents, even fatalities. Masuyuki Naruse set out to try something else.

Brakes and Gas no longer in individual pedals using the naruse pedal

Masuyuki Naruse had two incidents where he accidentally hit the gas instead of the brakes. Naruse (pronounced Na-ru-say) decided that there had to be a better way, as outlined by the New York Times. He thought that a single pedal would be better than the dual pedal system. So he started work on a pedal that could accelerate and brake without the potential mistake. He went into his workshop for making it happen. He came up with a prototype by 1991.

Toyota takes a look

The pedal is for acceleration and braking. But not quite like the usual pedals. To brake, you push your foot down normally. The gas is a lever, which you move with your foot side to side. Just move your foot to the right to speed up. Braking hasn’t changed. Toyota got one about 10 years ago. They didn’t determine to buy it. It isn’t the very first time somebody has thought of it. Currently, a comparable prototype is being tested in Sweden, invented by one Sven Gustafsson.

That addresses an actual concern

There is a real danger to dual pedals. In Japan, the Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis observed 6,700 accidents, 9,500 injuries and 37 deaths from stomping on the wrong pedal in emergencies. Richard A. Schmidt found that in emergencies, neuromuscular processes are disrupted and can cause individuals to forget which pedal is which. Naruse pedals are certified as street lawful for 130 vehicles, and Naruse invited Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota to test the pedal himself, but Toyoda did not accept.

Further reading

NY Times

nytimes.com/2010/08/04/business/global/04pedal.html?pagewanted=2 and _r=1

Location based networking makes it harder for Facebook to keep away from privacy issues

Facebook Places gets a new location-based networking program to start working with. This should be great for the social site. It is easy to see where your friends are at and know which friends are the closest with Facebook Places for those who have a smartphone that uses GPS. Facebook Places also lets users tag friends who are with them. Locations that the user may want are shown on Places. Broadcasting a user’s location has created an additional layer within the Facebook privacy issues debate. Advertising is easy with Facebook Places. Businesses could be more likely to advertise with it. Burglars would do well with it also. They could catch individuals more very easily. Personal details is vulnerable by default, but Places could be disabled in Facebook privacy settings.

Better advertising with Facebook Places

Foursquare and Gowalla are networking sites that Facebook Places have depending itself off. Users can check in on there so their location could be shown to their friends. The New York Times reports that Michael Sharon, works for Places, says that Places wants to get a minimum of 500 million Facebook users to use this program. The Times found out that Facebook wants to work with small businesses for the Places program. Google can be beat out if Places can work with many companies like this. Analysts say both companies covet the potential market for mobile advertising and search. Identity and behavior is studied this way. Corporations will benefit when knowing what human behavior is turning into.

Facebook Places has issues with privacy

Sam Diaz from ZDNet says that it is really just weird that Facebook would give the location of users with Places to help with advertising. Flagging things may be the only way to get things removed, even if somebody else has put that info in for you. Tagging friends with you is one more concern that he has. It would suck if your friend tagged you someplace you weren’t designed to be. However, permission to be tagged by friends could be allowed or denied in Facebook privacy settings. Diaz also was worried that burglars would look to see “who’s not home” on Facebook Places and use that.

Disable Facebook Places

For Facebook users who prefer to keep their location private, or stop their friends from posting it, Lifehacker provides instructions. Places can only be changed if you change privacy settings. You will have to get on your Facebook account. Sadly, by default, your Facebook Places setting is already picked. It is set as allow locations. The default also lets people know a user is at a particular location via the location’s Facebook page or in a search for individuals near the location. The user might not even know some of the individuals checking where they’re since friends of friends are allowed to see them with this default privacy setting for Facebook.

Additional reading

New York Times

nytimes.com/2010/08/19/technology/19facebook.html?ref=technology

ZDNet

zdnet.com/blog/btl/facebook-launches-places-geo-location-service-thats-both-cool-and-creepy/38203

Lifehacker

lifehacker.com/5616395/how-to-disable-facebook-places

Fed survey shows lending standards easing for first time in years

A Federal Reserve financial institution survey has found that lending standards are showing signs of loosening. Getting approval for a new charge card is more likely now than it’s been in the last 3 years. For the first time in four years, banks have loosened lending standards for small businesses. Lack of small company credit has been identified as a major problem as the United States economy struggles to recover from a lingering recession. However, until demand for small business loans resumes, some experts say that more liberal lending standards will do little to ease the pain. Post resource – Fed survey shows lending standards easing for first time in years by Personal Money Store.

Lending standards for revolving credit ease

On a quarterly basis, the Federal Reserve financial institution survey queries financial institution executives about the previous quarter’s availability of credit and subsequent demand. Reporting on the Fed survey, Creditcards.com said about 8 percent of banks had relaxed charge card lending standards for application approval. Of all the banks surveyed, none had tightened credit card lending standards any further. The numbers put an end, temporarily at least, an 11-quarter run of credit tightening that dates back to 2007. At the very same time, the Fed survey shows that credit remains limited and costly for most existing cardholders.

Spurring demand for small company lending

The Fed’s latest band survey found that small company lending standards may be loosening for the first time since just before the recession hit. NPR’s Fed survey report said that loosening lending standards have emerged for the first time since late in 2006. The survey was released shortly after a Fed conference on the small business lending problem in mid-July. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke noted a severe gap between large corporations building up cash and reporting strong earnings and thousands of smaller businesses struggling to get credit. Even so, demand for small business loans remains weak, as outlined by the banks surveyed.

A dim outlook for smaller businesses

It’s been documented that small business owners have complained about the lack of credit since the recession hit. Yet according to Seeking Alpha, demand will continue to be weak because of a negative outlook for small business owners. Smaller businesses owners are less optimistic than nearly any point within the past five years as outlined by data from the NIFB Small business Economic Trends report. Only 6 percent feel it is a good time to expand. Only 19 percent plan for making a capital purchase within the next one to two quarters. Also, plans to expand inventory, hiring and sales expectations remain at low levels.

Further reading

CreditCards

creditcards.com

NPR

npr.org

Seeking Alpha

seekingalpha.com

Working on getting debt consolidation

As the economy is not within the best of shape, a lot of individuals are seeking to divest their debt. Numerous wanted quick payday when paying other debts off with a second mortgage although a good way to go could be getting a better interest rate with a mortgage loan modification. Strategies began to backfire after the market tanked. It is hard to discover someone who you can trust to help you get true debt settlement relief when it is so rare to discover. Post resource – Not all debt consolidation is created equal by Personal Money Store.

The wrong idea of fixing debt with more debt?

Before the real estate market took a nosedive, it was common for people to either refinance or take out second mortgages to pay other debts, like their credit cards. Borrowing from Peter to pay back Paul is what is happening here. It helps to refinance right now when mortgage rates are less than 5 percent. You have to have a good credit rating for this of course, reports Newsday. A credit score with anything bad on it won’t make it possible to get lower rates making it possible for cash advances within the spending budget.

Steer clear of wolfish debt counselors

You also have to be careful of who you go through for debt consolidation. You may be better off if you get a personel loans to do it yourself. There are plenty of non-profit agencies, such as the National Foundation for Credit Counseling that can help you out of debt. There is no charge for the services meaning you can get out of debt without an extra payday loan. Numerous have a bad credit score ratings now meaning their debt consolidation loans they receive may have higher interest rates than they have now, which means more will be paid in the end of it all.

FTC prefers dirty debt practices to be gone

For a long time there has been talk of financial reform. Getting rid of bad debt relief services is part of the Federal Trade Commission’s project. The Washington Post explains that customers can’t be charged an introductory fee, and any fees must be disclosed before being charged as well.

Further reading on this topic

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/29/AR2010072905958.html

Newsday

newsday.com/classifieds/real-estate/how-to-refinance-your-home-with-low-interest-rates-1.2200971

Barclays Bank pays for sanctions violations with $ 298 million

The United States holds major sway on the world stage. International finance is surely an area where the nation has some power, which is why charges were brought against England’s Barclays Bank so effortlessly. Sanctions were made from the U.S. to Cuba, Iran, Libya, Sudan and Burma which were allegedly broken by Barclays between March 1995 and September 2006, reports the Washington Post. Banks in the enemy nations received more than $ 500 million from Barclays which had to be cleared through the New York branch. As outlined by Reuters, a $ 298 million settlement to U.S. criminal charges was agreed to be paid by Barclays Bank already because this happened.

Prosecutors believe Barclays was trying to conceal the truth

Barclays documents filed in the U.S. omitted the names of banks in those sanctioned countries. To make the connection to the other countries obscure, payments went through internal accounts. Counts against Barclays Bank contain violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and trading with the enemy, as outlined by Jennifer Calvery, chief of the U.S. Justice Department’s asset forfeiture and money-laundering division.

Cuba has had U.S. sanctions against them since Kennedy although the others came later like Libya in 1986, Iran in 1995, Sudan and Burma in 1997.

Barclays makes clear what some transactions were

Barclays Bank decided it was better to just cooperate and give U.S. government investigators all the documents related to the case. The documents have not been given to the U.S. completely. The $ 298 million settlement breaks down into $ 149 million up front to the U.S. government and one more $ 149 million via a deferred agreement to be distributed at a later time.

Americans violate human rights in the exact same way

The past has shown Cuba, Iran, Libya, Sudan and Burma all having human rights violations against them in history. Barclays isn’t really the only company making the mistake of going through U.S. soil to give U.S. enemies support and money. The United States likes to make things happen the way they’ve planned. As The Decemberists’ song “Sixteen Military Wives” puts it,

Cheer them on to their rivals
Cause America can, and America can’t say no
And America does, if America says it’s so
It’s so!

Find more information on this subject

Reuters

reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67F36J20100816?utm_source=feedburner and amp;utm_medium=feed and amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtopNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Top+News%29

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/16/AR2010081602955.html

Barclays was previously fined £ 2.45 million ($ 3.8 million) for “poor reporting systems”

youtube.com/watch?v=zqsf3XswX4Q

Friggatriskaidekaphobia? The Friday the 13th phobea

The 13 landing on a Friday only happens each and every so often. It doesn’t really mean anything, but people get spooked about it all the same, and this fear is known as Friggatriskaidekaphobia. Granted, most black cats won’t do anything more harmful than shed or do that annoying thing with their paws. There are a lot of individuals who sincerely believe in numerous superstitions. The word for being scared of Friday the 13th is Friggatriskaidekaphobia. Jason Voorhees won’t appear, even if you say the word in the mirror 3 times.

What is that word again?

It’s pronounced “fri-gah-tri-sk-eye-de-kah-fo-bia.” The word, a portmanteau, means a person is afraid of Friday the 13th. It is interesting to note that Triskaidekaphobia is a fear of the number thirteen while friggaphobia is just a fear of Friday. Put them together and you have Friggatriskaidekaphobia. Friday was a day associated with witches. The German/Norse goddess Frigga, or Freya, got the day of the week named for her, as Freya-day. The day arguably could possibly be associated with witches simply because it was named for a female deity, but sexism within the ancient world is a topic for one more time. Triskaidekaphobia is the fear of the number 13. The word “tri” is the number three, “deka” is 10, you get the idea.

Any Friday the thirteenth things happen?

There isn’t anything really when keeping it short. No would be the long answer too. A correlation to anything with Friday the 13th has never been observed, other than a couple of people getting the “heebie-jeebies” or Friggatriskaidekaphobia. If anything were actually to happen on Friday the thirteenth, somebody would have noticed by now and written it down. Even if there were more accidents happening Friday the thirteenth, more factors would have to be accounted for besides the day like the fact more individuals like to drink on Fridays.

Making the day with no meaning have just a little bit of fun

Friggatriskaidekaphobia and other superstitions won’t hurt a fly. Many traditional superstitions exist. ”MacBeth” is a cursed play meaning theaters will refer to it only as “the Scottish play” so as to stay away from the curse. Watch a scary movie with your family or friends, and use this as an excuse to have some fun. I’d suggest Crystal Lake be one of the activities you don’t do though.

Clickjacking on Facebook is just another scam

This week, Facebook scams appear to be all over the place. Today Facebook warned users about a new clickjacking scam that milks $ 5 a week from cell phone accounts by exploiting Facebook’s “Share” feature. It seems that Facebook has let the clickjacking scam and dislike scam emerge together. Facebook buttons that don’t really exist, like the likejacking scam last May, are what these scams use. These scams can effortlessly be avoided if you know which red flags to search for. Post resource – Facebook clickjacking joins growing list of social network scams by Personal Money Store.

Facebook clickjacking information

The Facebook clickjacking scam uses the Share feature that posts content to the profile wall where friends are encouraged to click on it. PC World explains:

A user clicks a link to a Facebook page for “10 Funny T-Shirt Fails” for example. Once on the page, a message says Facebook’s new three-step human verification process is required to see the content. On step two, users are asked to click the “Next” button. The Next button is a dummy. Hidden underneath is a real Share button. When users click Next to get to the final step, they actually post that page to their profile wall. Lured to step three, users are asked for personal information to enter a contest. Among other things, the survey asks for a cell phone number. Down in the survey’s fine print it says providing the data tacks an extra $ 5 per week onto the users cell phone bill for a service called “The Awesome Test.”

Facebook also had the dislike button scam

The Facebook dislike button scam emerged because of Facebook user demand. Facebook does not yet have a “Dislike” button. Walletpop reports that the scam involves a bogus “Dislike” button intended to install malicious spyware for identity theft. The bogus button appears with a message: “Get the official DISLIKE button now,” followed by a link. The link leads to a bogus “install” page. Users would automatically get a dislike button if it were real. The users have to allow the application to run to install it. The Facebook clickjacking scam has a survey filled out like the dislike button scam does at this point.

Watch out for Facebook scams

The clickjacking scam on any fan pages meant an automatic removal from Facebook. Anyone who filled out the survey should call their cell phone company. As outlined by Reuters, Facebook users should be looking for different patterns of these scams. Be wise and skeptical over it all. Status updates from individuals that seem odd or out of the ordinary should be ignored. Look at how the update was delivered and written. Messages sent via Facebook don’t need their own apps, like the “Official Dislike Button.”. And scams will always give themselves away by sending users away from Facebook to one more website.

Find more info on this subject

PC World

pcworld.com/article/203546/facebook_warns_of_clickjacking_scam.html?tk=hp_new

Wallet Pop

walletpop.com/blog/2010/08/16/dislike-button-on-facebook-a-scam/

Reuters

reuters.com/article/idUS162937196620100817

Good Scott Pilgrim vs. the World reviews give film the power-up

”Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” reviews seem to agree: the hyper-stylized comic book and video game world is a hoot. It’s a world with which veteran video game players – particularly fans of fighters like “Street Fighter” – are well familiar. Scott Pilgrim’s world, in all its hyper-reality, is very comparable to the world of the comic book film “Kick Ass,” which so happened to be a favorite of numerous critics who enjoy “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”. Critics who support both films tend to favor Scott Pilgrim’s world as a whole, though. Resource for this article – Good Scott Pilgrim vs. the World reviews give film the power-up by Personal Money Store.

’Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’ reviews trumpet the wild mix

New artistic forms are born from the fusion of a dizzying array of popular influences in “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”. Young musician and professional slacker Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is looking for true love. He finds it in delivery girl Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), but there’s a problem – seven problems, to be specific. Scott must defeat Ramona’s “seven evil exes” “Street Fighter”-style before he can have the love of the Technicolor-haired young maiden. It’s a simplistic plot ripped straight from a video game, and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” pays constant tribute to such games, comics, television shows and other pop-culture artifice in a dizzying fusion. It’s not meant to break new ground in terms of plot. It is a pop culture ride, and we are to ride along.

Review fusion – A nerd feast

Joe Neumaier of the New York Daily News sees “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” as a blur of style over substance, nevertheless a romantic coming-of-age story that burns with a satisfying light in bright neon. Eric D. Snider of Film.com hails the film’s exuberance and surreal visual style and says the surrealism doesn’t shake the film’s target audience – 20-somethings – from their reality, but salutes it. The nerdiness of Scott Pilgrim himself is also quite appropriate to the video game loving nerdfest mix, says the L.A. Times.

What matters is getting there, not where ‘there’ is

”Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” rocks through the changes in an eye-and ear-pleasing blowout. ”It’s the playing that matters,” not who wins the skirmish of exes, says the Los Angeles Times reviewer. But on the other side of the fence are reviewers like Kyle Smith of the New York Post. Scott Pilgrim’s journey lacks direction and loves itself too much, writes the Post’s reviewer. That ride may not be for every person, but it captures its target audience with panache. ”All games, no joystick” is the Post’s verdict, yet judging by box office receipts, individuals are lining up to play.

Additional reading

Films.com

film.com/features/story/review-scott-pilgrim-takes-us/39953185

Los Angeles Times

latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-scott-pilgrim-20100813,0,4279497.story

New York Daily News

nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2010/08/13/2010-08-13_scott_pilgrim_vs_the_world_review_music_and_videogame_visuals_take_this_tale_for.html

New York Post

nypost.com/p/entertainment/movies/all_games_no_joystick_LiPc4JHjB5HPqyv4vSD4AN

Even Elyse Porterfield says Jenny DryErase quitting was a joke

Over the last two days, Jenny DryErase (along with the Slater, the Jetblue flight attendant) has become an icon for disgruntled employees everywhere. On Wednesday morning, TheChive.com revealed the whole Jenny DryErase story was a hoax, with actress Elyse Porterfield playing the part of Jenny.

TheChive.com uses Elyse Porterfield to make their joke

Two brother work together to run TheChive.com as a humor website. First the “Jenny DryErase” joke was thought up and then done by the boys who hired Elyse Porterfield to play the part. Elyse Porterfield is an actress that had just lately moved to Los Angeles from Colorado. She is a quite cute girl meaning the new Facebook group suggesting “Jenny DryErase” pose for Playboy has a ton of followers already.

Humorous hoaxes in the past

The “real” news story has had other hoaxes done besides “Jenny DryErase” before. Individuals post their stories online to have them instantly picked up for a hoax. One of these is the Donald Trump Tip hoax saying an $82 tip was left by Trump as a tip. It can also be seen on TheChive.com’s previous hoax, the “Teen Texting Disaster.”. Either way, it’s a formula that has been used numerous times: take something seemingly real, mix it with something believable but slightly out there and add in a famous figure or attractive woman.

Elyse Porterfield gets job offers

TheChive gets a lot of advertising to their website from “humor hoaxes” like this. Elyse Porterfield is an actress who was born and raised in Colorado and has been working in Los Angeles. In the past she has been hired as an Angelina Jolie look-alike. Her official Facebook page has grown to more than 3,000 “likes,” and it appears she may get even more exposure from this hoax. ”Jenny DryErase” helped advertise TheChive.com quite well giving it a name to recognize when Elyse may be the one who really gets benefits from this

Additional reading

TheChive

thechive.com

Perseids meteor shower tonight - anything you have to know

Tonight is going to be a huge meteor shower. If you want to see the Perseids 2010 annual meteor shower, it will begin August 13th in the evening. This year could be better than most since the moon won’t be within the sky to distract from the Perseids 2010 meteors. Head out of the city at about midnight and from then until dawn hits, 75 meteors per hour could be seen in the super dark sky. A telescope is not something you’ll have to purchase for this. Resource for this article – Perseids meteor shower tonight – everything you have to know by Personal Money Store.

Now there is the Perseids 2010 meteor watch

The big meteor shower tonight known as the Perseids 2010 is the grand finale during a classic night of summer stargazing. Venus, Saturn, Mars and also the moon will be shown together on the western horizon as a “tight conjunction” at sundown as outlined by NASA. When the planets fall below the horizon about 10 p.m. the Perseids 2010 begin. If you want to know where you need to be looking at 10 p.m. for the meteors to start raining, try looking at the Perseus constellation. Meteors will come faster when the Perseus constellation gets higher into the sky and it gets darker. For sheer numbers, the best time to meteor watch is during the darkest hours before dawn on Friday morning, when at least one meteor a minute might be seen.

Meteor watching suggestions

To get the most enjoyment from the big meteor shower tonight, Alan Boyle at MSNBC offers some meteor watching tips. Get away from the light pollution causing the sky to be lit up all night in the cities. A higher elevation is going to help you a bit. If you’d like to, it is always a good idea to lie on top of a car against your windshields although you will need to bring something like a blanket to make this more comfortable. Wear something to keep you warm. Bring some tunes. Get there in enough time that your eyes can adjust to the dark and look up. Midnight can be when the Perseids 2010 can really be seen well. Just before dawn is when the peak of the show will happen.

Suggestions for photographing the meteors

The meteor shower that is happening is a great place to get some new photos. Get some tips from Pop Photo on how to get a good photo. Long-exposures and wide-open apertures mean city lights will creep into the frame and overpower the image. Use a cable release, and prevent the images from getting blurred by putting a finger on the shutter button. Put something in the foreground to help your picture to look like more than just light streaks. Use a wide, fast lens and fiddle until you get the right ISO and exposure time. Then keep shooting.

Why Perseids 2010 will be better than average

Perseids 2010 is happening as the Swift-Tuttle comet is something Earth is just passing through again. The Christian Science Monitor reports that the Swift-Tuttle comet swings around the sun once each 135 years, spewing dust and gas as it nears the sun and heats up. The comet’s last pass was in 1992. Each pass of the comet slowly thickens the dust stream it leaves behind. The patch of Swift-Tuttle’s dust stream Earth is going through this year is much denser than usual.

Additional reading

NASA

science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/05aug_perseids/” href=”http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/05aug_perseids/

MSNBC

cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/08/11/4869749-see-and-hear-the-meteor-show

Pop Photo

popphoto.com/features/how/2010/08/how-photographing-perseid-meteor-shower

Christian Science Monitor

csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0812/Meteor-shower-August-2010-how-you-can-get-the-best-view

Worker efficiency decline might lead to job creation

A decline in worker efficiency for the first time in 18 months is really good news for the struggling United States economy and high unemployment rate. By getting more output from fewer workers, businesses that laid off workers during the recession have been increasing their earnings. But the latest round of worker productivity statistics from the Labor Department shows that staffs are stretched too thin. If that is the case, United States companies will have to engage in job creation to maintain growth and boost the flagging economic recovery.

A new meaning for falling worker productivity

After posting large gains in 2009, the Labor Department said that worker productiveness declined at an annual rate of .9 percent within the second quarter. Worker productiveness is a primary factor in improving the standard of living, as outlined by the Associated Press. The increased production resulting from higher productiveness allows companies to increase wages without increasing prices . In most cases a slip in productivity would be a troubling sign for the U.S. economy. Nevertheless, numerous economists think that high unemployment rate will eventually hurt corporations that have prospered by laying off workers. Because consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of the economy, hiring will create the jobs families have to go shopping. Those businesses benefit from more demand for their products.

Businesses push workers to the limit

For companies banking that output would continue to climb without hiring new workers, CNN reports that the new Labor Department report is a wake-up call. During the worst of the recession, and businesses learned how to get more with less. However, the amount of hours worked rose faster than output within the Labor Department report. Nariman Behravesh of IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Mass., told CNN that businesses probably “overdid it” with layoffs during the recession. Even if it’s just to keep employee morale up, he said, corporations may have to hire more to stay away from burning out workers.

Job creation needed to thwart deflation

Beharvesh told CNN that within the next few months, job creation will likely remain weak. He expressed longer-term optimism, however, saying the private sector could start adding 100,000 jobs a month by year-end and perhaps 150,000 by mid-2011. A report from ABC news disagrees, saying that weak efficiency, along with other indicators, shows that the economic recovery is losing steam. In the April through June period, economic growth was measured at just a 2.4 percent annual rate, down significantly from 3.7 percent from Jan. through March. with the unemployment rate mired at 9.5 percent, officials at the Federal Reserve are concerned that companies will see the high unemployment rate as an possibility to push wages down for many who nevertheless have jobs, which could start a debilitating cycle of deflation.

More on this topic

Google

google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gNiyJ905Ho0Ur96V2TQhsBX19lGwD9HGMHAO0

CNN

money.cnn.com/2010/08/10/markets/thebuzz/

ABC News

CEO of General Motors announces retirement as IPO is expected in days

General Motors had a tumultuous last few years. Dismal sales and business debt led to bankruptcy filing and getting bailout loans from the government. GM was placed under government conservatorship, and the terms of the bailout included that the government held a majority of shares. GM did a lot when they were in bankruptcy. Ed Whitacre Jr., Chairman and CEO of General Motors, announced he would retire, and an Initial Public Offering of stock for General Motors is expected within days of his announcement. Article resource – General Motors CEO Retires days from public offering by Car Deal Expert.

CEO of GM Ed Whitacre to hang it up

General Motors Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the board Ed Whitacre Jr. is going to retire, according to the New York Times. Before GM hired him, he was the chairman of At and T. Previous Nextel executive Daniel Akerson can be his replacement. Whitacre will step down as CEO by September and step down as Chairman at the end of the year. Whitacre had stated previously he would retire once General Motors was back on track. That certainly appears to be the case.

GM goes from pitfalls to profits

After filing for bankruptcy last year and turning over majority ownership to the governments of the United States and Canada, General Motors has posted a profit for the second consecutive quarter. According to USA Today, GM has just posted a profit of $ 1.3 billion. In the second quarter of 2009, GM had missed a huge debt payment. GM posted a profit last quarter, as outlined by CNN Money, of $ 865 million. Things are looking up for the global automobile giant, after having to divest of all brands except Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet and GMC.

GM IPO expected soon

General Motors is no longer listed on stock exchanges because of its bankruptcy, and could have to hold a public offering to buy back the 60 percent of shares the government holds and settle the Treasury. Chris Liddell, the Chief Financial Officer for GM, hasn’t commented much on the subject. General Motors, in its new lean and mean configuration, may hold an Initial Public Offering at the highest price ever paid for stock within the company.

Additional reading at these websites

NY Times

nytimes.com/2010/08/13/business/13auto.html?_r=1 and src=mv

USA Today

usatoday.com/money/companies/earnings/2010-08-12-gm_N.htm

CNN

money.cnn.com/2010/08/12/news/companies/gm_results/

Maxine Waters joins ranks of Charlie Rangel for ethics violations

Within the last few weeks, Representative Charlie Rangel (D-NY) has been famously stung for ethics violations. His wrong doings earned him a Congressional reprimand. As his ordeal wore on, Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) has also been called out for conflicts of interest. She is pursuing a speedy hearing to clear her name.

Conflicts of interest alleged against Waters

Maxine Waters, a 10-term representative from California, was charged with ethics violations by the House of Representatives today. The charges were announced the previous week. Her husband owns stock in OneUnited, as outlined by USA Today, an online financial institution which Representative Waters allegedly arranged special treatment for. The financial institution received $ 12 million in bailout funds. Among the charges are that she arranged for the bank’s representatives to be present at a meeting with Treasury Department officials to get bailout cash. Mikael Moore, her chief of staff, was allegedly not informed to steer clear of the conflict of interest. Moore is also her grandson.

Hard to Rangel proof of innocence

After being indicted for 13 counts of ethics violations, Representative Charlie Rangel received only a reprimand. The New York Times reports the charges incorporated improper soliciting for donations, and falsifying income tax returns by not reporting large portions of income and assets. The investigation has been going on for over two years. The House of Representatives and the Senate have protocols for expulsion or censure of members, but are rarely used. The last expelled Representative was James Trafficant, and no Representative has been censured since 1983. Censures in the Senate are rare also, as only four have taken place since 1950, one of which was Thomas Dodd, father of current Senator Chris Dodd.

Greater Standards

Representative Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ), was reported as saying that if Rangel was guilty, he should quit. She also reported that members of Congress needed to hold themselves to higher standards, including the law applies to elected officials just as much as to citizens.

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nytimes.com/2010/07/31/nyregion/31rangel.html?_r=1 and scp=8 and sq= and st=nyt

content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2010/08/maxine-water-ethics-charge/1

Partisan politics with small company lending bill

Community banks that don’t lend very often are intended to get cheap capital with the Small business Jobs and Credit Act. Persistent high unemployment has put pressure on the Obama administration to do something about job creation. The Small business Jobs and Credit Act came from that pressure. However, partisan bickering prevented Congress from doing anything about the bill before it went on its August escape. September is when politicians will be able to discuss the business credit and tax relief. An additional bill for small company called the Small business Association Arc Loan Program is going to expire in September though. Article source – Small business lending bill is latest victim of partisan politics by Personal Money Store.

Business lending and tax relief

$ 30 billion can be put in a lending fund with the bill that is also called by some the Small business Jobs Act. Banks with less than $ 10 billion in assets tend to be the ones lending to small business, reports CNNMoney.com. Businesses should be able to get some more money with capital going into community banks. The bill also would make between 2010 and 2020 some tax relief for small companies possible. It increases SBA loan limits and extends loan incentives through the end of the year. More companies are encouraged with the tax cuts. $ 1.5 billion in grants can be given to numerous of the state governments with no money left to be seen.

Small business credit just a game

Chances of the Small business Jobs Act being enacted before September ended with Senate bickering over a procedural dispute before the House recessed July 30. Bizjournals.com reports that action on the bill was delayed within the Senate because of partisan maneuvering by Republicans over amendments unrelated to boosting small company credit. The Republicans argued this was “another bank bailout” which is why they didn’t want the $ 30 billion small business lending fund to go through. Two Republicans even voted with Democrats to give the lending fund a filibuster-proof 60 votes when it was considered as a separate amendment. But Republicans were united in blocking the Senate from moving forward on the entire bill. Evidently Democrats were stopping them from adding more amendments to the bill.

September is an expiration date for the Interest-Free SBA Arc loan program

Help is available to small businesses for just just a little when longer. Rather than waiting for Congress to get its act together, they can investigate an SBA Arc loan. As outlined by Helium, 100 percent guaranteed, interest-free loans up to $ 35,000 are available to businesses that are already up and running. To get the loan, a business must show that in the last two years, profit has been made for at least a year. The loan can be paid back in five years at the most. The loan could be received over a six month time frame. The program can be ending at the end of December meaning companies wanting SBA Arc loans should hurry.

Find more information on this subject

CNN Money

money.cnn.com/2010/08/06/smallbusiness/small_business_bill_stalemate/index.htm

Bizjournals

denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2010/08/02/daily78.html

Helium

helium.com/items/1915352-sab-arc-loan-program

First lady Michelle Obama and her pricey trip in Spain

According to Fox News, first lady Michelle Obama is under fire for taking a private, luxurious trip to Spain with daughter Sasha and various Obama family friends. Of course, anything the first lady, or any member of the first family, chooses to do is always a public affair, as the media is already hurling criticisms her way. Now every person wants to know each and every little detail the first lady’s private trip entails. Post resource – First lady Michelle Obama criticized for pricey getaway in Spain by Personal Money Store.

Travel warning issued for Spain, where first lady vacations

While President Obama dined with talk show mega-star Oprah Winfrey in Chicago for his 49th birthday, first lady Michelle Obama took 9-year-old Sasha and a number of friends of the family on a vacation getaway in Spain. The vacation was described by the White House as a four-day “private trip” to the beautiful southern coast of the country. While some are avoiding talking about the trip’s price, others are voicing concerns of safety.

The State Department, as outlined by Fox News, had issued a travel warning for all Americans traveling to Spain, as “racist prejudices might lead to the arrest of Afro-Americans who travel to Spain,” a message just lately posted on its website. The wording, however, can no longer be found, as it appears it was easily pulled when the first lady and daughter Sasha left on their trip. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley, when asked if there was a travel warning for Spain, said, “I do not believe so.”

Who will pay for the first lady’s costly escape trip to Spain?

The biggest problem concerning many citizens concerning the first lady’s vacation trip to Spain is the price of the trip and the way it affects taxpayer dollars. On Thursday, New York Daily News writer Andrea Tantaros trash-talked Michelle Obama, calling her a “modern day Marie Antoinette” for taking such a lavish vacation while the majority of the Americas is financially struggling. The first lady and companions are staying at Hotel Villa Padierna, often called one of the world’s top 10 luxurious hotels, with rates that range from $ 500 to almost $ 3,000 for a single night, as outlined by Yahoo News.

Regardless of who is responsible for choosing the location, whether it was the Obama delegation or Secret Service, who typically has the last say on where the protected resides, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs stated the first lady, as well as the private entourage traveling with her, will pay for every personal expense. The overall cost of the trip, nevertheless, will not be fully covered with personal out-of-the-pocket cash, given that the first lady has full-time Secret Service protection and has to travel on board an official Air Force charter plane, which is covered by taxpayers.

Further reading

politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/08/05/first-lady-michelle-obama-and-daughter-sasha-vacationing-spain-amid-warnings-"racist-prej

news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100805/pl_yblog_upshot/first-lady-under-fire-for-her-glitzy-spanish-vacation

Senate passes $ 600 million border security bill

The border security bill cleared the Senate on Thursday. The session only had two Democrats in attendance, since the Senate is taking its August break. The border security bill allocates $ 600 million to hire more agents and purchase more equipment to police the U.S./Mexico border. Border states dealing with illegal immigration and drug trafficking are pressuring the federal government to take concrete steps toward border security.

1,500 border security jobs funded by bill

To pass the border security bill, the Senate convened a special session Thursday. Unanimous consent, a parliamentary procedure that doesn’t require the entire Senate to be present, was used to pass the bill. In a rare moment of consensus, Republicans agreed to go along. The Associated Press reports that 1,000 new Border Patrol agents, 250 more Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, and 250 more Customs and Border Protection officers are among the border security jobs funded by the bill. Updated communications equipment and more surveillance drone flights are also funded. The bill sends about $ 200 million to the Justice Department for funding its efforts with the FBI, DEA and ATF within the fight against drug dealers and human traffickers.

Bill penalizes legal immigration

For politicians trying to win over voters with their border security creed within the aftermath of Arizona’s immigration law, the border security bill is election year theatre. To pay for the $ 600 million dollar bill, the Los Angeles Times reports that fees can be substantially hiked on businesses that use U.S. visa programs to hire foreign workers legally. The package is an election year stunt that does little to address the complexities of illegal immigration, according to immigration advocates. Politicians say a broader debate on immigration reform that includes a route to citizenship for about 11 million illegal immigrants can be made possible when the border is secured.

Unique session a rare occurrence

The special session marked only the second time that the Senate convened during its summer recess since the break was mandated in 1970, as outlined by the Senate Historical Office. The New York Times reported that Democrats Charles E. Schumer of New York and Benjamin L. Cardin of Maryland were the only lawmakers in attendance. Both the Senate and also the House had already passed the border security bill. However, an overlooked rule in the Senate’s arcane procedures forced a re-vote. The first and only other time the Senate convened during the August break was a special session within the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Further reading on this topic

Associated Press

google.com/hostednews/ap

Los Angeles Times

latimes.com

New York Times

thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com

Don't spend too much on wiper blades

Everyone gets caught like a cat within the rain sometimes. If you are in a auto too, then you have to be able to see where you are going still. Wiper blades must be in good condition in order to effectively whisk moisture from the windshield. Your blades shouldn’t make any streaks or smears on the windshield. If your car needs new wiper blades, keep this cash-conscious idea in mind – just because a set of blades is more expensive does not necessarily mean they’re better, says Consumer Reports.

Previous wiper blades

You used to pull a lever inside the automobile to operate your windshield wipers. Cars now use wipers electronically by a simple push of a button. If your wiper blades are good and your automatic system works, then there can be no dirt left on your windshield. An Everblades electric system and heated wiper blades will protect your vehicle from snow and ice also. But for maintaining effective driving visibility, Consumer Reports reminds us via tests on 185 cars that some brands – such as Valeo 600 series, Anco 31 series and Michelin RainForce – aren’t the most costly, however they are highly effective.

Change wiper blades each six to nine months

Wiper blades after a half year or more, except the RainX Latitude brand, were reported by Consumer Reports to be not nearly as effective. More streaking, smearing or even missed areas of the windshield became more common over time. Consumer Reports also found in a 185-car sample that many had been using wipers that had degraded beyond recommended safe use. Most individuals do not notice when their wiper blades get really bad because they’re used to it.

Good wipers are recommended

It is easy to replace wipers with a hook that is on most vehicles. The new blades should simply snap into place. If more work is needed than this to get the blades on, you’ve paid too much.

Check out the owner’s manual

Remember the mantra “Check the owner’s manual.” You can get the info online or check inside your car for it. Here you’ll see all the information of proper maintenance of your vehicle. You can replace them each six to twelve months. If you aren’t certain about size, bring one of the blades to the store with you when you are ready to replace.

Additional reading

Consumer Reports

consumerreports.org/cro/cars/tires-auto-parts/auto-parts/windshield-wipers/overview/windshield-wipers-ov.htm

Everblades

everblades.com/

How Stuff Works

howstuffworks.com/wiper.htm

YouTube

How to change your windshield wiper blades

youtube.com/watch?v=cJN7NqkUd1k

Coca-Cola lawyers say Vitamin Water is not a healthy beverage

Coca-Cola is honest as the parent company of Vitamin Water. As it faces a lawsuit from the Center for Science in the Public Interest that claims that the health claims made over Vitamin Water are bogus, Coca-Cola’s legal team is defending the company by saying that “no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking Vitamin Water was a healthy beverage,” writes the Huffington Post. The lawsuit is happening because Vitamin Water was marketed by saying there were health benefits from it. Article resource – Coca-Cola lawyers say Vitamin Water is not a healthy beverage by Personal Money Store.

Is Coco-Cola belittling consumers of Vitamin water or just making justifications for lies?

Truth be told, experts have found that Vitamin Water is essentially sugar water (33 grams per serving), reports the Post. There is less sugar than Coke although it is nevertheless pretty ridiculous. Kobe Bryant and LeBron James help Coco-Cola sell the product with “about a penny’s worth of synthetic vitamins”. Tell that to the 35 percent of Americans who are considered medically obese, says the Post.

Johns Hopkins against liquid calories

Liquid calories shouldn’t be drunk anymore says a 2009 reports by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. This is how losing weight happens the fastest. ”Liquid calories” include any drink with extra sugar in them.

Coco-Cola’s ruling from the federal judge

U.S. District Court Judge John Gleeson of New York’s was made rather easy by Coca-Cola’s decision not , wrote, “At oral arguments, defendants (Coca-Cola) suggested that no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitamin water was a healthy beverage.” Nothing the soft drink giant was not claiming the lawsuit was wrong on factual grounds, the judge wrote that, “Accordingly, I must accept the factual allegations within the complaint as true.”.

Coco-Cola spend the money to make Vitamin Water look healthy?

The money spent by Coco-Cola in marketing Vitamin Water is not known yet. If you need something healthy to drink, water could be your best bet. For flavor you are able to add tea or lemon juice. If your tap water isn’t too great, a filter could be bought and works really well. Fruits and vegetables could be the place to try to find nutrients. Do not buy Vitamin Water if you are mad about the lie. Coca-Cola will get the message eventually, if enough individuals exercise common sense.

Discover more information on this subject

Huffington Post

huffingtonpost.com/john-robbins/the-dark-side-of-vitaminw_b_669716.html?utm_source=DailyBrief and amp;utm_campaign=080510 and amp;utm_medium=email and amp;utm_content=BlogEntry

Cabellero Beverage Consumption

jhsph.edu/publichealthnews/press_releases/2009/caballero_beverage_consumption.html

YouTube

“The boy certainly gets his vitamins…”

youtube.com/watch?v=xw0UxIzOghI

Recalled automobile renting gets possible ban from FTC

Cars which were recalled but never serviced won’t be able to be rented if auto-safety groups get their way with the Federal Trade Commission. The companies targeted by this FTC complaint are Enterprise, National and Alamo. A $ 15 million jury award from earlier in the year is what the petition comes from the FTC.

No policy for renting recalls

Recalls are allowed to be rented out with the policy of Enterprise Holdings, as outlined by Alamo, National and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Recalls are reviewed and if a rental will “involve the risk of sudden loss of control, safety restraint failures, or fire hazards” then it is not suitable for renting. Customers assured about safety of autos. This means recalled autos may be rented out nevertheless.

FTC petition includes advertising claims

Enterprise’s advertising was in the petition filed to the FTC by the Center for Auto Safety and Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety. If the FTC grants the petition, Enterprise could no longer use “misleading words like ‘well maintained’ and ’safety and reliability’” in advertising. Budget Rent-a-Car in 1990 had an agreement they had to make like this once too. Budget was renting defective automobiles that hadn’t been repaired also.

Lawsuit for recall rentals

Carol Houck sued Enterprise Rent-A-Car in May. A 2004 accident happened killing two daughters of Houck. The PT cruiser the women drove was recalled because of power steering. Enterprise admitted full liability in that accident, and a jury awarded the family a $ 15 million judgment. As outlined by an Enterprise representative, “Given all we have learned, today we would not rent the vehicle the Houck sisters were driving until it was repaired.”

Auto dealerships end up having drug trafficking inside

As outlined by Automotive news, employees or owners of auto dealerships have been letting drug trafficking happen within the company. It seems that “parts is parts” takes on an entirely different meaning when boxes of wiper blades headed for the parts department consists of bricks of marijuana.

Maryland Honda/Volkswagen dealership with drug trafficking

A Maryland Honda/Volkswagen dealership was caught with 120 pounds, or $ 1.6 million worth of marijuana, reports DealershipForum.com. One employee within the parts department was paid $ 100 per illegal delivery. He accepted the contraband, and then passed it on to a drug dealer. According to Automotive News, 10 pound blocks of marijuana were found in a box of wiper blades at a Detroit area Mopar Parts Distribution Center recently. Is good help that hard to find, when everyone needs a job?

Some of the auto dealership hijinks

Do these happen all on their own? Think about it for a minute. The previous Huling Brothers Auto Center of Seattle had quite a bit of illegal drug dealing happening in it, reports the Seattle Times. As outlined by Fox 29 WFLX of Hollywood, Fla., a “massive drug trafficking business” was happening in a Florida auto dealership that was run by Nova Motor Groups’ owner, Richard Carlson. SUVs were shipped to Sweden with cocaine in then. In Abington, Massachusetts, a couple partners working with Duane Glenn in a Midway Motors selling cocaine. They also had been selling marijuana.

John DeLorean

From 1975 to 1982, The DeLorean Motor company sold luxury sports cars, but then it went bankrupt. Within the 1980s, the DeLorean DMC-12 was one of the best cars to get, although John DeLorean couldn’t determine maintaining all of its operating capital. According to reports, DeLorean was filmed in what appeared to be a drug trafficking transaction, where he accepted money in exchange for the illicit substance. Because entrapment was supposedly used in this, DeLorean was cleared of all charges.

No entrapment here – auto loan finance can save you green

More on this topic

Automotive News

autonews.com/article/20100810/BLOG14/100819997/-1

Massachusetts Law enforcement Network

masscops.com/f79/police-make-drug-bust-abington-auto-dealer-38799/

Seattle Times

seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003563972_huling09m.html

WFLX

wflx.com/Global/story.asp?S=12740394″>WFLX.com

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeLorean_Motor_Company

Man sues Texas auto dealership that sold him ‘drug car’

youtube.com/watch?v=auVGmt9T4uk

U.S. unemployment rate goes back after taking a step forward

The latest jobs report detailing the U.S. unemployment rate for July reflects the ongoing battle between the bad news and also the good news. Unemployment has been at 9.5 percent for a while. More jobs have been lost than was expected by experts. In July alone, 71,000 jobs were created when 131,000 were lost. 36,000 jobs were added by manufacturing although that was the lowest addition this year. More money was made by individuals working more hours which increased probability. But increasing productivity is one more factor holding back hiring.

Waiting for unemployment rate to get out of limbo

More workers were added to companies in July. The number of jobs being gained every month is 100,000 despite the fact that that isn’t really enough to balance the amount being lost each month which is more than that, reports the Wall Street Journal. June reports showed a downward pull. 221,000 jobs a month were reported to be lost in June, which is 125,000 more than before. Only 31,000 jobs were added to the private sector in June. The Dow Jones Newswires were expecting a 60,000 job loss in July, which really ended up being 131,000.

Everyone employed is glad

July’s jobs report did contain a couple of bright spots. The average workweek went up from 0.1 hours a week to 34.2 hours, reports Daily Finance. Average hourly earnings increased 4 cents to $ 22.59 per hour. The last 12 months has a 3 percent increase in productivity when within the first quarter of 2010, the increase was 4 percent. Higher U.S. productivity is boosting corporate earnings. Money sitting around is pretty normal right about now for companies. Stock prices are doing better with this productivity and efficiency, which means companies do not want more workers.

Unemployment issues for the Federal Reserve

The unemployment rate can be changed based on what the jobs report influences the Federal Reserve to do. Fed chairman Ben Bernanke told Bloomberg that a possible solution can be reducing the rate of 0.25 on reserve deposits. One more choice might be to help hold down borrowing costs by getting more assets although the Fed already has a $ 2.3 trillion balance sheet.

Numerous Americans hurt by unemployment

Considering how there is so much good and bad in the jobs reports, public opinion has done the same thing. The U.S. is nevertheless considered in a recession when asking seven out of ten people in a Bloomberg National Poll. Seven of 10 Americans also said reducing unemployment is the government’s top priority. But more than half are skeptical of the stimulus program and wary of more spending.

Further reading

Wall Street Journal

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703309704575412990024153682.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Daily Finance

dailyfinance.com/story/careers/july-jobs-report-unemployment-remains-high/19583596/

Bloomberg

bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-06/company-payrolls-rose-by-71-000-in-july-u-s-jobless-rate-9-5-.html

Is it possible that SparkPeople’s diet advice works?

SparkPeople is one of the many online communities focused on weight loss and healthy living. Does all the diet advice given by SparkPeople, SparkRecipes.com, SparkTeens.com and BabyFit.com even work? The short answer is yes — but, like all weight loss, people who want to get the job done have to work hard.

SparkPeople and what it offers

Sparkpeople is half social network and half diet advice. The free, ad-supported website calculates your BMI and offers recommendations on exercise and nutrition. The site has a daily log for you to keep track of every little thing you eat and all of your exercise. When you make progress on your weight-loss goal, you get SparkPoints that you are able to redeem for various small prizes. Before you run out and spend $ 500 on a “diet food” system or pay $ 18 a month for WeightWatchers, SparkPeople suggests that you try their system first, which is ultimately free. On top of that, the SparkPeople system will only allow “healthy” goals to be set or tracked in their system.

SparkPeople community will help with things

The community of SparkPeople is the part of the site that is one of the most helpful. You can be helped by people with the same goals as you with message boards, forums and blogs on SparkPeople. This community element is incredibly important when it comes to losing and keeping weight off. Like all social networks, the SparkPeople community relies on you to get out there and be social — so individuals can choose not to.

Does SparkPeople actually work?

SparkPeople is a website that most are concerned won't help them actually lose weight. Weight loss is much more easily tracked when using SparkPeople. If you are expecting a Biggest Loser -style change inside your appearance, though, SparkPeople probably won’t help. Healthy weight loss is all about changing habits, not following a specific “diet” that will leave you in a yo-yo dieting situation. If you aren’t a fan of the SparkPeople system, you will find a couple of other effective online tools that do the exact same type of thing. Very close to SparkPeople is Calorie Count, from About.com. Walk some more every day, write down what you eat and stop drinking liquid calories if you don't want to do anything online. You don’t have to purchase to the $ 60 billion a year diet industry to lose weight — you just have to change small things you do every single day.

Old troubles with Civics, Elements and Accords spark a Honda recall

A shift interlock problem has led to 1.4 million Honda vehicles being recalled – and yet another 2010 Honda recall. The Honda recall for 2010 has been announced because of the very same problem. This recall covers some 2003 and 2004 Honda Elements, 2003 Accords, and 2003 Civics. Post resource – Honda recalls Accords, Civics and Elements over old problem by Car Deal Expert.

The Honda recall shift interlock problem

The shift interlock system is the basis of this 2010 Honda recall. The shift interlock is the system that prevents the key from being removed if the shifter is not in park. This could allow the auto to roll away and cause accidents. So far, 17 accidents have been attributed to this problem. Most often, the problem happens when the automobile is parked and the key removed, even though the shifter has not fully engaged the “park” setting. When left like this, automobiles will roll out of parking spaces, sometimes into traffic or other dangerous situations.

2010 Honda recall because of NHTSA investigation

The shift interlock problem caused the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to open an investigation into Honda. The agency upgraded their investigation from “query” to “engineering analysis” in 2009. The NHTSA is also evaluating the “timeliness” of Honda recalls. If the NHTSA finds that Honda has not responded “promptly, truthfully, and completely” to troubles that are worthy of a recall, they could very well be facing civil fines. There is also an ongoing investigation, related to the expanded 2009 recall over air bag deployment.

Automobiles involved within the 2010 Honda recall

In September of 2010, the full list of cars that are recalled could be released. Approximately 197,000 2003 Accords, 117,000 Civics and 69,000 2003 and 2004 Elements can be affected. Five other cars have been included in previous recalls from Honda, including the Acura CL, Acura TL, Odyssey, Accord, and Prelude. If you receive official notification of the recall from Honda, you are intended to take your auto in to a Honda dealer. Honda is asking for owners to call 800-999-1009 or visit recalls.honda.com for more information.