Apr 26, 2007, 23:44 GMT
Washington - Renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking left behind his wheelchair for a zero-gravity experience Thursday.
Hawking, 65, who has been confined to his wheelchair for about four decades with a motor neurone disease known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), did better than expected on the commercial flight, representatives from Zero Gravity Corporation said. The tourism company organizes flights in a specially adapted passenger jet put into a steep dive to simulate zero gravity. Read More
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
25 Days in Iraq - Blog:
read more
I am proud of Bob Woodruff for what he has done. I am happy for his recovery, and his new found awareness for the suffering that war brings, whether it be physical or mental. In my show 25 Days in Iraq, I say “you cannot shake what sticks to you in war.These soldiers are coming home and they are bringing it home with them”. I am just saddened that it took a celebrity journalist to get his pineapple blasted to begin to think of our soldiers. Was the four and a half years of these wars not enough suffering to warrant a hour long special to this topic? Was Britney’s rehab finally pushed to the back burner for a story of REAL human interest? Did Anna Nichole’s DNA test not interest you today?
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
The Hoax that Hurts - Blue Mountain Arts Virus Hoax
A small, family-owned publishing company called Blue Mountain Arts is still reeling this week after finding itself the victim of a malicious Net hoax.
Publisher of a variety of note cards and poetry books, Blue Mountain has operated a popular Website offering free electronic cards for all occasions since 1996. Though it's now a highly-trafficked commercial site, it was originally launched as a public service in accordance with the ideals of its hippie-era founders, Susan and Stephen Schutz.
The company achieved a sudden and unwanted notoriety during the week of February 22 when the following message began being passed around on America Online:
Subject: Fwd: BLUE MOUNTAIN CARDS VIRUS ALERT!!!!!
Date: Sat, 27 Feb 1999 01:02:07
Just received a call from family. A friend of theirs opened a card from Blue Mountain Cards and system crashed.
Do not open Blue Mountain Cards until further notice.
Virus has infiltrated their system..pass it on
As virus warnings generally do, this one caught on quickly, spreading beyond the confines of AOL to the Internet at large. What began as a trickle of inquiries to Blue Mountain's Webmaster address on February 25 had escalated to a flood by the following week. People all over the world were not only forwarding the alert to everyone they knew, they were posting it to newsgroups and listservs and spreading it in personal messages. Not one word of it was true.
Read More
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Publisher of a variety of note cards and poetry books, Blue Mountain has operated a popular Website offering free electronic cards for all occasions since 1996. Though it's now a highly-trafficked commercial site, it was originally launched as a public service in accordance with the ideals of its hippie-era founders, Susan and Stephen Schutz.
The company achieved a sudden and unwanted notoriety during the week of February 22 when the following message began being passed around on America Online:
Subject: Fwd: BLUE MOUNTAIN CARDS VIRUS ALERT!!!!!
Date: Sat, 27 Feb 1999 01:02:07
Just received a call from family. A friend of theirs opened a card from Blue Mountain Cards and system crashed.
Do not open Blue Mountain Cards until further notice.
Virus has infiltrated their system..pass it on
As virus warnings generally do, this one caught on quickly, spreading beyond the confines of AOL to the Internet at large. What began as a trickle of inquiries to Blue Mountain's Webmaster address on February 25 had escalated to a flood by the following week. People all over the world were not only forwarding the alert to everyone they knew, they were posting it to newsgroups and listservs and spreading it in personal messages. Not one word of it was true.
Read More
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Two Charlotte police officers shot, killed; one man charged
By Kytja Weir, Greg Lacour and Cleve R. Wootson Jr.
McClatchy Newspapers
(MCT)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Charlotte-Mecklenburg police charged a man Sunday night in the slayings of two police officers who were gunned down while responding to a call at an east Charlotte apartment complex.
Officers Sean Clark, 34, and Jeff Shelton, 35, died at Carolinas Medical Center early Sunday. They were the first Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers slain in the line of duty in more than a decade.
Police charged Demetrius Antonio Montgomery, 25, with two counts of first-degree murder. They did not discuss a motive but are still investigating.
He has been found guilty of assaulting a government official or resisting a public officer five times since 1998, N.C. court records show.
The news of the officers' slayings circulated quickly among police Sunday, with even many of those out of town for spring break having already learned the news by midday.
Officers who were working Sunday wore black elastic bands around their badges. Many said they felt too numb to talk about their fallen comrades, nerves raw from what they know could happen to any of them.
"They're not only in a state of shock," said Chief Darrel Stephens. "They're in a state of wanting to know what you want to know, what we all want to know: What happened."
News of the slayings also reached beyond Charlotte, with people from as far as Kentucky, Michigan and Massachusetts filling more than 18 pages of an online memorial.
The two North Tryon division officers were handling a reported disturbance at 10:26 p.m. at the Timber Ridge Apartments on Barrington Drive near Milton Road and East W.T. Harris Boulevard, police said. The complex used to be called Barrington Oaks.
They were shot around 11:15 p.m., police said, while struggling with the suspect outside an apartment building. No one else was injured. Neither officer fired his weapon, police said.
Police have not yet said whether Clark and Shelton were wearing bulletproof vests, but they said it wouldn't have made a difference even if they were. Witnesses said they were each shot in the head.
Police interviewed scores of people in the neighborhood, Stephens said. Although they initially said they were looking for two men, they said they had interviewed only Montgomery as a suspect and were not looking for anyone else Sunday.
The mayor, City Council members and police officials discussed the news of his arrest in a police conference room Sunday night next to a hallway lined with the framed portraits of 23 other fallen officers.
"In addition to two families, Charlotte is in mourning," Mayor Pat McCrory said. "It was a brutal and senseless act and I don't think it was just against these two heroes and our police department. It's an act that impacts the heart and soul of our city. It's unacceptable."
Clark and Shelton had worked together in the same division for just over two months, working as a team when two officers were needed on one call.
On Saturday night, they were both called to answer the disturbance report, as is standard for such calls. They drove in separate squad cars to the complex off Milton Road near East W.T. Harris Boulevard.
It was the police work they both loved.
Clark had always wanted to be a police officer. The 1991 graduate of West Mecklenburg High joined the Air Force and worked a few other jobs. But he kept trying and trying to get into the police academy. He finally was hired just over a year ago.
He lived in Lincoln County's Iron Station community with his wife. He has a 2-year-old son, and his wife is expecting another child in June.
Shelton was also married and lived in the small Stanly County town of Locust.
He had been with the force for more than six years. The former Marine had worked in various divisions of the Police Department, most recently moving from the midnight shift along the South Boulevard corridor to the same shift in the neighborhoods of east Charlotte's North Tryon division.
Capt. Mike Adams called Shelton a hard-working officer. He was dedicated, said Capt. Chuck Adkins, focusing on his family and his job.
It's not clear what went wrong Saturday night. Police spokeswoman Julie Hill said Montgomery did not appear to be involved in the initial disturbance call that the officers were answering at the complex.
Two women saw the officers' cars in the parking lot as the women smoked and talked just outside their building.
Then, one said, she saw a man about 5 feet 6 inches tall, wearing a white shirt, walk across the lot. Neither recognized him.
After a few minutes, the other woman said, one of the officers stepped outside, followed by his partner. The two officers talked with the man in the white shirt for 10 to 15 minutes, one of the women said.
"It seemed like they were just having a conversation. They were just standing there talking," said E. Tejada, who asked the Observer not to use her full name because she is scared. "It was so weird, how it happened."
She said she turned her head to speak to a friend. Seconds later, she heard shots.
"Bam, bam, bam. Five times," another neighbor said.
Tejada rushed inside her apartment, put her five children in the bathroom and told them to stay close to the floor.
Then, she said, she grabbed her house keys, her cell phone and ran outside, calling 911 as she went. Her cell phone shows the call lasted 27 seconds.
The officers lay in the grass just to the right of a building's entrance. Police said their weapons remained holstered to their bodies.
Tejada told the dispatcher that two officers were shot. One officer was on his back, not breathing, with his eyes closed. The other was on his side, lying partially on top of his partner, still breathing and trying to speak.
"It was like mumbling," she said.
Tejada said she couldn't understand what he was saying. But she said she noticed both men appeared to have been shot in the backs of their heads_one in the middle, the other behind his right ear.
Other residents were beginning to crowd around the officers, she said, and police showed up within two or three minutes.
"It was chaos all night after that," she said, with police evacuating the five buildings around the lot.
The officers were rushed to Carolinas Medical Center's main hospital, a line of police cars escorting them. Clark died just after midnight. Shelton was pronounced dead at 4:06 a.m., police said.
The last time an officer from the department was fatally shot in the line of duty was in 1993, when the city was smaller but had a record year of violence with 129 homicides.
The past two years the district has had about 80 homicides, highs for the past decade but nothing matching the violence of the early 90s.
Yet Saturday's shooting came a day after police arrested 15 members of the Hidden Valley Kings, a gang based in a nearby neighborhood in northeast Charlotte. Stephens said investigators do not believe the officers' slaying was connected to the gang crackdown.
By afternoon the complex of two-story apartments with red bricks, beige siding and iron railings looked quiet. Signs of the deadly violence weren't apparent except for a handful of azalea blossoms left on the grassy lawn where the officer's bodies fell.
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
McClatchy Newspapers
(MCT)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Charlotte-Mecklenburg police charged a man Sunday night in the slayings of two police officers who were gunned down while responding to a call at an east Charlotte apartment complex.
Officers Sean Clark, 34, and Jeff Shelton, 35, died at Carolinas Medical Center early Sunday. They were the first Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers slain in the line of duty in more than a decade.
Police charged Demetrius Antonio Montgomery, 25, with two counts of first-degree murder. They did not discuss a motive but are still investigating.
He has been found guilty of assaulting a government official or resisting a public officer five times since 1998, N.C. court records show.
The news of the officers' slayings circulated quickly among police Sunday, with even many of those out of town for spring break having already learned the news by midday.
Officers who were working Sunday wore black elastic bands around their badges. Many said they felt too numb to talk about their fallen comrades, nerves raw from what they know could happen to any of them.
"They're not only in a state of shock," said Chief Darrel Stephens. "They're in a state of wanting to know what you want to know, what we all want to know: What happened."
News of the slayings also reached beyond Charlotte, with people from as far as Kentucky, Michigan and Massachusetts filling more than 18 pages of an online memorial.
The two North Tryon division officers were handling a reported disturbance at 10:26 p.m. at the Timber Ridge Apartments on Barrington Drive near Milton Road and East W.T. Harris Boulevard, police said. The complex used to be called Barrington Oaks.
They were shot around 11:15 p.m., police said, while struggling with the suspect outside an apartment building. No one else was injured. Neither officer fired his weapon, police said.
Police have not yet said whether Clark and Shelton were wearing bulletproof vests, but they said it wouldn't have made a difference even if they were. Witnesses said they were each shot in the head.
Police interviewed scores of people in the neighborhood, Stephens said. Although they initially said they were looking for two men, they said they had interviewed only Montgomery as a suspect and were not looking for anyone else Sunday.
The mayor, City Council members and police officials discussed the news of his arrest in a police conference room Sunday night next to a hallway lined with the framed portraits of 23 other fallen officers.
"In addition to two families, Charlotte is in mourning," Mayor Pat McCrory said. "It was a brutal and senseless act and I don't think it was just against these two heroes and our police department. It's an act that impacts the heart and soul of our city. It's unacceptable."
Clark and Shelton had worked together in the same division for just over two months, working as a team when two officers were needed on one call.
On Saturday night, they were both called to answer the disturbance report, as is standard for such calls. They drove in separate squad cars to the complex off Milton Road near East W.T. Harris Boulevard.
It was the police work they both loved.
Clark had always wanted to be a police officer. The 1991 graduate of West Mecklenburg High joined the Air Force and worked a few other jobs. But he kept trying and trying to get into the police academy. He finally was hired just over a year ago.
He lived in Lincoln County's Iron Station community with his wife. He has a 2-year-old son, and his wife is expecting another child in June.
Shelton was also married and lived in the small Stanly County town of Locust.
He had been with the force for more than six years. The former Marine had worked in various divisions of the Police Department, most recently moving from the midnight shift along the South Boulevard corridor to the same shift in the neighborhoods of east Charlotte's North Tryon division.
Capt. Mike Adams called Shelton a hard-working officer. He was dedicated, said Capt. Chuck Adkins, focusing on his family and his job.
It's not clear what went wrong Saturday night. Police spokeswoman Julie Hill said Montgomery did not appear to be involved in the initial disturbance call that the officers were answering at the complex.
Two women saw the officers' cars in the parking lot as the women smoked and talked just outside their building.
Then, one said, she saw a man about 5 feet 6 inches tall, wearing a white shirt, walk across the lot. Neither recognized him.
After a few minutes, the other woman said, one of the officers stepped outside, followed by his partner. The two officers talked with the man in the white shirt for 10 to 15 minutes, one of the women said.
"It seemed like they were just having a conversation. They were just standing there talking," said E. Tejada, who asked the Observer not to use her full name because she is scared. "It was so weird, how it happened."
She said she turned her head to speak to a friend. Seconds later, she heard shots.
"Bam, bam, bam. Five times," another neighbor said.
Tejada rushed inside her apartment, put her five children in the bathroom and told them to stay close to the floor.
Then, she said, she grabbed her house keys, her cell phone and ran outside, calling 911 as she went. Her cell phone shows the call lasted 27 seconds.
The officers lay in the grass just to the right of a building's entrance. Police said their weapons remained holstered to their bodies.
Tejada told the dispatcher that two officers were shot. One officer was on his back, not breathing, with his eyes closed. The other was on his side, lying partially on top of his partner, still breathing and trying to speak.
"It was like mumbling," she said.
Tejada said she couldn't understand what he was saying. But she said she noticed both men appeared to have been shot in the backs of their heads_one in the middle, the other behind his right ear.
Other residents were beginning to crowd around the officers, she said, and police showed up within two or three minutes.
"It was chaos all night after that," she said, with police evacuating the five buildings around the lot.
The officers were rushed to Carolinas Medical Center's main hospital, a line of police cars escorting them. Clark died just after midnight. Shelton was pronounced dead at 4:06 a.m., police said.
The last time an officer from the department was fatally shot in the line of duty was in 1993, when the city was smaller but had a record year of violence with 129 homicides.
The past two years the district has had about 80 homicides, highs for the past decade but nothing matching the violence of the early 90s.
Yet Saturday's shooting came a day after police arrested 15 members of the Hidden Valley Kings, a gang based in a nearby neighborhood in northeast Charlotte. Stephens said investigators do not believe the officers' slaying was connected to the gang crackdown.
By afternoon the complex of two-story apartments with red bricks, beige siding and iron railings looked quiet. Signs of the deadly violence weren't apparent except for a handful of azalea blossoms left on the grassy lawn where the officer's bodies fell.
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Man Charged in Slaying of 2 Charlotte Police Officers
Charlotte — A suspect was charged with murder Sunday, less than 24 hours after two Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers were fatally shot during a domestic disturbance call at an apartment complex.
Demetrius Antonio Montgomery, 25, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, said police spokesman Officer Bob Fey.
"This is an ongoing investigation," the spokesman said when asked if there were other suspects.
The two officer were shot late Saturday during a struggle outside an apartment complex and died early Sunday.
Sean Clark, 34, and Jeffrey Shelton, 35, were the first officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg department fatally shot in the line of duty in more than a decade.
"It's a real tragedy for us, the officers, for the families, for the communities, that we've lost two in one incident," said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Chief Darrel Stephens.
Stephens said the two officers were responding to a disturbance call around 10:30 p.m. Saturday night at the apartment complex in east Charlotte. They were shot around 11:15 p.m. in the parking lot during a struggle. Neither fired their weapon, Stephens said.
Clark and Shelton were taken to Carolinas Medical Center, where they later died. Clark had been with the police department for a year, and Shelton had worked there since 2001.
Police blocked a road near the apartment complex for several hours overnight. Police used patrols, a helicopter, K-9 units and a SWAT team during the search.
"We have an enormous number of questions in our minds about what happened, and how it happened, that we don't have the answers to right now," said Stephens, adding later, "We don't have suspects at this point."
Both officers were married. Clark, a 1991 graduate of West Mecklenburg High School who had worked for the department for a little more than a year, and his wife were expecting a child. Shelton was a six year veteran of the force.
A Charlotte officer was last shot and killed on duty in 1993, when officers John Burnette and Andy Nobles died while chasing Alden Harden through a wooded section of southwest Charlotte, The Charlotte Observer reported on its Web site. Harden was convicted a year later and is one of 166 inmates on North Carolina's death row.
Last year, Officer Kayvan Hazrati survived when he was shot in the head while trying to serve a rape warrant in north Charlotte. He has yet to return to work.
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Demetrius Antonio Montgomery, 25, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, said police spokesman Officer Bob Fey.
"This is an ongoing investigation," the spokesman said when asked if there were other suspects.
The two officer were shot late Saturday during a struggle outside an apartment complex and died early Sunday.
Sean Clark, 34, and Jeffrey Shelton, 35, were the first officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg department fatally shot in the line of duty in more than a decade.
"It's a real tragedy for us, the officers, for the families, for the communities, that we've lost two in one incident," said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Chief Darrel Stephens.
Stephens said the two officers were responding to a disturbance call around 10:30 p.m. Saturday night at the apartment complex in east Charlotte. They were shot around 11:15 p.m. in the parking lot during a struggle. Neither fired their weapon, Stephens said.
Clark and Shelton were taken to Carolinas Medical Center, where they later died. Clark had been with the police department for a year, and Shelton had worked there since 2001.
Police blocked a road near the apartment complex for several hours overnight. Police used patrols, a helicopter, K-9 units and a SWAT team during the search.
"We have an enormous number of questions in our minds about what happened, and how it happened, that we don't have the answers to right now," said Stephens, adding later, "We don't have suspects at this point."
Both officers were married. Clark, a 1991 graduate of West Mecklenburg High School who had worked for the department for a little more than a year, and his wife were expecting a child. Shelton was a six year veteran of the force.
A Charlotte officer was last shot and killed on duty in 1993, when officers John Burnette and Andy Nobles died while chasing Alden Harden through a wooded section of southwest Charlotte, The Charlotte Observer reported on its Web site. Harden was convicted a year later and is one of 166 inmates on North Carolina's death row.
Last year, Officer Kayvan Hazrati survived when he was shot in the head while trying to serve a rape warrant in north Charlotte. He has yet to return to work.
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Wounded Warriors and the America Way
"The new organization will allow us to give a personal touch to former Marines," says Col. Gregory A.D. Boyle, the regimental commander. "I want these Marines to feel . . . that they're the center of the universe and that we care about them and we're concerned about them."
When Boyle and other Marine Corps leaders describe the advantages of the new Regiment, one also gets a glimpse of what has been deficient in previous programs. Troops will be helped through loneliness, frustration and depression; troops and their families won't get substandard or unsanitary treatment, won't get lost in the system or fall through the "seams" or the "cracks" of inattention and perfunctory care, troops will get "personal" care and a built-in and focused support network, transportation to appointments and therapy, an advocate, an ombudsman, legal counsel, religious and spiritual support; troops will have assistance in cutting through Marine Corps, Navy, Defense Department, Department of Veterans Affairs, Social Security and federal government red tape and in navigating the voluminous paperwork and bureaucratic tangle, and in dealing with military and government boards and commissions, Congressional offices, disability claims, military contracts, insurance policies, discharge papers, as well as external charities and veterans groups; troops will have help in the transition back to units for duty, to the Veterans Administration, or in making their way to civilian life and follow-up family, charitable or government outpatient care, services, and benefits.
Read More
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
When Boyle and other Marine Corps leaders describe the advantages of the new Regiment, one also gets a glimpse of what has been deficient in previous programs. Troops will be helped through loneliness, frustration and depression; troops and their families won't get substandard or unsanitary treatment, won't get lost in the system or fall through the "seams" or the "cracks" of inattention and perfunctory care, troops will get "personal" care and a built-in and focused support network, transportation to appointments and therapy, an advocate, an ombudsman, legal counsel, religious and spiritual support; troops will have assistance in cutting through Marine Corps, Navy, Defense Department, Department of Veterans Affairs, Social Security and federal government red tape and in navigating the voluminous paperwork and bureaucratic tangle, and in dealing with military and government boards and commissions, Congressional offices, disability claims, military contracts, insurance policies, discharge papers, as well as external charities and veterans groups; troops will have help in the transition back to units for duty, to the Veterans Administration, or in making their way to civilian life and follow-up family, charitable or government outpatient care, services, and benefits.
Read More
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Monday, March 26, 2007
Sailing
# Learn to Sail Manual
# The Physics of Sailing
# How Sails Really Work Arvel Gentry was largely responsible for delineating the modern theory of Sails. Quoted extensively by Marchaj and others this is his website. Includes articles on how sails really work and the implications for design and trim.
# Sailing and the Tech Dinghy -- MIT's dinghy sailing instruction booklet
# Sailing Simulator from National Geographic
# International Sailing Federation
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
# The Physics of Sailing
# How Sails Really Work Arvel Gentry was largely responsible for delineating the modern theory of Sails. Quoted extensively by Marchaj and others this is his website. Includes articles on how sails really work and the implications for design and trim.
# Sailing and the Tech Dinghy -- MIT's dinghy sailing instruction booklet
# Sailing Simulator from National Geographic
# International Sailing Federation
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Veterans
Before I begin I want to state that the following comments are not directed at any one organization or agency, but rather to the American people as a whole.
Sadly to say the scandal at Walter Reed Hospital did not surprise me in the least. Be honest, it did not really take anybody by surprise.
I for one have been screaming at the top of my lungs to anybody that will listen for a few years now. I have begged for assistance in caring for our warriors. Wounded or not every veteran in this country needs to be cared for better.
Not to pick apart one of my associates, but when he agreed with me that every citizen in the united states is responsible for the neglect our veterans have suffered after all wars, whether they be "Domestic or Foreign" "Past or Present" they deserve much more. When he added "if one facility gets more than another, people will complain they get more help than we do." I had to cut him off. I replied that would be just plain childish. This whole scandal is absurd.
We are the people, all of us must bear the burden of what our warriors have had to endure since the creation of this Country. To stand back and point fingers at our Government just does not
compute to me.
We are all to blame. Some more than others. If a person cannot spare one hour out of their busy week to help a Veteran, then they do not get to complain about how our veterans are treated.
Enough said.
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Saturday, March 17, 2007
6 indicted in Arizona foreclosure scam that targeted home owners in financial trouble
Posted on Friday, March 9, 2007 at 12:53PM by Registered CommenterThe Editor - Ian Shuter in Indictments, Loan Officers, Flipping, Arizona | CommentsPost a Comment | PrintPrint
In the following press release from Phoenix, AZ United States Attorney Daniel G. Knauss and HUD Inspector General Kenneth M. Donohue announced that six individuals have been indicted for conspiracy and separate counts of mail and wire fraud violations in connection with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) "Pre-Foreclosure" sale program.
The charged defendants are:
Trudy M. Peters, 43, of Peoria, Az, formerly an Escrow Officer for Ticor Title Agency, Phoenix, Az.
John M. Soto, 35, of Moreno Valley, Ca., formerly a Service Representative for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Larry M. Smith, 28, of Rancho Cucamonga, Ca, formerly a Service Representative, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Maria A. Felix, 47, of Glendale, Az, formerly a Housing Counselor for Acorn Housing, Phoenix.
Tony S. Vasquez, 54, of Tolleson, Az, formerly a Housing Counselor for Chicanos Por La Causa, Phoenix, Az.
Also listed in the indictment as an un-indicted co-conspirator is Edward Carrillo, Jr., currently serving a five year prison sentence arising from a state conviction for Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices. He ran a company called Sahara Investments.
According to the charging documents filed in the District of Arizona, the defendants conspired with Carrillo, doing business as Sahara Investments, Scottsdale, Az, to purchase and sell 65 properties in the Phoenix area using the HUD . Pre-Foreclosure. sale program. The program was designed to reduce foreclosures cost to the government by allowing homeowners to sell their homes for less than what they owed on the mortgage, often referred to as a "short sale." The "Pre-Foreclosure" sale program had strict guidelines among which required that property owners receive homeowner counseling, and that an independent appraisal had to establish the market value of the home.
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
In the following press release from Phoenix, AZ United States Attorney Daniel G. Knauss and HUD Inspector General Kenneth M. Donohue announced that six individuals have been indicted for conspiracy and separate counts of mail and wire fraud violations in connection with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) "Pre-Foreclosure" sale program.
The charged defendants are:
Trudy M. Peters, 43, of Peoria, Az, formerly an Escrow Officer for Ticor Title Agency, Phoenix, Az.
John M. Soto, 35, of Moreno Valley, Ca., formerly a Service Representative for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Larry M. Smith, 28, of Rancho Cucamonga, Ca, formerly a Service Representative, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Maria A. Felix, 47, of Glendale, Az, formerly a Housing Counselor for Acorn Housing, Phoenix.
Tony S. Vasquez, 54, of Tolleson, Az, formerly a Housing Counselor for Chicanos Por La Causa, Phoenix, Az.
Also listed in the indictment as an un-indicted co-conspirator is Edward Carrillo, Jr., currently serving a five year prison sentence arising from a state conviction for Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices. He ran a company called Sahara Investments.
According to the charging documents filed in the District of Arizona, the defendants conspired with Carrillo, doing business as Sahara Investments, Scottsdale, Az, to purchase and sell 65 properties in the Phoenix area using the HUD . Pre-Foreclosure. sale program. The program was designed to reduce foreclosures cost to the government by allowing homeowners to sell their homes for less than what they owed on the mortgage, often referred to as a "short sale." The "Pre-Foreclosure" sale program had strict guidelines among which required that property owners receive homeowner counseling, and that an independent appraisal had to establish the market value of the home.
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Two Plead Guilty In Florida $10 Million Mortgage Fraud Scheme - Operation Whose House
Friday, March 16, 2007
Megan McGuire, Miramar, Florida, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and/or wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for her involvement in Operation Whose House. On Tuesday, March 13, 2007 Christine A. Brown also pled guilty to one court of aggravated identity theft for her involvement in Operation Whose House.
McGuire and Brown are both scheduled to be sentenced in May, 2007 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. At sentencing, McGuire faces a maximum statutory sentence of up to five years’ imprisonment and Brown faces mandatory sentence of two years’ imprisonment. They are the …
Read More...
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Megan McGuire, Miramar, Florida, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and/or wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for her involvement in Operation Whose House. On Tuesday, March 13, 2007 Christine A. Brown also pled guilty to one court of aggravated identity theft for her involvement in Operation Whose House.
McGuire and Brown are both scheduled to be sentenced in May, 2007 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. At sentencing, McGuire faces a maximum statutory sentence of up to five years’ imprisonment and Brown faces mandatory sentence of two years’ imprisonment. They are the …
Read More...
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Friday, February 16, 2007
In-ear Headsets In-ear Headsets
Motorola Miniblue H9
Meet Miniblue, the revolutionary new Motorola Bluetooth headset specially designed around the way your body works. Measuring in at only 30 x 23 millimeters this barely-there headset fits perfectly inside your ear. Its advanced design creates a seal to reduce ambient noise, so the person you’re talking with will hear you (not the surrounding sounds) and their voice will sound clear.
Coming Soon
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
The Official Bluetooth® Wireless Info Site:
What is Bluetooth wireless technology?
Bluetooth technology is how mobile phones, computers, and personal digital assistants (PDAs), not to mention a broad selection of other devices, can be easily interconnected using a short-range wireless connection. Using this technology, users can have all mobile and fixed computer devices be totally coordinated.
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Saturday, January 27, 2007
ThinkGeek :: LED Binary Clock:
Yes, It's A Clock. No, Your Mom Can't Read It*
New Feature - Now Displays Time In True Binary As Well As Powers Of Two Binary Mode! Woohoo!
It's easy for any self-respecting geek to figure out how to read this clock in a few minutes. Check out the image below for the details. Still don't get it? Then you probably shouldn't buy one, should you? Sure you could wing it and 'approximate' the time based on the position of the sun and act like you can read this clock, but you should probably go get one of these instead
Computers use on/off switches to tell the time, now you can too! Get one of these puppies and you are on your way to truly becoming one with the binary...
Each LED binary clock has these features/specs:
* Default mode displays time in 'Powers of Two' binary system
* Dim button on rear allows user to step down LED light output
* Startup option allows user to display time in 'True' binary mode (using the binary coding of 32/16/8/4/2/1)
* Autosensing of AC line frequency for worldwide ease of use.
* Size: 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 2"
* Packaged Weight: 10 oz
Your Choice of RED LED (120V) with a semi-translucent red face or BLUE LED (120V) with a silver face. Also available is an international version (230V) with BLUE LEDs and a silver face.
*OK, some moms can read it. The kind with degrees in computer science. Our bad.
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
New Feature - Now Displays Time In True Binary As Well As Powers Of Two Binary Mode! Woohoo!
It's easy for any self-respecting geek to figure out how to read this clock in a few minutes. Check out the image below for the details. Still don't get it? Then you probably shouldn't buy one, should you? Sure you could wing it and 'approximate' the time based on the position of the sun and act like you can read this clock, but you should probably go get one of these instead
Computers use on/off switches to tell the time, now you can too! Get one of these puppies and you are on your way to truly becoming one with the binary...
Each LED binary clock has these features/specs:
* Default mode displays time in 'Powers of Two' binary system
* Dim button on rear allows user to step down LED light output
* Startup option allows user to display time in 'True' binary mode (using the binary coding of 32/16/8/4/2/1)
* Autosensing of AC line frequency for worldwide ease of use.
* Size: 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 2"
* Packaged Weight: 10 oz
Your Choice of RED LED (120V) with a semi-translucent red face or BLUE LED (120V) with a silver face. Also available is an international version (230V) with BLUE LEDs and a silver face.
*OK, some moms can read it. The kind with degrees in computer science. Our bad.
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Friday, January 19, 2007
FBI Director Robert Mueller traveled to Los Angeles Thursday
FBI Director Robert Mueller traveled to Los Angeles Thursday to talk about what we're doing to help big cities and small communities battle the growing wave of gang violence. "Gang crime may be part of our reality today," he said. "But law enforcement can change that reality tomorrow." Read More
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
IAVA - Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America - IAVA Blog:
Our War Tapes campaign is off to a great start. We sent out the first email last week, and we had an excellent response. Supporters are hosting parties across the country, and it's not too late to sign up.
You can search for a party in your area - just enter your zip code at the bottom of this page. If there are no parties planned nearby, you can also sign up to host your own. Hosting is easy - just be sure to get your hands on a copy of The War Tapes in time for the 27th.
At the House Parties, IAVA supporters are going to:
- Watch The War Tapes, the first documentary filmed by the soldiers on the ground in Iraq. You can watch the trailer here.
- Take part in a free conference call with IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff and Iraq Veteran Steve Pink, star of The War Tapes.
- Put their signatures on a petition to Jim Nicholson, Secretary of the VA, calling for increased mental health staffing at VA hospitals.
From the New York Times:
On an October night in 2003, mortar shells fell on a base camp near Baquba, Iraq, where Specialist Abbie Pickett, then 21, was serving as a combat lifesaver, caring for the wounded.
At first, she did not notice that one of the medics who was working with her was bleeding heavily and near death; then, frantically, she treated his wounds and moved him to a medical station, not knowing if he would survive.
He did survive, Specialist Pickett later learned. But the horror of that night is still vivid, and the memory stalks her even now, more than a year after she returned home.
"I would say that on a weekly basis I wish I would have died during that attack," said Specialist Pickett, who served with the Wisconsin Army National Guard. "You never want family to hear that."
This is Abbie's story, but she isn't alone. A new study suggests that US soldiers who have been deployed to Iraq are suffering from major depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Vet Centers, which were established after the Vietnam War, are the primary source of care for veterans facing these issues. Join us in calling for better funding for these vital centers.
I hope you can join us on the 27th. To those of you who have already signed up to host or attend - thank you. Your efforts to bring the people who care about these issues together make a huge difference for veterans like me.
Sincerely,
Rob Timmins
IAVA Field Director
Iraq Veteran
Defence Events
Network Centric Warfare 2007
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
January 22 - 25, 2007 :: Washington, DC
Image Fusion 2007
January 23 - 24, 2007 :: Alexandria, VA
Tactical Power Source 2007
January 29 - 31, 2007 :: Washington, DC
Total Asset Visibility For Defense
January 30 - 31, 2007 :: Arlington, VA
5th Annual Software Radio Summit
February 21 - 22, 2007 :: Vienna, VA
CBRNE Defense
February 26 - 28, 2007 :: Arlington, VA
UAV Summit 2007
February 27 - 28, 2007 :: Alexandria, VA
Maritime Homeland Security
March 19 - 21, 2007 :: Baltimore, MD
5th Annual Battlefield Healthcare
March 21 - 23, 2007 :: Alexandria, VA
Next Generation Materials for Defense
March 28 - 29, 2007 :: Arlington, VA
View all Defence events worldwide
NCW is no longer theory - Discover how you can increase operational effectiveness at Network Centric Warfare 2007. More...
Don't forget IQPC's events are available on CD-Rom.
If you would like to place an order please visit:
IQPC Knowledge Bank.
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Bush gives ground on domestic eavesdropping program
 KOMO |
By Dan Eggen and Peter Baker. WASHINGTON - The Bush administration said Wednesday it has agreed to disband a controversial warrantless surveillance program run by the National Security Agency, replacing it with a new effort to be overseen by a secret ...
Bush Changes Warrantless Surveillance Policy
Court to monitor Bush eavesdropping program
Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Flash Player 9 for Linux arrives, looks great
Flash Player 9 for Linux arrives, looks great
Desktop Linux - Adobe Systems Inc. on Jan. 17 finally released the long-awaited Adobe Flash Player 9 for Linux. Although a binary-only ...READ MORE
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Desktop Linux - Adobe Systems Inc. on Jan. 17 finally released the long-awaited Adobe Flash Player 9 for Linux. Although a binary-only ...READ MORE
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Monday, January 15, 2007
Learn from other Google Docs & Spreadsheets users
Find answers, ask questions, and share your expertise with others in the Google Docs & Spreadsheets Help Group.
The New BAH rates are available at Military.com
Here's the website for the new BAH rates. It's not time sensitive, so forward when you can.
Thanks!The New BAH rates are available at Military.com
Ladies and Gentlemen,"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Good morning. Forwarded for your information.. Happy New Year!
Very Respectfully,
Capt Mellon
Blackwater Tactical Weekly: The Next Jihadists: Iraq's Lost Children
Ammar will tell you he's proud to be carrying a gun. His father was a brigadier in Saddam Hussein's Army, a man who saw combat in his country's several wars, and from an early age Ammar had accompanied him to the shooting range. "I got used to the sound of guns then," Ammar says. So he was ready, last fall, when the imam in his Baghdad neighborhood urged residents to take up arms against the invader-who in this case happened to be members of a Shiite militia trying to push into the predominantly Sunni area. Ammar joined the neighborhood watch, a ragtag bunch of men who stand guard nightly at improvised roadblocks and rooftop observation posts. In mid-October Ammar fought his first big battle against soldiers from the Mahdi Army-"the garbage collectors and robbers," as he contemptuously refers to the Shiite militia. He says he put his Kalashnikov assault rifle to good use: "I think I injured or even killed two of them. Our group killed more than six of them that night."
Full Story
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Full Story
Gary Jackson
President
Blackwater
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Tactical Power Sources Summit
Dear Colleague,
This is your last chance to register for IDGA's Tactical Power Sources Summit. This must-attend event for government/military agencies and leading contractors at the fore-front of evolving programs, emerging policies and technologies for portable power sources is coming up in a few weeks.
If you are considering attending this event visit our website and register yourself and a team today.
This event will allow you to:
If you have any questions, please phone Customer Service at 1-800-882-8684. I look forward to meeting you at the event.
Cordially,
Page Robinson
Program Director, Tactical Power Sources 2007
IDGA
P.S. Also, don't forget to join us on the day before for the outstanding pre-conference Mobile Power Sources Development Day featuring 3 interactive seminars: Designing Low-cost, Durable Fuel Cells for Military Applications , Designing and Manufacturing High Power Density Motor Systems and Future Technologies of Man Portable Battery Systems.
This email was sent to: wooran@ec.rr.comThis email was sent by: IDGA
535 Fifth Av, 8th Fl New York, NY, 10017, USA
"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Help us take care of our veterans who worked so hard to protect and serve their country!
We are beginning to work with a military-affiliated association that is assisting our wounded warriors when they return from the battlefield. Many of these men and women are permanently disabled and want to purchase a home together by combining their income. What programs would you be able to offer these veterans? Any information that you can offer me would be greatly appreciated. We will be presenting this proposal to the general on the local base here.
Some of these veterans are discharged and waiting placement for permanent residence and some are still active-duty military status. Insofar as credit scores are concerned, I'm sure that we will have a mixed box of scores.
Help us take care of our veterans who worked so hard to protect and serve their country!
Jamie Sharpe/Loan Officer
910-478-8810 cell
Ray Thomas, commander of VFW Post 10386
Ray Thomas, commander of VFW Post 10386 in Kingman, sat in on the discussion Wednesday with Coker. Coker said the only other person to whom he has put forth his idea is the commander of VFW Post 2555 in Golden Valley.
Update on the Coker Project:
He needs help to get it operational. I think foundation involvement/support with this project is a definite possibility.
N.C. State Commander, Jim Goins has a friend who needs our help also. The materials and land have already been donated for a homeless veterans house. Now we need to get the house built. I was thinking about the Barn raisings that occurred years ago with the granges.
Those were a shining example of Americans looking out for each other and a good format to use now.
Argent Mortgage, Account Executive
From: ALHarmon@argentmortgage.com
Subject: Help Our Military Veterans!
Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2007 15:06:38 -0800
Subject: Help Our Military Veterans!
Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2007 15:06:38 -0800
Hi,
With these borrowers, we would consider disability as fixed income. Their
income can be grossed up 123%. All of these fixed income borrowers would
have to go full doc and the LTV would vary from credit score to credit
score.
Hopefully this will help you out, but let me know if you
have further questions!!
Thanks!!
Angie Harmon
Argent Mortgage, Account Executive
phone: 910-431-0129
email: alharmon@argentmortgage.com
Friday, January 12, 2007
National Legislative Service
The mission of the VFW National Legislative Service is to represent the VFW position on various issues before the United States Congress.
This is accomplished through testifying at congressional committee hearings as well as interacting directly with members of Congress and their staffs, and the staffs of Committees having jurisdiction over veterans legislation.
The NLS not only works for the advancement of legislation beneficial to veterans but, also, has the responsibility to bring about defeat of legislation detrimental to our Nation's veterans.
National Legislative Service
Dennis Cullinan,
Director
200 Maryland Ave, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 543-2239
Fax: 202-543-0961 vfwac@vfwdc.org
Thanx Robo
I was referring to several projects.
1st N.C. State Commander, Jim Goins's friend needs our help now. The materials and land have already been donated for a homeless veterans house to be located here in N.C. We need to get that house built. He will be in Jacksonville next week. I will post more details as I receive them.
2nd The Commandant has promised to create two Wounded Warriors Regiments. Maxwell said they will be breaking ground next month. They both will need help, just not as much.
3rd Evan Coker has no computer in his home. He has contacted several organizations for assistance. I will be faxing him some info later today. Until I can get out to Arizona I need a contact there to get info to him. Faxes are fine, but they can get costly. The cost of paper and ink is the problem. Every penny we save, is that much more for our wounded warriors, PAST AND PRESENT.
4th Evan and I both have the same dream, we hope to get all states working together to assist our wounded. How they do this is totally up to them. My job is to get the right people connected. Ray Thomas, commander of VFW Post 10386 in Kingman has expressed an interest in this project.
Wooran's Wounded Warriors was created to serve all Veterans.
Where does the VFW comes into play?
I am reading but still don't understand what and where things will be done. I understand Jamie is working as loan officer, that Coker has a 5 year requested use of land donated to a tribe and a theme park in mind. To me this is confusing and in rivalry with what the Wounded Warrior program is with the Maxwell and Conway group. It appears that Wooran Wounded Warrior program is something apart from the original program. Where the VFW comes in is still another confusing avenue. Then comes the issue of who and how many warriors will be in said homes or complexes. You did say Maxwell was setting up east and west coast locations. As an opener think along the following:
1. DETAILED MISSION of intent.
1.1 LEGAL ASPECTS
2. INFRASTRUCTURE: Who
2.1 NEEDED POSITIONS OF MANAGEMENT
3. FINANCIAL
3.1 FUNDS AVAILABLE and DISTRIBUTIONS
3.2 GUIDANCE TO PLAN
4. LOCATION
5. METHODS OF OPERATIONS
Give the above some serious thought. R
Thursday, January 11, 2007
BODY RITUAL AMONG THE NACIREMA
Most cultures exhibit a particular configuration or style. A single value or pat-
tern of perceiving the world often leaves its stamp on several institutions in the
society. Examples are "machismo" in Spanish-influenced cultures, "face" in
Japanese culture, and "pollution by females" in some highland New Guinea
cultures. Here Horace Miner demonstrates that "attitudes about the body"
have a pervasive influence on many institutions in Nacireman society. Read More
tern of perceiving the world often leaves its stamp on several institutions in the
society. Examples are "machismo" in Spanish-influenced cultures, "face" in
Japanese culture, and "pollution by females" in some highland New Guinea
cultures. Here Horace Miner demonstrates that "attitudes about the body"
have a pervasive influence on many institutions in Nacireman society. Read More
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