how to manage personal finances

It cannot be shown that the NOAA OLE agents and the GCEL prosecutors proactively engage in expanding the AFF. Anecdotal evidence abounds of threats, coercions, extortion, and other hardball interrogation and collection techniques, but these are not evidence. Still, the IG found several anecdotes sufficiently credible to include in his January report. Watch the linked video of a fisherman testifying before a congressional subcommittee. This is sworn testimony, much stronger than a simple anecdote. Early in the tape, the fisherman tells of being grilled on his personal finances. As the tape goes on, the fisherman describes being fined some $27K and being threatened -- coerced -- with an increase to $125K if he insisted on going before the NOAA administrative judge. Further into his testimony, the fisherman relates an incident when he and one of his captains were offered full relief from a fine -- extortion -- if they would drop the dime on another target of the OLE. 
If navigating the murky waters of credit scores and debt leaves you scratching your head and wishing someone would just tell you what to do, you’re in luck. Credit Sesame is a new startup launching in private beta today at TechCrunch Disrupt that’s looking to help do just that — give the site access to your financial data, and it will present you with a handful of options, along with bulletpoints explaining why they work for you. If you’d like to try the site out for yourself, head to CreditSesame.com/TechCrunch and use the password OpenSesame.

Credit Sesame doesn’t take long to set up — the company says it takes a couple of minutes — but it does require sensitive information including your social security number (which the site needs in order to access your credit history). That may make some users wary, but the site is aware of potential privacy and security issues, and has a FAQ that talks about how it protects your data here.

Once you’ve entered your information, the site will visualize key data like your credit and debt (it’s clearly taking some design cues from BillShrink and Mint’s pretty graphs). It will also offer recommendations for how you can save money — the company says it analyzes thousands of financial products to determine which are the best fit for each user, and Credit Sesame says it saves an average home owner up to $600 per month. Proposals are based on pre-qualified loans, and Credit Sesame says that it uses the “same pricing engine that top banks use” to find those products.

Q&A:

GT: I get consume value proposition. How are you going to compete with and what’s your advantage vs. Mint, BillShrink, etc.

A: Companies out there like Mint do a great job helping with finances. But what really helps.. most companies lack ingredients. One is consumer intelligence. Second is product intelligence. Our core competence is product intelligence. Analytics that brings it all together.

SP: I think it’s well designed. Hard to get distribution. Broader questions that founders here need to ask themselves: why am I founding a company in the first place. Might be that you want financial independence, build lifestyle business. Third reason which is bad: you think you’ve spent your career in Silicon Valley and highest level status is to be a founder. The founders who fall into first two categories, sometimes lifestyle businesses become incredible industries. Founders see a problem that desperately needs solving. Third class doesn’t usually succeed. I think everyone needs to ask which they are. Not saying you guys are the third.

A: I’m a serial entrepreneur. I sold to a lot of banks and had a good exit. I noticed that banks are great, but their objectives aren’t aligned with consumer’s best interest. When consumers go to a lot branches, they want to know if they should be worried, if there is something they should do different. And the answers they get aren’t sufficient.

VR: What is the user experience. How much info do I need to give to get started. WIth recommendations, how hard is it to do those?

A: Takes two minutes, answer 5-6 questions. Once you enter information we aggregate everything. We refresh that data for you. Our system knows enough about the client/market that if an opportunity arises we’ll present the option and the system can do it for them.


robert shumake hall of shame

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robert shumake hall of shame
It cannot be shown that the NOAA OLE agents and the GCEL prosecutors proactively engage in expanding the AFF. Anecdotal evidence abounds of threats, coercions, extortion, and other hardball interrogation and collection techniques, but these are not evidence. Still, the IG found several anecdotes sufficiently credible to include in his January report. Watch the linked video of a fisherman testifying before a congressional subcommittee. This is sworn testimony, much stronger than a simple anecdote. Early in the tape, the fisherman tells of being grilled on his personal finances. As the tape goes on, the fisherman describes being fined some $27K and being threatened -- coerced -- with an increase to $125K if he insisted on going before the NOAA administrative judge. Further into his testimony, the fisherman relates an incident when he and one of his captains were offered full relief from a fine -- extortion -- if they would drop the dime on another target of the OLE. 
If navigating the murky waters of credit scores and debt leaves you scratching your head and wishing someone would just tell you what to do, you’re in luck. Credit Sesame is a new startup launching in private beta today at TechCrunch Disrupt that’s looking to help do just that — give the site access to your financial data, and it will present you with a handful of options, along with bulletpoints explaining why they work for you. If you’d like to try the site out for yourself, head to CreditSesame.com/TechCrunch and use the password OpenSesame.

Credit Sesame doesn’t take long to set up — the company says it takes a couple of minutes — but it does require sensitive information including your social security number (which the site needs in order to access your credit history). That may make some users wary, but the site is aware of potential privacy and security issues, and has a FAQ that talks about how it protects your data here.

Once you’ve entered your information, the site will visualize key data like your credit and debt (it’s clearly taking some design cues from BillShrink and Mint’s pretty graphs). It will also offer recommendations for how you can save money — the company says it analyzes thousands of financial products to determine which are the best fit for each user, and Credit Sesame says it saves an average home owner up to $600 per month. Proposals are based on pre-qualified loans, and Credit Sesame says that it uses the “same pricing engine that top banks use” to find those products.

Q&A:

GT: I get consume value proposition. How are you going to compete with and what’s your advantage vs. Mint, BillShrink, etc.

A: Companies out there like Mint do a great job helping with finances. But what really helps.. most companies lack ingredients. One is consumer intelligence. Second is product intelligence. Our core competence is product intelligence. Analytics that brings it all together.

SP: I think it’s well designed. Hard to get distribution. Broader questions that founders here need to ask themselves: why am I founding a company in the first place. Might be that you want financial independence, build lifestyle business. Third reason which is bad: you think you’ve spent your career in Silicon Valley and highest level status is to be a founder. The founders who fall into first two categories, sometimes lifestyle businesses become incredible industries. Founders see a problem that desperately needs solving. Third class doesn’t usually succeed. I think everyone needs to ask which they are. Not saying you guys are the third.

A: I’m a serial entrepreneur. I sold to a lot of banks and had a good exit. I noticed that banks are great, but their objectives aren’t aligned with consumer’s best interest. When consumers go to a lot branches, they want to know if they should be worried, if there is something they should do different. And the answers they get aren’t sufficient.

VR: What is the user experience. How much info do I need to give to get started. WIth recommendations, how hard is it to do those?

A: Takes two minutes, answer 5-6 questions. Once you enter information we aggregate everything. We refresh that data for you. Our system knows enough about the client/market that if an opportunity arises we’ll present the option and the system can do it for them.


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TRENDING: Bad <b>news</b> for Dems: New low for Pelosi in Gallup poll <b>...</b>

(CNN) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's favorability rating has reached a new low in Gallup polling, an ominous sign for House Democrats who can't help but be associated with the California Democrat two weeks ahead of the midterm ...

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iLounge news discussing the Photo of the Week: iPhone 3GS in Shanghai. Find more Site News news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.

<b>News</b> - Source: Beyonce Is Pregnant! - Moms &amp; Babies - UsMagazine.com

She and Jay-Z will welcome their first child next spring, the new Us Weekly reports.

robert shumake hall of shame
It cannot be shown that the NOAA OLE agents and the GCEL prosecutors proactively engage in expanding the AFF. Anecdotal evidence abounds of threats, coercions, extortion, and other hardball interrogation and collection techniques, but these are not evidence. Still, the IG found several anecdotes sufficiently credible to include in his January report. Watch the linked video of a fisherman testifying before a congressional subcommittee. This is sworn testimony, much stronger than a simple anecdote. Early in the tape, the fisherman tells of being grilled on his personal finances. As the tape goes on, the fisherman describes being fined some $27K and being threatened -- coerced -- with an increase to $125K if he insisted on going before the NOAA administrative judge. Further into his testimony, the fisherman relates an incident when he and one of his captains were offered full relief from a fine -- extortion -- if they would drop the dime on another target of the OLE. 
If navigating the murky waters of credit scores and debt leaves you scratching your head and wishing someone would just tell you what to do, you’re in luck. Credit Sesame is a new startup launching in private beta today at TechCrunch Disrupt that’s looking to help do just that — give the site access to your financial data, and it will present you with a handful of options, along with bulletpoints explaining why they work for you. If you’d like to try the site out for yourself, head to CreditSesame.com/TechCrunch and use the password OpenSesame.

Credit Sesame doesn’t take long to set up — the company says it takes a couple of minutes — but it does require sensitive information including your social security number (which the site needs in order to access your credit history). That may make some users wary, but the site is aware of potential privacy and security issues, and has a FAQ that talks about how it protects your data here.

Once you’ve entered your information, the site will visualize key data like your credit and debt (it’s clearly taking some design cues from BillShrink and Mint’s pretty graphs). It will also offer recommendations for how you can save money — the company says it analyzes thousands of financial products to determine which are the best fit for each user, and Credit Sesame says it saves an average home owner up to $600 per month. Proposals are based on pre-qualified loans, and Credit Sesame says that it uses the “same pricing engine that top banks use” to find those products.

Q&A:

GT: I get consume value proposition. How are you going to compete with and what’s your advantage vs. Mint, BillShrink, etc.

A: Companies out there like Mint do a great job helping with finances. But what really helps.. most companies lack ingredients. One is consumer intelligence. Second is product intelligence. Our core competence is product intelligence. Analytics that brings it all together.

SP: I think it’s well designed. Hard to get distribution. Broader questions that founders here need to ask themselves: why am I founding a company in the first place. Might be that you want financial independence, build lifestyle business. Third reason which is bad: you think you’ve spent your career in Silicon Valley and highest level status is to be a founder. The founders who fall into first two categories, sometimes lifestyle businesses become incredible industries. Founders see a problem that desperately needs solving. Third class doesn’t usually succeed. I think everyone needs to ask which they are. Not saying you guys are the third.

A: I’m a serial entrepreneur. I sold to a lot of banks and had a good exit. I noticed that banks are great, but their objectives aren’t aligned with consumer’s best interest. When consumers go to a lot branches, they want to know if they should be worried, if there is something they should do different. And the answers they get aren’t sufficient.

VR: What is the user experience. How much info do I need to give to get started. WIth recommendations, how hard is it to do those?

A: Takes two minutes, answer 5-6 questions. Once you enter information we aggregate everything. We refresh that data for you. Our system knows enough about the client/market that if an opportunity arises we’ll present the option and the system can do it for them.


robert shumake twitter

robert shumake twitter

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She and Jay-Z will welcome their first child next spring, the new Us Weekly reports.

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TRENDING: Bad <b>news</b> for Dems: New low for Pelosi in Gallup poll <b>...</b>

(CNN) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's favorability rating has reached a new low in Gallup polling, an ominous sign for House Democrats who can't help but be associated with the California Democrat two weeks ahead of the midterm ...

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robert shumake detroit

TRENDING: Bad <b>news</b> for Dems: New low for Pelosi in Gallup poll <b>...</b>

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iLounge news discussing the Photo of the Week: iPhone 3GS in Shanghai. Find more Site News news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.

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She and Jay-Z will welcome their first child next spring, the new Us Weekly reports.

robert shumake hall of shame

TRENDING: Bad <b>news</b> for Dems: New low for Pelosi in Gallup poll <b>...</b>

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iLounge news discussing the Photo of the Week: iPhone 3GS in Shanghai. Find more Site News news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.

<b>News</b> - Source: Beyonce Is Pregnant! - Moms &amp; Babies - UsMagazine.com

She and Jay-Z will welcome their first child next spring, the new Us Weekly reports.

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TRENDING: Bad <b>news</b> for Dems: New low for Pelosi in Gallup poll <b>...</b>

(CNN) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's favorability rating has reached a new low in Gallup polling, an ominous sign for House Democrats who can't help but be associated with the California Democrat two weeks ahead of the midterm ...

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<b>News</b> - Source: Beyonce Is Pregnant! - Moms &amp; Babies - UsMagazine.com

She and Jay-Z will welcome their first child next spring, the new Us Weekly reports.

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An effort to help teens manage their money is truly challenging. Consider this analogy in terms of teens managing their money: You're the government, and your teens are huge Wall Street firms. The government says it has no choice but to bail out the Wall Street firms, "because they are too big to fail." Your teens may say that you have no choice but to bail them out, "because you love them so much."

This leads to your first step as a parent helping teens to manage their money: You can't let them put a guilt trip on you.

Your task is difficult because corporations are targeting this generation's teens like never before, which leads to peer pressure running amok. The precursor during the 1980s was name-brand sneakers. Nowadays, you will see "teens manage their money" by matching a peer's iPod, and if they have earned their own money, it can be hard to argue with them. But then, they'll be broke and ask you for a $20-spot (or more) to go out on a date.

As you can imagine, the web contains no shortage of tips for how to help teens manage their money. The vast majority are well and good. For example, teens should save a certain percentage, teens should write down spending priorities, teens should keep and review a log of their spending, and so forth.

We wish in this article to offer a Big Idea that is unique, not as an alternative to the standard strategies for helping teens to manage their money, but as a complement.

The Big Idea is, share your own personal finances with your teens. It doesn't occur to most parents to do this, but this concept will bring some understanding and even some humility to all but the most materialistic and selfish teens.

Start with your family income. There's no reason for it to be a big secret. Next, outline your taxes to arrive at post-tax income. Then get into all of the monthly payments: The mortgage, if you still have one. The utility bill. The grocery bill. Health insurance, if you aren't covered at work, or co-pay, if you are covered. Car payments, if you still have them. Gasoline, not just for the car, but for the lawnmower; in other words, include everything.

Hopefully, there will be more incentive for teens to manage their money after they see what you go through, day by day by day.

Advice for your teens to open their own bank accounts is solid. In fact, this step can be taken way back in the elementary grades. A newer issue that you will confront is whether to help your teens obtain a special checking account and/or credit card for high school students, with your name jointly listed.

We'll let you decide the pros and cons. A national survey indicates that about 10 percent of teens carry credit cards, and 30 percent have checking accounts. We mention this just in case you choose to take a "con" position and your teens respond, "Aw, c'mon, everybody has one." Not true. FYI.

SOURCES

http://parentingteens.suite101.com/article.cfm/helping_teens_manage_money

http://www.creditloan.com/credit-cards-becoming-popular-among-teenagers.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_4848714_teach-teenagers-manage-money.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art

http://www.ehow.com/how_5287780_teach-teenager-manage-money.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art


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TRENDING: Bad <b>news</b> for Dems: New low for Pelosi in Gallup poll <b>...</b>

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She and Jay-Z will welcome their first child next spring, the new Us Weekly reports.

Making Money Now

I have stopped playing Everquest when the level cap was 70.

Several years ago.

I had a level 70 Wizard & Beastlord. It took me 3 years to build these characters up, the leveling was so slow & I had only a limited amount of time in which to play, Family, Friends & work always came first.

I quit because I realised just how little I was getting from the game in terms of real life advantages in the real world.



I still have 1 friend who still plays it. His hours of play are about 5 YEARS out of the 8 or so EQ has been around.

No surprises then that hes single - no job, 37 & lives with his mum.



When I visit him he is always on a raid & has very little time for me while I'm there.



So I re-activated my account for a month just to see if the game still had any interest to me. My friend invited me into his guild which lead me to a raid that night.

I arrived at the raid meeting point then spent 3 hrs waiting on everyone showing up, getting ready etc...

I sat there numb watching everyone floating up & down in levitate spells. It all came back to me in a rush.



It was like watching a film you have seen a million times but never really liked. I found the blank wall next to my monitor more interesting to stare at.



Finally the raid got underway... 10mins later 60+ dead people & a promise of another 3 hr wait while everyone recovers....



I logged off. Deleted the EQ folder, snapped the disks & felt so much better for it.



Never ever ever ever again. NeverQuest.



Guild wars rocked as I could log in play a good game no matter what level I was, then not play it again for months without falling behind my friends so badly that it was a problem.



Guild wars 2 - promises a blend of the original GW & current style MMO's like WOW. Free to play - and most importantly no need to get 30hrs a week in just to be cool.

(reply to this)
(link to this) (view in thread)

Weezer Responds To Fan Fundraising Attempt To Get Them To Stop Making Crappy Albums

from the connecting-with-anti-fans? dept

There are so many "fan-funding" platforms, like Kickstarter, out there that involve trying to raise a certain amount via a bunch of fan pledges, where they only have to pay if they reach the goal. Usually, we see projects on those sites used for things like funding a new album or a book or something. But what about an anti- funding project? Hypebot points us to the fact that some "fans" (and perhaps I should use that word loosely) of the band Weezer are using one of those platforms to try to raise $10 million dollars to get the band Weezer to break up. The organizer is apparently upset that the band doesn't make good albums any more:

I have never been a fan of this band. I think that they are pretty much horrible, and always have been. Even in the early 90's.



But this isn't about me. This is about the Weezer fans. They are our brothers and sisters, our friends, our lovers.



Every year, Rivers Cuomo swears that he's changed, and that their new album is the best thing that he's done since "Pinkerton," and what happens? Another pile of crap like "Beverly Hills" or "I'm Your Daddy."



This is an abusive relationship, and it needs to stop now.



I am tired of my friends being disappointed year after year.



I am tired of endless whimsical cutesy album covers and music videos.



I'm sick of hearing about whatever this terrible (and yes, even if you like the early stuff, you should be able to admit that they are wretched now) excuse for a band is up to these days.



If all 852,000 of you (really?) who bought "Pinkerton" pitch in $12, we will meet our al.



I beg you, Weezer. Take our money and disappear.

Amusingly, one of the band members responded via Twitter saying:

if they can make it 20, we'll do the "deluxe breakup"!

Nicely done. Of course, now that it's gotten attention, the guy who originally posted it is taking it down, saying that he did it (of course) for the lulz (as if anyone thought he was serious?). Anyway, perhaps we should have tried this for our $100 million offer to have us silence Techdirt.

8 Comments | Leave a Comment..

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Ratings for the cable news channels were inflated as the Chilean miners were rescued one by one.

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I have stopped playing Everquest when the level cap was 70.

Several years ago.

I had a level 70 Wizard & Beastlord. It took me 3 years to build these characters up, the leveling was so slow & I had only a limited amount of time in which to play, Family, Friends & work always came first.

I quit because I realised just how little I was getting from the game in terms of real life advantages in the real world.



I still have 1 friend who still plays it. His hours of play are about 5 YEARS out of the 8 or so EQ has been around.

No surprises then that hes single - no job, 37 & lives with his mum.



When I visit him he is always on a raid & has very little time for me while I'm there.



So I re-activated my account for a month just to see if the game still had any interest to me. My friend invited me into his guild which lead me to a raid that night.

I arrived at the raid meeting point then spent 3 hrs waiting on everyone showing up, getting ready etc...

I sat there numb watching everyone floating up & down in levitate spells. It all came back to me in a rush.



It was like watching a film you have seen a million times but never really liked. I found the blank wall next to my monitor more interesting to stare at.



Finally the raid got underway... 10mins later 60+ dead people & a promise of another 3 hr wait while everyone recovers....



I logged off. Deleted the EQ folder, snapped the disks & felt so much better for it.



Never ever ever ever again. NeverQuest.



Guild wars rocked as I could log in play a good game no matter what level I was, then not play it again for months without falling behind my friends so badly that it was a problem.



Guild wars 2 - promises a blend of the original GW & current style MMO's like WOW. Free to play - and most importantly no need to get 30hrs a week in just to be cool.

(reply to this)
(link to this) (view in thread)

Weezer Responds To Fan Fundraising Attempt To Get Them To Stop Making Crappy Albums

from the connecting-with-anti-fans? dept

There are so many "fan-funding" platforms, like Kickstarter, out there that involve trying to raise a certain amount via a bunch of fan pledges, where they only have to pay if they reach the goal. Usually, we see projects on those sites used for things like funding a new album or a book or something. But what about an anti- funding project? Hypebot points us to the fact that some "fans" (and perhaps I should use that word loosely) of the band Weezer are using one of those platforms to try to raise $10 million dollars to get the band Weezer to break up. The organizer is apparently upset that the band doesn't make good albums any more:

I have never been a fan of this band. I think that they are pretty much horrible, and always have been. Even in the early 90's.



But this isn't about me. This is about the Weezer fans. They are our brothers and sisters, our friends, our lovers.



Every year, Rivers Cuomo swears that he's changed, and that their new album is the best thing that he's done since "Pinkerton," and what happens? Another pile of crap like "Beverly Hills" or "I'm Your Daddy."



This is an abusive relationship, and it needs to stop now.



I am tired of my friends being disappointed year after year.



I am tired of endless whimsical cutesy album covers and music videos.



I'm sick of hearing about whatever this terrible (and yes, even if you like the early stuff, you should be able to admit that they are wretched now) excuse for a band is up to these days.



If all 852,000 of you (really?) who bought "Pinkerton" pitch in $12, we will meet our al.



I beg you, Weezer. Take our money and disappear.

Amusingly, one of the band members responded via Twitter saying:

if they can make it 20, we'll do the "deluxe breakup"!

Nicely done. Of course, now that it's gotten attention, the guy who originally posted it is taking it down, saying that he did it (of course) for the lulz (as if anyone thought he was serious?). Anyway, perhaps we should have tried this for our $100 million offer to have us silence Techdirt.

8 Comments | Leave a Comment..

bench craft company reviews

<b>News</b> - Joy Behar, Bill O&#39;Reilly Continue Trading Insults <b>...</b>

She accuses him of making "hate speech"; he says he refuses to sugar coat "harsh realities"

Fox <b>News</b> Hits Ratings High With Rescue Coverage Of Chilean Miners <b>...</b>

Some 7.1 million viewers tuned into Fox News at 8 PM last night to watch the last trapped Chilean miner, Luis Urzua, making it safely to the surface. That was not only the cable news channel's largest audience in the hour this year but ...

CNN and Fox <b>News</b> Top Channels for Mine Rescue - NYTimes.com

Ratings for the cable news channels were inflated as the Chilean miners were rescued one by one.

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<b>News</b> - Joy Behar, Bill O&#39;Reilly Continue Trading Insults <b>...</b>

She accuses him of making "hate speech"; he says he refuses to sugar coat "harsh realities"

Fox <b>News</b> Hits Ratings High With Rescue Coverage Of Chilean Miners <b>...</b>

Some 7.1 million viewers tuned into Fox News at 8 PM last night to watch the last trapped Chilean miner, Luis Urzua, making it safely to the surface. That was not only the cable news channel's largest audience in the hour this year but ...

CNN and Fox <b>News</b> Top Channels for Mine Rescue - NYTimes.com

Ratings for the cable news channels were inflated as the Chilean miners were rescued one by one.

bench craft company reviews

I have stopped playing Everquest when the level cap was 70.

Several years ago.

I had a level 70 Wizard & Beastlord. It took me 3 years to build these characters up, the leveling was so slow & I had only a limited amount of time in which to play, Family, Friends & work always came first.

I quit because I realised just how little I was getting from the game in terms of real life advantages in the real world.



I still have 1 friend who still plays it. His hours of play are about 5 YEARS out of the 8 or so EQ has been around.

No surprises then that hes single - no job, 37 & lives with his mum.



When I visit him he is always on a raid & has very little time for me while I'm there.



So I re-activated my account for a month just to see if the game still had any interest to me. My friend invited me into his guild which lead me to a raid that night.

I arrived at the raid meeting point then spent 3 hrs waiting on everyone showing up, getting ready etc...

I sat there numb watching everyone floating up & down in levitate spells. It all came back to me in a rush.



It was like watching a film you have seen a million times but never really liked. I found the blank wall next to my monitor more interesting to stare at.



Finally the raid got underway... 10mins later 60+ dead people & a promise of another 3 hr wait while everyone recovers....



I logged off. Deleted the EQ folder, snapped the disks & felt so much better for it.



Never ever ever ever again. NeverQuest.



Guild wars rocked as I could log in play a good game no matter what level I was, then not play it again for months without falling behind my friends so badly that it was a problem.



Guild wars 2 - promises a blend of the original GW & current style MMO's like WOW. Free to play - and most importantly no need to get 30hrs a week in just to be cool.

(reply to this)
(link to this) (view in thread)

Weezer Responds To Fan Fundraising Attempt To Get Them To Stop Making Crappy Albums

from the connecting-with-anti-fans? dept

There are so many "fan-funding" platforms, like Kickstarter, out there that involve trying to raise a certain amount via a bunch of fan pledges, where they only have to pay if they reach the goal. Usually, we see projects on those sites used for things like funding a new album or a book or something. But what about an anti- funding project? Hypebot points us to the fact that some "fans" (and perhaps I should use that word loosely) of the band Weezer are using one of those platforms to try to raise $10 million dollars to get the band Weezer to break up. The organizer is apparently upset that the band doesn't make good albums any more:

I have never been a fan of this band. I think that they are pretty much horrible, and always have been. Even in the early 90's.



But this isn't about me. This is about the Weezer fans. They are our brothers and sisters, our friends, our lovers.



Every year, Rivers Cuomo swears that he's changed, and that their new album is the best thing that he's done since "Pinkerton," and what happens? Another pile of crap like "Beverly Hills" or "I'm Your Daddy."



This is an abusive relationship, and it needs to stop now.



I am tired of my friends being disappointed year after year.



I am tired of endless whimsical cutesy album covers and music videos.



I'm sick of hearing about whatever this terrible (and yes, even if you like the early stuff, you should be able to admit that they are wretched now) excuse for a band is up to these days.



If all 852,000 of you (really?) who bought "Pinkerton" pitch in $12, we will meet our al.



I beg you, Weezer. Take our money and disappear.

Amusingly, one of the band members responded via Twitter saying:

if they can make it 20, we'll do the "deluxe breakup"!

Nicely done. Of course, now that it's gotten attention, the guy who originally posted it is taking it down, saying that he did it (of course) for the lulz (as if anyone thought he was serious?). Anyway, perhaps we should have tried this for our $100 million offer to have us silence Techdirt.

8 Comments | Leave a Comment..

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<b>News</b> - Joy Behar, Bill O&#39;Reilly Continue Trading Insults <b>...</b>

She accuses him of making "hate speech"; he says he refuses to sugar coat "harsh realities"

Fox <b>News</b> Hits Ratings High With Rescue Coverage Of Chilean Miners <b>...</b>

Some 7.1 million viewers tuned into Fox News at 8 PM last night to watch the last trapped Chilean miner, Luis Urzua, making it safely to the surface. That was not only the cable news channel's largest audience in the hour this year but ...

CNN and Fox <b>News</b> Top Channels for Mine Rescue - NYTimes.com

Ratings for the cable news channels were inflated as the Chilean miners were rescued one by one.

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benchcraft company scam

<b>News</b> - Joy Behar, Bill O&#39;Reilly Continue Trading Insults <b>...</b>

She accuses him of making "hate speech"; he says he refuses to sugar coat "harsh realities"

Fox <b>News</b> Hits Ratings High With Rescue Coverage Of Chilean Miners <b>...</b>

Some 7.1 million viewers tuned into Fox News at 8 PM last night to watch the last trapped Chilean miner, Luis Urzua, making it safely to the surface. That was not only the cable news channel's largest audience in the hour this year but ...

CNN and Fox <b>News</b> Top Channels for Mine Rescue - NYTimes.com

Ratings for the cable news channels were inflated as the Chilean miners were rescued one by one.

benchcraft company scam

<b>News</b> - Joy Behar, Bill O&#39;Reilly Continue Trading Insults <b>...</b>

She accuses him of making "hate speech"; he says he refuses to sugar coat "harsh realities"

Fox <b>News</b> Hits Ratings High With Rescue Coverage Of Chilean Miners <b>...</b>

Some 7.1 million viewers tuned into Fox News at 8 PM last night to watch the last trapped Chilean miner, Luis Urzua, making it safely to the surface. That was not only the cable news channel's largest audience in the hour this year but ...

CNN and Fox <b>News</b> Top Channels for Mine Rescue - NYTimes.com

Ratings for the cable news channels were inflated as the Chilean miners were rescued one by one.

benchcraft company scam

<b>News</b> - Joy Behar, Bill O&#39;Reilly Continue Trading Insults <b>...</b>

She accuses him of making "hate speech"; he says he refuses to sugar coat "harsh realities"

Fox <b>News</b> Hits Ratings High With Rescue Coverage Of Chilean Miners <b>...</b>

Some 7.1 million viewers tuned into Fox News at 8 PM last night to watch the last trapped Chilean miner, Luis Urzua, making it safely to the surface. That was not only the cable news channel's largest audience in the hour this year but ...

CNN and Fox <b>News</b> Top Channels for Mine Rescue - NYTimes.com

Ratings for the cable news channels were inflated as the Chilean miners were rescued one by one.

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<b>News</b> - Joy Behar, Bill O&#39;Reilly Continue Trading Insults <b>...</b>

She accuses him of making "hate speech"; he says he refuses to sugar coat "harsh realities"

Fox <b>News</b> Hits Ratings High With Rescue Coverage Of Chilean Miners <b>...</b>

Some 7.1 million viewers tuned into Fox News at 8 PM last night to watch the last trapped Chilean miner, Luis Urzua, making it safely to the surface. That was not only the cable news channel's largest audience in the hour this year but ...

CNN and Fox <b>News</b> Top Channels for Mine Rescue - NYTimes.com

Ratings for the cable news channels were inflated as the Chilean miners were rescued one by one.

bench craft company reviews

If you are yet to find out genuine ways for making money online, then GPT sites or as it may be called "Get paid to complete offers" sites can be excellent choice for earning online as these site offer lots of free money to make. So continue reading -

What are GPT (Get Paid To) sites?

GPT sites are actually sites that offer genuine ways for making money online completing offers or surveys.
These sites may also be called Get paid to sign up sites because in most of these sites, you have to earn money for signing up in other programs that advertisers offer.

As normally GPT sites are called "Get Paid To" - so it can easily be understood that you will get money for doing something for others(advertisers). You might have to do lots of things what advertisers say, like trying products, doing surveys or signing up for programs, depending on what site, you are using.

Why Gpt sites are one of the best ways for money making online?

Most people would say that these sites are great to make money because they don't tend to be scam. Because the site owners will pay you from what advertisers are paying them. So if you don't complete an offer, advertisers will not pay them. So they will definitely pay for to get paid by the advertisers.

So you have chance to make hundreds of dollars a month even working one hour a day working with a few GPT sites.

Still nowadays many GPT sites are being scam? So you need to be careful about how to choose a genuine GPT site.

How to get started with GPT sites to make money online:

• I will suggest you make a email id. This id will be used for joining GPT sites. As you will be using not only one GPT site, you will need to have a different email account, because most of these sites will send you mails containing important information or special new offer or other details. So if you have a different account, you will be easy for you see them, don't mess up.
• Before joining any Gpt site, you must read their "terms and conditions" page. It will help you to use the site better. Remember although all sites are "Get Paid To" sites, but there are differences in their way of usage. So before joining, you should know what to do and what to not in the site.
• Always remember, most GPT sites approve only one account per household. So you can not make more than account in one site. If they find you out, your account will be canceled.
• Never ever try to complete an offer that you have already completed. Although most of the time when you will try complete same offer, you may not be able to do that and you will be informed the reason - "You have already completed this offer", "try another offer". But there are many GPT sites are there that don't have that benefit.
• Always complete offers correctly. Do not make any mistake while doing them. Otherwise you will not be paid for your mistakes. So while completing an offer, see what you are actually required to do. Complete each and every offer correctly and make money with your convenience.
• Now think about getting paid from these sites. Most GPT sites give payment through Paypal as it is available worldwide and an easy way to pay. So if you don't have a Paypal account, make it quickly. It is free to have an account with Paypal. Some GPT sites also offer payment through checks or gift cards.
• Lastly i will suggest you clear your cookies after completing each and every offer.

Try to use GPT sites for paid offers. You must have a credit card to complete offers. It's an excellent idea to use paid offers because those will earn you much more money than other offers. But while using Credit card for completing an offer, you must be sure you are using a genuine site.

I guess, almost everything has been said about how to start with GPT sites to make money for you. Hope, even if you are a beginner, it is now clear to you what GPTsites actually are. So start using GPT sites and make money.


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<b>News</b> - Joy Behar, Bill O&#39;Reilly Continue Trading Insults <b>...</b>

She accuses him of making "hate speech"; he says he refuses to sugar coat "harsh realities"

Fox <b>News</b> Hits Ratings High With Rescue Coverage Of Chilean Miners <b>...</b>

Some 7.1 million viewers tuned into Fox News at 8 PM last night to watch the last trapped Chilean miner, Luis Urzua, making it safely to the surface. That was not only the cable news channel's largest audience in the hour this year but ...

CNN and Fox <b>News</b> Top Channels for Mine Rescue - NYTimes.com

Ratings for the cable news channels were inflated as the Chilean miners were rescued one by one.

big seminar 14

<b>News</b> - Joy Behar, Bill O&#39;Reilly Continue Trading Insults <b>...</b>

She accuses him of making "hate speech"; he says he refuses to sugar coat "harsh realities"

Fox <b>News</b> Hits Ratings High With Rescue Coverage Of Chilean Miners <b>...</b>

Some 7.1 million viewers tuned into Fox News at 8 PM last night to watch the last trapped Chilean miner, Luis Urzua, making it safely to the surface. That was not only the cable news channel's largest audience in the hour this year but ...

CNN and Fox <b>News</b> Top Channels for Mine Rescue - NYTimes.com

Ratings for the cable news channels were inflated as the Chilean miners were rescued one by one.

big seminar 14

personal finance budgets

If you walked into the average bookstore, you'd think that women rule the roost when it comes to personal finance. From Suze Orman's now-classic Women and Money to the more recent (and more colorfully titled) Bitches on a Budget, there's no shortage of do-it-yourself financial advice tailored to women.



Apparently, though, when women make the momentous move from self-help to seeking professional advice about investing and retirement, things go rapidly downhill. A recent study by the Boston Consulting Group revealed that women perceived themselves as receiving wealth management services at a level of quality that is inferior to that received by their male counterparts.



According to the study, women are the key decision-makers when it comes to 27% of the wealth worldwide: that's $20 trillion! But despite the massive chunk of power they wield, 55% of the women surveyed in the study said they felt their wealth manager could do a better job of advising them. Almost a quarter of the respondents said private banks needed "significant improvement" in the services they offer to women.



"The dissatisfaction stems from the unshakable perception that men get more attention, better advice, and sometimes even better terms and deals," according to study co-author Peter Damisch. "We heard this sense of subordination time and time again in our interviews."



This perceived disparity in service arose from several key disconnects in the relationships and communications between women and their financial advisers. Manisha Thakor, Chartered Financial Analyst and women's financial literacy advocate, offers some steps savvy female investors can take to avoid being under-served by their wealth managers and investment advisers:



1. Find your adviser and get your financial education from women-run resources.



The financial services industry is dominated by males and therefore the "DNA is structured around the male experience," Thakor explains, adding that she sees many firms making an effort to change this. Most financial advisers are men, who may not inherently understand the whole-life nature of the average woman's financial plans and needs. They also may have very different communication styles than their women clients.



Thakor recommends women use women-created resources like LearnVest and DailyWorth to educate themselves in order to avoid the intimidation factor when talking about investment products with their advisers. She also encourages women to consult Garrett Planning Network, founded by Certified Financial Planner Sheryl Garrett, to locate a local certified financial planner who works on an hourly-fee-only basis. Taking these steps, Thakor explains, may alleviate the concern expressed by many women in the BCG study that they were not being taken seriously or talked to on the same level as male clients by their financial advisers.



2. Expressly state your ideal career trajectory, then ask how you should alter your investment plans accordingly.



In the BCG study, women stated that their investment advisers fundamentally misunderstood what was actually important to them, and recommended a too-narrow range of inappropriate investment vehicles as a result. Many said their advisers assumed they had a lower risk tolerance than they actually did, or that their advisers focused on short-term results and disregarded their long-term goals, which often included time out to care for a child or parent.



Thakor offers women a script of sorts to remedy this communication disconnect. "Go in and say: "I want to be a mom and I may take X amount of time out of the work force," she advises. Then ask, "How do we adjust how much I need to save and how I should invest to compensate for this?"



3. Start saving early.


It's almost impossible to have good saving habits without first having good spending habits. That's the problem that Burning Money, a new program from FoolProof aimed at teens, hopes to solve. Like the rest of the FoolProof series, Burning Money is an engaging series of real life issues that teens face, challenging them to complete a spending journal that will help them identify poor spending habits.



The free program is designed to be used in classrooms by teachers tasked with teaching personal finance, but Burning Money can also teach adults a thing or two about being a better spender – so that you can be a better saver. The program is distributed nationwide through credit unions and provides teachers with free tools and resources to teach students about personal finance in a real world manner.



Here's a look at one of the videos you'll find in Burning Money that helps teens understand how spending smarter translates into having more fun and doing more with their money.







As students work through Burning Money they'll be introduced to potential ways that they will "burn money" while making bad decisions that can come back to hurt them later in life. In the first section students get a first hand look at how late payments can hurt their credit score and what that means when they want to buy a job, get an apartment and more.



The program quickly jumps off into a reality game which tasks students with living on their own for one month complete with budgeting, writing checks and buying a car. The program walks students through the decisions and provides tips about how to write a check correctly as well as showing them the affect of their decisions on their bank account.



The first lesson students learn is that their car payment is $15 more a month because they have a bad credit score -- and so is their insurance premium; all because they didn't pay their bills on time. At the end of just the first month students are shown how their credit score, combined with some bad decisions have already cost them over $2,000 for the year in higher payments.



Since it's not just the big items that go into making smart spending decisions students will also face everyday choices like buying new jeans, that can be a money burning experience. The video below shows one way that Burning Money uses humor and video to get the point across.







FoolProof continues to be one of the most engaging and honest methods for teaching teens about money and best of all it is completely free. For the past several years we have seen a focus on preparing our kids for the new economy and as a college professor who speaks to graduates about personal finance the importance of learning good money habits early is illustrated to me every year.



I've seen everything from a student who had already been sent to collections numerous times for bad credit decisions which stemmed from the fact that all she knew about credit cards came from the companies offering them to her. On the other end of the spectrum I have three students right now who are some of the smartest spenders I have encountered with more in their investment portfolios than I do! These aren't "rich" kids, just students who know how to spend and how to save.



The best part about Burning Money and the FoolProof series is that it enables teachers and parents to teach teens how to make the right money decisions and good personal finance habits even if they aren't an expert. If you want to help your teens make smarter money choices, send this article to your teachers and let them know about this free resource for teaching teens about money.

The Birmingham <b>News</b> Pink Edition: Supporting the fight against <b>...</b>

Reports on the work being done in our community to fight the disease and sharing the stories of breast cancer survivors.

Monday Morning Breakfast &amp; Baseball: Roster <b>News</b> - Twinkie Town

Here's what's making news in Twinkie Town on Monday, October 4.

IMPORTANT: Bing <b>News</b> RSS feed has moved! (France National Soccer <b>...</b>

... FIFA World Cup™ problems which followed the sending home of Nicolas Anelka after his clash with Blanc's predecessor Raymond Domenech. Blanc banned the entire 23-man FIFA World Cup squad from his first More FIFA World Cup News ...

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If you walked into the average bookstore, you'd think that women rule the roost when it comes to personal finance. From Suze Orman's now-classic Women and Money to the more recent (and more colorfully titled) Bitches on a Budget, there's no shortage of do-it-yourself financial advice tailored to women.



Apparently, though, when women make the momentous move from self-help to seeking professional advice about investing and retirement, things go rapidly downhill. A recent study by the Boston Consulting Group revealed that women perceived themselves as receiving wealth management services at a level of quality that is inferior to that received by their male counterparts.



According to the study, women are the key decision-makers when it comes to 27% of the wealth worldwide: that's $20 trillion! But despite the massive chunk of power they wield, 55% of the women surveyed in the study said they felt their wealth manager could do a better job of advising them. Almost a quarter of the respondents said private banks needed "significant improvement" in the services they offer to women.



"The dissatisfaction stems from the unshakable perception that men get more attention, better advice, and sometimes even better terms and deals," according to study co-author Peter Damisch. "We heard this sense of subordination time and time again in our interviews."



This perceived disparity in service arose from several key disconnects in the relationships and communications between women and their financial advisers. Manisha Thakor, Chartered Financial Analyst and women's financial literacy advocate, offers some steps savvy female investors can take to avoid being under-served by their wealth managers and investment advisers:



1. Find your adviser and get your financial education from women-run resources.



The financial services industry is dominated by males and therefore the "DNA is structured around the male experience," Thakor explains, adding that she sees many firms making an effort to change this. Most financial advisers are men, who may not inherently understand the whole-life nature of the average woman's financial plans and needs. They also may have very different communication styles than their women clients.



Thakor recommends women use women-created resources like LearnVest and DailyWorth to educate themselves in order to avoid the intimidation factor when talking about investment products with their advisers. She also encourages women to consult Garrett Planning Network, founded by Certified Financial Planner Sheryl Garrett, to locate a local certified financial planner who works on an hourly-fee-only basis. Taking these steps, Thakor explains, may alleviate the concern expressed by many women in the BCG study that they were not being taken seriously or talked to on the same level as male clients by their financial advisers.



2. Expressly state your ideal career trajectory, then ask how you should alter your investment plans accordingly.



In the BCG study, women stated that their investment advisers fundamentally misunderstood what was actually important to them, and recommended a too-narrow range of inappropriate investment vehicles as a result. Many said their advisers assumed they had a lower risk tolerance than they actually did, or that their advisers focused on short-term results and disregarded their long-term goals, which often included time out to care for a child or parent.



Thakor offers women a script of sorts to remedy this communication disconnect. "Go in and say: "I want to be a mom and I may take X amount of time out of the work force," she advises. Then ask, "How do we adjust how much I need to save and how I should invest to compensate for this?"



3. Start saving early.


It's almost impossible to have good saving habits without first having good spending habits. That's the problem that Burning Money, a new program from FoolProof aimed at teens, hopes to solve. Like the rest of the FoolProof series, Burning Money is an engaging series of real life issues that teens face, challenging them to complete a spending journal that will help them identify poor spending habits.



The free program is designed to be used in classrooms by teachers tasked with teaching personal finance, but Burning Money can also teach adults a thing or two about being a better spender – so that you can be a better saver. The program is distributed nationwide through credit unions and provides teachers with free tools and resources to teach students about personal finance in a real world manner.



Here's a look at one of the videos you'll find in Burning Money that helps teens understand how spending smarter translates into having more fun and doing more with their money.







As students work through Burning Money they'll be introduced to potential ways that they will "burn money" while making bad decisions that can come back to hurt them later in life. In the first section students get a first hand look at how late payments can hurt their credit score and what that means when they want to buy a job, get an apartment and more.



The program quickly jumps off into a reality game which tasks students with living on their own for one month complete with budgeting, writing checks and buying a car. The program walks students through the decisions and provides tips about how to write a check correctly as well as showing them the affect of their decisions on their bank account.



The first lesson students learn is that their car payment is $15 more a month because they have a bad credit score -- and so is their insurance premium; all because they didn't pay their bills on time. At the end of just the first month students are shown how their credit score, combined with some bad decisions have already cost them over $2,000 for the year in higher payments.



Since it's not just the big items that go into making smart spending decisions students will also face everyday choices like buying new jeans, that can be a money burning experience. The video below shows one way that Burning Money uses humor and video to get the point across.







FoolProof continues to be one of the most engaging and honest methods for teaching teens about money and best of all it is completely free. For the past several years we have seen a focus on preparing our kids for the new economy and as a college professor who speaks to graduates about personal finance the importance of learning good money habits early is illustrated to me every year.



I've seen everything from a student who had already been sent to collections numerous times for bad credit decisions which stemmed from the fact that all she knew about credit cards came from the companies offering them to her. On the other end of the spectrum I have three students right now who are some of the smartest spenders I have encountered with more in their investment portfolios than I do! These aren't "rich" kids, just students who know how to spend and how to save.



The best part about Burning Money and the FoolProof series is that it enables teachers and parents to teach teens how to make the right money decisions and good personal finance habits even if they aren't an expert. If you want to help your teens make smarter money choices, send this article to your teachers and let them know about this free resource for teaching teens about money.

The Birmingham <b>News</b> Pink Edition: Supporting the fight against <b>...</b>

Reports on the work being done in our community to fight the disease and sharing the stories of breast cancer survivors.

Monday Morning Breakfast &amp; Baseball: Roster <b>News</b> - Twinkie Town

Here's what's making news in Twinkie Town on Monday, October 4.

IMPORTANT: Bing <b>News</b> RSS feed has moved! (France National Soccer <b>...</b>

... FIFA World Cup™ problems which followed the sending home of Nicolas Anelka after his clash with Blanc's predecessor Raymond Domenech. Blanc banned the entire 23-man FIFA World Cup squad from his first More FIFA World Cup News ...

eric seiger eric seiger

Making Money Scams

The magic of the free market and the wisdom of our Wall Street producers/betters at work:

Earlier this year I wrote about the Jefferson County story in a piece called “Looting Main Street” in Rolling Stone. In this tale employees of a group of high-powered Wall Street banks, led in particular by JP Morgan Chase, funneled money to local politicians in Alabama, who in turn signed off on toxic interest-rate swap deals that left the county saddled with monstrous debt for a generation.

Jefferson County is essentially the world’s worst credit card story. The local pols ran up massive bills to build a “Taj Mahal of sewer-treatment plants,” then saddled future voters with a blizzard-worth of rate hikes, punitive fees and late charges. Alabamans who should have paid $250 million for their new sewer system now owe over $3 billion, thanks to their corrupt politicians and the greedy carpetbagger banks who dragged these local hicks into deadly derivative deals.

These types of finance scams are the template for a whole new type of symbiotic relationship between politicians and the financial services industry: deals like the JeffCo interest-rate swaps allow politicians to borrow vast sums essentially without immediate consequence, making it possible to green-light politically-popular programs during their terms but leaving future leaders holding the bag when the bills come due. We saw similar stories in Greece and in the Denver school system; hundreds of communities in Italy and other European countries are also experiencing similar debt-blowups thanks to rate swaps and other deadly deals.

Anyway, back in the mid-nineties, the average sewer bill for a Jefferson County family of four was only $14.71. By the time I wrote my story earlier this year, most citizens were paying about four times that amount – and as of this summer, the average JeffCo sewer bill was $63. Well, the news now comes out that rates will go up again, and in the best case scenario they will jump 25% a year. The worst case? Jefferson County sewer rates could jump as much as 527%, with some estimates placing the average monthly bill as high as $395 a month.

At some point, people are going to figure out that our current corrupt capitalist system isn’t about the efficient allocation of capital, but straight up robbery and thieving. Not any time soon, I suspect, but some day.

Assholes, Bring on the Brawndo!, Free Markets Solve Everything, Tax Policy | 4:20 pm |

The magic of the free market and the wisdom of our Wall Street producers/betters at work:

Earlier this year I wrote about the Jefferson County story in a piece called “Looting Main Street” in Rolling Stone. In this tale employees of a group of high-powered Wall Street banks, led in particular by JP Morgan Chase, funneled money to local politicians in Alabama, who in turn signed off on toxic interest-rate swap deals that left the county saddled with monstrous debt for a generation.

Jefferson County is essentially the world’s worst credit card story. The local pols ran up massive bills to build a “Taj Mahal of sewer-treatment plants,” then saddled future voters with a blizzard-worth of rate hikes, punitive fees and late charges. Alabamans who should have paid $250 million for their new sewer system now owe over $3 billion, thanks to their corrupt politicians and the greedy carpetbagger banks who dragged these local hicks into deadly derivative deals.

These types of finance scams are the template for a whole new type of symbiotic relationship between politicians and the financial services industry: deals like the JeffCo interest-rate swaps allow politicians to borrow vast sums essentially without immediate consequence, making it possible to green-light politically-popular programs during their terms but leaving future leaders holding the bag when the bills come due. We saw similar stories in Greece and in the Denver school system; hundreds of communities in Italy and other European countries are also experiencing similar debt-blowups thanks to rate swaps and other deadly deals.

Anyway, back in the mid-nineties, the average sewer bill for a Jefferson County family of four was only $14.71. By the time I wrote my story earlier this year, most citizens were paying about four times that amount – and as of this summer, the average JeffCo sewer bill was $63. Well, the news now comes out that rates will go up again, and in the best case scenario they will jump 25% a year. The worst case? Jefferson County sewer rates could jump as much as 527%, with some estimates placing the average monthly bill as high as $395 a month.

At some point, people are going to figure out that our current corrupt capitalist system isn’t about the efficient allocation of capital, but straight up robbery and thieving. Not any time soon, I suspect, but some day.

Assholes, Bring on the Brawndo!, Free Markets Solve Everything, Tax Policy | 4:20 pm |

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/2 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning, AP and welcome to the weekend. As always, you'll find today's Kansas City Chiefs news below. Lots of love today. The O-line, Crennel, Happy Haley, and our Rookies should be feeling pretty proud of themselves according to ...

Rick Sanchez fired from CNN - Keach Hagey - POLITICO.com

Rick Sanchez lost his job just 24 hours after suggesting Jews run CNN and other media companies.

ScribbleLive plans to reinvent the <b>news</b> article | VentureBeat

Anthony is VentureBeat's assistant editor, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining VentureBeat in ...

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Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/2 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning, AP and welcome to the weekend. As always, you'll find today's Kansas City Chiefs news below. Lots of love today. The O-line, Crennel, Happy Haley, and our Rookies should be feeling pretty proud of themselves according to ...

Rick Sanchez fired from CNN - Keach Hagey - POLITICO.com

Rick Sanchez lost his job just 24 hours after suggesting Jews run CNN and other media companies.

ScribbleLive plans to reinvent the <b>news</b> article | VentureBeat

Anthony is VentureBeat's assistant editor, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining VentureBeat in ...

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The magic of the free market and the wisdom of our Wall Street producers/betters at work:

Earlier this year I wrote about the Jefferson County story in a piece called “Looting Main Street” in Rolling Stone. In this tale employees of a group of high-powered Wall Street banks, led in particular by JP Morgan Chase, funneled money to local politicians in Alabama, who in turn signed off on toxic interest-rate swap deals that left the county saddled with monstrous debt for a generation.

Jefferson County is essentially the world’s worst credit card story. The local pols ran up massive bills to build a “Taj Mahal of sewer-treatment plants,” then saddled future voters with a blizzard-worth of rate hikes, punitive fees and late charges. Alabamans who should have paid $250 million for their new sewer system now owe over $3 billion, thanks to their corrupt politicians and the greedy carpetbagger banks who dragged these local hicks into deadly derivative deals.

These types of finance scams are the template for a whole new type of symbiotic relationship between politicians and the financial services industry: deals like the JeffCo interest-rate swaps allow politicians to borrow vast sums essentially without immediate consequence, making it possible to green-light politically-popular programs during their terms but leaving future leaders holding the bag when the bills come due. We saw similar stories in Greece and in the Denver school system; hundreds of communities in Italy and other European countries are also experiencing similar debt-blowups thanks to rate swaps and other deadly deals.

Anyway, back in the mid-nineties, the average sewer bill for a Jefferson County family of four was only $14.71. By the time I wrote my story earlier this year, most citizens were paying about four times that amount – and as of this summer, the average JeffCo sewer bill was $63. Well, the news now comes out that rates will go up again, and in the best case scenario they will jump 25% a year. The worst case? Jefferson County sewer rates could jump as much as 527%, with some estimates placing the average monthly bill as high as $395 a month.

At some point, people are going to figure out that our current corrupt capitalist system isn’t about the efficient allocation of capital, but straight up robbery and thieving. Not any time soon, I suspect, but some day.

Assholes, Bring on the Brawndo!, Free Markets Solve Everything, Tax Policy | 4:20 pm |

The magic of the free market and the wisdom of our Wall Street producers/betters at work:

Earlier this year I wrote about the Jefferson County story in a piece called “Looting Main Street” in Rolling Stone. In this tale employees of a group of high-powered Wall Street banks, led in particular by JP Morgan Chase, funneled money to local politicians in Alabama, who in turn signed off on toxic interest-rate swap deals that left the county saddled with monstrous debt for a generation.

Jefferson County is essentially the world’s worst credit card story. The local pols ran up massive bills to build a “Taj Mahal of sewer-treatment plants,” then saddled future voters with a blizzard-worth of rate hikes, punitive fees and late charges. Alabamans who should have paid $250 million for their new sewer system now owe over $3 billion, thanks to their corrupt politicians and the greedy carpetbagger banks who dragged these local hicks into deadly derivative deals.

These types of finance scams are the template for a whole new type of symbiotic relationship between politicians and the financial services industry: deals like the JeffCo interest-rate swaps allow politicians to borrow vast sums essentially without immediate consequence, making it possible to green-light politically-popular programs during their terms but leaving future leaders holding the bag when the bills come due. We saw similar stories in Greece and in the Denver school system; hundreds of communities in Italy and other European countries are also experiencing similar debt-blowups thanks to rate swaps and other deadly deals.

Anyway, back in the mid-nineties, the average sewer bill for a Jefferson County family of four was only $14.71. By the time I wrote my story earlier this year, most citizens were paying about four times that amount – and as of this summer, the average JeffCo sewer bill was $63. Well, the news now comes out that rates will go up again, and in the best case scenario they will jump 25% a year. The worst case? Jefferson County sewer rates could jump as much as 527%, with some estimates placing the average monthly bill as high as $395 a month.

At some point, people are going to figure out that our current corrupt capitalist system isn’t about the efficient allocation of capital, but straight up robbery and thieving. Not any time soon, I suspect, but some day.

Assholes, Bring on the Brawndo!, Free Markets Solve Everything, Tax Policy | 4:20 pm |

bench craft company rip off

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/2 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning, AP and welcome to the weekend. As always, you'll find today's Kansas City Chiefs news below. Lots of love today. The O-line, Crennel, Happy Haley, and our Rookies should be feeling pretty proud of themselves according to ...

Rick Sanchez fired from CNN - Keach Hagey - POLITICO.com

Rick Sanchez lost his job just 24 hours after suggesting Jews run CNN and other media companies.

ScribbleLive plans to reinvent the <b>news</b> article | VentureBeat

Anthony is VentureBeat's assistant editor, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining VentureBeat in ...

bench craft company rip off bench craft company rip off

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/2 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning, AP and welcome to the weekend. As always, you'll find today's Kansas City Chiefs news below. Lots of love today. The O-line, Crennel, Happy Haley, and our Rookies should be feeling pretty proud of themselves according to ...

Rick Sanchez fired from CNN - Keach Hagey - POLITICO.com

Rick Sanchez lost his job just 24 hours after suggesting Jews run CNN and other media companies.

ScribbleLive plans to reinvent the <b>news</b> article | VentureBeat

Anthony is VentureBeat's assistant editor, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining VentureBeat in ...

bench craft company rip off bench craft company rip off

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/2 - Arrowhead Pride

Good morning, AP and welcome to the weekend. As always, you'll find today's Kansas City Chiefs news below. Lots of love today. The O-line, Crennel, Happy Haley, and our Rookies should be feeling pretty proud of themselves according to ...

Rick Sanchez fired from CNN - Keach Hagey - POLITICO.com

Rick Sanchez lost his job just 24 hours after suggesting Jews run CNN and other media companies.

ScribbleLive plans to reinvent the <b>news</b> article | VentureBeat

Anthony is VentureBeat's assistant editor, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining VentureBeat in ...

bench craft company rip off bench craft company rip off

foreclosure defense

First one, now all. Just as we predicted - fan: meet feces.

Fresh off the presses at Bloomberg:

JPMorgan Based Foreclosures on Faulty Documents, Lawyers Claim

JPMorgan Chase & Co. faces a legal challenge next month that could cast doubt on thousands of foreclosures after a mortgage executive at the bank said she didn’t verify documents used to justify home seizures.

Lawyers for a Palm Beach County, Florida, homeowner asked a judge to throw out a foreclosure as a penalty for misleading the court, according to attorney Tom Ice of Ice Legal PA. They’re citing a May 17 deposition in which the JPMorgan executive said she signed thousands of affidavits and documents supporting the New York-based bank’s claims without personally checking loan records. The court is scheduled to hear arguments Oct. 19.

The Chase Home Finance operation supervisor, Beth Ann Cottrell, said in May she was among eight managers who together sign about 18,000 documents a month, according to a transcript of her sworn deposition provided by Ice. Asked how they were prepared, she said she relied on other people at the firm.

“My review is more or less signing the document unless it’s questionable,” she said. That means, “somebody has a question and brings it to me and says, ‘Beth, can you take a look at this?’”

Inaccurate statements by banks in foreclosure documents may give borrowers who have lost their homes a legal basis to challenge the seizures, derailing resales and casting doubts on property titles. A Florida court sanctioned Ally Financial Inc.’s GMAC Mortgage unit for faulty affidavits in 2006, and the firm suspended evictions in 23 states this month after finding employees still signing affidavits without checking the data.

Titles in Doubt

JPMorgan spokesman Tom Kelly declined requests for comment.

Cottrell didn’t return phone calls to her office requesting comment. A lawyer representing her at the deposition, Joseph Mancilla of the Florida Default Law Group PL, didn’t return calls. Cottrell isn’t named as a defendant.

Cottrell signed the affidavit at issue in the case, dated June 2009, while at her previous employer, an outside servicing firm working for JPMorgan, according to court documents. When signing documents there for the JPMorgan unit, she used the title “assistant secretary and vice president” of Chase Home Finance, according to the transcript. She became a JPMorgan employee about three months after signing the affidavit.

Document signers sometimes endorse affidavits on behalf of other firms as a way to streamline the foreclosure process, said Dustin Zacks, an attorney at Ice’s firm.

JPMorgan was the third-largest U.S. servicer of home mortgages as of June 30, with $1.35 trillion or almost 13 percent of the market, according to industry newsletter Inside Mortgage Finance. Ally is the fifth-biggest mortgage servicer, with $349.1 billion. The other three in the top five are Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co., and Citigroup Inc.

Title Insurers

“I’m sure a lot of title insurance companies are concerned about the potential liability right now,” as borrowers challenge how banks made statements, he said. “The judges could absolutely hold the bank and attorneys in contempt.”

U.S. home seizures reached a record for the third time in five months in August as lenders completed the foreclosure process for thousands of delinquent owners, according to RealtyTrac Inc.

Ice, the founding partner of his foreclosure-defense law firm in Royal Palm Beach, Florida, said some lenders are accepting voluntary dismissal of their cases.

During the deposition, Cottrell said a staff of in-house specialists scrutinize loan documents and prepare affidavits, the transcript shows. If they have difficulties or questions, they come to her. She signs in a notary’s presence, she said.

‘No Knowledge’

During questioning by Ice lawyer Zacks, Cottrell said she had worked at Chase Home Finance for about eight months, according to the transcript.

“As to everything in the affidavit, did you have personal knowledge?” Zacks asked.

“My own personal knowledge, no,” Cottrell answered.

“You stated ‘That plaintiff is entitled to enforce the note and mortgage,’” Zacks said. “Again, did you have personal knowledge of that?”

“No knowledge,” she answered.

Florida Attorney General William McCollum is investigating three law firms that represent loan servicers in foreclosures, and are alleged to have submitted fraudulent documents to the courts, according to an Aug. 10 statement. The firms handled about 80 percent of foreclosure cases in the state, according to a letter from U.S. Representative Alan Grayson, a Florida Democrat.

Judges overseeing foreclosures in the wake of the housing crisis are growing skeptical of banks, said Christopher L.
Peterson, a professor at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law. A surge in proceedings has helped expose a variety of paperwork lapses, he said in an interview.

“Early in the process the judges were very cavalier and they just took the financiers’ word,” Peterson said. “Now there are enough disputes out there about ownership of loans that the judges are starting to feel like they need to hold the financial institutions to the basic rules of evidence.”

Yesterday, I mentioned the Office of the Homeowner Advocate, an attempt by Sen. Al Franken to get an independent review process for HAMP, the Treasury Department foreclosure mitigation program which has failed homeowners while merely extending foreclosures out a bit and squeezing additional payments into the hands of the banks. Today, this common-sense effort to get some accountability and oversight over what the banks have been doing in HAMP has found its way into a new version of the tax extenders bill, a catch-all, end-of-the-year effort that could be a vehicle for several measures which have hung around in the Senate.

Max Baucus introduced the bill today, and in addition to the OHA, it includes a number of provisions. Here’s a summary, and as you can see it’s really a catch-all. There are dozens of “tax extenders,” the initial name for the bill, including a one-year extension of the R&D tax credit (unlike the permanent extension called for by the President), and the ubiquitous “small business tax credits” in every bill out of Washington these days.

The bill would extend the TANF Emergency fund, a successful stimulus program which subsidizes jobless workers and is responsible for 250,000 jobs, by one estimate. 30 Senators called for its renewal today, as it expires September 30, leaving hundreds of thousands jobless. It also re-ups the Build America Bonds program for infrastructure projects. There’s a youth jobs program which would reportedly fund jobs for 350,000. The Cobell and Pigford Black Farmer settlements are thrown in here.

The oil spill liability cap gets changed in this bill, up to $5 billion. The bill raises taxes through that spill fund from 8 cents to 78 cents a barrel, raising $31 billion. There are mine safety provisions, disaster relief provisions, provisions adding funds to the National Housing Trust Fund, incentives for energy-efficient vehicles and renewable tax credits, and much, much more.

The bill is fully paid for with a variety of measures, including what I mentioned already. In addition, this would end the carried interest loophole, preventing investment fund managers from paying income taxes as capital gains. This raises $13.75 billion. It also scales back some stimulus funding, to broadband, to Defense Department building, and to food stamps, which by January 31 would “return to the levels that individuals would have received in 2014 under pre-Recovery Act law.”

I think this is what you’d call an omnibus bill, a staple of the end of a legislative period. It has something for everyone to like and something for everyone to dislike. In this Congress, that has meant it will fail. But you never know.

If it doesn’t pass, Franken has stated another option for the Office of the Homeowner Advocate – get Treasury to institute the program administratively.

Apple TV jailbreak <b>news</b>: USB restore mode discovered

Breaking news Feed � iFixit: Apple TV has 8GB of onboard flash storage � Office 2011 to ship October 26 � Apple Remote app v2 now available for iOS 4 � Confirmed: No FaceTime in UAE, reported working in SA unless phones are updated ...

Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen: Green <b>News</b> Report: September 30 <b>...</b>

IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: Koala Chlamydia; Coal protests around the world; New Rules for offshore drilling; PLUS: The Governator slams Big Oil and corporate campaign cash ... All that and more in today's Green News Report! ...

<b>News</b> Corp Gave $1 Million To Chamber Of Commerce Just This Summer <b>...</b>

News Corp., the parent company of Fox News, contributed $1 million this summer to the US Chamber of Commerce, the business lobby that has been running an aggressive campaign in support of the Republican effort to retake Congress, ...

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Apple TV jailbreak <b>news</b>: USB restore mode discovered

Breaking news Feed � iFixit: Apple TV has 8GB of onboard flash storage � Office 2011 to ship October 26 � Apple Remote app v2 now available for iOS 4 � Confirmed: No FaceTime in UAE, reported working in SA unless phones are updated ...

Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen: Green <b>News</b> Report: September 30 <b>...</b>

IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: Koala Chlamydia; Coal protests around the world; New Rules for offshore drilling; PLUS: The Governator slams Big Oil and corporate campaign cash ... All that and more in today's Green News Report! ...

<b>News</b> Corp Gave $1 Million To Chamber Of Commerce Just This Summer <b>...</b>

News Corp., the parent company of Fox News, contributed $1 million this summer to the US Chamber of Commerce, the business lobby that has been running an aggressive campaign in support of the Republican effort to retake Congress, ...

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First one, now all. Just as we predicted - fan: meet feces.

Fresh off the presses at Bloomberg:

JPMorgan Based Foreclosures on Faulty Documents, Lawyers Claim

JPMorgan Chase & Co. faces a legal challenge next month that could cast doubt on thousands of foreclosures after a mortgage executive at the bank said she didn’t verify documents used to justify home seizures.

Lawyers for a Palm Beach County, Florida, homeowner asked a judge to throw out a foreclosure as a penalty for misleading the court, according to attorney Tom Ice of Ice Legal PA. They’re citing a May 17 deposition in which the JPMorgan executive said she signed thousands of affidavits and documents supporting the New York-based bank’s claims without personally checking loan records. The court is scheduled to hear arguments Oct. 19.

The Chase Home Finance operation supervisor, Beth Ann Cottrell, said in May she was among eight managers who together sign about 18,000 documents a month, according to a transcript of her sworn deposition provided by Ice. Asked how they were prepared, she said she relied on other people at the firm.

“My review is more or less signing the document unless it’s questionable,” she said. That means, “somebody has a question and brings it to me and says, ‘Beth, can you take a look at this?’”

Inaccurate statements by banks in foreclosure documents may give borrowers who have lost their homes a legal basis to challenge the seizures, derailing resales and casting doubts on property titles. A Florida court sanctioned Ally Financial Inc.’s GMAC Mortgage unit for faulty affidavits in 2006, and the firm suspended evictions in 23 states this month after finding employees still signing affidavits without checking the data.

Titles in Doubt

JPMorgan spokesman Tom Kelly declined requests for comment.

Cottrell didn’t return phone calls to her office requesting comment. A lawyer representing her at the deposition, Joseph Mancilla of the Florida Default Law Group PL, didn’t return calls. Cottrell isn’t named as a defendant.

Cottrell signed the affidavit at issue in the case, dated June 2009, while at her previous employer, an outside servicing firm working for JPMorgan, according to court documents. When signing documents there for the JPMorgan unit, she used the title “assistant secretary and vice president” of Chase Home Finance, according to the transcript. She became a JPMorgan employee about three months after signing the affidavit.

Document signers sometimes endorse affidavits on behalf of other firms as a way to streamline the foreclosure process, said Dustin Zacks, an attorney at Ice’s firm.

JPMorgan was the third-largest U.S. servicer of home mortgages as of June 30, with $1.35 trillion or almost 13 percent of the market, according to industry newsletter Inside Mortgage Finance. Ally is the fifth-biggest mortgage servicer, with $349.1 billion. The other three in the top five are Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co., and Citigroup Inc.

Title Insurers

“I’m sure a lot of title insurance companies are concerned about the potential liability right now,” as borrowers challenge how banks made statements, he said. “The judges could absolutely hold the bank and attorneys in contempt.”

U.S. home seizures reached a record for the third time in five months in August as lenders completed the foreclosure process for thousands of delinquent owners, according to RealtyTrac Inc.

Ice, the founding partner of his foreclosure-defense law firm in Royal Palm Beach, Florida, said some lenders are accepting voluntary dismissal of their cases.

During the deposition, Cottrell said a staff of in-house specialists scrutinize loan documents and prepare affidavits, the transcript shows. If they have difficulties or questions, they come to her. She signs in a notary’s presence, she said.

‘No Knowledge’

During questioning by Ice lawyer Zacks, Cottrell said she had worked at Chase Home Finance for about eight months, according to the transcript.

“As to everything in the affidavit, did you have personal knowledge?” Zacks asked.

“My own personal knowledge, no,” Cottrell answered.

“You stated ‘That plaintiff is entitled to enforce the note and mortgage,’” Zacks said. “Again, did you have personal knowledge of that?”

“No knowledge,” she answered.

Florida Attorney General William McCollum is investigating three law firms that represent loan servicers in foreclosures, and are alleged to have submitted fraudulent documents to the courts, according to an Aug. 10 statement. The firms handled about 80 percent of foreclosure cases in the state, according to a letter from U.S. Representative Alan Grayson, a Florida Democrat.

Judges overseeing foreclosures in the wake of the housing crisis are growing skeptical of banks, said Christopher L.
Peterson, a professor at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law. A surge in proceedings has helped expose a variety of paperwork lapses, he said in an interview.

“Early in the process the judges were very cavalier and they just took the financiers’ word,” Peterson said. “Now there are enough disputes out there about ownership of loans that the judges are starting to feel like they need to hold the financial institutions to the basic rules of evidence.”

Yesterday, I mentioned the Office of the Homeowner Advocate, an attempt by Sen. Al Franken to get an independent review process for HAMP, the Treasury Department foreclosure mitigation program which has failed homeowners while merely extending foreclosures out a bit and squeezing additional payments into the hands of the banks. Today, this common-sense effort to get some accountability and oversight over what the banks have been doing in HAMP has found its way into a new version of the tax extenders bill, a catch-all, end-of-the-year effort that could be a vehicle for several measures which have hung around in the Senate.

Max Baucus introduced the bill today, and in addition to the OHA, it includes a number of provisions. Here’s a summary, and as you can see it’s really a catch-all. There are dozens of “tax extenders,” the initial name for the bill, including a one-year extension of the R&D tax credit (unlike the permanent extension called for by the President), and the ubiquitous “small business tax credits” in every bill out of Washington these days.

The bill would extend the TANF Emergency fund, a successful stimulus program which subsidizes jobless workers and is responsible for 250,000 jobs, by one estimate. 30 Senators called for its renewal today, as it expires September 30, leaving hundreds of thousands jobless. It also re-ups the Build America Bonds program for infrastructure projects. There’s a youth jobs program which would reportedly fund jobs for 350,000. The Cobell and Pigford Black Farmer settlements are thrown in here.

The oil spill liability cap gets changed in this bill, up to $5 billion. The bill raises taxes through that spill fund from 8 cents to 78 cents a barrel, raising $31 billion. There are mine safety provisions, disaster relief provisions, provisions adding funds to the National Housing Trust Fund, incentives for energy-efficient vehicles and renewable tax credits, and much, much more.

The bill is fully paid for with a variety of measures, including what I mentioned already. In addition, this would end the carried interest loophole, preventing investment fund managers from paying income taxes as capital gains. This raises $13.75 billion. It also scales back some stimulus funding, to broadband, to Defense Department building, and to food stamps, which by January 31 would “return to the levels that individuals would have received in 2014 under pre-Recovery Act law.”

I think this is what you’d call an omnibus bill, a staple of the end of a legislative period. It has something for everyone to like and something for everyone to dislike. In this Congress, that has meant it will fail. But you never know.

If it doesn’t pass, Franken has stated another option for the Office of the Homeowner Advocate – get Treasury to institute the program administratively.

bench craft company rip off

Apple TV jailbreak <b>news</b>: USB restore mode discovered

Breaking news Feed � iFixit: Apple TV has 8GB of onboard flash storage � Office 2011 to ship October 26 � Apple Remote app v2 now available for iOS 4 � Confirmed: No FaceTime in UAE, reported working in SA unless phones are updated ...

Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen: Green <b>News</b> Report: September 30 <b>...</b>

IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: Koala Chlamydia; Coal protests around the world; New Rules for offshore drilling; PLUS: The Governator slams Big Oil and corporate campaign cash ... All that and more in today's Green News Report! ...

<b>News</b> Corp Gave $1 Million To Chamber Of Commerce Just This Summer <b>...</b>

News Corp., the parent company of Fox News, contributed $1 million this summer to the US Chamber of Commerce, the business lobby that has been running an aggressive campaign in support of the Republican effort to retake Congress, ...

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Apple TV jailbreak <b>news</b>: USB restore mode discovered

Breaking news Feed � iFixit: Apple TV has 8GB of onboard flash storage � Office 2011 to ship October 26 � Apple Remote app v2 now available for iOS 4 � Confirmed: No FaceTime in UAE, reported working in SA unless phones are updated ...

Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen: Green <b>News</b> Report: September 30 <b>...</b>

IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: Koala Chlamydia; Coal protests around the world; New Rules for offshore drilling; PLUS: The Governator slams Big Oil and corporate campaign cash ... All that and more in today's Green News Report! ...

<b>News</b> Corp Gave $1 Million To Chamber Of Commerce Just This Summer <b>...</b>

News Corp., the parent company of Fox News, contributed $1 million this summer to the US Chamber of Commerce, the business lobby that has been running an aggressive campaign in support of the Republican effort to retake Congress, ...

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Apple TV jailbreak <b>news</b>: USB restore mode discovered

Breaking news Feed � iFixit: Apple TV has 8GB of onboard flash storage � Office 2011 to ship October 26 � Apple Remote app v2 now available for iOS 4 � Confirmed: No FaceTime in UAE, reported working in SA unless phones are updated ...

Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen: Green <b>News</b> Report: September 30 <b>...</b>

IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: Koala Chlamydia; Coal protests around the world; New Rules for offshore drilling; PLUS: The Governator slams Big Oil and corporate campaign cash ... All that and more in today's Green News Report! ...

<b>News</b> Corp Gave $1 Million To Chamber Of Commerce Just This Summer <b>...</b>

News Corp., the parent company of Fox News, contributed $1 million this summer to the US Chamber of Commerce, the business lobby that has been running an aggressive campaign in support of the Republican effort to retake Congress, ...

bench craft company rip off