Yearly Archives: 2013

Man Responsible For NY 15-Year Mandatory Minimum Pot Sentences Dies

"William M. Fine, a former magazine publisher and retailer whose research for Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller helped shape New York State’s stringent narcotics laws, died on Friday in Beverly Hills, Calif. His biggest impact on history resulted from a dinner party conversation with Rockefeller in early 1972, according to a former Rockefeller aide. On May 8, 1973, Rockefeller signed legislation mandating minimum prison sentences of 15 years for selling two ounces or possessing four ounces of heroin, cocaine or marijuana. The legislation was the toughest in the country, and increased the state’s prison population 500 percent over the next 20 years." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMan Responsible For NY 15-Year Mandatory Minimum Pot Sentences Dies

Original owner of Toronto ex-mayor’s alleged ‘crack’ video may have been killed

"Two separate sources said authorities interviewed a senior member of Ford’s staff regarding the possible link between the video and the killing of 21-year-old Anthony Smith, who is believed to appear in the video with Ford. Smith was shot dead in March. The video’s original owner was reportedly killed because of the potential value of its contents. Ford denied the existence of the video in a short statement on May 24, saying, 'I do not use crack cocaine, nor am I an addict of crack cocaine.' CBC then reported that Rob Ford’s press secretary and deputy press secretary have both resigned 'on principle,' four days after the mayor fired his chief of staff, Mark Towhey." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOriginal owner of Toronto ex-mayor’s alleged ‘crack’ video may have been killed

Local hero? Man tweets DUI checkpoint locations

"Increasingly, social media has allowed real human beings to contact other real human beings in order to avoid being randomly stopped and having their breath searched. Sennett Devermont has turned checkpoint alerts into what he believes is a public service. Devermont, a co-founder of the dating site site DateUp (later sold to IAC) and various other ventures, has created the superhero name Mr. Checkpoint, and his site works hard to ensure that his followers receive text alerts as soon as the information comes to him. His Twitter feed now has more than 43,000 followers, who hang on his every revelation." Continue reading →

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Illinois teacher in trouble for advising students about 5th Amendment before drug screening

"A high school teacher in Batavia, Illinois could be disciplined for informing his students of their Fifth Amendment rights before administering a survey school officials was intended to gauge their emotional needs. The Batavia Daily Herald reported on May 25 that social studies instructor John Dryden advised students of their right not to incriminate themselves before giving them a 'screener' survey on April 18 that had each student’s name printed on it. 'I made a judgment call,' Dryden told the Herald. 'There was no time to ask anyone.' Dryden could reportedly be issued a 'letter of remedy,' which would stay in his employment record." Continue reading →

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Honoring the Ultimate Sacrifice

“Liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us, at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood.”   John Adams ~  A Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law …

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Fake cop scams seniors out of nearly half a million dollars with faux ‘sting operations’

"Police in Washington state are searching for a man who they say has scammed seniors out of nearly a half a million dollars by pretending to be a police officer, recruiting unsuspecting victims for faux 'sting operations' involving large cash transfers. It begins as a phone scam, police told The Seattle Post Intelligencer. Introducing himself as either Sgt. Drumbowski or Capt. Jack Truska, the conman preys mainly on elderly women with claims of a counterfeit money investigation that he needs help with. The elaborate rouse ends with the fake police officer meeting the victim and taking a large sum of money from them — at least six women have lost around $75,000 per shakedown." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFake cop scams seniors out of nearly half a million dollars with faux ‘sting operations’

Chinese Tourists with Pockets Full of Dollars

"Chinese tourists have become the highest-spending overseas visitors, reports LaTi. Chinese tourists spend an average of $2,932 per visit to California compared with $1,883 for other overseas visitors, according to the latest statistics by the U.S. Office of Travel and Tourism Industries. 'What we know about Chinese visitors is they don't like to lay on the beaches,' said Ernest Wooden Jr., president of the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board. 'What they do like is shopping.' The outpouring of Chinese money helped set a record for spending by foreign visitors to the U.S. — $168.1 billion in 2012, says LaTi." Continue reading →

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Europe Opens $80 Trillion Shadow Banking Pandora’s Box: Will Seek To Collapse Repo “Collateral Chains”

"Banks and brokers face a clampdown on using assets they hold for clients as collateral for their own trades as part of European Union moves to bolster market stability and rein in shadow banking. The handing over of collateral is an integral part of repurchase agreements, or repos -- one of the activities under review by global regulators as part of their efforts to regulate shadow banking. The reuse of clients’ assets poses a potential threat to financial stability should one of a chain of firms that handled the securities go bankrupt, according to the document prepared by commission officials and dated May 15." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEurope Opens $80 Trillion Shadow Banking Pandora’s Box: Will Seek To Collapse Repo “Collateral Chains”