Monday, December 01, 2014
Help!
The Beatles performing by the beach in San Sebastián, Spain.
Best viewed in full screen.
YouTube link.
Best viewed in full screen.
YouTube link.
Possibly booby-trapped landmine-laden property is proving hard to sell
Federal officials expect to hold a second auction to sell a secluded hilltop home in New Hampshire that has failed to attract bidders – and possibly contains hidden explosives.
In August, a US marshal-hosted auction failed to attract a single bidder for the 100-acre property that was once owned by Ed and Elaine Brown, who were based there during a nine-month standoff with federal officials in 2007. Minimum bids for the home were set at $250,000.
US marshals are now working out the details for the next auction, while warning that the property could contain landmines or other hidden explosives. Ed Brown retreated to the home in January 2007, after a judge convicted him and his wife of hiding $1.9m in income from 1996 to 2003. Elaine Brown joined her husband in the standoff in April 2007, after the couple were ordered to serve a 63-month sentence. In October 2007, the Browns were arrested without incident. In 1997, Brown told the Internal Revenue Service he would not pay taxes until the agency could prove it was a legal practice.
Courts rejected his argument that collecting taxes was illegal. In 1994, Brown said he believed in a wide-ranging conspiracy, involving politicians including Bill Clinton, George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev, to “deprive Americans of their liberty”. He predicted a violent “revolution” in the US. The couple, armed with assault rifles and pipe bombs, entertained like-minded visitors during the standoff and even held a picnic, which ultimately led to their arrest. Undercover US marshals, pretending that they were supporters delivering goods from Elaine Brown’s dental practice, were invited into the house.
Ed Brown initially kept an assault rifle trained on the marshals as they unloaded items, but lowered the weapon once he became comfortable, according to court documents. The group shared beer and pizza before additional marshals were called in to make the arrest. Following the couple’s arrest, a court said the property was host to “a vast supply of explosives, firearms, and ammunition, including rifles, armour piercing bullets, pipe bombs, and bombs nailed to trees”. If the house is sold, proceeds will go to the municipalities of Plainfield and Lebanon, which are owed part of the unpaid taxes. In January 2012, the US first circuit court of appeals rejected an appeal by the Browns.
US marshals are now working out the details for the next auction, while warning that the property could contain landmines or other hidden explosives. Ed Brown retreated to the home in January 2007, after a judge convicted him and his wife of hiding $1.9m in income from 1996 to 2003. Elaine Brown joined her husband in the standoff in April 2007, after the couple were ordered to serve a 63-month sentence. In October 2007, the Browns were arrested without incident. In 1997, Brown told the Internal Revenue Service he would not pay taxes until the agency could prove it was a legal practice.
Courts rejected his argument that collecting taxes was illegal. In 1994, Brown said he believed in a wide-ranging conspiracy, involving politicians including Bill Clinton, George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev, to “deprive Americans of their liberty”. He predicted a violent “revolution” in the US. The couple, armed with assault rifles and pipe bombs, entertained like-minded visitors during the standoff and even held a picnic, which ultimately led to their arrest. Undercover US marshals, pretending that they were supporters delivering goods from Elaine Brown’s dental practice, were invited into the house.
Ed Brown initially kept an assault rifle trained on the marshals as they unloaded items, but lowered the weapon once he became comfortable, according to court documents. The group shared beer and pizza before additional marshals were called in to make the arrest. Following the couple’s arrest, a court said the property was host to “a vast supply of explosives, firearms, and ammunition, including rifles, armour piercing bullets, pipe bombs, and bombs nailed to trees”. If the house is sold, proceeds will go to the municipalities of Plainfield and Lebanon, which are owed part of the unpaid taxes. In January 2012, the US first circuit court of appeals rejected an appeal by the Browns.
Couple surprised to discover that their newly-purchased dog had only been leased
After Anthony and Françoise Claessens from San Diego picked out a purebred bichon frise puppy and got it home, they were more than a little surprised as they looked closely at the paperwork. They had leased a dog.
The contract required regular service and maintenance and allowed the finance company to “inspect the pet at any reasonable time.” At the end of 27 months of $95.99 payments, they would still not own the dog, which they named Tresor II.
“I have never heard of leasing a dog in my life,” Anthony Claessens, 80, said. “We were under the understanding we were purchasing a dog… I feel that we were swindled.”
The store, Oceanside Puppy, and finance company WAGS Financing of Reno, Nevada, say that’s not the case.
“We call it puppy payments, and you can make payments via lease or via traditional loan programme,” said David Salinas, who owns the shop on Oceanside Boulevard. “Just like any other transaction, whether you buy a car or a puppy, or jewellery, the transaction is the same when you make a payment.” Salinas’s Oceanside store, and another in National City, offer four financing options. WAGS is just one of them. Salinas said 90 percent of his customers choose to finance the cost of their new pet, allowing them to take home a dog they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford. “I think that’s very unfair that they are saying we are being fraudulent,” he said.
The Claessens were in the market for a dog because their previous bichon frise, which they had for seven years, had died. They could not afford to pay the $495 asking price for the dog at Oceanside Puppy, so they chose the financing option. After 27 months of payments, they could pay a $93.52 fee to end the lease or $187.04 to purchase the pet - “plus official fees and taxes.” According to the couple, no store employee mentioned that they were signing up for a lease rather than a purchase. Salinas said his employees do the best they can to explain the financing packages, but it’s the customer’s responsibility to read the terms. Claessens found himself back at the store less than 24 hours after taking the dog home on Nov. 13. He cancelled the contract.
YouTube link.
Salinas said, “We will make it a point to educate our customers a little bit more about the financing options so there is no confusion. We are actually a very legitimate moral company. We knew there was a need for purebred puppies in the store. We do a wonderful job at being able to help customers afford puppies. We provide amazing puppies, not from puppy mills.” Claessens’ wife, Françoise, said she hopes no one else has to go through what the couple did. “It’s a lot of trauma. When you don’t have children at home, you look at that pet as a child. This is a bad, bad disappointment, and they hurt your emotions,” she said. “What they are doing is irresponsible.” The Claessens later went to a dog shelter and obtained another bichon frise, this one for free.
There's a copy of the leasing agreement here. (PDF doc.)
“We call it puppy payments, and you can make payments via lease or via traditional loan programme,” said David Salinas, who owns the shop on Oceanside Boulevard. “Just like any other transaction, whether you buy a car or a puppy, or jewellery, the transaction is the same when you make a payment.” Salinas’s Oceanside store, and another in National City, offer four financing options. WAGS is just one of them. Salinas said 90 percent of his customers choose to finance the cost of their new pet, allowing them to take home a dog they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford. “I think that’s very unfair that they are saying we are being fraudulent,” he said.
The Claessens were in the market for a dog because their previous bichon frise, which they had for seven years, had died. They could not afford to pay the $495 asking price for the dog at Oceanside Puppy, so they chose the financing option. After 27 months of payments, they could pay a $93.52 fee to end the lease or $187.04 to purchase the pet - “plus official fees and taxes.” According to the couple, no store employee mentioned that they were signing up for a lease rather than a purchase. Salinas said his employees do the best they can to explain the financing packages, but it’s the customer’s responsibility to read the terms. Claessens found himself back at the store less than 24 hours after taking the dog home on Nov. 13. He cancelled the contract.
YouTube link.
Salinas said, “We will make it a point to educate our customers a little bit more about the financing options so there is no confusion. We are actually a very legitimate moral company. We knew there was a need for purebred puppies in the store. We do a wonderful job at being able to help customers afford puppies. We provide amazing puppies, not from puppy mills.” Claessens’ wife, Françoise, said she hopes no one else has to go through what the couple did. “It’s a lot of trauma. When you don’t have children at home, you look at that pet as a child. This is a bad, bad disappointment, and they hurt your emotions,” she said. “What they are doing is irresponsible.” The Claessens later went to a dog shelter and obtained another bichon frise, this one for free.
There's a copy of the leasing agreement here. (PDF doc.)
Man fled scene of car crash to avoid girlfriend yelling at him
A New Jersey man fled the scene of an accident last Sunday night because he did not want to be yelled at anymore by his girlfriend, according to police.
David Scarpa was having a “verbal argument” with his girlfriend when he put his vehicle in reverse and struck a utility pole at around 11pm.
The caller who reported the hit-and-run accident said he heard people “yelling,” then heard a “bang,” and discovered debris on the ground next to the utility pole, police said.
Scarpa, 21, of Vineland, turned himself in to police at around 4pm on Monday. Scarpa said he fled the scene and did not immediately report the accident because he “did not want to deal with his girlfriend yelling at him,” authorities said. Police charged Scarpa with leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving.
David Scarpa was having a “verbal argument” with his girlfriend when he put his vehicle in reverse and struck a utility pole at around 11pm.
The caller who reported the hit-and-run accident said he heard people “yelling,” then heard a “bang,” and discovered debris on the ground next to the utility pole, police said.
Scarpa, 21, of Vineland, turned himself in to police at around 4pm on Monday. Scarpa said he fled the scene and did not immediately report the accident because he “did not want to deal with his girlfriend yelling at him,” authorities said. Police charged Scarpa with leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving.
Two men had lucky escape as car tumbled into sinkhole
Two men had a lucky escape as their car was swallowed by a sinkhole on a busy road in China.
As their vehicle dangled precariously over the edge of the hole the driver and his passenger managed to get out. Minutes later the tarmac gave way underneath, and the car rolled over into the hole, landing on its roof.
The hole, which appeared at the centre of a busy junction in Jinjang City in China’s eastern Fujan province, was caused by the collapse of sands beneath the road’s surface.
YouTube link.
It had been created about half an hour before the incident, when a heavy truck ran over the weak spot, caused the tarmac to collapse.
As their vehicle dangled precariously over the edge of the hole the driver and his passenger managed to get out. Minutes later the tarmac gave way underneath, and the car rolled over into the hole, landing on its roof.
The hole, which appeared at the centre of a busy junction in Jinjang City in China’s eastern Fujan province, was caused by the collapse of sands beneath the road’s surface.
YouTube link.
It had been created about half an hour before the incident, when a heavy truck ran over the weak spot, caused the tarmac to collapse.
Company that produced hospital food in a cement mixer shut down by authorities
National authorities in Denmark have shut down a company that produced food for nursing homes and hospitals in a cement mixer.
The Danish Food and Veterinary Administration (Fødevarestyrelsen) discovered that the food company Nordic Ingredients violated hygiene rules by producing gelled foods in a cement mixer.
The food was delivered to public nursing homes and to hospital patients who have difficulty swallowing whole food. A Food and Veterinary Administration official said that in addition to producing food in a cement mixer, the hygiene levels at the company’s production facility were abysmal.
“It wasn’t just a bit of mess from the most recent production, and we determined that the cleaning standards were completely inadequate,” Henriette Mynster told DR. Mynster said that the cement mixer didn’t appear to have been cleaned in between uses. “It was an orange cement mixer just like bricklayers use. There were layers from previous uses, where bacteria and other micro-organisms can easily hide,” Mynster said.
According to the food authorities, up to a dozen public facilities receive food from Nordic Ingredients. Many of them spent Thursday destroying all food that came from the company. Other facilities that have received the cement mixer food include Svendborg Hosptial, Aalborg University Hospital and Vendsyssel Hospital. Many of the facilities say that they were unaware that the company, which has now been shut down, was not registered with the proper authorities.
The food was delivered to public nursing homes and to hospital patients who have difficulty swallowing whole food. A Food and Veterinary Administration official said that in addition to producing food in a cement mixer, the hygiene levels at the company’s production facility were abysmal.
“It wasn’t just a bit of mess from the most recent production, and we determined that the cleaning standards were completely inadequate,” Henriette Mynster told DR. Mynster said that the cement mixer didn’t appear to have been cleaned in between uses. “It was an orange cement mixer just like bricklayers use. There were layers from previous uses, where bacteria and other micro-organisms can easily hide,” Mynster said.
According to the food authorities, up to a dozen public facilities receive food from Nordic Ingredients. Many of them spent Thursday destroying all food that came from the company. Other facilities that have received the cement mixer food include Svendborg Hosptial, Aalborg University Hospital and Vendsyssel Hospital. Many of the facilities say that they were unaware that the company, which has now been shut down, was not registered with the proper authorities.
Bank says sorry for any inconvenience after handing out fake notes to police officer
A police officer and his wife are furious and still reeling from a "humiliating and frightening experience" after they were given counterfeit bank notes when they withdrew money from their bank.
Lucy and Dominic Doyle, of East Grinstead, Sussex, withdrew thousands of pounds from their local HSBC branch to begin work on their home and also gave some of the money to their young nephews.
But they say it wasn't until Mrs Doyle's sister tried to bank some of the cash that she was told the notes were fake, leading to what the family say was a public humiliation.
"As soon as we realised what happened we took the money to the branch in Croydon where my sister lives. I was visibly upset and explained that we were worried sick as to how much counterfeit money we'd been given. But the assistant said it was unlikely any of it was counterfeit and that the notes were probably just damaged. We explained what a humiliating and unacceptable situation this was, and left the bank not knowing if we were going to be the ones shouldering the blame and if our savings were at risk." Mr Doyle, who has been a detective constable for the Metropolitan Police for nearly 20 years, had to excuse himself from a court case to go back to HSBC while each of the notes was counted individually.
The bank confirmed that £160 of the notes were fake. The notes were replaced, but the couple have been less than impressed with the response from HSBC. Mrs Doyle added: "We were told by HSBC that they would investigate but to this day we haven't received an explanation. We then received a half-hearted apology and the offer of a bottle of wine as compensation, which I think is disgusting. I am absolutely appalled that my husband has been offered a bottle of wine as compensation for being through an utterly humiliating and frightening experience. We were then offered £50, which we declined on the basis it had taken 100 miles of petrol and our time, sleepless nights, leave from work and caused a lot of distress, worry and humiliation.
"I hold personal and business accounts with HSBC and have lost all faith. Why would a huge bank like HSBC not wish to resolve this quickly and reassure their customers about their security in banking with them?" A spokeswoman for HSBC said: "We have procedures in place to identify and stop counterfeit notes entering circulation. Unfortunately after leaving the branch, our customers notified us that they had received some counterfeit notes as part of their cash withdrawal, so we arranged for these to be swapped. The customers made a complaint, and after speaking with them several times we made a final offer of £100 as compensation. We are very sorry that they are unhappy with the situation and for any inconvenience caused."
"As soon as we realised what happened we took the money to the branch in Croydon where my sister lives. I was visibly upset and explained that we were worried sick as to how much counterfeit money we'd been given. But the assistant said it was unlikely any of it was counterfeit and that the notes were probably just damaged. We explained what a humiliating and unacceptable situation this was, and left the bank not knowing if we were going to be the ones shouldering the blame and if our savings were at risk." Mr Doyle, who has been a detective constable for the Metropolitan Police for nearly 20 years, had to excuse himself from a court case to go back to HSBC while each of the notes was counted individually.
The bank confirmed that £160 of the notes were fake. The notes were replaced, but the couple have been less than impressed with the response from HSBC. Mrs Doyle added: "We were told by HSBC that they would investigate but to this day we haven't received an explanation. We then received a half-hearted apology and the offer of a bottle of wine as compensation, which I think is disgusting. I am absolutely appalled that my husband has been offered a bottle of wine as compensation for being through an utterly humiliating and frightening experience. We were then offered £50, which we declined on the basis it had taken 100 miles of petrol and our time, sleepless nights, leave from work and caused a lot of distress, worry and humiliation.
"I hold personal and business accounts with HSBC and have lost all faith. Why would a huge bank like HSBC not wish to resolve this quickly and reassure their customers about their security in banking with them?" A spokeswoman for HSBC said: "We have procedures in place to identify and stop counterfeit notes entering circulation. Unfortunately after leaving the branch, our customers notified us that they had received some counterfeit notes as part of their cash withdrawal, so we arranged for these to be swapped. The customers made a complaint, and after speaking with them several times we made a final offer of £100 as compensation. We are very sorry that they are unhappy with the situation and for any inconvenience caused."
Churchwarden angry after theft of Smarties
A churchwarden is fuming after his car was stolen along with 120 packets of Smarties intended to help raise money for terminally ill children.
The blue Vauxhall Zafira was stolen from Chris Tyler's driveway in Dover in the early hours of the morning last Thursday.
It was later found nearby.
Mr Tyler, 56, a churchwarden at Charlton Church in Tower Hamlets, said: "I think the keys may have fallen out of my pocket onto the grass in front of our house. I had got back from picking my wife up from the train station and went back out to lock the car up. Later I noticed the keys weren't on me, but I thought they must be somewhere in the house and went to bed."
The next morning Mr Tyler looked out of his bedroom window to see the driveway empty. He added: "I'm only annoyed because of what was in the car and what it was intended for. The idea was to give the Smarties away to the congregation and ask them to fill them up with 20ps and return them. That would have raised a few hundred pounds.
"It was something that would have been used for the children at Demelza House. Luckily I've already had calls from congregation members and we are going to pull together to buy more Smarties. When you take a car there are things that are more precious than personal belongings, and I want the people who did this to know that." A Kent Police spokesperson said four teenagers had been charged in connection with the incident.
Mr Tyler, 56, a churchwarden at Charlton Church in Tower Hamlets, said: "I think the keys may have fallen out of my pocket onto the grass in front of our house. I had got back from picking my wife up from the train station and went back out to lock the car up. Later I noticed the keys weren't on me, but I thought they must be somewhere in the house and went to bed."
The next morning Mr Tyler looked out of his bedroom window to see the driveway empty. He added: "I'm only annoyed because of what was in the car and what it was intended for. The idea was to give the Smarties away to the congregation and ask them to fill them up with 20ps and return them. That would have raised a few hundred pounds.
"It was something that would have been used for the children at Demelza House. Luckily I've already had calls from congregation members and we are going to pull together to buy more Smarties. When you take a car there are things that are more precious than personal belongings, and I want the people who did this to know that." A Kent Police spokesperson said four teenagers had been charged in connection with the incident.
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