He's my man!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Last modified Wednesday, January 31, 2007 5:26 AM PST
State Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth listens to Larry Saunders of Saunders Ranch in Fallbrook as Saunders talks about his problems collecting on insurance claims related to crop damage.
DAVID CARLSON Staff Photographer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State senator aims to help growers
By: NICOLE SACK - Staff Writer
TEMECULA -- State Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth introduced legislation Tuesday to "soften the blow" of January's cold snap that hit growers statewide and caused more than $1 billion worth of damage to California crops.
Hollingsworth, R-Murrieta, has introduced three bills offering tax breaks for California farmers who suffered crop loss as well as those facing long-term recovery to damaged groves and nurseries.
"The growers in San Diego and Riverside counties that I represent, as well as farmers in more than 20 other counties around the state, have suffered tremendous damage from this freeze," Hollingsworth said in a press conference at the Calavo avocado packing house in Temecula. "Their losses will be in the millions and could last for years."
While the official numbers are yet to be released, representatives from the California Farm Bureau Federation estimate the statewide damage to crops to be $1.1 billion. Steve Pastor, executive director for Riverside County Farm Bureau, said more than $86 million of damage was done to this county's crops alone.
"This disastrous freeze wiped out crops overnight," Pastor said. "These measures are going to be good to help farmers get back on their feet."
The first bill introduced by Hollingsworth, SB 148, would provide a property tax exemption for fruit and nut trees severely damaged by the cold. The exemptions would be available to farmers for the next four years. The trees, although mature, would not be assessed at full value while they recover from the freeze.
Carlos Vasquez, field operations manager for Calavo, said it will take about two years for damaged avocado trees to again produce fruit. But during that time, farmers must maintain the groves.
"These growers will have no income coming in, but will still be incurring costs," Vasquez said. "The effects of this freeze will carry through the year."
The second bill, SB 149, would offer a sales tax exemption for materials farmers used to fight the cold snap, such as natural gas, gasoline and other fuels used to warm groves, orchards and greenhouses.
The successive nights of low temperatures, which dipped into the 20s from Jan. 12 to 16, took a severe toll on citrus fruit. While there have been widespread losses, the California Farm Bureau Federation reported frost-protection measures taken by farmers did succeed to some degree.
To make the tax breaks more timely, Hollingsworth is also pushing a third bill, SB 114, that would allow farmers to deduct losses against their prior year's income, as well as carry operating losses forward for five years.
The trio of bills has been introduced in the state Senate. No further action has been taken as the official language of the bills is being reviewed by the rules committee.
Hollingsworth hopes to fast-track the measures. The property tax relief bill would have to be approved prior to property assessments, which could delay the tax breaks if the Legislature drags its feet. Once approved, the freeze relief would be effective for four years, said Hollingsworth spokeswoman Erica Holloway. The exemptions would be on the 2007 tax rolls, she said.
While Hollingsworth's initiatives were welcomed, area growers asked if more immediate relief could be offered.
Larry Saunders, a Fallbrook avocado grower, said he wants the state to help expedite Federal Crop Insurance reimbursements, which he says generally take one year to be paid out.
"The losses are known; our premiums are paid. I know that the federal government subsidizes our insurance, but my loss is my loss," Saunders said. "It is not in the benefit of the farmer to have to wait a year to get some help."
Avocados have begun to drop from trees as a result of freeze damage to the fruit stems, what growers call "chill drop." Freezing temperatures weaken the stems and cause fruit to drop from the trees prematurely. The freeze could also harm buds for next season's avocado crop, Vasquez said.
The damage is also visible, said Chuck Bandy, avocado division manager for McMillan Farm Management.
"It looks like a flame thrower was taken to these trees," Bandy said. "Soon the trees will look like skeletons. They will regrow, but won't produce for two years. Growers are going to need assistance to make it through the next few years."
-- Contact staff writer Nicole Sack (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2616, or nsack@californian.com.
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/01/31/business/news/4_03_361_30_07.txt
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Thursday, February 01, 2007
'Little Caesars' Franchised Veterans Program
Pizza chain targets vets
Detroit Free Press
DETROIT - Just in time for Veterans Day, Mike Ilitch, Little Caesars founder, plans to launch a program that would make it easier for American veterans to open their own pizza businesses.
The Little Caesars Veterans Program offers a reduction on the franchise fee, credit on the first equipment order and financing. The offer is even better for disabled veterans, who would have the entire $20,000 franchise fee waived for their first store.
Honorably discharged veterans will receive up to $10,000 in benefits toward starting a new Little Caesars franchise. Service-disabled veterans are eligible for up to $68,000 for starting a franchise. A typical Little Caesars store costs $175,000 to $300,000 to build and equip, said David Scrivano, Little Caesars president.
The Detroit-based Little Caesar Enterprises Inc. plans to announce the program on Saturday, which is Veterans Day. It is the company's way of providing business opportunities for veterans who are making the transition to civilian life.
Detroit Free Press
DETROIT - Just in time for Veterans Day, Mike Ilitch, Little Caesars founder, plans to launch a program that would make it easier for American veterans to open their own pizza businesses.
The Little Caesars Veterans Program offers a reduction on the franchise fee, credit on the first equipment order and financing. The offer is even better for disabled veterans, who would have the entire $20,000 franchise fee waived for their first store.
Honorably discharged veterans will receive up to $10,000 in benefits toward starting a new Little Caesars franchise. Service-disabled veterans are eligible for up to $68,000 for starting a franchise. A typical Little Caesars store costs $175,000 to $300,000 to build and equip, said David Scrivano, Little Caesars president.
The Detroit-based Little Caesar Enterprises Inc. plans to announce the program on Saturday, which is Veterans Day. It is the company's way of providing business opportunities for veterans who are making the transition to civilian life.
Huge settlement unearthed near Stonehenge
Hugh Settlement unearthed near Stonehenge.
Jan. 30, 2007
Courtesy National Geographic
and World Science staff
Excavations near England’s vast Stonehenge rock monument have revealed an enormous ancient settlement that once housed hundreds, archaeologists said Tueday. They say the houses were probably constructed and occupied by the builders of nearby Stonehenge—the legendary, mysterious circle of massive stones on England’s Salisbury Plain.
The Sun shining through the Stonehenge monument. Sunrise and sunset on the summer and winter solstices—the longest and shortest days of the year respectively—were the key times when the Sun would shine through the monument. (Courtesy centennialofflight.gov)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“The whole valley appears full of houses,” said archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson of the U.K.’s Sheffield University. “In what were houses, we have excavated the outlines on the floors of box beds and wooden dressers or cupboards.”
The houses were dated to 2600-2500 B.C., the same period Stonehenge rose—one reason the researchers concluded the occupants erected Stonehenge. The homes would form the largest Neolithic, or late-Stone Age, village ever found in Britain; a few similar Neolithic houses have been found in the Orkney Islands off Scotland.
Parker Pearson said the discoveries help confirm a theory that Stonehenge didn’t stand alone but was part of a much larger religious complex used for funerary ritual. The settlement was found at Durrington Walls, a part of this complex that is some 1,400 feet across and encloses a series of concentric rings of huge timber posts, he said. Only small areas of Durrington Walls, located less than two miles from better-known Stonehenge, have been investigated by archaeologists.
Parker Pearson argues that Stonehenge and Durrington Walls were intimately connected: Durrington’s purpose was to celebrate life and deposit the dead in the river for transport to the afterlife, while Stonehenge was a memorial and even final resting place for some of the dead.
Stonehenge’s avenue, discovered in the 18th century, is aligned on the midsummer solstice sunrise, while the Durrington avenue lines up with midsummer solstice sunset. Similarly, the Durrington timber circle was aligned with midwinter solstice sunrise, archaeologists said, while Stonehenge’s giant trilithon—a structure of three stones—framed the midwinter solstice sunset.
Eight of the houses’ remains were excavated in September in the Stonehenge Riverside Project, led by Parker Pearson and five other U.K. archaeologists. Six of the floors were found well-preserved. Each house once measured about 16 feet square and had a clay floor and central hearth. The team found 4,600-year-old debris strewn across floors, postholes and slots that once anchored wooden furniture, long since disintegrated.
Durrington, Parker Pearson believes, drew people from all over the region. They came for massive midwinter feasts, where prodigious quantities of food were consumed. Abundant animal bones and pottery, in quantities unparalleled elsewhere in Britain at the time, attest to this idea, he said.
After feasting, Parker Pearson theorizes, the people traveled down the avenue to deposit their dead in the River Avon flowing towards Stonehenge. They then moved along Stonehenge Avenue to the monument, where they would cremate and bury a selected few of their dead. Stonehenge was a place for these people, who worshipped their ancestors, to commune with the spirits of those who had died, the researchers proposed.
Durrington appears “very much a place of the living,” said Parker Pearson. In contrast, no one ever lived at the stone circle at Stonehenge, which was the largest cemetery in Britain of its time: Stonehenge is thought to contain 250 cremations. The findings of the new research, funded by the National Geographic Society, were announced in a teleconference on Tuesday.
* * *
http://www.world-science.net/othernews/070130_durrington.htm
Jan. 30, 2007
Courtesy National Geographic
and World Science staff
Excavations near England’s vast Stonehenge rock monument have revealed an enormous ancient settlement that once housed hundreds, archaeologists said Tueday. They say the houses were probably constructed and occupied by the builders of nearby Stonehenge—the legendary, mysterious circle of massive stones on England’s Salisbury Plain.
The Sun shining through the Stonehenge monument. Sunrise and sunset on the summer and winter solstices—the longest and shortest days of the year respectively—were the key times when the Sun would shine through the monument. (Courtesy centennialofflight.gov)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“The whole valley appears full of houses,” said archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson of the U.K.’s Sheffield University. “In what were houses, we have excavated the outlines on the floors of box beds and wooden dressers or cupboards.”
The houses were dated to 2600-2500 B.C., the same period Stonehenge rose—one reason the researchers concluded the occupants erected Stonehenge. The homes would form the largest Neolithic, or late-Stone Age, village ever found in Britain; a few similar Neolithic houses have been found in the Orkney Islands off Scotland.
Parker Pearson said the discoveries help confirm a theory that Stonehenge didn’t stand alone but was part of a much larger religious complex used for funerary ritual. The settlement was found at Durrington Walls, a part of this complex that is some 1,400 feet across and encloses a series of concentric rings of huge timber posts, he said. Only small areas of Durrington Walls, located less than two miles from better-known Stonehenge, have been investigated by archaeologists.
Parker Pearson argues that Stonehenge and Durrington Walls were intimately connected: Durrington’s purpose was to celebrate life and deposit the dead in the river for transport to the afterlife, while Stonehenge was a memorial and even final resting place for some of the dead.
Stonehenge’s avenue, discovered in the 18th century, is aligned on the midsummer solstice sunrise, while the Durrington avenue lines up with midsummer solstice sunset. Similarly, the Durrington timber circle was aligned with midwinter solstice sunrise, archaeologists said, while Stonehenge’s giant trilithon—a structure of three stones—framed the midwinter solstice sunset.
Eight of the houses’ remains were excavated in September in the Stonehenge Riverside Project, led by Parker Pearson and five other U.K. archaeologists. Six of the floors were found well-preserved. Each house once measured about 16 feet square and had a clay floor and central hearth. The team found 4,600-year-old debris strewn across floors, postholes and slots that once anchored wooden furniture, long since disintegrated.
Durrington, Parker Pearson believes, drew people from all over the region. They came for massive midwinter feasts, where prodigious quantities of food were consumed. Abundant animal bones and pottery, in quantities unparalleled elsewhere in Britain at the time, attest to this idea, he said.
After feasting, Parker Pearson theorizes, the people traveled down the avenue to deposit their dead in the River Avon flowing towards Stonehenge. They then moved along Stonehenge Avenue to the monument, where they would cremate and bury a selected few of their dead. Stonehenge was a place for these people, who worshipped their ancestors, to commune with the spirits of those who had died, the researchers proposed.
Durrington appears “very much a place of the living,” said Parker Pearson. In contrast, no one ever lived at the stone circle at Stonehenge, which was the largest cemetery in Britain of its time: Stonehenge is thought to contain 250 cremations. The findings of the new research, funded by the National Geographic Society, were announced in a teleconference on Tuesday.
* * *
http://www.world-science.net/othernews/070130_durrington.htm
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Retailers Assess Citrus Freeze Impact
Retailers Assess Citrus Freeze Impact
The Associated Press
By DAN SEWELL
January 17, 2007
Any time there is a product shortage, it follows that prices increase Grocery retailers are taking stock of the impact California's freeze will have on supplies and the prices of citrus, strawberries and other damaged crops in their stores.
Meghan Glynn, spokeswoman for Kroger Co., said Wednesday that severe weather in California, Arizona and parts of Mexico is expected to hurt store supplies for several months.
'We expect shortages of citrus fruits, berries, some lettuce varieties and several fresh vegetable offerings,' she said. 'We regret that we are not able to offer our customers the range of high-quality fresh produce usually available this time of year.'
Glynn said Kroger, the nation's largest traditional grocery chain, is working with suppliers to find alternative sources. Kroger has nearly 2,500 grocery stores in 31 states.
'We are working with our vendors to source some items from other countries,' she said, although details weren't yet available.
Growers in California say prices will shoot up in the aftermath of subfreezing temperatures that caused nearly $1 billion in losses to oranges, lemons, avocados, strawberries and other crops.
'Our prices will remain competitive based on market conditions,' Glynn said. 'We'll continue to monitor the situation closely.'
Whole Foods Market Inc. spokeswoman Kate Lowery said prices will go up for citrus fruit and customers could also see price increases for California strawberries.
'Any time there is a product shortage, it follows that prices increase,' Lowery said.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, said it's assessing the situation with its suppliers.
'Although it's too early to determine the impact, we are communicating with our California citrus suppliers to understand their losses and to help them manage the situation,' spokeswoman Karen Burk said in a statement, adding that Wal-Mart is 'revising their previously agreed upon costs to put them more in line with present conditions.'
Brian Todd, president of The Food Institute, an industry information service, said some of the fresh citrus and other damaged crops could be replaced with imports, but prices are still likely to rise.
'Supermarkets for the most part in some way will have to pass along the increase,' he said.
Restaurants might substitute other items for those in shortage, or raise prices, and price-minded consumers could switch to other fruits and vegetables, Todd said.
HSBC analyst Mark Husson said although prices will most certainly go up if a shortage results, the impact will not be big enough to substantially affect grocers' margins, sales or earnings.
AP Business Writer Lauren Shepherd in New York contributed to this report.
On the Net:
Kroger Co.: http://www.kroger.com
Whole Foods Market Inc.: http://www.wholefoods.com
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.: http://www.walmart.com
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Hosted by: Topix.net Publisher Platform (beta)
.......................................................
The growers GOT THE SHAFT again since the crops are damaged we will not receive the income as expected and, any undamaged fuits that are still good, THEY WILL NOT BRING THE HIGHER PRICES; Believe me, the packing houses will lower the prices they pay TO THE GROWERS since they will claim that the FRUITS ARE DAMAGED!!!
The Associated Press
By DAN SEWELL
January 17, 2007
Any time there is a product shortage, it follows that prices increase Grocery retailers are taking stock of the impact California's freeze will have on supplies and the prices of citrus, strawberries and other damaged crops in their stores.
Meghan Glynn, spokeswoman for Kroger Co., said Wednesday that severe weather in California, Arizona and parts of Mexico is expected to hurt store supplies for several months.
'We expect shortages of citrus fruits, berries, some lettuce varieties and several fresh vegetable offerings,' she said. 'We regret that we are not able to offer our customers the range of high-quality fresh produce usually available this time of year.'
Glynn said Kroger, the nation's largest traditional grocery chain, is working with suppliers to find alternative sources. Kroger has nearly 2,500 grocery stores in 31 states.
'We are working with our vendors to source some items from other countries,' she said, although details weren't yet available.
Growers in California say prices will shoot up in the aftermath of subfreezing temperatures that caused nearly $1 billion in losses to oranges, lemons, avocados, strawberries and other crops.
'Our prices will remain competitive based on market conditions,' Glynn said. 'We'll continue to monitor the situation closely.'
Whole Foods Market Inc. spokeswoman Kate Lowery said prices will go up for citrus fruit and customers could also see price increases for California strawberries.
'Any time there is a product shortage, it follows that prices increase,' Lowery said.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, said it's assessing the situation with its suppliers.
'Although it's too early to determine the impact, we are communicating with our California citrus suppliers to understand their losses and to help them manage the situation,' spokeswoman Karen Burk said in a statement, adding that Wal-Mart is 'revising their previously agreed upon costs to put them more in line with present conditions.'
Brian Todd, president of The Food Institute, an industry information service, said some of the fresh citrus and other damaged crops could be replaced with imports, but prices are still likely to rise.
'Supermarkets for the most part in some way will have to pass along the increase,' he said.
Restaurants might substitute other items for those in shortage, or raise prices, and price-minded consumers could switch to other fruits and vegetables, Todd said.
HSBC analyst Mark Husson said although prices will most certainly go up if a shortage results, the impact will not be big enough to substantially affect grocers' margins, sales or earnings.
AP Business Writer Lauren Shepherd in New York contributed to this report.
On the Net:
Kroger Co.: http://www.kroger.com
Whole Foods Market Inc.: http://www.wholefoods.com
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.: http://www.walmart.com
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Hosted by: Topix.net Publisher Platform (beta)
.......................................................
The growers GOT THE SHAFT again since the crops are damaged we will not receive the income as expected and, any undamaged fuits that are still good, THEY WILL NOT BRING THE HIGHER PRICES; Believe me, the packing houses will lower the prices they pay TO THE GROWERS since they will claim that the FRUITS ARE DAMAGED!!!
Real Estate Investment Ponzi Schemes.
$1.2 Billion Dollar Fraud Scheme Alleged in Southern California
Temecula, CA (PRWeb) January 14, 2007 -- The Temecula law firm of Ackerman, Cowles & Lindsley filed a 1.2 billion dollar claim against what are alleged to be the perpetrators of a vast real estate and currency exchange scheme taking place in Southern California.
Riverside County Superior Court Case No. RIC463483 (Anonymous Investor v. Jovane Investments, et al.) was filed by an investor who claims to have suffered $3,000,000 in damages on her case alone. The plaintiff seeks to have the matter certified as a class action later this year because there are another alleged 400 investors in the alleged scheme.
The amended complaint, filed on January 12, 2007, alleges that the operators of the Jovane Investment firm of Murrieta, and related businesses, including Stonewood Consulting, Inc., Pacific Wealth Management LLC (Nevada), Oetting Enterprises, and Sunburst Financial Systems, Inc., engaged in a real estate scheme involving perhaps as many as 5000 home loans in the Southern California region. The defendants are alleged to have incited members of the general public. members of the military, and nursing staff at Rancho Springs Community Hospital in Southern California, to get involved in a real estate business whereby "investors" could each become the owners of multiple residential properties throughout the Temecula Valley and Northern San Diego County.
It is alleged in the complaint that defendants allegedly involved in the scheme would artificially inflate the values of the homes, complete 125% loan to value mortgages in certain cases, give escrow kickbacks to sellers who received as much as $100,000 more than an asking price, and sell the investors on the idea of giving up excess proceeds out of the sale to investment companies for a great profit over a period of years. In some cases, $50-60k-a-year salaried employees had mortgage obligations that were more than $20,000.00 a month because they "owned" 5-8 homes. The defendant companies are alleged to have taken money from other investors to pay the mortgages on behalf of plaintiff and others. The scheme is alleged to be a traditional Ponzi scheme.
Additionally, other investors were alleged to have been duped into buying into Iraqi dinar investments where the alleged victims would pay more than sixty times the actual value of the dinars. The victims were allegedly not told about the true value of the dinars and the dinars were allegedly never delivered to the victims.
The allegations were referred to the Riverside County District Attorney's office back in November of 2006. However, according to lead counsel, Richard D. Ackerman, "I am quite certain that the district attorney's office is swamped with thousands of criminal cases and simply has to allocate investigation resources toward violent crime at this time. Justice will eventually prevail. Unfortunately, however, if action is not taken soon, our entire Southern California economy may suffer as a result of the type of practices alleged by the many victims in our case."
All told, it is alleged that the damage to investors, lenders, the county tax rolls, Southern California neighborhoods, and others is far in excess of the 1.2 billion dollars cited in the complaint.
The case has been assigned to Judge Dallas Holmes of the downtown Riverside Superior Court in Riverside, California, for trial. The plaintiff intends on working with alleged victim-lenders and governmental agencies in an effort to prevent hundreds of foreclosures and additional damage as a result of the alleged fraud. The victim lenders are alleged to include Bay Capital Mortgage, Community First Bank, GMAC Mortgage, Suntrust Mortgage, Aurora Loan Services, Home Eq Servicing, and SLS Loan Servicing. Numerous credit card companies are alleged to be affected by the currency scheme as well.
Defendant Pacific Wealth Management LLC and defendant Maurice McLeod, a principal of Pacific Wealth Management LLC, have already been ordered by this same judge to stop all investments activities in California under the name of Pacific Wealth Management LLC. The related case is captioned Pacific Wealth Management LLC v. Pacific Wealth Management LLC, Superior Court of California, Riverside Case No. RIC462505. The injunction order was entered on January 9, 2007.
###
Ackerman, Cowles & Lindsley
RICHARD ACKERMAN
951-308-6454
E-mail Information
Trackback URL: http://prweb.com/pingpr.php/SGFsZi1UaGlyLUluc2UtTG92ZS1NYWduLVplcm8=
Well, It is sad since people think they can trust anyone without any actual agreement and or a signed contract! I hate to say this I seached Google for Sunburst Financial Systems, and if any one did, they could easily have found this suspicious story about Sunburst Financial Systems of Palm Deserts in 2003 !!!!
Desert company cuts back business
PALM DESERT: Sunburst says it has no conection to MX Factors, which is
under investigation.
Thursday, October 23, 2003
By Devona Wells / The Press-Enterprise
A Palm Desert firm has sent its employees home and stopped accepting
investments after plagiarizing marketing materials from an Inland
company that is being investigated.
Sunburst Financial Systems also dismantled a Web site that "plagiarized
sales and marketing information out of MX Factors," said Sunburst
general manager Christopher Oetting by phone Wednesday. He declined to
say why biographical information on one of Sunburst's managers mirrored
that of Richard Harkless, the owner of MX Factors.
Riverside's MX Factors is being investigated by the U.S. Postal
Inspection Service and the Securities and Exchange Commission, and has
been accused in a recent lawsuit of operating a Ponzi scheme.
Like MX Factors, Sunburst Financial does not have a license to sell
securities in California, according to the state Department of
Corporations. In September, the no-license violation earned MX Factors
an order from the department to no longer accept money from investors.
Spokeswoman Kam Coveyou said she could not confirm whether such an order
would be issued to Sunburst or whether an investigation of the company
is under way.
Oetting said Sunburst and MX Factors are not connected.
"We are not MX Factors. We are not affiliated with MX Factors. None of
the principles of MX Factors are involved with Sunburst," he said.
But biographical information about a Sunburst director named Richard
"Rick" Nelson is very similar to that of Harkless.
According to literature from Sunburst and MX Factors, both Nelson and
Harkless have an MBA with an emphasis in business organization and
mathematical applications, were collection agents for a national firm in
1986 and started a company for clients needing protection from
collection agents.
Some sentences are exact duplicates, including: "This company was one of
the first in California to begin converting sole proprietors and
partnerships to limited liability companies. The company continues today
and has a client base of over 150 manufacturers and wholesalers."
Harkless could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
In August, Sunburst opened in Palm Desert, according to Oetting. The
company has pulled in $205,000 from nine investors, he said in a phone
interview. A company name is absent from the front door of the Sunburst
office on Fred Waring Drive. All business is conducted by phone, fax or
the Internet, he said.
Sunburst incorporated in California on Sept. 11 - two days after MX
Factors investors were notified in a letter that it was no longer taking
funds. Nevada records show MX Factors came to be in 2001.
Sunburst shut down its Web site and let go of its seven employees for a
week, said Oetting. He said he was acting on the advice of company
lawyers after he received a call Tuesday from Barry Minkow, an
investigator with the Fraud Discovery Institute. Minkow, jailed in 1988
for securities fraud, said he has been checking into Sunburst for two
weeks and turned over information he uncovered to a postal inspector and
the Securities and Exchange Commission. Minkow also shed light on MX
Factors and gave his research to the Better Business Bureau and has
since shared it with investors.
Sunburst saw MX Factors' literature and loved it, said James Duncan, a
Sunburst consultant. On its Web site, Sunburst advertised a 17 percent
yearly return to investors who put in at least $20,000. The money would
be used to finance other companies by purchasing accounts receivable, a
practice called factoring - the arrangement MX Factors offered its
investors.
"We thought we could do the same thing. Did we make some mistakes?
Probably. But, that's why we stopped. We'll pay the fines, face the
repercussion," Duncan said by phone.
Since MX Factors was ordered to stop taking investments, a trio of
lawsuits have been filed by investors and customers seeking their money
from the Riverside firm. Estimates put the amount invested in MX
Factors, which promised investors a 12 percent return every 90 days, at
$50 million or more. An Oct. 2 lawsuit asks for more than $26 million
and accused MX Factors of running a Ponzi scheme, which uses money from
new investors to pay the original ones.
Caren Singer, an MX Factors investor for more than two years, attempted
to acquire information by phone and in person Tuesday from Sunburst
after hearing about the company from another investor.
Singer saw the Web site before it was taken down and said, "I'm still
trying to catch my breath from the shock."
"This is way more than a coincidence," she said in a phone interview.
A San Diego accountant hired to reconcile the accounts of MX Factors
said Wednesday he's received financial documents from at least 150
participants. Dan Tobias said by phone that he hopes to have the job
done by the end of the year.
An e-mail newsletter warning investors about Sunburst was sent out
Monday by Venture Research Institute. The Lake Forest institute provides
information on private investments and issues warnings about ones it
finds violating laws and other guidelines.
"The suspicion is that Sunburst Financial is a continuing effort of the
folks that brought you MX Factors," the e-mailed warning says.
Staff writer Jonathan Shikes contributed to this story.Reach Devona
Wells at (9090 368-9559 or dwells@pe.com
http://www.frauddiscovery.net/sunburst.html
Now How much is the whole region and the industry is going to suffer? Ofcourse we all are going to suffer too.
Jeri
Temecula, CA (PRWeb) January 14, 2007 -- The Temecula law firm of Ackerman, Cowles & Lindsley filed a 1.2 billion dollar claim against what are alleged to be the perpetrators of a vast real estate and currency exchange scheme taking place in Southern California.
Riverside County Superior Court Case No. RIC463483 (Anonymous Investor v. Jovane Investments, et al.) was filed by an investor who claims to have suffered $3,000,000 in damages on her case alone. The plaintiff seeks to have the matter certified as a class action later this year because there are another alleged 400 investors in the alleged scheme.
The amended complaint, filed on January 12, 2007, alleges that the operators of the Jovane Investment firm of Murrieta, and related businesses, including Stonewood Consulting, Inc., Pacific Wealth Management LLC (Nevada), Oetting Enterprises, and Sunburst Financial Systems, Inc., engaged in a real estate scheme involving perhaps as many as 5000 home loans in the Southern California region. The defendants are alleged to have incited members of the general public. members of the military, and nursing staff at Rancho Springs Community Hospital in Southern California, to get involved in a real estate business whereby "investors" could each become the owners of multiple residential properties throughout the Temecula Valley and Northern San Diego County.
It is alleged in the complaint that defendants allegedly involved in the scheme would artificially inflate the values of the homes, complete 125% loan to value mortgages in certain cases, give escrow kickbacks to sellers who received as much as $100,000 more than an asking price, and sell the investors on the idea of giving up excess proceeds out of the sale to investment companies for a great profit over a period of years. In some cases, $50-60k-a-year salaried employees had mortgage obligations that were more than $20,000.00 a month because they "owned" 5-8 homes. The defendant companies are alleged to have taken money from other investors to pay the mortgages on behalf of plaintiff and others. The scheme is alleged to be a traditional Ponzi scheme.
Additionally, other investors were alleged to have been duped into buying into Iraqi dinar investments where the alleged victims would pay more than sixty times the actual value of the dinars. The victims were allegedly not told about the true value of the dinars and the dinars were allegedly never delivered to the victims.
The allegations were referred to the Riverside County District Attorney's office back in November of 2006. However, according to lead counsel, Richard D. Ackerman, "I am quite certain that the district attorney's office is swamped with thousands of criminal cases and simply has to allocate investigation resources toward violent crime at this time. Justice will eventually prevail. Unfortunately, however, if action is not taken soon, our entire Southern California economy may suffer as a result of the type of practices alleged by the many victims in our case."
All told, it is alleged that the damage to investors, lenders, the county tax rolls, Southern California neighborhoods, and others is far in excess of the 1.2 billion dollars cited in the complaint.
The case has been assigned to Judge Dallas Holmes of the downtown Riverside Superior Court in Riverside, California, for trial. The plaintiff intends on working with alleged victim-lenders and governmental agencies in an effort to prevent hundreds of foreclosures and additional damage as a result of the alleged fraud. The victim lenders are alleged to include Bay Capital Mortgage, Community First Bank, GMAC Mortgage, Suntrust Mortgage, Aurora Loan Services, Home Eq Servicing, and SLS Loan Servicing. Numerous credit card companies are alleged to be affected by the currency scheme as well.
Defendant Pacific Wealth Management LLC and defendant Maurice McLeod, a principal of Pacific Wealth Management LLC, have already been ordered by this same judge to stop all investments activities in California under the name of Pacific Wealth Management LLC. The related case is captioned Pacific Wealth Management LLC v. Pacific Wealth Management LLC, Superior Court of California, Riverside Case No. RIC462505. The injunction order was entered on January 9, 2007.
###
Ackerman, Cowles & Lindsley
RICHARD ACKERMAN
951-308-6454
E-mail Information
Trackback URL: http://prweb.com/pingpr.php/SGFsZi1UaGlyLUluc2UtTG92ZS1NYWduLVplcm8=
Well, It is sad since people think they can trust anyone without any actual agreement and or a signed contract! I hate to say this I seached Google for Sunburst Financial Systems, and if any one did, they could easily have found this suspicious story about Sunburst Financial Systems of Palm Deserts in 2003 !!!!
Desert company cuts back business
PALM DESERT: Sunburst says it has no conection to MX Factors, which is
under investigation.
Thursday, October 23, 2003
By Devona Wells / The Press-Enterprise
A Palm Desert firm has sent its employees home and stopped accepting
investments after plagiarizing marketing materials from an Inland
company that is being investigated.
Sunburst Financial Systems also dismantled a Web site that "plagiarized
sales and marketing information out of MX Factors," said Sunburst
general manager Christopher Oetting by phone Wednesday. He declined to
say why biographical information on one of Sunburst's managers mirrored
that of Richard Harkless, the owner of MX Factors.
Riverside's MX Factors is being investigated by the U.S. Postal
Inspection Service and the Securities and Exchange Commission, and has
been accused in a recent lawsuit of operating a Ponzi scheme.
Like MX Factors, Sunburst Financial does not have a license to sell
securities in California, according to the state Department of
Corporations. In September, the no-license violation earned MX Factors
an order from the department to no longer accept money from investors.
Spokeswoman Kam Coveyou said she could not confirm whether such an order
would be issued to Sunburst or whether an investigation of the company
is under way.
Oetting said Sunburst and MX Factors are not connected.
"We are not MX Factors. We are not affiliated with MX Factors. None of
the principles of MX Factors are involved with Sunburst," he said.
But biographical information about a Sunburst director named Richard
"Rick" Nelson is very similar to that of Harkless.
According to literature from Sunburst and MX Factors, both Nelson and
Harkless have an MBA with an emphasis in business organization and
mathematical applications, were collection agents for a national firm in
1986 and started a company for clients needing protection from
collection agents.
Some sentences are exact duplicates, including: "This company was one of
the first in California to begin converting sole proprietors and
partnerships to limited liability companies. The company continues today
and has a client base of over 150 manufacturers and wholesalers."
Harkless could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
In August, Sunburst opened in Palm Desert, according to Oetting. The
company has pulled in $205,000 from nine investors, he said in a phone
interview. A company name is absent from the front door of the Sunburst
office on Fred Waring Drive. All business is conducted by phone, fax or
the Internet, he said.
Sunburst incorporated in California on Sept. 11 - two days after MX
Factors investors were notified in a letter that it was no longer taking
funds. Nevada records show MX Factors came to be in 2001.
Sunburst shut down its Web site and let go of its seven employees for a
week, said Oetting. He said he was acting on the advice of company
lawyers after he received a call Tuesday from Barry Minkow, an
investigator with the Fraud Discovery Institute. Minkow, jailed in 1988
for securities fraud, said he has been checking into Sunburst for two
weeks and turned over information he uncovered to a postal inspector and
the Securities and Exchange Commission. Minkow also shed light on MX
Factors and gave his research to the Better Business Bureau and has
since shared it with investors.
Sunburst saw MX Factors' literature and loved it, said James Duncan, a
Sunburst consultant. On its Web site, Sunburst advertised a 17 percent
yearly return to investors who put in at least $20,000. The money would
be used to finance other companies by purchasing accounts receivable, a
practice called factoring - the arrangement MX Factors offered its
investors.
"We thought we could do the same thing. Did we make some mistakes?
Probably. But, that's why we stopped. We'll pay the fines, face the
repercussion," Duncan said by phone.
Since MX Factors was ordered to stop taking investments, a trio of
lawsuits have been filed by investors and customers seeking their money
from the Riverside firm. Estimates put the amount invested in MX
Factors, which promised investors a 12 percent return every 90 days, at
$50 million or more. An Oct. 2 lawsuit asks for more than $26 million
and accused MX Factors of running a Ponzi scheme, which uses money from
new investors to pay the original ones.
Caren Singer, an MX Factors investor for more than two years, attempted
to acquire information by phone and in person Tuesday from Sunburst
after hearing about the company from another investor.
Singer saw the Web site before it was taken down and said, "I'm still
trying to catch my breath from the shock."
"This is way more than a coincidence," she said in a phone interview.
A San Diego accountant hired to reconcile the accounts of MX Factors
said Wednesday he's received financial documents from at least 150
participants. Dan Tobias said by phone that he hopes to have the job
done by the end of the year.
An e-mail newsletter warning investors about Sunburst was sent out
Monday by Venture Research Institute. The Lake Forest institute provides
information on private investments and issues warnings about ones it
finds violating laws and other guidelines.
"The suspicion is that Sunburst Financial is a continuing effort of the
folks that brought you MX Factors," the e-mailed warning says.
Staff writer Jonathan Shikes contributed to this story.Reach Devona
Wells at (9090 368-9559 or dwells@pe.com
http://www.frauddiscovery.net/sunburst.html
Now How much is the whole region and the industry is going to suffer? Ofcourse we all are going to suffer too.
Jeri
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Gen Y's attitudes differ from parents'
Gen Y's attitudes differ from parents'
Updated 1/9/2007 10:53 PM ET
By Sharon Jayson, USA TODAY
The views of young people today on politics, social attitudes and life goals are far different from their baby boomer parents', a national survey of 18- to 25-year-olds suggests.
More than two-thirds (67%) believe immigrants strengthen American society; a quarter favor increasing legal immigration.
Just 47% of those ages 41 to 60 say immigrants strengthen society; among those 26 and older, 16% say immigration should increase.
While young people are split over gay marriage (47% in favor, 46% opposed), those over 25 are not: 64% oppose same-sex marriage; 30% favor it.
"This is a more tolerant generation than its predecessors," says Scott Keeter of Pew Research Center, which surveyed 579 young adults and 922 adults 26 and older.
The findings that this generation's top life goals are to be rich (81%) and famous (51%) contrast with a 1967 study of college freshmen in which 85.8% said it was essential to develop "a meaningful philosophy of life," while 41.9% thought it essential to be "very well off financially."
The Pew survey asked more than 75 questions on issues from world events to politics to tattoos and binge drinking. Keeter says the study, in which 130 people were called on cellphones because they don't have a landline, is among the most extensive of this age group.
Keeter doesn't expect views on social issues to become more conservative with time. "One can imagine the complexion of these issues changing pretty significantly when this generation is in positions of power and authority," he says.
Among other findings:
•32% attend church at least once a week; 20% have no religious affiliation or are atheist or agnostic.
•48% identify more with Democrats; 35% with Republicans.
•36% have a tattoo and 30% a body piercing in a place other than an ear lobe; 25% have dyed their hair a non-traditional color.
Overall, these young adults are content with their lives and optimistic about the future: 84% say their life is excellent or good; 14% say fair or poor.
The poll was part of MacNeil/Lehrer Productions' Generation Next project. The margin of error for ages 18-25 is plus or minus 5 percentage points; for the overall poll, plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Posted 1/9/2007 2:46 PM ET
GENNEXT'S GOALS, PROBLEMS
Updated 1/9/2007 10:53 PM ET
By Sharon Jayson, USA TODAY
The views of young people today on politics, social attitudes and life goals are far different from their baby boomer parents', a national survey of 18- to 25-year-olds suggests.
More than two-thirds (67%) believe immigrants strengthen American society; a quarter favor increasing legal immigration.
Just 47% of those ages 41 to 60 say immigrants strengthen society; among those 26 and older, 16% say immigration should increase.
While young people are split over gay marriage (47% in favor, 46% opposed), those over 25 are not: 64% oppose same-sex marriage; 30% favor it.
"This is a more tolerant generation than its predecessors," says Scott Keeter of Pew Research Center, which surveyed 579 young adults and 922 adults 26 and older.
The findings that this generation's top life goals are to be rich (81%) and famous (51%) contrast with a 1967 study of college freshmen in which 85.8% said it was essential to develop "a meaningful philosophy of life," while 41.9% thought it essential to be "very well off financially."
The Pew survey asked more than 75 questions on issues from world events to politics to tattoos and binge drinking. Keeter says the study, in which 130 people were called on cellphones because they don't have a landline, is among the most extensive of this age group.
Keeter doesn't expect views on social issues to become more conservative with time. "One can imagine the complexion of these issues changing pretty significantly when this generation is in positions of power and authority," he says.
Among other findings:
•32% attend church at least once a week; 20% have no religious affiliation or are atheist or agnostic.
•48% identify more with Democrats; 35% with Republicans.
•36% have a tattoo and 30% a body piercing in a place other than an ear lobe; 25% have dyed their hair a non-traditional color.
Overall, these young adults are content with their lives and optimistic about the future: 84% say their life is excellent or good; 14% say fair or poor.
The poll was part of MacNeil/Lehrer Productions' Generation Next project. The margin of error for ages 18-25 is plus or minus 5 percentage points; for the overall poll, plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Posted 1/9/2007 2:46 PM ET
GENNEXT'S GOALS, PROBLEMS
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Weekend fliers stuck on jet for hours with no food
I read this news on USATODAY's Blog.
Today In The Sky....
By Ben Mutzabaugh
Weekend fliers stuck on jet for hours with no food, overflowing toilets
American Airlines passengers flying from San Francisco to Dallas ended up being stuck on the same plane for 12 hours Friday. The flight was diverted to Austin and was then stuck on the tarmac for more than eight hours, according to The Dallas Morning News (free registration). The paper said the plane sat in Austin with "no food, dirty toilets and frustration levels rising." The pilot on the flight -– AA Flight 1348 –- declined to give his name to the Morning News, but said the incident was the first time he had encountered such a scenario. "If I had a place to physically put the plane, I would do it," he told the paper.
Passengers, of course, were not pleased about being stuck on the jet. Overflowing bathrooms were among the top complaints. "The bathrooms have gone from a gas station to, 'What's the last concert you've been to?' " said Missouri passenger Andy Welch. For American's part, the airline faced an unusually high number of flight cancellations, diversions and delays Friday because of storms near its Dallas/Fort Worth hub. AA spokesman Andy Backover was quoted by KRISTV Channel 6 of Corpus Christi that he couldn't say for sure why Flight 1348 was kept on the tarmac so long. But he did say AA did its best to get the diverted flight off the ground, adding that the long Austin delay may have been an attempt to wait for a landing opportunity at DFW. "We were holding out hope throughout the day that it would go," Backover said. "That's sort of the way it was all day for our entire system."
http://blogs.usatoday.com/sky/2007/01/aa_8_hours.html
Grant it I do not like to bad mouth American businesses but sometimes certain things are allowed to happen and it doesn't make any sense! This is another one that seemed rather ridiculous to me.
In the old days, especially with the international flights, the airlines would allow the passengers to go down to the loung and they also provide a coupon for free drinks and sometimes a free sandwich.
In the good old days one of the aims for the airlines was to provide their passengers with travelling in comfort and to enjoy the total experience.
Nowaday, the airlines just wanted to sell the tickets and get you there on their terms.
I also had a nasty experience with one of the AA Flight Attendant that left a bad taste in my mouth and I refused to fly AA when I can.
I love Thai Airways, the total flying experience is really high on the scale of 1 to 10. I would give them 10 most of the time. All the Flight Attendants are always polite and serve you with a willingness to serve and with a smile. The airline also provide FREE ammenities like, inflight entertainment, top movies, earphone, extra blanket, extra pillow and the steamy hot towels. The Flight Attendant will let you know if there are any empty seats available so that you can go there to laydown and sleep on a long flight. They constantly check if you want any bottle water or orange juice during the flight. They serve wine and cognag FREE with your meal, if you want it. I can go on and on and on...
Except for a business trip to Tokyo, Japan in 2005 which I flew United Airlines from LA to Tokyo. The flights were booked and paid for by the business that I contracted with. It was an OK experience then.
All my other personal trip flights from LA to BKK & back to LA, and within Thailand during the last few years were made with Thai Airways.
Today In The Sky....
By Ben Mutzabaugh
Weekend fliers stuck on jet for hours with no food, overflowing toilets
American Airlines passengers flying from San Francisco to Dallas ended up being stuck on the same plane for 12 hours Friday. The flight was diverted to Austin and was then stuck on the tarmac for more than eight hours, according to The Dallas Morning News (free registration). The paper said the plane sat in Austin with "no food, dirty toilets and frustration levels rising." The pilot on the flight -– AA Flight 1348 –- declined to give his name to the Morning News, but said the incident was the first time he had encountered such a scenario. "If I had a place to physically put the plane, I would do it," he told the paper.
Passengers, of course, were not pleased about being stuck on the jet. Overflowing bathrooms were among the top complaints. "The bathrooms have gone from a gas station to, 'What's the last concert you've been to?' " said Missouri passenger Andy Welch. For American's part, the airline faced an unusually high number of flight cancellations, diversions and delays Friday because of storms near its Dallas/Fort Worth hub. AA spokesman Andy Backover was quoted by KRISTV Channel 6 of Corpus Christi that he couldn't say for sure why Flight 1348 was kept on the tarmac so long. But he did say AA did its best to get the diverted flight off the ground, adding that the long Austin delay may have been an attempt to wait for a landing opportunity at DFW. "We were holding out hope throughout the day that it would go," Backover said. "That's sort of the way it was all day for our entire system."
http://blogs.usatoday.com/sky/2007/01/aa_8_hours.html
Grant it I do not like to bad mouth American businesses but sometimes certain things are allowed to happen and it doesn't make any sense! This is another one that seemed rather ridiculous to me.
In the old days, especially with the international flights, the airlines would allow the passengers to go down to the loung and they also provide a coupon for free drinks and sometimes a free sandwich.
In the good old days one of the aims for the airlines was to provide their passengers with travelling in comfort and to enjoy the total experience.
Nowaday, the airlines just wanted to sell the tickets and get you there on their terms.
I also had a nasty experience with one of the AA Flight Attendant that left a bad taste in my mouth and I refused to fly AA when I can.
I love Thai Airways, the total flying experience is really high on the scale of 1 to 10. I would give them 10 most of the time. All the Flight Attendants are always polite and serve you with a willingness to serve and with a smile. The airline also provide FREE ammenities like, inflight entertainment, top movies, earphone, extra blanket, extra pillow and the steamy hot towels. The Flight Attendant will let you know if there are any empty seats available so that you can go there to laydown and sleep on a long flight. They constantly check if you want any bottle water or orange juice during the flight. They serve wine and cognag FREE with your meal, if you want it. I can go on and on and on...
Except for a business trip to Tokyo, Japan in 2005 which I flew United Airlines from LA to Tokyo. The flights were booked and paid for by the business that I contracted with. It was an OK experience then.
All my other personal trip flights from LA to BKK & back to LA, and within Thailand during the last few years were made with Thai Airways.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Saving The Cattles.
CHIEFTAIN PHOTOS/CHRIS McLEAN
Cows run from a helicopter about 15 miles southeast of Lamar on Tuesday. The Colorado National Guard fed thousands of cattle by dropping bales of hay from a Black Hawk helicopter.
Choppers to the rescue
National Guard air crews, ranchers join forces to drop bales of hay to stranded cattle in Southeastern Colorado.
By JAMES AMOS
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
LAMAR - Ranchers across Southeastern Colorado either tried to reach their cattle or hoped the Colorado Army National Guard could Tuesday as the animals stood in 3- to 4-foot deep snow.
Helicopter crews operated out of the airports near Lamar, Springfield and Las Animas to reach the animals. Aircrew members joined forces with ranchers, who volunteered to help on the flights, to throw out bales of hay to the stranded animals and, where possible, landed to break the ice in cattle water tanks.
Leonard Pruett, a cattle specialist for the Colorado State University Extension Service, said ranchers have been calling to ask for the hay bale flights, but aircrews also have helped whatever isolated animals they see.
"If we see cattle out there that don't look like they've been fed, we'll drop hay to them," Pruett said. "We're doing everything we can to make sure they survive.
Ranchers will be charged for the cost of the hay, but not the cost of flying it to the animals, he said.
The region has an estimated 340,00 head of cattle, but officials at the Lamar airdrop operation center said they figure all but 100,00 of those cattle are safe in feedlots. The rest are sprinkled in herds across the plains and valleys of Otero, Las Animas, Baca, Bent and Cheyenne counties.
The feeding operation began Tuesday. Pruett said it will last several days before ranchers can reach their animals themselves.
I have great empathy with the farmers and the ranchers. I am considered myself a wannabe rancher ;)
Seriously I am praying that these cattles are saved!!
Happy New Year.
I have a very positive attitude about this coming year. I have a positive feelings from the first of the year.
I hope that this year will bring peace and love to you all too.
Jieranai
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Wasteful Resources - How many Trees We killed?
Free Magazines which turns out to be nothing but wasteful junks to throw away.
Some of these magazine and weeklies are printed on grossy non-cyclable!
The worst offenders are the Real Estate Magazines / Homes magazines, both resale homes and new homes catalogs. There are over 5-6 in our area that are published weekly. Do you pick them up? They are dream homes and they are gorgeous - ofcourse I pick them up all the time. I need to learn to stop the bad habit. I actually did since I spend my time on the internet and I do my searches online. But, there are many trade magazines that I can subscribe FOR FREE, they are tools for my career you know... and they are all FREE subscriptions! Oh Lord Buddha, I do not even have time to read them. I finally let the subscription run out without renewing again.
How many trees do we killed each week, each day we pick up these FREEBIES from the magazine racks at the supermarket??
Phone Books - How many Do we need? How many we throw away before it even reaches the consumer or the household it was supposed to be delivered to?
Sunday, December 03, 2006
On My Mind.
I have been thinking about serious writing and I have gather many of the topics on my mind. One of the topics I often thought about (in despair) is the subject of 'WASTE'. My particular concerns are with the WASTE of Papers and printed materials. The reason is that this is one of the products that affect our world, the trees and the forests.
I came across several web sites while I was doing a reseach for this topic and I came across this thought provoking article about the Free Newspapers in London....
What Ever Happened To ...FREE Newspapers..
In addition to Metro, City A.M. and assorted magazines aimed at Aussies, Kiwis and South Africans, the commuters of London can now avail themselves of 800,000 extra free papers each weekday in the form of new launches thelondonpaper and London Lite.
Which means a huge addition to the 20 tonnes of newsprint already being dumped every day on the seats and floors of the London Underground (sadly, there are no litter bins, dating back to the security risk posed in the days of the IRA).
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?menuID=2&subID=893
I also saw a notice on a Frest Ethics web site about Victoria Secret and their catalog.
"Victoria's Secret is recklessly destroying Endangered Forests, contributing to global warming and habitat destruction," said Matt Meyer, one of the organizers of the demonstration, a Unitarian Universalist and co-founder of BCSL. "They're taking one of our most valuable resources and turning it into junk mail," added Shana Ortman of ForestEthics.
Victoria's Secret prints 395 million catalogs a year, predominately on virgin paper that comes directly from North America's Great Boreal Forest. Victoria's Secret's paper supplier, International Paper, sources fiber for paper from companies such as West Fraser, a known destroyer of Endangered Forests. Victoria's Secret also sources paper from Endangered Forests in the Southeast United States. Victoria's Secret is currently reviewing its paper purchasing so they can consider more environmentally responsible options.
http://forestethics.org/article.php?id=1506
I have my own opinions about the two subjects above which related to my research and my topic that I will post here in the near future.
:)
Jeri
I came across several web sites while I was doing a reseach for this topic and I came across this thought provoking article about the Free Newspapers in London....
What Ever Happened To ...FREE Newspapers..
In addition to Metro, City A.M. and assorted magazines aimed at Aussies, Kiwis and South Africans, the commuters of London can now avail themselves of 800,000 extra free papers each weekday in the form of new launches thelondonpaper and London Lite.
Which means a huge addition to the 20 tonnes of newsprint already being dumped every day on the seats and floors of the London Underground (sadly, there are no litter bins, dating back to the security risk posed in the days of the IRA).
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?menuID=2&subID=893
I also saw a notice on a Frest Ethics web site about Victoria Secret and their catalog.
"Victoria's Secret is recklessly destroying Endangered Forests, contributing to global warming and habitat destruction," said Matt Meyer, one of the organizers of the demonstration, a Unitarian Universalist and co-founder of BCSL. "They're taking one of our most valuable resources and turning it into junk mail," added Shana Ortman of ForestEthics.
Victoria's Secret prints 395 million catalogs a year, predominately on virgin paper that comes directly from North America's Great Boreal Forest. Victoria's Secret's paper supplier, International Paper, sources fiber for paper from companies such as West Fraser, a known destroyer of Endangered Forests. Victoria's Secret also sources paper from Endangered Forests in the Southeast United States. Victoria's Secret is currently reviewing its paper purchasing so they can consider more environmentally responsible options.
http://forestethics.org/article.php?id=1506
I have my own opinions about the two subjects above which related to my research and my topic that I will post here in the near future.
:)
Jeri
Sunday, August 13, 2006
How
Latest Collection of Poems By: Jieranai Maier |
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HOW?
Jieranai's Poems |
Friday, August 11, 2006
Check out my Blog At Yahoo.
I have been posting at Yahoo since I created a new Yahoo profile.
It is called 360!
http://360.yahoo.com/boomersint
Check it out and read my BLOG there.
Peace, Love, Light & Joy
Jieranai
It is called 360!
http://360.yahoo.com/boomersint
Check it out and read my BLOG there.
Peace, Love, Light & Joy
Jieranai
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Back To The Blogging Again.
I feel like a nomad travelling around in the high tech world. While doing so, I travel from place to place, site to site, parking my thoughts here and there everywhere.
Why? At one time, it was a part of my research for my Human Science - Ph.D courses.
Since I have abandon my graduate school embition, now it is just a part of learning and exploring. I think I was looking for a nice place and 'HOME' to leave my footprints in the virtual world. I am sure I am not the only one doing it but I think that if there was a contest of "THE MOST WEB SITES CREATED" I WOULD WON THAT AWARD LOL..
So join me again... since I am going to embark on the emblematic rants and raves about our world AGAIN!
Peace, Love, Light & Joy!
Jeri
Why? At one time, it was a part of my research for my Human Science - Ph.D courses.
Since I have abandon my graduate school embition, now it is just a part of learning and exploring. I think I was looking for a nice place and 'HOME' to leave my footprints in the virtual world. I am sure I am not the only one doing it but I think that if there was a contest of "THE MOST WEB SITES CREATED" I WOULD WON THAT AWARD LOL..
So join me again... since I am going to embark on the emblematic rants and raves about our world AGAIN!
Peace, Love, Light & Joy!
Jeri
Monday, January 16, 2006
Newest Web Site.
I am back to working on this Blog and will keep it update more often. I plan to write many articles from my thoughts and ideas.
So for now, check out my newest web site and join if you are in the entertainment business.
Peace & Love,
Jieranai Maier
Jan 2006
So for now, check out my newest web site and join if you are in the entertainment business.
Peace & Love,
Jieranai Maier
Jan 2006
Thursday, February 27, 2003
Sunday, September 29, 2002
Saturday, July 06, 2002
Thursday, May 30, 2002
Sunday, February 18, 2001
Global Citizens World Watch
Welcome to Global Citizens World Watch !!!
This is one of my BLOG which I attempt to write from my thoughts and ideas, as well as mixing with heart and soul, pouring my emotion, tears and LOVE to all of you.
Peace, Love and Light,
Jeri
This is one of my BLOG which I attempt to write from my thoughts and ideas, as well as mixing with heart and soul, pouring my emotion, tears and LOVE to all of you.
Peace, Love and Light,
Jeri
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