| Chase Bank Accuses Florida Law Firms of Running Debt-Relief Scam
Chase Bank USA is suing two Coral Springs, Fla., attorneys specializing in reducing consumer debt and South Florida affiliates, claiming they are engaging in blatantly illegal and fraudulent practices. The federal suit filed Friday in Wilmington, Del., accuses Hess Kennedy Chartered, lawyer Laura Hess, Edward Kennedy, affiliated companies and others of using "an unlawful debt elimination scheme" relying on lawsuits challenging valid credit card charges. Attorney Jeffrey Campos of Coral Springs and the Legal Debt Center, which has the same Coral Springs address and suite number as Hess' law firm, also are named as defendants. In addition, attorneys general in Florida, North Carolina and West Virginia are looking into Hess Kennedy's operations, and the Florida Bar has moved to suspend Hess' license.
My Doctor, My Butcher?
I told him I had to ask my family, but my parents told me it all sounded too good to be true. Why would anyone choose me, while there are better-qualified people everywhere without work? I asked my friend Alaa [Moussa], who said, ‘Let's check it out.' .
Week in review: Snuffing out OS bugs
Larry Ellison, Oracle's chief executive, said the initial $6.7 billion, or $17 a share, offer for BEA seems overpriced these days. "If we made another offer, the price would be lower," Ellison said during a Webcast of the analyst meeting. "They have done enough things now--and we'll have to see all the data--that clearly, the $17 price seems too high now." The comments came during Oracle's OpenWorld conference in San Francisco. Ellison kicked off the conference with a little trip down company memory lane by revealing some little-known tidbits about Oracle's history. For instance, what was Oracle's original name, and who was the company's first official bean counter? Oracle President Charles Phillips played tour guide, pointing out that virtualization and the company's application integration architecture will be two key areas to watch as the software giant moves forward in building its application "stack." The company, for example, unveiled its Oracle VM, which is open-source server virtualization software designed to support Oracle and third-party applications.
Curbing the Chaos in the Garage
At some point, our two-car garage morphed into an all-purpose repository for household junk. Amid the tennis gear, soccer balls and old newspapers, it had room for only one car. We clearly needed help. So we called in professional garage organizers to clear the clutter. Garage organizing is big business. Including home workshops -- comprising everything from auto-repair equipment to upright tool chests -- garage gear has become a billion-dollar industry, says Greg Alford, senior partner with Peachtree Consulting Group, an Atlanta-based marketing consulting firm. High-end custom garage-organizing companies have been growing 20%-25% per year, Mr. Alford says. He does, however, expect the growth to flatten a little in 2008, because of the weakening economy. The typical American garage is growing.
NBA All-Star Game: Duncan is a fixture despite his style
His four championships in nine years make him the No. 1 NBA winner of the past 10 seasons. Though his scoring average for six seasons has been on a steady decline from his career-best 25.5 points per game in 2001-02 — it slipped all the way to 18.3 in '05-06 before a jump to 20.0 last season — his consistent excellence has remained. "The better the team, the less important statistics are," said Hall of Fame center and ABC/ESPN analyst Bill Walton. "My guess is, as the team has gotten better and better and better, Tim's stats have gotten worse." Of far greater importance, Walton said, is how Duncan has put his stamp on games. Few players in NBA history have had greater bearing on the outcome. "In terms of impact and control, he has everything," Walton said.
Extra! UIdaho Student Found Shot to Death
With my new Mac Book, I have after-hours and weekend access to my Spokesman-Review e-mail. In other words, you can get a message to me that way, if you see something on the blog that seems over the top. Or if you have a question. I check my e-mail a coupla times a day or night when I'm home. I've set out several things below to get you started this weekend, including a comment by Councilwoman Deanna Goodlander re: the LCDC. I can't imagine anything that's left to say on the subject. But I've been wrong before. It has a tinfoil feeling to it. Anyway, I hope you have a good weekend and get rested up for another fun-filled Huckleberries Online week, beginning Monday. Now, for your Saturday Wild Card ... .
Neiman Marcus reports February store sales decline
Upscale retailer Neiman Marcus Inc. posted a slight increase in revenue for the second quarter, but comparable store sales - a key indicator of retailer performance - for the month of February actually fell 7.3%. For the period ending Jan. 26, the Dallas-based company's revenue grew by 3.7% to $1.37 billion, compared to $1.30 billion for the same quarter one year ago. Neiman Marcus attributes its revenue boost to higher store sales and direct marketing efforts. Its adjusted operating earnings were $152.3 million, a 4.4 increase from $145.9 million a year ago. The Dallas shopping institution was purchased by Texas Pacific Group and Warburg LLC in 2005. It is the parent company of Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman department stores. Web site: www.neimanmarcusgroup.com .
Internet giants back single-ID system for Web sites
Some of the Internet's biggest players — Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, IBM and VeriSign — are working on a new "single sign-on" that would take some of the hassle out of surfing the Web. The five companies Thursday became the first corporate board members of the OpenID Foundation, which is behind an industrywide initiative aimed at creating the system. OpenID Foundation Chairman Scott Kveton called the addition of the Internet behemoths a huge boost. "Having these companies really lends weight to the adoption," Kveton said. "This will help us move the technology to the forefront." Under OpenID, companies would share sign-on information for any Web user who agreed to participate. They would also share users' personal information, such credit card data, billing addresses and personal preferences.
Scots do not want to end the Union, merely modify it
IT'S time. Time for a change. Time to move on. This is the last column from this writer which will appear in this position in this paper. A new and extremely challenging role on the business desk awaits.Sadly, it means no time for the glorious self-indulgence of expressing a weekly opinion on the affairs of the nation.The world of politics is a continuously fascinating one. There is always something new. Political parties take power and always, in the end, lose it. Politicians' fortunes ebb and flow. Plots and conspiracies abound. Policies evolve and change.Over time, the decisions made by our elected representatives really do "make a difference", a phrase politicians use frequently, to the lives of the poor, long-suffering voters whose interests they are supposed to represent. Politics matters.And having spent many years at both Westminster and Holyrood as a reporter – and worked, albeit for only a year, on the "dark side" as a special adviser to former First Minister Henry McLeish – politics had become like a drug.
McGreevey: No fraud committed in marriage to Dina
There is no reason to apply a higher standard of justice to them, and they are not above the law. I wonder if the courts can find both parents to be incompetent, and find other relatives or friends who will raise her with love and respect which she never had at home. To Wideoutsal That was a great comment. For some reason, I dont think that Jim has a problem swallowing anything. .
Ecommerce sites face security crackdown
Online shops face increasing regulation, with credit card companies handing down strict guidelines on the protection of customer data. After 30 June, companies selling goods online will be required to apply annually for certification under the new tighter guidelines providing consumers with greater guarantees of security when transacting online. Mastercard, Visa and American Express are all involved in the scheme, which is intended to encourage more shoppers to spend online and counter some recent negative publicity relating to the security of data provided online such as Bank of America's lost accounts, the attempted e-heist at Sumitomo Bank and past data protection issues involving the likes of Argos, B&Q and utility firm Powergen. Firms processing more than 20,000 transactions per year will be required to scan their networks each quarter and conduct annual audits of their compliance with the standards in order to qualify for certification.
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