Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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Your Inheritance – How to Protect It
Inheritance battles can be hell for those who are
unprepared.
Don’t believe me? Check out these examples:
“My mother died recently after a 17 year battle with breast
cancer. Through her life she changed her will many, many
times. Her last will was made one year before her death,
when the cancer had already spread to her organs and brain.
She was very dependant on my brother who ran her business
for her and he profited richly from doing that. My sister and
her family live far away and are modestly self‐supporting. My
other brother is on disability and barely survives. I raise my
children alone as a working poor parent and have no assets
whatsoever. My car is falling apart and I can't save a dime,
trying to keep it on the road so I can continue my job. The 3
struggling children (and our 4 children) couldn't afford to
spend a lot of time with mom. The brother living in the lap of
luxury did all he could to undermine our relationships with
her. He was very sly and conniving. We'll never know all the
sneaky underhanded things he did to become the sole
beneficiary of her multi‐million dollar estate.
We hope to expose some of the truth through lawyers and
courts. My brother's wife snickered and scoffed at me when I
asked where the money is that my mom collected for a
decade, from the public, specifically for my children's college
fund. My children are bewildered how their beloved grandma
could have left us like this. So we haven't seen a photo, a dish,
a spoon or a dollar. Mr. Big Shot has it all, lock stock and
barrel. He worked hard while she was alive to prevent her
donating any charity to us so there would be more for him.
Mom lived in a rat trap of a house and had a pathetic little
wardrobe. Most of her things no charity would even want.
Guess who was living in high style.
It was really impossible for me to talk to mom about her will.
Uncle greedy had control of her mind. I couldn't even ask her
opinion about something because she would say, "I don't
know, I'll have to ask/check with/put you through to, Uncle
"greedy". Anyone who has advice or prayers to offer, it's most
welcomed. I'm trying not to despair.”
Another example:
“Where do I start? I came from a family of 13 offspring. We
were very close. I am #7. I was chosen by my father to be his
personal representative. The jealousy and greed took over,
nine siblings turned against me and two sisters stood by me.
Because of all the fighting, the judge took the position away
from me and gave it to one of his cronies (friends). This
attorney took advantage of the feud, perpetuated it, and
raped my father's estate.
By the time he took over, a year after my father passed, I had
most of it done. He stretched it out with frivolous hearings
and motions, played one side against the other, let his
auctioneers go into my fathers house and take whatever they
wanted. He failed to collect a $10,000 note from my sister
and the judge looked the other way. I could go on and on. He
ended up with $20,000 of my fathers money. Our family will
never repair. Not after the harassment, the horrible things
they said to me, left on my answering machine, voice mail,
and work fax machine. But the Probate Court and the
attorneys did not help, in fact, the took advantage of us.
We were emotionally distressed from losing our Dad, they
should have been the rational and reasonable ones. It would
take me a week to fill you in on the disgusting things this
attorney got away with. It is legalized thievery. The judges
and attorneys are all in bed together. I hope you have a
chapter in your book about the Probate Court system, the
attorneys and alternatives. I could not even find an attorney
to sue him after it was all over.”
And one more:
“NBC reports that Virginia State Police had to respond to a
violent shootout in Louisa County over an inheritance fight
this past Sunday. Police state that around 2:00p.m., they were
called to a home on Twigg Drive for a family dispute. When
police arrived, the issue was resolved and the police left the
home. However, as a NY estate attorney can attest, when it
comes to inheritance, sometimes disputes can't be easily
settled.
Police say that over the course of the afternoon, tensions
grew over the inheritance fight. At approximately 5:00 p.m.,
Charles Sponaugle Sr. started shooting his family with a .22
caliber target pistol. He shot and killed his son Charles
Steadman, and his nephew Mark Cooper Sponaugle. He also
shot and injured his sister, brother in law and two other
nephews.
When responding deputies arrived on the scene with a K9,
Charles Sponaugle Sr. released his pit bull and fired at the
police. He was shot and killed by police. His pit bull was killed
too. Police say that they have been called to this home
repeatedly over an inheritance fight that has been going on
since 2001. Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller
said: "They're due to a death in the family. That was part of
what was the ongoing feud that had been among the children
there: who actually owns the property and has rights to it."
The most important thing to remember when protecting your
inheritance is to get everything in writing.
Your “word” likely won’t mean a damn thing in court – and
once attorneys get involved your money will be going down
the drain.
It may also help to offer to cut a deal with your adversary.
Ask yourself: “How much easier would it have been if Anna
Nicole Smith had just asked for $50 million or so and in return
dropped all legal action?”
The lawyers would get nothing, she would have millions, and
the son would still have the bulk of the estate.
The most powerful method to protect your inheritance is a
video will. People speaking from beyond the grave tend to
command attention, and it’s the sort of evidence that is
difficult to dispute.
Tobacco Taxes
One day I woke up and read this online:
Political pigs squeal about “the children” almost every time
they want to restrict our freedom.
If they were really oh‐so‐concerned about people not
smoking, they would just ban tobacco outright instead of
condemning it on one hand while collecting tax money with
the other.
Anyways, this PACT Act makes it so cigarettes cannot be
shipped through the US mail.
BUT… cigarettes are still making it through the mail!
Visit www.azcigs.com and you will be able to buy name‐brand
smokes for around $30 a carton – SHIPPED. I just ordered 3
cartons of Camel Blue (lights) for $29.80 each, and they will
be delivered in about 2 weeks.
Banks and Bucks
One of the most common mistakes I see people make is
keeping their money in banks.
Your money is NOT safe in a bank.
Your valuables are NOT safe in a “safe” deposit box.
Don’t believe me? Read this from ABC News:
Your money is NOT safe in banks either, with so many of them
going out of business.
Here’s the deal: the US dollar is dead, and nothing is going to
bring it back.
Not only are we printing more dollars and lowering their
overall value, but the world is tired of it and wants to get rid
of their dollars.
I don’t keep my savings in a bank. I don’t even keep my
savings in US dollars!
Back in 2009 I started taking the money I would have put into
a savings account and instead bought gold and silver.
During the months I bought gold and silver the prices were
roughly $1050/oz gold and $17/oz silver. Instead of sitting in
a savings account with a pathetic little interest rate, or the
stock market where you can lose everything, this investment
has really paid off. My silver has more than doubled in value
and may triple in value soon. Gold has performed well too,
gaining a few hundred dollars in value.
Prices are much higher today, but precious metals are still
where it’s at. When America goes broke – and believe me, it
will – gold and silver prices should explode in a fashion that
makes their recent gains look tame.
If you do not have trusted family members to hold your
precious metals for you like me, then you should invest in a
decent safe.
A safe will protect your valuables and you won’t have to keep
anything under the eye of people you cannot trust – bankers!
Weight Loss – World’s Greatest Scam?
I am lucky – I’ve never had weight problems. I’m naturally
thin and am often told that I’m “horrible” because I can eat
anything I want, not work out, and never have more than 5
extra pounds on me at any given time.
My situation is what sparked my interest in the weight loss
industry. I know so many people that are overweight and
want to lose weight, but why is it so hard for them? It was
difficult for me to understand.
To set the stage, you should know some numbers:
‐ Around 50 million people in US go on diets every year
‐ Of these 50 million, only 5‐10% will meet their goals
‐ The weight loss industry made $40 BILLION in 2010
‐ The global weight loss industry will be worth over $580
billion by the year 2014(!)
Given the low success rate I have to say we need to take a
new look at “weight loss” and how it can best be
accomplished.
There are three natural ways one can use to slim down fast…
let’s look at them:
Apple Cider Vinegar
One website states:
“Apple Cider Vinegar, that wonderful old‐timers home
remedy, cures more ailments than any other folk remedy ‐‐
we're convinced! From the extensive feedback we've received
over the past 8 years, the reported cures from drinking Apple
Cider Vinegar are numerous. They include cures for allergies
(including pet, food and environmental), sinus infections,
acne, high cholesterol, flu, chronic fatigue, candida, acid
reflux, sore throats, contact dermatitis, arthritis, and gout.
Apple Cider Vinegar also breaks down fat and is widely used
to lose weight. It has also been reported that a daily dose of
apple cider vinegar in water has high blood pressure under
control in two weeks!”
And I have to agree with them, at least with the “lose weight”
part. I’m not talking about the pills that are sold labeled
“apple cider vinegar” – I’m talking about the real deal.
Any health food store should have ACV. Make sure to get the
kind with “the mother” in it – that’s the stuff floating around
the bottom of the bottle.
I’ve known people personally who have used it to lose over 20
pounds in 3 weeks – after they started drinking a little each
day, it melted the pounds away.
Virgin Coconut Oil
“Weight Loss: Coconut oil is very useful in reducing weight. It
contains short and medium‐chain fatty acids that help in
taking off excessive weight. It is also easy to digest and it
helps in healthy functioning of the thyroid and enzymes
systems. Further, it increases the body metabolism by
removing stress on pancreases, thereby burning out more
energy and helping obese and overweight people reduce their
weight. Hence, people living in tropical coastal areas, who eat
coconut oil daily as their primary cooking oil, are normally not
fat, obese or overweight.”
I concur! This stuff is amazing. I don’t need to lose weight
and I still will eat some from time to time if I’m feeling a bit
“under the weather” – it’s the best!
Bentonite Clay
This is the greatest of the three in my opinion. I personally
use it every day and my health has never been better.
The others work just as well for weight loss, but the clay has
benefits that are greater than the others:
“According to Ran Knishinsky, author of The Clay Cure, the
best, most natural way to internally cleanse and detoxify is
with clay. The following is an excerpt from his book:
"If the system fails to get rid of poisons through the
bowels, a constipated condition arises in which the
toxins never leave the body. They sit inside and
putrefy. What's worse, the body doesn't know the
difference between live food and dead food in the
colon. It will still try to get nourishment out of waste
you would never want to set your eyes upon.
Naturally, this puts a strain on every functioning cell in
the body.
THE CLAY AT WORK
The body has no problem ridding itself of the clay.
Don't worry about a tiny brick house being built in the
middle of your colon. The clay assists the body's
eliminatory process by acting as a bulking agent,
similar to psyllium fiber, sweeping out the old matter
that doesn't need to be there. It is not digested in the
same manner as food as it passes through the
alimentary canal. Instead, it stimulates intestinal
peristalsis, the muscular contractions that move food
and stool through the bowels. The clay and the
adsorbed toxins are both eliminated together; this
keeps the toxins from being reabsorbed into the
bloodstream.
Clay works on the entire organism. No one part of the
body is left untouched by its healing energies. I don't
know of another supplement that is quite as capable as
clay of producing such a wide range of positive
reactions."
He goes on to discuss dieting with clay:
"When dieting with clay, the important thing to watch
out for is that you don't skip meals or skip out on good
nutrition. While the clay helps to satisfy hunger, it
doesn't work the same as a "fat burner." It's not going
to blast you with a caffeine high and enable you to
drop pounds quickly.
Side Effects of Popular Drugs
Every time we turn on the television we’re attacked with
advertisements touting the latest pill to make our lives better.
Propecia is an exceedingly popular drug for treating hair loss –
but look at the story of one user:
“I started taking Propecia in October 2002. I got it from the
Internet because it wasn’t available in the UK as far as I knew.
I contacted Merk in New Zealand which is were my batch
came from and they confirmed it was legitimate and not a
cheap counterfeit. I showed them to my doctor and although
he hadn’t seen Propecia before he asked me a few questions
about my general health and said I would be ok to take them
if I wanted to. I read the note about the 2% of men suffering
from a lowered libido but also the fact that this returned to
normal on stopping Propecia and also went away in men who
continued to use the drug. I wasn’t dating at the time so I
really did have nothing to lose, I just figured if I met someone
I would stop using the drug and hey if it meant I would
masturbate less I really didn’t care. I took the tablet each day
for about 5 and half months. The drug had a huge affect on
my hair and it grew a lot quicker and a lot thicker. All my
friends noticed including my stylist, I was very happy about
the positive effects.
Then I met someone I was really excited about. I immediately
stopped taking Propecia and we started dating once a week.
After a couple of weeks that’s when I realized things were
quite the way they should be in the trouser department. I
tried to masturbate but I could not get an erection even after
a long time trying. Previously I had never had a problem and
had always been quite a horny guy. I put it down to
finasteride and thought that maybe I needed to give my body
a little longer but after more time still no change. I became
concerned and started searching on the Internet with Google.
My worst nightmare was staring at me in black and white on
the computer screen. Not one, but many cases of finasteride
induced impotence. Men who had not recovered even after
3 or 4 years of finasteride I was completely distraught. I
could not sleep and I could not eat, and I could not think
about anything else. I cried and cried many times and the
angst was almost unbearable.”
Paxil is prescribed to over 20 million people each year, and
here is what one drug counselor has to say about it:
“I am not a big fan of the FDA. Bloggers lets band together
and let the truth out about Paxil. Please link to this Paxil side
effects page using "Paxil side effects" in the link so we can get
this message out. Here is an alarming email about Paxil side
effects that I was given today. I started Paxil about 8 weeks
ago. After 1 week I started to experience headaches and
zapping. Not knowing that it was Paxil, could cause this
situation I went to my medical Dr. and he took blood test, UA,
and had a Ct Scan/contrast. Everything came back normal. I
decided on 10/7/03 to take myself off Paxil, thinking that
nothing could be worse than what I was going through. Well I
was wrong; I started going through withdrawal and that is
pure hell. I not only still have the headaches and zapping but I
am now feeling anxiety, irritable, fatigue, tremors, vertigo,
nausea and numerous other symptoms of withdrawal. The
nightmares are terrible and so are the hot flashes that I also
experienced while taking the medication. I am furious and
discussed that my Psychiatrist put me on such a drug that is
so addicting and causing so many problems. I am an
Alcohol/Drug counselor and had never been addicted to any
Alcohol or drugs before in my life. To seek out help for a
stressful time in my life and to be put on such a dangerous
drug such as Paxil. It appears that I am damned if I stay on it
and damned if I go off has me feeling outrageous and angry,
not only at the company that put this drug out but also for my
Dr. not to tell me the effects or that I would have withdrawal
symptoms if I came off. Well I am coming off and I will not be
weaned off like so many others it will be cold turkey for me.
To me to say that you need to be weaned off is no different
than giving someone methadone to get them off heroin.
Using one drug to offset another or taking less of a drug at a
slower pace, one will never be off and only keep going back to
help deter the effects of withdrawal. 4 days now for me and I
will fight and get back my sanity. It is now day eight since I
took myself off Paxil. I still have the headaches but they are
finally easing up. The zapping is getting worse and the
whoosh noise is still there. I have been experiencing the
following withdrawal symptoms along with the above.
Vertigo, tremors so bad I was beating up myself, nightmares
when I finally do fall asleep, irritable, insomnia, nausea,
diarrhea, lack of concentration, fearful, anxiety, depression,
crying uncontrollably, anger, frustration, heart palpitation,
dizziness, flu symptoms, weakness, disoriented and chills. I
am wondering what is next.”
I personally would try natural approaches before turning to
narcotics, but your mileage may vary – and my opinions
should in no way be construed as medical advice.
Street Crime and How to Avoid It
A few million people in the United States fall victim to robbers
and muggers every year.
What leads one to fall victim to this? How do robbers choose
their targets?
Try going around for the next few days, thinking like a would‐
be robber. Try to look for all of the easy potential victims out
there, who walk around as if in their own little world, totally
detached from the living world around them. If a robber came
upon them immediately and forcefully, it is likely that the
surprise alone would overwhelm their nervous system. By the
time they realize what is happening, it is too late. Simply put,
the time to be ready for what is happening, is before it
happens.
The following is a list of useful tips which can provide you
with an idea of just how comprehensive a list of things to be
aware of one needs to create a mindset of awareness and
avoidance:
1. If I see a bunch of suspicious persons, should I walk past
them? In most cases, this is exactly what you should avoid.
Most of the individuals today charged with robberies, are
typically motivated mainly by drugs. Think that only having
twenty dollars in your pocket wouldn’t interest them? Think
again, it could get them high for a day, and hurting you likely
means nothing to them.
The worst possible situation anyone can find themselves in
is to be surrounded by a gang of young(er), more physically
capable desperate people. Even a bunch of youths as young
as 13 gathered around you can be a potentially lethal
situation. If they get you on the ground it likely will be.
The best thing to do is to use a long range, side‐to‐side,
scanning eye motion sweeping the street for any potential
danger, and develop this as a habit. If you see a gathering of
young people who look intimidating (ie., wearing gang
apparel, etc.), move in the other direction.
2. What if a bunch of suspicious persons are following me? If
you are being followed, the best thing is to do the obvious —
move to a location where there are people. If you have a cell
phone, use it to call police. If you can get to a shop or a
business, do it, as these places have security cameras which
can be a deterrent. If you for some reason do not call the
police, call some friends to come and pick you up, or call a cab
to high tail it out of there. If you go from being followed to
being chased, then start yelling at the top of your lungs: FIRE!
FIRE! FIRE! Most people will likely pay more attention to that
than to cries for help.
3. What if someone is getting too close, and they don’t look
too friendly? Never allow anyone within an arms reach of you.
There is no lawful reason for them to be there, and, if they
approach you too fast, they are bringing the likelihood of
reasonable force being used to stop them, on themselves. The
law does give you the right to use reasonable force to protect
your physical safety, and if you believe that you are in
immediate, clear and present jeopardy, then force can be
justifiable.
4. Should I avoid certain areas? Absolutely. If you must go to
a crime ridden neighborhood on business, go with someone
else, take a cell phone with you, and tell others where you are
going and when you will be back. There are areas in any city
that are best left alone. In general, avoid dark, poorly lit areas,
avoid parking your car in the furthest away parking spots from
other cars. Always stick to where there are lights, noise,
people, and open businesses.
5. Someone asks me for the time, or some change… A
common ploy of the mugger is distraction. Often they will
work in pairs, with one asking the mark for the time,and then
another approaches them from the blindside. The best advice
is to train yourself to coldly look away and be aware of what
and who is immediately around you. IF they try to start a
verbal confrontation with you, avoid this too, as quite often
they will just use conversation or arguments to try to size you
up. It goes without saying too that it is best to avoid
panhandlers, although most people do this instinctively
enough.”
One more thing: at times it is wise to place your wallet in your
FRONT pocket when going to certain areas. This prevented
me from being pickpockted at a train station in Germany
many years ago. Also, if something out of the ordinary
happens – someone tries to distract you in any way, including
spilling something on you – put your hand on your wallet
immediately and leave the area!
One Big Asset
One thing that no man or woman should be without is a Post
Office Box.
I know most countries offer them, but I will relate what I have
been able to do with mine here in the US.
For less than $50/year a PO Box gives you a “business center”
where you can send and receive “official” mail.
This lets you receive trade magazines, samples of
merchandise, and gives you access to wholesale prices.
One friend I know receives something called “Adult Video
News” free of charge because he has a business name
attached to his PO Box. You can tell the postal employees
that someone else will be getting mail at your box and use
any name you like. He gets this trade magazine free while
stores sell it for $11.95. He sells his copy online for around
$8‐$10 every month.
If you wanted to spend a lot of time doing this I’m sure you
could make a decent living at it.
Another thing my friend does is bluff companies into believing
he has a business. This gets him wholesale prices like you
would not believe. He just uses the business name on his PO
Box for his address, and uses his personal credit card to place
orders.
Since we’re on the topic of the Post Office, I have to share this
oldie but goodie with you: you can still place the destination
address in the “From:” area and a phony address in the “To:”
area and it will arrive at its destination – free of charge.
Police Pigs
Not only are the cops handing out more traffic tickets than
ever, but now some places have “red light” and/or “speeding”
cameras.
Red light cameras will take a photo of you if you run a red
light – OR if you just happen to get too close to the line and
the camera goes off. Some people have had multiple tickets
when they’ve never run a red light – they were just too close
to the intersection and set the camera off.
Speeding cameras monitor speed and take a photo if you’re
going too fast. “Too fast” is less than 3 miles over the speed
limit, as I found out in Germany!
After I got my first camera ticket, a friend showed me how to
defeat the cameras once and for all.
Go to any dollar store and buy the cheapest, nastiest hair
spray you can find for $1.
Remove your license plates, wash them off thoroughly once
or twice, and let them dry. Give them several coats with the
hair spray. Let them dry, put them back on your car, and take
a picture of your car with a camera using a flash.
You will see firsthand how well it works, and you won’t have
to spend money on “Photoblocker Spray” and other gimmicks
that are no better than the hair spray. Refresh your plates
every month or so depending on the weather or just do what
I do – get a license plate cover so you only have to spray your
plates a couple times a year.
Now, if you have received a real ticket from a real officer, you
NEED to challenge it.
When you challenge it, ask for everything you can think of:
any audio or video captured by the officer relating to the
incident is especially important.
Not only does the cop have to show up in court, BUT you will
also cover all your bases and can try to trip him up.
Once I got a ticket for not yielding to a pedestrian, and the
cop who wrote the ticket was a real jerk to me, while I
remained polite with him.
Cops here don’t use video cameras, but they do record audio
during every interaction that have on the job. When I
complained to the local Ombudsman about the lack of civility
on the part of the officer, he requested the audio – only to
learn the cop deleted it! He sent me a letter back saying his
“audio device must have malfunctioned.” Yeah, sure.
Generally speaking, cops are liars and cowards and you
should go out of your way to avoid them. Just ask this lady in
Florida:
“Even after being framed by police, a young Florida woman
said that her faith in law‐enforcement personnel remains
unshaken.
“I still have the utmost respect for all of them. Just because
you have a couple of bad apples doesn’t mean the whole
orchard is rotten,” Alexandra Torrens‐Vilas told TODAY’s Matt
Lauer Monday in New York.
Until two weeks ago, the 23‐year‐old Georgetown student
was facing four charges related to a February DUI arrest in
Hollywood, Fla. During the incident that led to the arrest,
Torrens‐Vilas’ car had been rear‐ended by a patrol car driven
by Officer Joel Francisco after she parked her car in the left
lane of the roadway to retrieve a cat that jumped out of her
window.
‘A little Walt Disney’
In preparing her defense, Torrens‐Vilas’ attorneys had
requested copies of dash‐cam videos from the patrol cars that
responded. The videos showed Torrens‐Vilas performing
sobriety tests, but the attorneys realized there was missing
material. Unable to get the missing video from Hollywood
police, the attorneys finally obtained it from the state.
What they saw not only resulted in all charges against
Torrens‐Vilas being dropped, it also led to the suspension of
five Hollywood police personnel. Rather than admit to being
responsible for rear‐ending the woman’s car, police
concocted a story that would make everything her fault.
“It confirmed everything that I thought,” Torrens‐Vilas told
Lauer. “I knew that that’s not what happened that night, and
it just confirmed everything that I’ve been saying from the
beginning.”
According to the tape, Officer Dewey Pressley took the lead in
the plot, saying, “Well, I don’t lie and make things up ever
because it’s wrong, but if I need to bend it a little to protect a
cop, I’m gonna.”
He then tells another officer: “I will write the narrative out for
you. I will tell you exactly how to word it so it can get him off
the hook. You see the angle of her car? You see the way it’s
like this? As far as I’m concerned, I am going to word it she is
in the left‐hand lane. We will do a little Walt Disney to protect
the cop, because it wouldn’t matter because she was drunk
anyway.”
The cat out the window
Torrens‐Vilas did not deny to Lauer that she was drinking on
the night of Feb. 17, when the incident occurred around
midnight on Sheridan Street in Hollywood. She was caring for
a friend’s cat, which she was holding on her lap as she drove.
When the cat jumped out of the driver’s window, she pulled
the car over into the left lane, parked it and ran out to get the
cat. That’s when Francisco rear‐ended her car.
The woman told Lauer she wasn’t even aware her car had
been hit. When police addressed her, her first concern was
the cat. “Can you give me five minutes to go save my cat?”
was the first thing she said to police.
Hollywood, Fla., police had Torrens‐Vilas submit to a field
sobriety test, as recorded by their dashboard camera.
Police put her through a field sobriety test and arrested her
on DUI charges.
Lauer asked Torrens‐Vilas if she had been drinking.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m not going to lie.”
She said she was given a Breathalyzer test at the police
station. The test, said her attorney, Mark Gold, was
administered and recorded by Pressley, the officer heard
leading the cover‐up plot in the patrol car. The police report
said that Torrens‐Vilas’ blood‐alcohol level was twice the legal
limit, but Gold said that result is called into question because
Pressley recorded it.
“We have to question the validity of this entire incident,”
Gold told Lauer. “Dewey Pressley is the same person who
administered the breath test.”
Five suspensions
In any event, once the tape surfaced and was posted on local
newspaper Internet sites, all charges were dropped against
the woman. On Friday, Hollywood Police Chief Chadwick
Wagner confirmed that five officers and police personnel had
been suspended pending the completion of the investigation.
The suspended employees are Francisco, Pressley, Sgt.
Andrew Diaz, Community Service Officer Karim Thomas and
Crime Scene Technician Andrea Tomassi.
Attorney Mark Gold, a specialist in DUI cases, appeared with
Alexandra Torrens‐Vilas on TODAY.
Local newspapers have reported that the case may call into
question other arrests made by the officers involved. Already,
one woman has come forward claiming that traffic charges
she faces were fabricated.”
Restaurant Scams
One old scam that has come back in use lately is the “glass
ploy.”
What someone will do is bring in some small shards of glass to
the restaurant with them, then place the glass on their plate
(or even in their mouth) before complaining to restaurant
staff. This usually results in a free meal.
I’ve even heard of people who use fake blood in this scam if
the management isn’t willing to give up the free dinner.
Other items one can use would be hair that doesn’t look like
yours, or other “foreign” matter that you can put on (or in)
the food to convince restaurant employees that they have
done you wrong.
Supermarket Scams
I knew a couple that would pull any scam they could dream of
on their local supermarkets. Here are some of the things they
got away with:
Price switching: They would do this by changing tags around,
mostly on meat. Take the tag off that hamburger and put it
on some lamb or seafood.
Contamination: real or imagined, this worked wonders. The
wife actually got a $100 coupon to the store in addition to
having her food replaced. What she did was buy some crab
legs and then claim that they had cleaning powder (like Ajax)
on them. She didn’t even have to bring them back to get the
coupon, but finding out what cleaning products a place uses
and how they clean their food areas could lead you to
learning a great deal.
With self‐checkout now in place at many stores it’s easier
than ever to steal. If you go during busy times slipping in a
few free items is no problem. I’ve heard that the most
successful thieves walk away from the self‐checkout area with
the receipt right in their hand – after all, who would steal and
have a receipt in their hand?
Supermarkets have cameras all over, and many hire “loss
prevention” specialists to spy on the customers – one time I
actually ran into a female friend at a grocery store, and that is
what she was doing – she was dressed down intentionally,
looking like a tired housewife while she made sure people
weren’t robbing the store blind.
In my opinion messing with these places isn’t worth it, but
some people feel differently.
Pay for Coach – Fly First Class
This trick is simple but some consideration should be put into
appearances in order to pull it off.
Here are the steps to doing this:
1) Don’t hang around the gate area of your flight before
takeoff. You can be in the vicinity but you shouldn’t let
any employees see you right there.
2) Wait until the airline calls for first class, then the general
seating areas, then slip into the back of the line. You
don’t need to be last, but you should be close.
3) Take any available first class seat when you board the
plane.
Have you ever sat in first class before? Did the stewardess
check your ticket to make sure you had one for first class?
That’s never happened to me.
And if you board the plane near the end, any open first class
seats shouldn’t have passengers. People run late all the time
so it doesn’t look out of the ordinary.
You should dress reasonably well if you want to pull this off –
no suit or tie is necessary but having clothes in good shape
can’t hurt.
One more thing – don’t drink the coffee on an airplane!
I knew someone who repaired and refurbished airline
equipment for years, and the stories I heard about those
machines… wow. When I finally saw a photo I believed
everything he had told me over the years.
PINs
These 4‐digit numbers are the keys to our financial lives in
many cases but most people do a poor job of protecting them
– or in many cases, selecting them.
Avoid any pin number that has numbers in sequence or two
sets of identical numbers (e.g. 5522, 7575, 2299, etc.)
ALWAYS cover a machine when you’re entering your PIN. You
don’t have to look like a weirdo by holding your hand over it,
either – just leaning down should give you a great degree of
protection.
Consider getting one of those wallets that prevent skimming
devices from reading your card. “Skimming” is the latest way
for someone to read your card (while it is still on your person)
and get your information. These wallets have a special layer
added that prevents this.
Stashing Valuables
The #1 most effective place to hide valuables – and they must
be small – is inside an electrical outlet.
If you carry a small screwdriver or put something on your
keychain that can open electrical outlets (sometimes coins
work), you’ll always be able to stash things where people
won’t look – just make sure not to shock yourself ;)
Here are some other ideas:
Hide your Money In The Kitchen
The kitchen has some of the most accessible, natural hiding
spots. Take for instance a large flour bin; your goods could be
hidden in baggies and buried deep within. Or take an old
packaging from frozen food and place your goods in there,
and then re‐glue the box. Hide that deep in the bottom of
your chest freezer. Most people wouldn’t expect a box of
frozen breaded liver to contain anything of worth.
Hide your Money In The Hallways
Consider burying small items in the bottom of potted plants,
again, concealed in waterproof plastic containers, such as
small aspirin bottles. If you have those sectional plastic
shelves, you are in luck, as they have hollow parts as well
which are perfect for hiding small items. Consider creating a
few fake light switch boxes or fake electrical receptacles, they
are also good spots.
Hide your Money In Your Room
Do you have furniture that will allow for secret panels to be
created in them? It might be possible to build some secret
compartments in your sofa, end tables, chairs, or
bookshelves. Forget about hiding anything under your bed
though, in most break and enters where the home is
ransacked, the burglars will turn the mattresses upside down
looking for hidden items.
What about building a hidden empty spot behind one of the
mirrors in the home? A mirror could conceal a hollow hiding
spot quite nicely!
Again, if you seal a tiny item in a small, plastic waterproof
container, you might be able to hide it in the gravel in your
fishtank, or toilet bowl.
What about air conditioning ducts? If you have some ducts,
you could put things in them that are not sensitive to
temperatures. Use a string tied to your valuables so that you
can retrieve them.
What about building a hollow behind a portion of baseboard
in your home? There is another option, since baseboards are
so universal in every room of the house, they are natural
hiding places.
Cutting away a small part of the drywall and making a hiding
space which is later covered with wallpaper could be a good
idea, provided that it is on a part of the wall where nobody is
likely to touch the wall. Say higher up, near the ceiling might
do the trick.
Making a book safe is a another old trick. Simply take a big,
hardbound book and glue the pages together. Then use a drill
to create some starter holes and then use a coping saw to cut
out a rectangular section where some important things could
be hidden. Glue this rectangular section to the back cover of
the book.
If making candles interests you, you could even hide some
things, such as rings, by melting them inside zip lock bags in a
large, dark homemade candle!
Pretty much any container or package can be uses to hide
something. There are a number of “decoy safes” or “diversion
safes” on the market that look like common everyday
household items, such as fire extinguishers, smoke detectors,
light switches, peanut butter jars, flower pots, lamps, etc.
How NOT To Hide Valuables!
By far the worst places to hide anything in your home are:
closets, dresser drawers, night table, under mattresses, inside
old clothes, under carpets, couches, or jewelry boxes. These
are the first points of interest for any burglar. Another point
of note: hiding money in safety deposit boxes might be illegal
in some areas and more importantly, the contents of safety
deposit boxes are not insured.
The Lottery
Millions of people play the lottery every year, but how many
put any thought into what they are doing?
Wheeling is a way for you to get maximum coverage of the
numbers you play. Usually you can buy these systems in the
form of online or printed charts. Quite simply, wheeling
simply helps you span a greater number of numbers each
time you play increasing your odds of winning. This maximizes
your payoffs when playing the wheeled numbers on multiple
tickets.
Wheeling is in essence once way of actually reducing the
lottery corporation’s odds against you, as it allows you to play
more than the standard set of numbers in one group. There
are many different types of charts and wheeling systems
available for sale on the Internet including ones developed for
six, seven and ten number games.
Here is an example of wheel using 33 tickets that could be
used to play a 6 number game.
Pick a group of nine numbers. Your win guarantee is 5 to 6
hits out of nine. This means that if you have 5 numbers out of
the pool of 9 numbers at least one ticket will have 5 numbers.
Fill out your play tickets in the sequence shown for all 33
tickets. This will bring you the 33 tickets's Win guarantee of
5/6 in 9.
This means that if you have 5 numbers out of the pool of 9
numbers, at least on ticket will have 5 numbers.
01 ____ 02 ____ 03 ____ 04 ____ 05 ____ 06 ____ 07 ____ 08
____ 09
01‐02‐03‐04‐05‐07
01‐02‐03‐04‐06‐08
01‐02‐03‐04‐08‐09
01‐02‐03‐05‐06‐09
01‐02‐03‐05‐07‐08
01‐02‐03‐06‐07‐08
01‐02‐03‐07‐08‐09
01‐02‐04‐05‐06‐08
01‐02‐04‐05‐08‐09
01‐02‐04‐06‐07‐09
01‐02‐04‐06‐08‐09
01‐02‐04‐07‐08‐09
01‐02‐05‐06‐07‐09
01‐03‐04‐05‐06‐07
01‐03‐04‐05‐06‐09
01‐03‐04‐05‐07‐08
01‐03‐04‐05‐07‐09
01‐03‐05‐06‐07‐09
01‐03‐05‐06‐08‐09
01‐04‐05‐06‐07‐08
01‐05‐06‐07‐08‐09
02‐03‐04‐05‐06‐09
02‐03‐04‐05‐07‐08
02‐03‐04‐06‐07‐08
02‐03‐04‐06‐07‐09
02‐03‐05‐06‐07‐09
02‐03‐05‐06‐08‐09
02‐04‐05‐06‐07‐09
02‐04‐06‐07‐08‐09
02‐05‐06‐07‐08‐09
03‐04‐05‐06‐08‐09
03‐04‐05‐07‐08‐09
03‐05‐06‐07‐08‐09
Online you can also buy databases that show examples of
winning wheels from previous lotteries.
Detective Work
I’m always amazed at what people will pay for.
Want to find out about someone?
First go to Myspace.com and enter their email address. Enter
their name if that doesn’t work.
Do the same at Facebook.
Google their email address and their name.
The 3 steps above have been very fruitful for me. I’ve even
found someone in my city of 300,000+ with nothing more
than a first name and a guess at their age!
If you’re looking to secure your own computer, the first thing
you should do, whether you run Windows or a Mac, is to set a
password for when you first start up the computer. If it gets
lost or stolen, do you want the person who finds it getting
easy access to your data?
Bars and Clubs
The secret to getting treated well in bars and clubs is to
remember: they cater to people that matter. Or better put:
they cater to people who they think matter.
Want to be treated like a celebrity? There are several ways to
accomplish this but one of the first ones brings the PO Box
referenced earlier into play.
With a PO Box you can have your own company name, e.g.
“International Talent Agency” with your own stationary,
business cards, and so on. On this stationary you can send
letters to clubs talking about how you’re an up‐and‐coming
rock star, or author, or director, or whatever and tell them
that you will be in town on a certain date. You may be
surprised at what happens when you send these letters out.
Just make sure you have a phone number they can reach you
at, and if you’re using your own phone number, try not to
sound like “you” too much!
Another way is to have someone (preferably a woman) call
the club the day you want to go, or the day before. Have her
play the role of “personal assistant” and talk to the club about
how important you are and how they want you to have a
great experience.
Apartment Living
Some quick suggestions for those who live in apartments:
‐ Do your best to never pay a pet deposit. If you can
sneak the animal(s) in, do it! In most cases the
apartment already has a sizable deposit from you, and
even if you get caught will be reluctant to make you pay
or throw you out since you’re already living there,
hopefully paying the rent on time.
‐ Take a video camera (even a phone can work but a good
quality camera is best) and go through the place noting
any defects right after you move in. This can save your
ass later when they try to rip you off on all the items you
“damaged” while living there.
Ebay!
I first used Ebay back in 1998 – and I loved it!
It was a great place to find just about anything you could
think of, the prices were good, and Ebay didn’t gouge the
customers. You were pretty much free to buy and sell
whatever you wanted.
Then the new millennium came along, and Ebay just got
worse and worse. It’s to the point where I don’t even like to
sell anything on their website any longer because they take
such a huge cut of the profit.
The biggest mistake people make with Ebay is they do not
treat it as one venue for their business – they treat it as the
only venue for their business!
Ebay isn’t your buddy, and your business shouldn’t depend on
them for anything except finding new customers!
For example, you need to keep the emails of everyone who
buys from you, and try to get them on a mailing list you set up
– that way if Ebay bans you or their fees get too high, you
have a customer list you’ve built with their help and you can
keep making money.
Also, make sure to put your website in the listing if at all
possible to get people directly to YOUR business and away
from the ripoff Ebay business model that you’re doing
business on.
Pre‐Paid Credit Cards
While we’re on the subject of Ebay I’d like to share a strategy
my friend used with them not too long ago.
He signed up for a seller’s account and used a pre‐paid credit
card he had received as a gift instead of his regular credit
card.
He started selling like crazy, and the seller’s fees mounted
quickly… but when Ebay went to get their last payment, his
credit card didn’t have the necessary funds. No problem,
since it’s just a pre‐paid anyway that he had already thrown in
the garbage!
A similar strategy should work for any type of “recurring
billing” service and would be ideal for one like Ebay’s where
you’re charged whatever is “due” that month and can put an
invalid credit card on file.
Write Away Your Bad Credit
This is the tactic all those overpriced “fix your credit” ebooks
online teach you…
You can write to the credit card company – or the collection
agency – and dispute anything in your history.
I used this method to personally wipe out over $1000 that
was owed to a collection agency – by pointing out to them
that part of my employment history they had on file was
wrong. I used the card and charged the items, but they threw
out over $1000 on this technicality.
Identity theft is a hot topic these days and credit card
companies do not want to be accused of aiding or abetting it
– so this is the best angle you can play with them.
Tell them you didn’t live in the area at the time, or that you
never even bought those items or owned that card. Take
what the situation presents and make the best of it!
Hobbies
We all have our hobbies, and some are more expensive than
others.
If yours tend to be on the expensive side I suggest “starting a
business” so you can write off all those costly toys.
Getting a DBA (doing business as) license from your city/state
will add an official air to the whole thing.
Interested in remote control airplanes? Write off your
purchases as “research and development” expenses to “study
the various models and evaluate the current state of the
industry” or some other nonsense.
Like massage? Write it off as an expense. After all, you have
to move your neck a lot in your “business,” right?
Taking this to the extreme, you could even start a non‐profit,
which is pretty straightforward, and if it grows large enough
you could pay yourself a handsome salary – and you can just
solicit donations all day!
Headaches
If you have a headache, pressing down on the webbing of the
hand between the thumb and index finger will often bring
relief.
Another recent method for dealing with headaches –
especially migraines – was brought to my attention when I
started supplementing my minerals. This “magnesium oil”
that I bought has received favorable reviews from many
people. Here are some examples:
"For migraines, magnesium is far safer, cheaper, and often
more effective than many expensive, side‐effect prone drugs
that doctors readily prescribe to migraine sufferers."
‐Dr. Jay Cohen, MD, nationally recognized expert on drug
dosing and author of "The Magnesium Solution To Migraines"
“Should You Be Taking Magnesium?
by Christina Peterson, MD
Two double‐blind studies have shown that magnesium
supplementation may reduce the frequency of migraine. In
research studies, we have found that magnesium levels affect
serotonin receptors, and also have an effect on nitric oxide
synthesis and release, as well as on NMDA receptors—all
brain structures and chemicals suspected to be important in
migraine. In small studies, both migraine and cluster
headache patients have responded acutely to intravenous
magnesium. In a larger double‐blind controlled study, the
treatment group, receiving 600mg of magnesium for a 12
week period, experienced a 41.6% reduction in headaches as
compared to only 15.8% reduction in migraine headaches in
the placebo group.”
I gave a bottle to a friend with frequent migraines and he is
very happy with the results. Maybe it will work for you, too.
Vaccines
If you’re a “normal” person you probably think vaccines are
the greatest thing since the invention of the wheel.
Nothing could be further from the truth!
Look at this article:
“Presidential candidate Ron Paul has spoken out against
forced vaccination and the federal government's eagerness to
dictate what Americans may and may not put into their
bodies.
The Congressman, a fully qualified obstetrics and gynecology
doctor, made his position plain in an interview with the
Huffington Post's election reporter James Freedman:
"I don't think anything should be forced on us by the
government, [and] immunization is one thing that we're
pressured and forced into," he said.
"A responsible parent is going to say, 'Yeah, I want my child
to have that,' [but] when the government makes a mistake,
they make it for everybody. You know, that's what worries
me. They don't always come up with the perfect answer
sometimes... and people have had some very, very serious
reactions from these immunizations."
Besides certain laws that apply only to government medical
specialists ‐ there is no law that enforces the mandatory use
of any vaccine in the United States. Enforced medical
treatment is an assault and a violation of the 14th
amendment, the reason Ron Paul, a strict Constitutionalist, is
so directly against it.
However, some in Washington seem determined to ignore
the Constitution and to make some vaccinations (usually the
most profitable ones) mandatory.
There has recently been a spate of cases where officials, with
the assistance of directed media propaganda, have attempted
to cajole parents into believing that laws require vaccination.
Last February one such media hoax fooled parents in Texas
and other areas of the country into believing that the HPV
vaccine, which experts have slammed as untested and has
continued to be linked to dangerous side‐effects, is now
required by law and that young girls must take it. Merck
Pharmaceuticals hit the headlines after it was revealed that
the company was set to capitalize on this fraud by making
obscene profits from a crony deal with Governor Rick Perry,
while children were put at risk.”
The article doesn’t state just how this “media hoax” was set in
motion but one must wonder if the pharmaceutical company
itself was behind it.
Anyways, this is just one outrageous example of how drug
companies want to enslave us.
Vaccines are often unnecessary, and you should consider all
opinions before receiving them. The article above is just the
tip of the iceberg!
Used Cars
People seem to enjoy haggling with car dealers over prices,
but I don’t!
The rule of thumb is this: if you like the car and the price is in
your range, offer the salesman 75‐80% of the sticker price.
This is fair, they can accept it, and if they want to sell the car
at all – they’ll take it! The longer it has been on the lot the
better, but even newer cars to the lot should be yours with
this simple strategy.
It is breathtaking to realize that many people walk onto the
car lot and just pay the sticker price without dealing at all!
This hurts everyone – make sure you get the best price you
possibly can.
Bar Bets
These “friendly swindles” have been around forever and are
rather popular in some areas.
I’ve not been exposed to many of them myself, but I have
tried a few for the hell of it.
One can be done with a quarter. If you ask someone if you
flip four times, how many times will it be heads/tails, they will
most likely say “half and half” since 50% seems to make sense
– BUT a more likely combination is actually 3/1 – three heads,
one tail or three tails, one head.
Here are some links to videos that tell you, in detail, how to
win these wagers. You really will never have to pay for a
drink again if you choose to employ these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMYBwpDEa8A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiW91BGXDKI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y31Wzo2J49k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnUNIM4unQk
The End