Black politicians prosper in Obama's home state - International Herald Tribune

Black politicians prosper in Obama's home state - International Herald Tribune
WASHINGTON : It's no coincidence the first black major-party nominee for president calls Illinois home. The state has sent more blacks to Congress than any other, in large part due to the chronic segregation of Chicago's housing. When Barack Obama

Australia finds hundreds of new animal species - MSNBC

Australia finds hundreds of new animal species - MSNBC
SYDNEY, Australia - Marine scientists have discovered hundreds of new animal species on reefs in Australian waters, including brilliant soft corals and tiny crustaceans, according to findings released Thursday. The creatures were found during

Big Bang machine had suffered glitch within hours of its launch - Thaindian.com
London, September 19 (ANI): The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the worlds largest particle collider, malfunctioned within hours of its launch, but its operator did not report the problem for a week. According to a report in the Telegraph, the European

Campaigns target each other's advisers - FOX News
WASHINGTON — John McCain and Barack Obama are targeting each other's economic advisers in a new pair of dueling campaign ads. Republican McCain released a new spot Thursday that quotes The Washington Post as saying Democrat Obama gets advice on

Developers claim Vista UAC 'bypass' - Silicon.com
Software developers from NeoSmart, a not-for-profit technology-development organisation, claim they have successfully bypassed User Account Control, a security feature in Windows Vista. The developers suggested on their website over the weekend the

Doing the hustle - Boston Globe

Doing the hustle - Boston Globe
NEW YORK - The Mets are en route to an 11-0 beating by the lowly Seattle Mariners at Shea Stadium. Starting pitcher Oliver Perez is getting booed mercilessly. His luck goes from bad to worse when he gets drilled trying to lay down a sacrifice bunt

REEL CRITIC: - Glendale News-Press
There are two significant groups of citizens who should take the challenge and see the new comedy “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan,” fans of Adam Sandler and people looking to escape the heat of summer. Everyone else should save their precious

Sony to start US movie download service for PlayStation 3 machine in - International Herald Tribune
TOKYO : Sony says it will start a movie download service for its PlayStation 3 home console this summer in the U.S. Kazuo Hirai, who heads Sony Corp.'s video game unit, said Thursday the service will be offered in Japan and Europe at later dates

Predators' top pick is a workout machine - Nashville Tennessean
The more one hears about Colin Wilson's workout at the NHL Draft Combine earlier this month, the more it sounds as if he performed like a blond-haired version of The Incredible Hulk. One example: Wilson maxed out the push-up requirement — they had

Syria glitters, but glare hides woes - Chicago Tribune
DAMASCUS, Syria — In the evenings, the glitterati of Damascus gather at Z-Bar, a zinc and crystal confection perched on the roof of one of the city's hotels. As the cocktails flow and the music pumps, the green neon lights of a dozen mosques

Rockwell Table Saw

If you happen to run across a Rockwell table saw for what seems to be a great price, do not be surprised and snatch it up. This brand has been out of manufacture for many years, but was amongst the top of the line table saws in its day. Rockwell table saws are the precursors to today's Delta brand table saws and if in good shape will do anything a Delta can. If it needs a little rebuilding to bring it back to perfect running shape, I believe you would find it worth the effort.

Rebuilding a Rockwell table saw is not for the casual hobbyist. It would be a challenge for a serious enthusiast, but can be accomplished. The satisfaction of bringing such a venerable table saw back to perfect working order might just be worth the effort involved. The first step towards rebuilding a Rockwell table saw would be to contact the manufacturer, Delta Machinery with the model and serial number to find the history and parts plan for your newly acquired Rockwell table saw. With these plans in hand, the rest of the job will be easier accomplished. It will not be easy in any case.

You may have to have some parts specially manufactured at a custom machine shop as they will not be available anywhere else. With the machine plans that you can get from the manufacturer, this is not as daunting of a task as it would have been even thirty years ago. With the correct measurements, any metal part can be machined on a computer numerically controlled milling machine. A few minutes to an hour on a CAD program can make a program for the CNC machine to mill your needed part. This will cost a bit, but will give the Rockwell table saw new life for many years. If it happens to be a part that wears out often, have the machine shop make you a few extras. The major cost of the part will be in setting up the program, not the actual milling.

The effort needed to rebuild a Rockwell table saw might seem more than you want to spend, but after you are done and using this great table saw for your other projects, a feeling of satisfaction will come over you every time you use it.

Johnathon is a professional carpenter for over 20 years and has experience in helping customers renovate their homes. Johnathon is woodwork enthusiast who works with jigsaws, table saws, circular saws and many other varieties of saws. Visit his specialty site on delta table saws at http://www.szaws.com.

Home Staging For Maximum Price

Location, Location, Location! These words have traditionally been used as the most important aspect for buying real estate. For selling Real Estate, we believe the key words are Staging, Staging, and more Staging! Staging a home is the best proven way to sell real estate faster, and get the most money from your property.

Staging is not a new Real Estate term, however, it is often the one key element in home sales overlooked by both sellers and their agents. Homeowners are often left to their own discretion, when it comes to how their home should be prepared for showings. The help of a staging professional can reduce the stress of selling a home, as well as give you the best return on your investment.

Buyers make a decision within the first few minutes of viewing the house, based on their initial reaction to the looks and feel of the home. Staging helps the seller to maximize the impact of those first impressions. Staging should be done in five steps:

Step1 Improved Street Appeal ? This includes landscaping evaluation, trimming the shrubs, removing dead limbs, yard debris, power washing paved areas and porches, clean or freshly painting the front door, and placing plantings at the doorway.

Step 2 De-personalize Your Home - This includes removing personal photos and family heirlooms, any religious or sports related memorabilia. You want buyers to be able to imagine their own belongings in the home.

Step 3 De-clutter Your Home - Remove books from the bookcases, pack up knick knacks, and clean off the kitchen and bath counter tops. Rearrange closets and kitchen cabinets to make a neat appearance when opened.

Step 4 Make Minor Repairs ? Fix broken windows, screens, leaky faucets, nicks in the paint on doorways and baseboards. Make sure doors close properly and all locks work. Repair broken tiles and eliminate squeaks in floors. Recaulk tubs, showers, and sinks. Clean or replace carpets if needed.

Step 5 Make the House Sparkle ? This includes washing windows inside and out, clean out cobwebs, refrigerator, and garage. Polish faucets and mirrors, wax floors, dust furniture and light fixtures, clean and air out musty smelling areas.

This article was written by Dale Heck, a Realtor? serving buyers and sellers of Pinehurst real estate in Moore County North Carolina. Dale services buyers interested in golf homes, condos and the private gated golf course communities including The Pinehurst Country Club, Forest Creek, Pinewild, CCNC, Fairwoods and MidSouth Country Clubs. In addition to Pinehurst real estate, Dale is active in Southern Pines NC Horse farm sales and Fort Bragg Real Estate sales. To learn more about Dale, take a look at his websites, http://www.pinehurstrealestatenc.com, http://www.pinehurstluxuryhomesnc.com, http://www.southernpineshorsefarmsnc.com where you will find additional articles, and current MLS listings.

DiBruno Family Scams

For the past twenty years, the DiBruno family from Belmont, NC have scammed hundreds of people out of tens of millions of dollars.

The DiBruno's made a living taking advantage of the elderly, inexperienced investors and their friends. They are ruthless con-artists who have knowingly defrauded people out of their life savings to treat themselves to expensive cars, homes and jewelry.

I could not possibly list all of the scams the DiBruno?s have been involved in over the years but I promise you will get the idea if you read the following?

Joseph DiBruno, Sr. and his wife Lela DiBruno established the family criminal enterprise in the early 1980's. Joe DiBruno partnered up with some fellow crooks in 1983 to create a bogus company called 'National Gas & Power Co.' or 'NGP.' DiBruno and his co-conspirators told potential investors they operated a successful recycling plant in Virgina and planned to expand.

DiBruno produced false documentation to mislead potential investors into believing there was a company and recycling plant to invest in. He presented them with false profit information and had his cohorts act as satisfied investors to further convince the investors. After DiBruno and his cronies convinced people to invest in NGP and collected the money, they did not provide any further financial information to the ?shareholders? of NGP. In addition, none of the parties involved in selling the stocks were licensed security agents.

NGP was subsequently shut down by the SEC in 1989. DiBruno was convicted of security law violations but he never paid a cent to the victims he defrauded nor did he spend one day in jail for his crimes. The SEC violations didn?t stop DiBruno. This was only the beginning of his career in cheating people out of money.

DiBruno had a partner in crime named Cecil Minges. Minges was an older man and a veteran con artist himself. Minges formed a fake company in Florida called 'US Dairy.' He claimed he had the recipe for low cholesterol milk and bilked investors out of millions of dollars before US Dairy was shut down by the SEC in 1994.

Two months after Minges' company US Dairy was shut down, DiBruno formed a corporation in North Carolina called 'Golden Jersey Products' or GJP. DiBruno formed the 'shell' business to continue Minges' milk scam; however, DiBruno, Sr. took it to the next level. Joseph DiBruno informed potential investors he could buy the formula for cholesterol free milk for $2.5 million dollars. The formula was supposedly called 'Replace' and the product was to be called 'Dairy Trim.'

DiBruno had the audacity to send out press releases and have a press conference announcing his new milk product. DiBruno?s announcement appeared on CNN and in the NY Times to promote a product he didn't even have the formula for. DiBruno promised his investors a huge return on their investments and once again produced fake documentation to coax his victims into investing in the company. In addition, he had his co-conspirators on hand to act as the enthusiastic investors again.

Joe DiBruno, Sr., his criminal cohort, Cecil Minges, and his eldest son, Joe DiBruno Jr., printed piles of worthless GJP stock certificates and sent them to investors. Overall, the DiBruno?s sold 10 million shares of phony GJP stock. The list of GJB shareholders (victims) includes 350+ people.

The sad part is that DiBruno was in fact offered a cholesterol free milk formula for $2.5 million dollars; however, he never paid for it nor did he plan to. DiBruno never made any effort to buy the formula or take the steps necessary to bring the milk product to market.

In 1999, a group of investors from Florida filed a complaint against Joseph Sr., Golden Jersey Products and two co-conspirators. The investors claimed they were defrauded when they purchased GJP stock. Around the same time, the IRS filed a tax lien against the DiBruno's home in Florida for the amount of $969,027. Joe DiBruno Sr. and Lela DiBruno quickly filed for a sham divorce to protect their assets. It wasn?t until 2002 when Golden Jersey Products sent a memo to shareholders advising them GJP was bankrupt.

Joe DiBruno, Sr. and his cohorts continued the cholesterol free milk scam until the late 90's until they thought of a new scam?They invented a company who supposedly had the rights to a product had called "Immuno-C." Immuno-C was a Vitamin-C filled, chewable, tangerine flavored product with colostrum. As usual, the DiBruno's did not have a product nor did they have any intent to sell any product. It was all about selling fraudulent stock to pocket all the money.

Joseph DiBruno Jr. (Photo R) and Nicholas DiBruno starting working with their con-artist parents in the late 90's. By the year 2000, the DiBruno brothers were actively participating in the family scam business. Joe DiBruno Jr. incorporated at least nine different companies in the state of North Carolina in 2001.

In 2000, Joseph DiBruno Jr. created a company called Internet Business Design Group or IBD. Joe Jr. & Nick DiBruno scammed a South Carolina woman to invest in the non-existent IBD and promised her big returns. In 2002, the victim filed a lawsuit against I.B.D Group, Inc., Joseph DiBruno Jr. and Nicholas DiBruno. In 2003, the SC courts awarded the victim $74,500.

Another shell company DiBruno Jr. incorporated in 2001 was called 'DiBruno Brothers Mining, Inc.? The father and sons team claimed they were part of Knights of Malta and had certain mineral rights on government land in New Mexico. They were supposedly working with the Knight of Malta to mine for gold and bring "hope and nourishment to millions of children around the world." They presented investors with fake land surveys and even went so far to forge an insurance policy from Lloyds of London guaranteeing the mine to be worth $500 million dollars!

In 2003, Joe Jr. and Nick DiBruno solicited people to invest in a company called "IFT" or International Food Technologies, Inc. The DiBruno brothers told potential investors their father was a nutritional scientist who started IFT and had developed a flavored milk product containing the sucralose sweetener "Splenda."

The DiBruno?s claimed the drink was healthier than a sugar sweetened drink and the product was intended for sale in schools throughout the United States. They gave false profit information to investors and continued to solicit them for more money. The DiBruno's told the investors the investment would profit 400%. One of the scam victims from Indiana sued the DiBruno's in 2004.

At the same time, the DiBruno's and Cecil Minges were busy persuading people to invest in their fake record company called KB Records. The men told potential investors they had signed a contract with a talented singer named Jody Lee Hage and Sony Records wanted to buy the rights to his songs for $20 million dollars. According to Hager, he lived with the DiBruno's for over a year and was paraded around completely naive to the fact the DiBruno?s were scamming him too.

In 2004, two scam victims hired a private investigator from Florida to research the DiBruno family so they could bring the case to court. The pair decided it was high time to put an end to the DiBruno family scams and see to it that justice is done. The private investigator thoroughly researched the DiBruno?s and he was able to gather enough information to put together a 586 page report to submit to the US Attorneys Office, IRS, The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Florida Division of Securities.

The DiBruno family knew they were going down and vowed their victims would never see a cent so Joseph DiBruno, Sr., Joseph DiBruno, Jr and Nicholas Dibruno all filed for bankruptcy. This was a big mistake because they were basically inviting government to look at their financial situations. Of course, the DiBruno?s did what they do best and lied on the bankruptcy filing paperwork. The family failed to include many assets and it came back to bite them.

In November of 2006, Joseph DiBruno, Sr. and his two sons were FINALLY indicted in Federal Court on charges of money laundering, securities fraud, frauds & swindles, concealing assets & defrauding the United States. Joseph DiBruno Jr. is charged with numerous additional counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, promotion of money laundering, concealment of assets and conspiracy.

Joseph DiBruno & Nicholas DiBruno were released from jail but Joseph DiBruno, Jr. remains in jail. He filed a petition for release from jail pending a trial but his petition was denied.

I hope the DiBruno boys go away for a long time! For some reason, Lela DiBruno was not indicted. She was involved in the scams and profited from them so hopefully she will be charged as well.

Maura O?Neill is a freelance writer and an editor and researcher of a popular crime blog dedicated to crime and justice in Charlotte, NC. Maura?s research and writings have appeared in The Charlotte Observer, Creative Loafing, WCNC News 6, WBTV News 2, News 14 Carolina and Maura has appeared on the WBT 1100 Keith Larsen show to discuss her work. Maura O?Neill PO Box 17022 Charlotte, NC 28227 E-mail: on_crime@yahoo.com

Florida Fugitive Caught A Released in Charlotte, NC

On March 10th, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police arrested 48-year old Terry Glenn Mauldin, (R) for two outstanding sexual battery warrants out of Marion County, Florida.

Terry Mauldin is wanted in Florida because he sexually assaulted two special needs students from Dec '06-Feb '07. He was questioned by authorities in February when the students came forward. However, Mauldin fled the state before a judge could sign a warrant for his arrest. A tip led police to his whereabouts in Charlotte and police picked him up.

According to The Ocala Times-Banner, Mauldin was a bus assistant who worked on a bus transporting male students between a group home and a public school for special needs children. The Marion County Sheriff's Office says Mauldin called and approached the group home in Ocala, FL on several occasions. He even asked home caregivers if he could take the boys to the movies, dinner and other places.

Two students, ages 15 and 13, came forward in February and claimed Mauldin kissed, fondled and performed oral sex on them. One student said the incidents happened on a frequent basis on the morning and afternoon bus ride. The second student said he was assaulted on the bus and in a gas station bathroom. Mauldin is one sick man who should be considered a danger to all children.

The two warrants in Florida clearly state Mauldin was to be held without bond and Florida would extradite him. However, a Mecklenburg County Magistrate did not bother checking with officials in Florida or looking at the case and set Mauldin?s bail at $20,000. Mauldin bonded out of jail the following day.

According to Julia Rush, the Mecklenburg County Sheriff?s Office spokesperson, officials in Mecklenburg County are working under a new administrative order that allows judges to set bail on anyone, as long as it's not a capital offense. Mauldin?s next court date is on April 12, 2007.

Maura O?Neill is a freelance writer and an editor and researcher of a popular crime blog dedicated to crime and justice in Charlotte, NC. Maura?s research and writings have appeared in The Charlotte Observer, Creative Loafing, WCNC News 6, WBTV News 2, News 14 Carolina and Maura has appeared on the WBT 1100 Keith Larsen show to discuss her work. Maura O?Neill PO Box 17022 Charlotte, NC 28227 E-mail: on_crime@yahoo.com Website: http://www.crimeincharlotte.com