Beware! Identity thieves are using a new scam! They call up pretending to be a court worker claiming that you failed to report for jury duty. They might threaten to issue a warrant for your arrest. They will ask you for various information such as social security number, and possibly credit card numbers.
Never give out your Social Security number, credit card numbers or other personal confidential information when you receive a telephone call.
Sven Jaschan, the bastard who created Sasser worm that screwed up thousands of computers, and played havoc with the internet was given a suspended sentence, and 30 hours of community service. Every year people pay millions or billions of dollars trying to protect their computers and businesses from viruses and hackers, etc, and some lousy court gives this bastard a slap on the wrist! What kind of deterent is that? I wouldn’t be surprised if the mother-f-er writes a book, and make all kinds of money from this! What is to prevent any other a-hole from doing the same thing? They should have at least made him pay for the damages caused. Garnish his wages for the rest of his life till he pays it off!
Interestingly, Microsoft is paying $250,000 total to the people who provided tips that led to the arrest of Jaschan. So $250,000 divided by 30 hours of community service is $8333.33 per hour! So Microsoft paid $8333.33 for each hour of community service that this butthead was sentenced to.
I am watching CNN right now, and am reminded of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the world trade towers, but on a smaller scale. I feel sad for the people of London. That being said, I saw a futures index showing the market is set for a serious drop this morning. I have $2000 that I was going to use to invest in my wife’s Roth IRA once we get it set up. But if the market drops, I may buy some stock today. The question is which stocks, and when? Will the market drop over a few days, or in one day, and rebound? I could invest soem today, and some tommorrow, and maybe some Monday. I get paid tommorrow, so will have a little more to invest then as well.
If this sounds a bit mercenary, I am reminded of the movie Wall Street where Gordon Gekko sells NASA short 15 minutes after the Challenger exploded. (I am assuming he sold short NASA suppliers) Then comes his famous line “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.”
Was this tagreting G8? Maybe because London is getting the Olympics 2012? Maybe Bob Geldof’s Live 8? Maybe the western world in general. Who knows?
“Ebbers will be left with money to pay legal bills and a modest living allowance for his wife”, the government said in a news release.
Please define modest? Screw the wife! Let her get a job down at McDonalds! She already has benefitted from the money the Ebbers stole! Chances are Ebbers already moved money around before his assets were frozen. There are probably millions of dollars hidden away in numbered bank accounts in Switzerland.
Rot in prison Bernie Ebbers! I hope you enjoy your new boyfriends!
According to a recent Supreme Court decision, government (including local government) can seize my property by eminent domain for whatever reason they see fit. It is one thing if they want to build a highway, or a school, but now if they think a shopping center, or a hotel might be good there, they can seize my land and sell it to the developer. So if some developer decides he want to build something where your property is, and he has friends on the local town board, or city council or whatever, he can get your property and there is nothing you can do about it. Is this a scary thought or what?
Here is what Justice John Paul Stevens wrote: “The city has carefully formulated an economic development that it believes will provide appreciable benefits to the community, including — but by no means limited to — new jobs and increased tax revenue.” He was joined by Justice Anthony Kennedy, David H. Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer.
Dissenting were Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Justice Antonin Scalia and Justice Clarence Thomas.
Frankly it doesn’t sound like JUSTICE to me!