Wednesday, November 24, 2004
DOLLAR DROPS IN VALUE AGAIN FOR SEVENTH TIME IN FOUR YEARS
The dollar has dropped in value against the Euro again, for the seventh time in four years.
http://www.thehollandsentinel.net/stories/111804/bus_111804041.shtml
"The U.S. dollar plunged to a new low against the euro Wednesday as markets shrugged off Washington's insistence that it is committed to a strong dollar. And with the causes of the drop -- worries over oil prices and the U.S. trade and budget deficits -- not going away, some economists see the euro soaring to $1.35 or beyond."
I believe this reinforces the message I have been repeating for over a year now...i.e., that this economy in the US, is in great trouble.
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
THANKS TO LACHATTE FOR THE LINK ON THIS STORY!
Lawmakers OK anti-piracy czar
Lawmakers OK anti-piracy czar
By Brooks Boliek
WASHINGTON -- Buried inside the massive $388 billion spending bill Congress approved during the weekend is a program that creates a federal copyright enforcement czar.
Under the program, the president can appoint a copyright law enforcement officer whose job is to coordinate law enforcement efforts aimed at stopping international copyright infringement and to oversee a federal umbrella agency responsible for administering intellectual property law.
Intellectual property law enforcement is divided among a range of agencies including the Library of Congress, the Justice and State departments and the U.S. Trade Representative.
It is hoped that designating a single overseer to coordinate copyright law enforcement will put some cohesion into the federal effort, said one Senate Appropriations Committee aide.
Monday, November 22, 2004
US News Article | Reuters.com
============SNIP==================
I hate it when planes are late, don't you?
40 years on, Arlen Specter and Cyril Wecht still don't agree how JFK diedWecht closed his eyes and folded his hands on his desk. A study in concentration, he began speaking in measured tones about the JFK assassination and the Warren Report. But, soon, his passion, his incredulity, took over. His timbre rose. He stood and used his body as a model to show the location of Kennedy's and Connally's wounds. He laughed heartily at what he considers the incompetence of the commission's findings, particularly Specter's single-bullet theory.
Wecht didn't need to look up anything. With dizzying dispatch, he rattled off the frames per second of the Zapruder film (18), the time it would have taken Oswald to fire, reload and fire again (2.5 seconds), the time between Kennedy and Connally reacting to their wounds (1.5 seconds), and the weight of the so-called "magic bullet" the commission said struck both men (158.6 grains). All showed the single-bullet theory to be what he has categorized as "scientifically absurd."
He repeated his oft-repeated challenge for any forensic pathologist to produce a bullet that had done what the nearly pristine magic bullet is purported to have done. He first threw down that gauntlet in the late 1970s when, unlike him, the eight other members of the pathology panel of the House Select Committee on Assassinations accepted the single-bullet theory.
"Get me one bullet in one case, just one from hundreds of thousands of cases ... that has done this. Nobody has ever produced one," he said.
There's little limit to his frustration at how the case was handled. As he has since February 1965, when he presented a paper before the American Academy of Forensic Scientists, Wecht blasted the decision that let Kennedy's autopsy be performed by two doctors who had never done a gunshot wound autopsy. "Forensic science was ... thwarted, stymied, perverted, ignored," he said.
KHOU.com | News for Houston, Texas | State News
"PLANO, Texas — Police in Plano, Texas, are investigating today's death of a baby whose arms had been cut off. They say the child was less than 1 year old.
They say her 35-year-old mother was detained for questioning after calling 911 to summon officers to the apartment. Police say the woman told them she cut off her baby's arms.
Police spokesman Carl Duke says the baby was taken to a Plano hospital, where she died.
A Child Protective Services spokeswoman says the agency had investigated the mother for either abuse or neglect involving the infant girl, shortly after her birth in January.
The spokeswoman told The Dallas Morning News that the mother had "postpartum depression."
=========snip================
wtf?????? post partum depression??????
So, lemme get this straight...ya get "the baby blues" and the next thing you know...
you are hacking off a defenseless babies upper extremities>>>>>>?????
Hmmmmmmmmmm....Do Tell!
KHOU.com | News for Houston, Texas | State News
State claims $243 million in State Farm, Farmers overcharges
01:42 PM CST on Friday, November 19, 2004
Associated Press
AUSTIN -- The Texas Department of Insurance, taking its fight against State Farm and Farmers Insurance to a new front, accused the companies Friday of illegally charging customers more than $243 million in excessive rates and said it will seek refunds and interest.
The department claimed the companies exaggerated property losses and padded expenses to justify excessive premiums.
The companies, which are expected to contest the complaints, have 20 days to accept the findings or request a hearing before Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor.
The move comes a week after State Farm and Farmers, two of the state's largest homeowner insurers, won the latest round in a court fight with the state over premiums paid by their 1.5 million policyholders in Texas. A judge had ruled that the companies did not have to issue refunds because the state had violated their due process rights.
State Farm spokeswoman Sophie Harbert said the company stands by its current homeowners insurance rates and likely will ask for a hearing, the Dallas Morning News reported Friday.
"We don't know the basis by which they came up with their rate reduction for State Farm. We believe our rates are fair and justified," Harbert said.
A Farmer spokeswoman said the report still was being reviewed. The company has vigorously defended its premiums levels, asserting that the rate rollback and refunds sought by the insurance department are unwarranted.
The insurance department has asked the attorney general's office to appeal the ruling while the agency takes action against the companies, insurance department spokeswoman Jim Hurley said.
The department asked Montemayor to order both companies "to cease and desist from charging excessive rates" for homeowners insurance.
"It is time for State Farm and Farmers to do the same thing that all other insurance companies in Texas have done, reduce their rates," Hurley said. "Both are charging their customers excessive rates and they need to do something about it."
The state is seeking refunds for customers dating back to June 11, 2003, when a new law took effect, giving state regulators authority over homeowners insurance rates.
At that time, the department had ordered State Farm to reduce its rates by 12 percent, which equaled about $155 million. Farmers was ordered to cut rates by 17.5 percent, which equaled $88 million.
The insurers pointed to the court rulings that upheld their arguments in the dispute, saying they are not required to trim premiums or issue refunds because their current rates are necessary to cover property losses and other expenses.
Hurley said the court ruling was over a procedural issue that "had nothing to do with the merits of the case."
===========SNIP=======================
WHY ARE THESE COMPANIES ALLOWED TO KEEP DOING BUSINESS IN TEXAS?
amarillo.com | Business: State Farm, Farmers cited for alleged overcharges 11/20/04: "State Farm, Farmers cited for alleged overcharges
The Associated Press
State Farm, Farmers cited for alleged overcharges
AUSTIN - In a new offensive against State Farm and Farmers Insurance Group, state regulators have accused the companies of illegally overcharging customers and called for more than $300 million in refunds plus interest.
The Texas Department of Insurance cited the companies for exaggerating property losses and padding expenses to justify premiums that are excessive.
The department also is seeking interest of 10 percent on the overcharges, which could amount to penalties of more than $30 million for the two companies.
The companies, which are expected to contest the complaints, have 20 days to accept the findings or request a hearing before Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor, The Dallas Morning News reported Friday.
The move comes a week after State Farm and Farmers, two of the state's largest homeowner insurers, won the latest round in a court fight with the state over premiums paid by their 1.5 million policyholders in Texas. A judge had ruled the companies did not have to issue refunds because the state had violated their due process rights.
State Farm spokeswoman Sophie Harbert said the company stands by its homeowners-insurance rates and likely will ask for a hearing.
"We don't know the basis by which they came up with their rate reduction for State Farm. We believe our rates are fair and justified," Harbert said.
A Farmers spokeswoman said the report still was being reviewed.
The company has vigorously defended its premiums levels, asserting the rate rollback and refunds sought by the insurance department are unwarranted.
Insurance Department spokesman Jim Hurley said the attorney general's office has been asked to appeal the ruling while the agency takes action against the companies on a new front.
The department asked the insurance commissioner to order both companies "to cease and desist from charging excessive rates" for homeowners insurance.
"It is time for State Farm and Farmers to do the same thing that all other insurance companies in Texas have done, reduce their rates," Hurley said.
The department said State Farm's rates were 12 percent too high, and Farmers' rates were 17.5 percent too high.
The state is seeking refunds for customers dating back to June 11, 2003, when a new law giving state regulators authority over homeowners insurance rates went into effect.
==========================SNIP===========================
Why are State Farm and Farmers Insurance , apparently, allowed, if not encouraged, to continue victimizing citizens of Texas?
This is NOT the first time wrongdoing has been found on their parts...so why are they not BANNED from doing business in Texas?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?
Farmers in remediation investigation
Michael Whiteley
Tarrant/Denton Editor
The state's third-largest property and casualty insurer is investigating a Waco company that provides adjustment services on mold claims and a string of North Texas remediation firms launched by former adjusters.
The inquiry by Farmers Insurance Group involves Wardlaw Claims Service of Waco, as well as mold remediators North Texas Prime Services Inc., KK&C Enterprises Inc., North Texas Angel Plumbing L.L.C, Darcy Boatman Builders and other entities formed by North Richland Hills general contractor Darcy Boatman, a former adjuster for Wardlaw.
In six lawsuits filed by Texas homeowners, Dallas attorney John H. Carney has alleged that North Texas Prime Services and its affiliates in the business of remediating mold damage in Texas homes performed shoddy or incomplete work. In many of those instances, referrals to Boatman came through Wardlaw.
Subsidiaries of Farmers Insurance Group are defendants in all the lawsuits.
Boatman has denied the allegations in court, and Wardlaw declined to comment this week.
Said Mary Flynn, a spokeswoman at Farmers headquarters in Los Angeles: "We know that allegations have been made. As of now we've seen no evidence of the allegations they're making. But we are taking them seriously, and we are investigating the matter."
Wardlaw acts as a private adjuster for some of Texas' best-known property and casualty companies, including Farmers and San Antonio-based Texas Select Lloyds Insurance Co., which is named in a remediation lawsuit filed by a North Richland Hills woman.
Texas Select could not be reached for comment.
Boatman said in an interview that he launched North Texas Prime Services with at least one other former Wardlaw adjuster, but declined to name the individual. He said the companies only left work unfinished when homeowners withheld insurance payments from contractors or reached their policy limits.
Boatman was licensed as an insurance adjuster by the Texas Department of Insurance in 1993 and continues to hold a state license active through June 22, according to TDI records.
But he said his role as an adjuster has never caused a conflict with his remediation operations.
"Two of the guys with Prime are ex-adjusters. I'm an ex-adjuster. But there's no collusion. There's no anything," Boatman said. "The insurance companies hate our guts."
The allegations first surfaced in court filings a year ago -- a time when Farmers and State Farm Insurance Co., which writes more premium dollars than any property and casualty company in Texas, were emerging from a mold crisis that left the companies threatening to withdraw from the Texas market.
TDI launched an investigation of Farmers' trade practices in 2002, but dropped the probe after Farmers agreed to cut rates and make refunds.
State Farm and Farmers and nine more of the state's insurers, however, have appealed rate cuts ordered this summer by the insurance department. Farmers' rates would be cut by 17.5% under the insurance department plan.
'No wrongdoing'
North Richland Hills homeowner LaDonna Aubrey said her problems began after pipes connected to a solar water heater sprung lakes and flooded her home. Texas Select paid for damage caused by a leak in the system's slab, but declined to pay for pipe damage.
Aubrey claimed Boatman and his associates did substandard work and broke into her house when she removed an outside key. She said her home has been declared a "total loss," and the work was never completed.
The lawsuit said Skipp Potts, a Wardlaw adjuster, asked the companies affiliated with Boatman to be assigned the work.
Boatman said he left the job because Aubrey never passed along the money she got from the company.
"LaDonna Aubrey was paid in full, and she didn't pay for the work," Boatman said.
Another suit filed last year in Dallas County court against Farmers subsidiary Fire Insurance Exchange alleges that the water and toxic-mold damage Dallas homeowner Melva Heath sustained in December 2001 on North Hampton Road was never fully repaired, despite payments of more than $87,000 to North Texas Prime and its affiliates.
The suit says Heath paid Prime more than $27,000 on removal work and Boatman another $21,000 to "build back" the home once the mold was removed, but that Boatman walked off the job with the work unfinished in November 2002.
Heath said in court filings Boatman then billed her for another $26,342 for work that was never performed and withheld her furniture, clothing and other items removed from the home to get payment.
Heath made an additional payment of $12,726 and discovered items damaged or missing, she said. Her attorneys argued that Wardlaw, Fire Insurance and the remediators acted in a conspiracy to get paid the maximum on Heath's policies because of her health conditions.
Boatman has denied the allegations and said Heath was underinsured and unable to pay for the work that was done.
"Mrs. Heath is an elderly lady. There's no wrongdoing on Farmers' part. She was underinsured and they paid her the maximum amount she had on the two claims," said Boatman.
A computer analysis of TDI data published by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in November showed Farmers led all home insurers in consumer complaints for nearly three years. The company blamed the problem on mold.
TDI Public Affairs Director Jim Hurley said those complaints have not included the allegations raised in the lawsuits.
"I'm unaware of any of those complaints being brought to the department," he said.
====================SNIP=====================
It is this blogger's opinion that fraud and corruption in the insurance industry of MANY companies of insurance in Texas has become almost the status quo, and NOT the exception. One MUST ASK, why is the Texas Department of Insurance allowing this kind of thing to become "business as usual" and why are they allowing companies to keep on victimizing customers and citizens?
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS?
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/11/22/opinion.poll/
The majority of Americans feel this creature is doing a good job?????
Now, I usually believe in the inherent good common sense of the American public and am GENERALLY of the opinion that the American public tends to be a reasonable bunch....however, this article just flat out proves me wrong....or at least, the extrapolated results of this poll would cause me to believe that it proves me wrong....
From the article :
"(CNN) -- Fifty-five percent of Americans like the way President Bush is handling his job, while the approval rating for his Iraq policies is slightly lower, according to the first full CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll following the November 2 presidential election.
Forty-two percent of those polled don't believe Bush is doing a good job. Sixty percent have a positive opinion of Bush, versus 39 percent with the opposite view."
WTF????????? Sixty percent have a "positive opinion of Bush"? Look, are you folks on CRACK or something harder?
How can 55 percent of the Americans actually say they like the way Bush is handling his job with a straight face? There is obviously something seriously wrong with 55 percent of the American public, if this poll is to be believed.
You folks obviously didn't wake up before the election, not DURING the election, and are obviously still hallucinating after the election.
The war is costing 5.8 BILLION A MONTH....Bush has asked for a budget of 388 BILLION. Now, if we round it off, that's around 6 BILLION a month, times 12 = 72 Billion a year that we will be spending on this war AT PRESENT LEVELS, which is almost 20 percent of the entire budget. It was noted that, as a result of this 388 BILLION BUDGET, lots of social programs would find their programs cut in funding levels.
Yeah, why the hell should we take care of our own people (as the mandate in the constitution is), when we can bomb the hell out of other people across the world.
Something is seriously wrong here folks...and it's a damn shame the majority is staying blind to that.
