Criminal Justice USA

The 10 Biggest Tax Cheats in U.S. History

Posted by Site Administrator on 04/14/2011 | 0 Comments

Tax Day is looming, and procrastinating yet law-abiding Americans are scrambling to prepare and submit their income tax returns to the federal government. Let’s face it, no one likes to give a portion of their hard-earned money to a group of people who typically seem to find ways to mismanage it. A couple of demographics in particular — single men under the age of 45 and rich folks — tend to have the most difficult time paying all they owe, even though they can afford it. Go figure that a few of the infamous tax cheats listed below fall under the latter demographic. They ultimately paid the price for their misdeeds, proving that Uncle Sam doesn’t take kindly to those who refuse to do their part.

1. Walter Anderson, Telecommunications Tycoon: The 1990s were a prosperous time for numerous American entrepreneurs, but with many, you wouldn’t even know it. Anderson found creative ways to effectively hide his massive income — $365 million to be exact — using offshore tax havens, drop boxes in the Netherlands and shell companies. In 1998, for example, he paid just $495 in taxes after claiming an income of $67,939, when in reality, he earned more than $126 million. He was so well off that he kept a multimillion-dollar art collection and once considered leasing the Mir space station. Anderson, now serving a nine-year prison sentence, claims he’s innocent despite pleading guilty in 2006.
2. Al Capone, Mob Boss: Determined to remove the powerful mob boss from the streets of Chicago, the federal government targeted Capone’s violation of prohibition law, and more significantly, his evasion of income taxes. It was Frank Wilson — not Eliot Ness — who conducted the investigation during a three-year period in which he oversaw the infiltration of the Chicago Outfit by federal agents in order to collect information from its accountants and bookkeepers. In 1931, Capone pled guilty to tax evasion charges and was ordered to pay $215,000 plus interest due on back taxes, equivalent to more than $3 million today.
3. Leona Helmsley, Hotel Operator and Real Estate Investor: Dubbed the "Queen of Mean," Helmsley, the late New York City billionaire, lived up to her reputation, once stating that "We don’t pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes." Of course, "we" meant rich people. In her wake, she left many embittered employees, some of whom testified in her 1989 tax evasion trial, claiming she constantly terrorized them and their coworkers. The indictment was brought forth by Attorney Rudy Giuliani after contractors who worked on her 21-room mansion revealed their work — $8 million-worth — was illegally billed to the Helmsley’s hotels as business expenses. She spent 18 months in federal prison and eventually died a lonely woman, leaving a $12 million trust fund to her dog Trouble.
4. Wesley Snipes, Actor: Because the case involved an A-list — or former A-list — Hollywood actor, Snipes’ failure to file tax returns is probably the most infamous instance of tax evasion in recent memory. After cheating $12 million from the government, Snipes owes $17 million in back taxes plus penalties and interest, and now he’s serving a three-year prison sentence, one year for each count. Before reporting to McKean Federal Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania, he participated in an interview with Larry King in which he admitted to being nervous about the prison experience.
5. Willie Nelson, Legendary Country Singer: Nelson was certainly misbehavin’ in the eyes of the taxman in 1990, when essentially everything he owned — including his 44-acre Dripping Springs ranch, Pedernales Country Club and Recording Studio, instruments and memorabilia — was seized by the IRS due to $16.7 million he owed in back taxes. The episode came after the IRS examined his returns dating back to 1972, eventually determining he underpaid taxes for six years. Fortunately for Nelson, though, he had numerous friends who helped him get back on his feet. The American Agriculture Movement, a lobbying group for family farmers, purchased his ranch. Nelson was a well-known supporter of American farmers, raising them millions of dollars through Farm Aid concerts.
6. Heidi Fleiss, Hollywood Madam: Fleiss became somewhat of an icon of the 1990s when it was revealed that she ran a multi-million dollar prostitution ring featuring a high-profile clientele. Her trial for income tax evasion and laundering call-girl profits in 1996 was highly publicized, and resulted in a 37-month prison sentence. She was required to pay an undisclosed amount in taxes and forfeit more than $550,000 from the sale of her Beverly Hills home, ensuring she was financially crippled.
7. Dennis Kozlowski, Disgraced CEO: Your typical CEO of an American megacorporation isn’t afraid to exhibit the trappings of his or her success. Kozlowski, the former chairman of Tyco International, was no exception, as he paid $14.7 million for 12 paintings — including a Monet, Renoir and Bouguereau — to proudly display in his Manhattan apartment. The obvious problem: he didn’t pay the accompanying taxes, resulting in his 2002 indictment and eventual agreement to pay $21.2 million to settle charges, $3.2 million of which was in sales tax and interest on the paintings. In the process, Kozlowski and Mark Schwartz, the company’s former financial chief, were convicted of stealing more than $600 million from Tyco. Currently, Kozlowski is serving an 8.33-to 25-year prison sentence.
8. Reuben Sturman, Pornographer and Businessman: At one time the world’s biggest distributor of pornography, the late Sturman endured three decades of legal problems resulting from his shady business dealings. Not only was he subject to numerous raids during an era in which pornography wasn’t quite as mainstream as it is today, but he was also involved in numerous criminal activities, forging ties with the Gambino crime family. Not surprisingly, he failed to report $2.7 million in income from 1978 to 1982 — in 1979, he reported just $1,237 in taxable income — and accordingly was convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1989.
9. OJ Simpson, Former Football Player and Actor: Hardly the model citizen, Simpson has done a lot worse than just skipping out on his taxes — such as rob a hotel for its OJ-related sports memorabilia, which, coincidentally, occurred not long before the state of California declared in 2007 that he owed $1.44 million in back taxes. Now serving a minimum nine-year prison sentence, it appears OJ will escape the repercussions for the foreseeable future.
10. Edward and Elaine Brown, Dental and Pest Business Owners: Ed and Elaine are heroes to tax-haters everywhere. Their months-long 2007 standoff in their 110-acre home in New Hampshire, where residents "Live Free or Die," made national headlines. The incident occurred after the couple was sentenced to five years and three months in prison for failure to pay federal income tax on $2 million of their income. Fortunately, nobody was injured, even though numerous weapons, ammunition, booby traps and explosive devices were found in their home. Now, Ed and Elaine are serving 37-and 35-year sentences respectively.

10 Infamous Female Serial Killers

Posted by Site Administrator on 04/07/2011 | 0 Comments

It feels weird, in a way, to deal with female serial killers. The type of crime spree that inspires mass murder usually feels like the work of a deranged man, and a majority of the most notorious serial killers of the 20th century have been male: Ted Bundy, Zodiac, John Wayne Gacy. Statistically speaking, serial killers are usually white men in their 20s or 30s who come from lower- or middle-class backgrounds. Yet there are outliers, and it’s impossible to ignore the fact that more than a few women have defied those stats and gone on horrific killing streaks. Their crimes bring with them an added level of shock: surely, people think, a woman couldn’t have done this. But they did, and they have, and they will. These are the most infamous female serial killers:

1. Lavinia Fisher: Lavinia Fisher has the dubious distinction of being the first female serial killer in the United States, or at least the first one to grip to the public consciousness and earn the title. Her killings were so long ago, though — she was born c. 1792 and died in 1820 — that records about her youth and origin are lost. She and her husband owned and operated a hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, in the early 19th century, and they gained notoriety when men started disappearing. (Rumors about their methods have grown with time, tossing in details like trap doors and elaborate murders, but the most likely truth is that she would poison male guests, her husband would return later in the night to finish them off, and they’d keep whatever cash or goods the guest had.) She and her hsuband were hanged, though reports were that she jumped from the gallows in a technical suicide rather than let the executioner kill her. An appropriately gruesome end.
2. Aileen Wuornos: It would be impossible to talk about female serial killers without discussing Aileen Wuornos (pictured above), a Florida-based killer and prostitute who murdered seven johns in 1989-1990 and whose actions were later chronicled in documentaries and feature films. She had a phenomenally rotten childhood: she was allegedly beaten and raped, and she conceived at 13 after a stranger assaulted her, and she subsequently gave birth and had the baby placed up for adoption. She started turning tricks at 15, when she was kicked out of her house. Her tragic life pretty much spiraled after that. After small crimes and arrests, she kept working the roads as a prostitute, killing her first john, 51-year-old Richard Mallory, in November 1989 in what she would later claim was self-defense. She killed several more men, and she was eventually caught after getting in a minor accident while driving one of her victim’s cars. She was executed in October 2002.
3. Belle Gunness: Belle Gunness was a strong and brutal woman who tallied more than 40 victims in her day. Born in Norway in 1859, she emigrated to the U.S. and married and settled in Chicago. Her husband and some of her children died under sad and mysterious circumstances, and when she began dating again, her suitors — wealthy men drawn in by her charms — started disappearing. She had a hired hand named Ray Lamphere who did some dirty work for her, though she eventually turned him out and even managed to turn authorities onto him as a possible threat. Despite her habit of killing men, she managed to have the final laugh. In April 1908, her home went up in flames, and investigators found the bodies of her children next to a headless corpse under the wreckage. However, the dimensions of the headless body didn’t match Gunness’ actual figure, and she was declared missing. Authorities started digging up her land and turning up plenty of corpses.
4. Jane Toppan: In 1901-02, after she was in custody, Jane Toppan confessed to dozens of murders. She was extremely dangerous and more than a little unhinged: she would spend the rest of her life at Taunton State Hospital, dying in 1938 at the age of 81. Toppan grew up in an orphanage and then as a servant. Her killing spree started in 1885, when she was training to be a nurse. She took to experimenting with patients, using different combinations of medicines and chemicals to tweak their nervous systems and slide them between life and death. She also later admitted to being aroused by the process of killing. Toppan got away with her deeds for a while, especially when she entered private practice, after which she started racking up more victims by killing her landlords and later her foster sister. After killing an elderly man named Alden Davis and two of his daughters, the Davis family requested a toxicology investigation, which turned up traces of the poison Toppan had used. She was eventually charged with multiple murders, but she was found not guilty and declared insane.
5. Velma Barfield: Velma Barfield has another claim to infamy besides being a serial killer: she was the first woman to be executed in the U.S. after the death penalty was reinstituted in 1977. She was put to death for the murder of Stuart Taylor, her boyfriend; she’d been using his checking account to forge checks and buy prescription pills, and she poisoned his beer to knock him off, though she played at nursing him back to health for a few days. She was caught when an autopsy turned up traces of arsenic. She also confessed to killing her mother in the same manner. All told, she killed five people, but she spent so much time on death row that she found religion and became a devout Christian. Weird but true.
6. Amelia Dyer: In addition to having what is possibly the creepiest photo on Wikipedia, Amelia Dyer’s also infamous for killing hundreds of victims. That’s right, hundreds. The truly gruesome part is that her victims were infants. Dyer, born in England in 1838, earned her money in the baby farming system, taking in children whose mothers couldn’t afford to feed or raise them and nursing them in exchange for a fee. Babies were killed through neglect and starvation, though many were murdered more quickly in order to allow for greater turnover and higher profits. Dyer was trafficking in pure evil. She even dodged the bullet once after investigators started checking out the number of deaths on her watch; she only did time for neglect. She was eventually found out by police, and though she was only convicted of one murder, it was clear from the pattern of disappearances and the evidence in her home that she’d been doing this for years.
7. Nannie Doss: Nannie Doss was a lethal wife: all told, she murdered four husbands and a boatload of other relatives, including her sisters, two of her kids, and her own mother. She killed her second husband by poisoning his whiskey the day after he raped her. After her third husband died, his house mysteriously burned down, and the insurance money went to Doss. Her fourth marriage was a two-fer: she murdered her mother when the elderly woman came to live with her, and then she killed her husband a few months later. It wasn’t until her fifth and final husband died that Doss was caught. After he was briefly hospitalized for a digestive tract issue, Doss poisoned him to collect the life insurance. The man’s sudden death after being released tipped the doctors off to foul play, and sure enough, they found arsenic in the man’s body. Doss confessed to the raft of murders but, because she was a woman, wasn’t put to death. She died in prison in 1965, at age 59.
8. Bertha Gifford: Bertha Gifford’s story is another one built on poison and infidelity. Born around 1876, Gifford lived in Misssouri and garnered a reputation for her desire to care for sick friends and family, many of whom subsequently died. Enough of them died before their time to arouse suspicion, and Gifford was eventually arrested for murder. An exhumation of several bodies led to the discovery of arsenic in the corpses, and Gifford’s game was over. Like all serial killers, regardless of gender, Gifford was deliberate and wide-ranging, and she murdered almost two dozen people. She was found not guilty thanks to an insanity plea, and she spent the rest of her life in a mental hospital.
9. Jeanne Weber: Although she only lived to 36 — and she died by her own hand in prison — Jeanne Weber was a notorious killer at the turn of the 20th century. She started her killing spree by murdering her sister’s children, killing an 18-month-old girl and her 2-year-old sister in rapid succession. Doctors declared the deaths accidental. She was also to play on her gender and the public’s willingness to forgive a distraught woman for heinous crimes: although she was found trying to choke her nephew, she was acquitted when the defense said she was grief-stricken over the death of her own child. (A death she actually caused.) She was eventually charged with murder and sentenced to imprisonment in an asylum in 1908. Two years later, she hanged herself in her cell. No one was ever able to diagnose the mix of hate and insanity that had plagued her.
10. Dorothea Puente: The cold and calculating manner with which Sacramento’s Dorothea Puente dispatched her victims is enough to turn anyone’s stomach. After several marriages, Puente started committing fraud in the 1960s by dating older men and cashing their benefit checks. She did time for the deed, but it didn’t dissuade her at all. In the 1980s, Puente ran a boarding house for the elderly and collected their mail, after which she would cash the checks of her tenants and pay them out in a smaller stipend. Tenants started dying and disappearing, as well; in fall 1985, Puente had a handyman dump a box she said was filled with junk near a river; when a fisherman reported the curious item, cops opened it up and found the remains of an old man. Another missing tenant led police to investigate Puente’s facility. The short version: she’d been killing tenants and burying them out back. Puente was sentenced to life in prison, and she always maintained that her tenants had died of natural causes. (Despite the fact that there’s nothing natural about burying them in a yard.) She died in March 2011 at age 82.

9 Scandals That Tarnished America’s Pastime

Posted by Site Administrator on 03/31/2011 | 0 Comments

Toward the end of Field of Dreams, James Earl Jones’ character, Terence Mann, gives an impassioned speech about the power and glory of baseball. He says that baseball is "the one constant through all the years," and that though America has been "erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again," baseball has always "marked the time." It’s a sweet monologue, especially within the film’s story of allowing a man and his father to reconcile while the spiritually shunned Chicago White Sox play for their atonement. But, well, the problem is that Major League Baseball has rarely been so pure or endearing as movies and fuzzy memories make it out to be. The game has been plagued by scandal and rumor almost since its inception, and though it’s often held up as a symbol of American innocence, it’s more accurately a representation of the lengths people will go to just to win. There are some amazing, honest, hard-working players in the game today, just as there always have been. But these black marks on the game’s reputation are impossible to ignore.

1. The Black Sox Scandal: Easily the most notorious scandal from the classic era of baseball, the "Black Sox" scandal of the 1919 World Series remains one of the worst and most damaging events in baseball history. This was the one that officially robbed the game of its perceived innocence, the same way the quiz show scandals of the 1950s would change the way we look at TV. The series went down in infamy for the way it was fixed to allow the Cincinnati Reds to beat the Chicago White Sox five games to three in a best-of-nine format (one of the few times the series was experimentally extended). Sox first baseman Chick Gandil was the orchestrator of the plot from the inside, leaning on connections like bookie Joseph Sullivan to convince people that the games could indeed be rigged. Arnold Rothstein, a New York gangster who wouldn’t live to see the 1930s, acted as the money man. Gandil was able to recruit players looking for a handout after they’d grown tired of dealing with owner Charles Comiskey, who cultivated a reputation as a tight-fisted spender. Rumors flew about the fix before the series even started, and by 1920, a grand jury was convened. Eight of the players were banned from the game for life.
2. Pete Rose: Ah, good ol’ Charlie Hustle. In the modern era, the fall of Pete Rose was one of the last MLB scandals to involve age-old temptations like gambling and greed that seem positively quaint next to allegations of juicing and performance-enhancing drugs. His career as a player lasted more than 20 years, starting and ending with the Cincinnati Reds (making for a serendipitous tie to the Black Sox scandal), where he was a player-manager before dropping from the roster and managing full-time. But the show was just about over. Reports circled that Rose had bet on the outcome of Reds games, and a 1989 Sports Illustrated story dug into the matter. Rose was banned from the game but didn’t admit the truth until his 2004 autobiography, the melodramatically titled My Prison Without Bars. He’s still banned from the Hall of Fame, and though some supporters say that his playing prowess should be enough to warrant his inclusion with the greats (he’s the all-time leader in hits, at-bats, outs, and games played), critics say that he still gambled on his own team, which is, well, not remotely OK.
3. Pittsburgh Drug Trials: Coke was everywhere in the 1980s, and Major League Baseball was no exception. The drug’s use in baseball was far more widespread than the public suspected, but the bad news would go public in 1985 when a grand jury in Pittsburgh called several Pittsburgh Pirates to testify about cocaine in the sport, as well as several other players, including Keith Hernandez and Willie Mays Aikens. That’s pretty much when the other shoe dropped. Testifying in exchange for immunity, the men spoke of buying amphetamines and coke often from other players, and Hernandez copped to the fact that he’d been using cocaine for years. (This makes his later appearance on Seinfeld seem way sadder.) As a result, Curtis Strong was convicted of distributing cocaine, and Strong was sentenced to 12 years in prison, though he only served four. Several players were suspended, fined, and tasked with community service. In terms of scope and PR problems, it was the biggest mess since the Black Sox, and it wouldn’t be topped until the steroid days of the early 21st century.
4. The Mitchell Report: The official title is a lot longer, but all anyone remembers about the 2007 Mitchell Report is the way it blew the lid off the practice among certain baseball players of using anabolic steroids to improve their game. Sen. George Mitchell (D-Maine) headed up the almost two-year investigation, and the final report named 89 baseball players who allegedly took steroids or similar performance-enhancing drugs. Even casual fans and those who didn’t follow sports knew about the report and the way it was wreaking havoc with players’ reputations, the appearance of games, and the overall vibe of the league. It’s not that cheating was somehow knew; the Black Sox weren’t forgotten. Rather, the reports of steroid use cast shadows of doubt on the achievements of the game’s biggest players, making people wonder how much had been affected by drugs and how much was legitimate. Star players like Roger Clemens were named in the report, as well; Clemens went on to deny the charges, but then he got indicted for perjury for lying about being clean. Some things never change.
5. The Giants Steal Signs: Everybody knows about the shot heard ’round the world, the homer that Bobby Thomson of the New York Giants hit off Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca to win the National League pennany in the fall of 1951. It’s a classic sports moment that’s been referenced in pop culture for decades. But it turns out that Thomson had some help facing down Branca in the form of a telescope in the manager’s office and a buzzer system connected to the dugout. The telescope let the Giants staff steal signs from the Dodgers, telling them every pitch that was coming before it was thrown. The cheating didn’t come to light for decades; Branca was remarkably low-key about the whole thing, saying he knew about the stealing in ’51 but didn’t want to cheapen Thomson’s legacy. Still, his equivocating aside, it’s a bitter pill to swallow.
6. BALCO: A lot of baseball’s modern scandals are just variations on the same theme: players trying to juice their way to better games. The steroid issue feels like one scandal, but in a lot of ways, it’s merely a string of smaller ones that add up to a culture of rule-breaking and double-dealing. The BALCO — Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative — meltdown is a prime example. Based near San Francisco, the company was established in the 1980s to provide blood and urine analysis, which led founder Victor Conte to make connections in the athletic arena. By the early 2000s, BALCO was selling tetrahydrogestrinone, a steroid that was undetectable at the time. An anonymous tip to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency started the house of cards tumbling in 2003, and the guy who dropped the dime — sprint coach Trevor Graham — also provided a sample of the clear steroid substance. Once investigators broke it down and knew how to test for it, they caught it in 20 fluid samples from athletes. In September that year, the feds kicked in BALCO’s doors and related facilities, turning up customer lists that cited Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, and Armando Rios, just to name a few MLBers in the bunch. (The books also included hockey players, outdoor athletes, a boxer, and cyclist.)
7. Ken Caminiti: Ken Caminiti was one of the many names mentioned in the Mitchell Report, but his sad end brought a tragic tone to pro baseball. He played for years with the Houston Astros before heading to San Diego, then back to Houston, finally finishing with the Texas Rangers and Atlanta Braves in 2001. In 1996, playing for the Padres, he was voted MVP, and he won three Gold Gloves there, too. But Caminiti was on drugs at just about every point in his MLB career. He admitted to Sports Illustrated in 2002 that he’d been on steroids during that MVP season and for years after, a revelation that was the latest in a long line of horrible truths that tainted the reputation of Major League Baseball in the 1990s and 2000s. He faced legal troubles after leaving the game, and he died from a cocaine overdose in October 2004 at age 41.
8. Al Campanis: Who says players get to have all the fun ruining stuff? Although Al Campanis briefly played second base for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943, he was famous for managing the Dodgers in L.A. from 1968 to 1987. He didn’t plan to stop managing in 1987; that decision was made for him when he brought the heat down on the organization after some really crude remarks in the press. Campanis appeared on ABC’s Nightline in a bit celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Major League debut of Jackie Robinson. Campanis, born in 1916, was a man steeped in what could kindly be called backward views on race relations and basic human physiology, and when host Ted Koppel asked him to speculate about the dearth of African-American managers in the league, Campanis pontificated that they might not have "some of the necessities" to do the job. He also said that black men couldn’t swim as well as white men because they "don’t have the buoyancy." Koppel, understandably weirded out, asked him to clarify, but Campanis stuck to his guns. He resigned shortly thereafter amid protest, and though he later qualified his statements by saying he was very tired when he made them (so tired he became confusingly racist?), the incident took a while to blow over.
   
9. John Rocker: John Rocker: not a smart man. In 2000, he was playing relief pitcher for the Atlanta Braves when he gave a colossally stupid interview to Sports Illustrated in which he detailed the reasons he would never want to play for a New York team. Rather than gripe good-naturedly about the cost of Manhattan real estate or the headaches of New York City traffic, he said that riding the train to the ballpark would require sitting with "some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS, right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time, right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids." As sports fans and Southerners slapped their foreheads, Rocker was torn apart by the press. He left Atlanta in 2001 and went to Cleveland, then Texas, and finally Tampa Bay before heading to the Atlantic League and retiring. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Rocker’s brush with fame only cemented the xenophobia and divisiveness with which he greeted the press. By 2008, he was off selling real estate. His temporarily high profile was enough to hurt the game for a while, especially the Braves.

10 Most Destructive Tsunamis in Human History

Posted by Site Administrator on 03/20/2011 | 0 Comments

Tsunamis are one of Mother Nature’s worst nightmares. These powerful waves can move as fast as a jet airliner and are capable of destroying anything and everything in its path. The most devastating tsunamis have formed after massive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions. Here are the 10 most destructive tsunamis in human history:

1. 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami: The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami was one of the deadliest and most destructive natural disasters in human history. The undersea megathrust earthquake struck the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, on Dec. 26, 2004. The earthquake had a magnitude of 9.1-9.3 and is the third largest recorded earthquake. After the powerful earthquake that was said to release the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs, a series of tsunamis followed. The 100-feet-high waves sped across the Indian Ocean and devastated 11 coastal countries, including Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, killing more than 230,000 people.
2. 1755 Lisbon Earthquake and Tsunami: The 1755 Lisbon earthquake and tsunami was a very destructive natural disaster. The Nov. 1, 1755, megathrust earthquake was centered in the Atlantic Ocean and severely damaged Lisbon, Portugal. Researchers suggest that the quake may have reached a magnitude of 9.0. A deadly tsunami immediately followed the earthquake, washing over the harbor and downtown area. The waves swept up people and debris into the sea, wrecked boats and destroyed homes and buildings. The devastating effects of the tsunami could be felt in most coastal towns throughout Spain, Portugal and North Africa. Approximately 10,000 people in Lisbon died during the natural disaster.
3. 1868 Arica Tsunami: On Aug. 16, 1868, an 8.5-magnitude earthquake hit the Peru-Chile Trench off the southern coast of Peru, turning the city of Arica into rubble. Following the earthquake, a massive trans-Pacific tsunami formed and came crashing into Arica. The tsunami’s 90-foot waves hit two American ships, killing all but two crewmembers. The port of Arica was also wiped out by the tsunami by knocking down buildings and homes and causing an estimated 25,000 casualties. In total, the tsunami caused about $300 million in damage, and took the lives of 70,000 in South America.
4. 1908 Messina Earthquake and Tsunami: On Dec. 28, 1908, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Messina, Italy, caused a deadly tsunami to form. Moments later, 40-foot waves came crashing into Messina and other coastal towns. There was no warning about the tsunami and the town was extremely underprepared. The earthquake and the tsunami destroyed almost all of the buildings in Messina, and may have killed as many as 200,000 people, which significantly reduced the city’s population.
5. 2011 Sendai Earthquake and Tsunami: The Sendai megathrust earthquake recently hit the Pacific Ocean near Northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011. The massive earthquake had a magnitude of 8.9-9.0, which triggered powerful tsunamis around the Pacific Ocean. Within minutes after the quake, 33-foot high waves came ashore along Japan’s coast, damaging roads, railways and causing a dam to collapse. Two nuclear reactors partially melted down, prompting additional evacuations within the Fukushima Prefecture. As of today, the National Police Agency has confirmed 2,414 casualties, but thousands are still missing and the death toll is predicted to increase as more bodies are found.
6. 1960 Hilo Tsunami: On May 23, 1960, Hilo, Hawaii, was hit by a powerful tsunami that destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses downtown and killed 61 people. The tsunami was caused by an 8.25-8.5-magnitude earthquake off the west coast of South America. About 15 hours later, the 35-foot waves crashed into Hilo Bay and some parts of the island. The tsunami consisted of eight separate waves that ranged from 4 to 14 feet above sea level. The damages reached an upwards of $75 million.
7. 1896 Honshu Tsunami: On June 16, 1896, a deadly tsunami hit Honshu, Japan, after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake took place at the underwater fault and caused a serious displacement of water. People in Kamaishi and along the Sanriku coast of Honshu felt the quake that happened 120 miles away, but many of them ignored it. Less than 30 minutes later, 115-foot waves came crashing into the town and destroyed many coastal villages. Nearly 27,000 people were killed by the tsunami that day.
8. 1498 Meio Nankaido Earthquake and Tsunami: On Sept. 20, 1498, an 8.6-magnitude earthquake occurred near the Nankai Trough, which runs parallel to the southern coast of Honshu, and triggered a powerful tsunami that hit the coast of Meio Nankai, Japan. The 56-foot-high waves came ashore and killed an estimated 31,000 people.
9. 1946 Aleutian Tsunami: On April 1, 1946, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake near the Aleutian Trench in Alaska caused a large section of the seafloor to lift up along the fault and generate a Pacific-wide tsunami. After the earthquake, 100-foot waves came crashing into the U.S. Coast Guard’s lighthouse on Scotch Cap, located on Unimak Island, and destroyed the building, killing all five occupants. The Alaskan mainland was shielded by the Aleutian Islands, but the shorelines of the Hawaii Islands weren’t as lucky. The tsunami destroyed Hilo’s entire waterfront and flooded about half a mile of city, killing 159 people.
10. 1883 Krakatoa Tsunami: On Aug. 27, 1883, the volcanic island of Krakatoa in the Sunda Strait erupted. After multiple eruptions, the walls of the volcano began to open and sea water poured into the magma chamber, which resulted in a catastrophic explosion that destroyed two-thirds of the island. A deadly series of tsunamis followed the explosion, sending 90-foot-high waves ashore in Indonesia, India and surrounding islands. The powerful tsunami wiped out several coastal settlements and killed more than 36,000 people.

100 Tips, Tools, and Resources for Locking Down Your PC

Posted by Site Administrator on 06/14/2009 | 0 Comments

The web can be a tricky and dangerous place to navigate, especially if you’re unprepared. However, you can better protect yourself by taking necessary steps to make your computer more secure. Here, we’ll discuss 100 tips, tools, and resources that can help you build a more secure PC.

Tips

Follow these tips, and your PC will be well on its way to locked down.

1. Use a password: Although they may be easily bypassed, be sure to at least use a password for your PC.
2. Disable boot devices: Someone with physical access to your computer and a freely available custom boot CD can access your PC without even opening Windows.
3. Use an alternative browser: Ditch Internet Explorer for Firefox or Opera, or at least tighten IE’s security settings.
4. Eliminate your data: Don’t keep supersensitive information on your PC or laptop-put it on a CD or file server, but take it off of your hard drive.
5. Disable file sharing: Limit your file exposure by disabling file sharing on your hard drives.
6. Protect your administrator account with a password: Make sure to always protect your administrator account.
7. Use a non-obvious laptop bag: Avoid using a bag that advertises that you’re carrying a laptop.
8. Change your password often: Keep your password fresh by changing it often.
9. Back up your files: Save your data with backup systems and utilities.
10. Use a strong email client: Make use of an email client that offers your PC a level of security.
11. Use biometrics: Use a biometric device like a fingerprint reader.
12. Use a screen guard: Keep your information private with a screen protector that hides your screen from snoops.
13. Scan email attachments: Before opening email attachments, be sure to run them through a scanner first.
14. Use email filters: Set up filters in your email to make sure that only safe email reaches your inbox.
15. Password protect your BIOS: Prevent others from changing your BIOS settings by setting up an administrator password.
16. Don’t fall for hoaxes: Be careful of bogus alerts, emails, and more.
17. Never leave your laptop in the car: A laptop turns your car into a sitting duck, and extreme heat can damage it anyway.
18. Use Linux or Mac OS X: Although Windows, Linux, and Mac all offer about the same security, Windows is more frequently targeted.
19. Use a variety of different passwords: Make sure you’re not using the same password for all of your sites and programs.
20. Use a rescue disk: Just in case, make sure you have a book or rescue disk to bring things back to normal.
21. Use an antivirus software: Use antivirus software and keep it up to date for good protection.
22. Use an asset tag: With a highly visible tag, your laptop is deterred from thieves and can be identified easily.
23. Scan executable files: Make sure you scan executable files before opening them.
24. Secure your network: Make sure you’re not keeping your network open-set it up with a password.
25. Test for flaws: Even if you think you’re locked down, you may still have some holes, so use a security scanner to make absolutely sure.
26. Use a strong password: Avoid dictionary words, names, and dates, and use numbers, special characters, and uppercase/lowercase letters.
27. Scan disks before opening them: If you receive a CD or floppy disk, be sure to scan them before opening.
28. Watch out for your SSID: Tell your wireless access router to avoid broadcasting its SSID, and change your SSID from the default.
29. Physically lock your laptop: Help prevent your laptop from walking away by using a cable lock, but know that it won’t keep all thieves away.
30. Password-protect Outlook: Make sure you put a password on your inbox, as well as your Outlook identities.
31. Log off: When you step away from your computer, be sure to log off of your identity.
32. Use a firewall: If you connect to the internet, you need to be using a firewall to be protected from network attacks and rogue programs.
33. Install tracking software: With tracking software, you can be alerted whenever your stolen laptop gets connected to the internet.
34. Watch out for spyware: Keep the snoops at bay by regularly scanning for spyware and adware.
35. Automatically update important software: Minimize application security flaws by always staying up to date on updates and patches.
36. Encrypt your files: Make it hard for your files and information to be stolen by encrypting them.

Tools

With the help of these tools, you can get your PC more secure.

37. Spybot: With the help of Spybot, you can keep spyware and other nasties at bay.
38. Ad-aware: Keep your computer safe from adware by periodically using LavaSoft’s Ad-Aware.
39. PC Security: Lock down your system with explorer control, file and folder locks, program locks, intruder detection, and more.
40. OSSIM: In OSSIM, you’ll find a number of different open source security tools.
41. Asset Labels: Mark your property and protect it with an asset label or security tag.
42. Perfect Passwords: Here you’ll get an ultra high security password generator.
43. Firewall Test: Make sure you’re not open to attack by testing the quality of your firewall.
44. Lockdown: This tool will monitor your computer and sound an alarm if someone tries to access your system.
45. RoboForm: RoboForm is a password manager that will help you keep your passwords in check.
46. ProShield: Use ProShield, and you’ll have your system scanned for malware and up to date software.
47. Antispam: Antispam offers an easy way to fight spam.
48. Trust-No-Exe: Set up a whitelist and blacklist of trusted and non-trusted executable files for your PC with this tool.
49. Untangle: Through Untangle, you’ll get spam, virus, and spyware protection, plus a firewall and web filtering.
50. Hardened Linux: With this Linux distribution, you’ll get excellent security.
51. Simpliciti Locked Browser: If you need to restrict employees, children, or others from visiting non-secure sites, try Simpliciti Locked Browser.
52. Snort: Snort offers effective intrusion detection.
53. Lockdown Plus PC: Lockdown Plus PC offers a network based desktop security solution for public access computers.
54. eBox Platform: This network management framework will help you filter content, use a firewall, proxy, and more.
55. Network Security Toolkit: In this toolkit, you’ll get a number of different open source apps for security.
56. TrueCrypt: Get strong encryption for free with TrueCrypt.
57. Metasploit: With Metasploit, you can test out your system like a hacker might.
58. Anonymous Surfing & Privacy Check: Use this test to find out how anonymous your surfing is.
59. Kismet: With Kismet, you’ll get wireless network detection and packet sniffing. sudo: sudo allows you to selectively control which programs are allowed to run on your PC.
60. Spam Assassin: This spam tool will keep your email safe from spam.
61. EXE Lockdown: Use EXE Lockdown to protect yourself against the installation of unauthorized applications.
62. AWStats: With AWStats, you can monitor attacks on your server.
63. Spamato: Spamato will help keep spam out of your popular email client.
64. Bastille Linux: Use this tool to get a custom lockdown solution for your PC.
65. Honeytrap: Honeytrap offers advanced warning about attacks.
66. Thunderbird: Thunderbird offers lots of tools for keeping spam and viruses out of your inbox.

Blogs & Books

Get ongoing updates about security threats and solutions from these blogs.

68. IT Security: Check out this site to learn all about securing your PC and more.
69. BlogInfoSec: Here you’ll find an information security magazine in blog format.
70. Schneier on Security: This blog covers security and security technology.
71. Security Now!: This audio podcast features weekly security information from Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte.
72. Security Fix: Brian Krebs discusses computer and Internet security.
73. TaoSecurity: Richard Bejtlich’s blog covers digital security, forensics, and more.
74. Windows Lockdown!: Your XP And Vista Guide Against Hacks, Attacks, and Other Internet Mayhem: Here you’ll find an absolute beginner’s guide to keeping your Windows PC locked down.
75. No Tricks: Dr. Luke O’Connor’s blog offers information on risk, security, and IT technology.
76. My PC Security Blog: Follow this blog to get a new computer security tip every day.
77. The Ethical Hacker Network: Learn about security from ethical hackers in this network.
78. Netgear ProSecure Security Blog: Check out this blog to find out about the latest malware, viruses, and more.
79. Mind Streams of Information Security Knowledge: Read Dancho Danchev’s blog to find independent open source intelligence for security threats.
80. elamb: elamb’s security blog offers up to date information on threats to your PC.
81. Network Security Blog: Here you’ll find news about security and privacy.
82. McAfee Avert Labs Blog: Learn about cutting edge security research as it happens through McAfee’s blog.

Guides

These guides will teach you various ways to protect your PC.

83. Home Computer Security: This guide from CERT has a wealth of useful information.
84. Lock Down Your PC: PC World offers this guide with 29 steps to good PC security.
85. Ten Password Commandments: Follow these commandments to make sure your passwords are protecting you as much as possible.
86. 5 Steps to Secure Windows XP Home Edition: Use these 5 steps, and you’ll get a more secure home computer.
87. Lock Down Your Laptop: Learn about products and tips for PC security in this guide.
88. 10 Easy Ways to Lock Down Your Computer: Learn about user passwords, authentication, anonymous access, and more.
89. Advice to Linux Users: Lock Down Your PC: Find out how to lock down your Linux PC with these tips.
90. Five simple PC security tips: Here you’ll find a simple guide to PC security.
91. The Ten Commandments of PC Security: Follow these rules to avoid viruses, worms, and more.
92. The Twenty Minute Guide to PC Security: 20 Tips to Secure Your Box: Get a simple tutorial in PC security from this guide.
93. Cyber-Security: Tips for Safe Computing: Follow these instructions to help reduce the threat of running into security problems online.
94. How to lock down the computer via a shortcut: Follow this guide and you’ll learn how to create a computer lockdown shortcut.
95. FAQ: Locking Down Your Computer: This guide from the University of Utah offers practical advice for PC security.
96. Computer Security 101: Get the basics of computer security through this guide.
97. Lock Down Your PC!: This guide offers practical tips for making your computer more secure.
98. Lockdown Your Laptop: Follow this guide to learn how to keep your laptop safer.
99. Lock Down the Data on Your Portable Drives: Follow this guide, and you’ll find out how to get your laptop, portable disks, and more supersecure.
100. Lock Down Your PC: Here you’ll find answers to your network and internet security questions.

50 Best Blogs About Environmental Law

Posted by Site Administrator on 06/10/2009 | 0 Comments

Environmental violations, toxic torts, and more can be quite interesting and informative, and you can read all about them in various environmental law blogs. You can find environmental law blogs about news, developments, education, and more. Read on, and you’ll find 50 of the best blogs about environmental law.

General

Take a general look at environmental law through these blogs.

1. Environmental Law Resource: Follow this blog to get environmental law updates, rulings, and information around the world.
2. Biolaw: Read about law and the life sciences from BioLaw.
3. Environmental Legal Blogs: Learn about developments in environmental law from this blog.
4. Law and the Environment: Seth Jaffe’s blog is a good source for learning about current events in environmental law.
5. Green Counsel: On this blog, you’ll learn about using the law to promote renewable energy, environmental business, and sustainability.
6. Environmental Crimes Blog: Check out Environmental Crimes to learn about some of the acts being committed against the environment.
7. The Brockovich Report: Erin Brockovich works to protect the public from dangerous substances that cause health problems.
8. Environmental Toxic Torts: This blog offers a look into legal developments and defense strategy in environmental toxic torts.
9. Ear To The Ground: Thomas Clarke blogs about the law and science of the environment and toxic torts.
10. Municipal, Planning & Environmental Law Group Blog: This blog offers a look at how municipal law and planning affects the environment.
11. Law and the Environment: In this blog, you’ll find commentary and insights into the issues of law and the environment.

News

You can stay up to date on environmental news developments with these blogs.

12. Environmental & Energy Law Monitor: This blog covers news and updates on environmental and energy law.
13. Becker’s Environmental Law Update: Find news about environmental law from this blog.
14. eNewsUSA: Visit this blog to find environmental news and information for environmental attorneys and consultants.
15. Sharks in the Water: Sharks in the Water is all about global environmental and IP matters.

Educational

These bloggers are involved in environmental law education.

16. Environmental Law Prof Blog: Susan Smith is a professor of law at Williamette University College of Law.
17. American College of Environmental Lawyers: This group of environmental lawyers offers insight into environmental law, ethics, and administration of justice.
18. Legal Planet: Legal Planet is an environmental law and policy blog that’s a joint effort between Berkeley Law and UCLA Law.

Climate Change

Find out about law and climate change from these blogs.

19. Envrionmental Law & Climate Change: This Lexis Nexis blog offers a look into our changing climate.
20. Sustainability Law Blog: Tonkton Torp Attorneys write this blog about climate change, sustainable business, practices, and more.
21. Climate Change Attorney: This blog is written by climate change attorneys Silverberg Zalantis.
22. Climate Change Insights: Climate Change Insights offers a forum for critical analyses of climate law and policy.
23. Global Climate Law Blog: Here you’ll find discussion on issues about global climate law and litigation.
24. Climate Change & Carbon Management Blog: Check out this blog to get insight into climate change and carbon management in the law.
25. Warming Law: This blog works to change the climate in the courts.
26. Environmental Law Diary: In this blog, you’ll learn about environmental law with a focus on the climate.
27. ClimateIntel: This blog offers insight on climate change, including international law, intellectual property, and more.

Animals

See how the law protects animals in these blogs.

28. ESA Blawg: This blog takes a look at the Endangered Species Act.
29. Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach: Check out this blog to learn about animal rights and the law.
30. Animal Law Blog: Follow animal law news, litigation, and more from this blog.

Local

These blogs focus on environmental law at the local level.

31. Envirosphere: Envirosphere shares information about environmental law in New York State.
32. Oikos: David Jeffrey’s blog is based in Australia, focusing on connections between the environment and the economy.
33. Saxe Environmental Law Mews: Dianne Saxe’s blog features environmental law updates from Toronto, Ontario.
34. PA Brownfields Environmental Law: Visit this blog, and you’ll get a look into brownfields in Pennsylvania and beyond.
35. Environmental Law in Washington State: Get an overview of the issues in Washington environmental law from this blog.
36. Ohio Environmental Law Blog: Check out this blog to find information and commentary about environmental law in Ohio and beyond.

Energy

See the future of energy law in these blogs.

37. Renewable Energy Law Blog: Read about the law, science, and policy of renewable energy on this blog.
38. Energy Legal Blog: Energy Legal Blog discusses national and regional energy issues.
39. Renewable + Law: This blog covers climate policy, renewable energy, and sustainability.
40. The Energy Law Blog: In this blog, you’ll find information about oil and gas exploration, development, and more in the Gulf Coast.
41. Offshore Renewable Energy Law Blog: Follow this blog, and you’ll learn about the news and regulation of wave, tidal, and offshore wind energy.

Building

These blogs focus on the laws involving building developments.

42. Green Building Law Blog: Shari Shapiro’s blog is all about green building law.
43. Construction Law Musings: On this blog, you’ll find information about construction law in Virginia.
44. Green Building & Environmental Trends: Visit Rich Cartlidge’s blog to learn about trends in the fields of green building, construction and environmental law.
45. Construction Law Blog: This blog offers insights on legal issues concerning the construction industry.
46. Green Building Law Update: On this blog, you’ll learn about trends, legal developments, codes, and regulations in green building from a construction attorney.

Government

Check out these blogs to see the latest in government environmental law.

47. Greenversations: Here you’ll find the official blog of the US Environmental Protection Agency.
48. EnviroWonk: Find news and analysis of politics from an environmental perspective on this blog.
49. Green Car Congress: This blog is all about the politics surrounding sustainable mobility.
50. Hill Heat: Learn all about science policy legislation action from Hill Heat.

50 Best Blogs for Privacy Nuts

Posted by Site Administrator on 06/09/2009 | 0 Comments

In today’s world of Internet interconnectedness, guarding your privacy can become a full-time job. Whether you are worried about your personal privacy, government interference, national security, identity theft, or the laws and policies surrounding privacy, these blogs will help you stay vigilant against any breaches in your privacy rights.

Privacy, Communications, and Censorship Blogs

These blogs cover a wide range of privacy issues including censorship, surveillance, online privacy, communications, and more.

1. The Privacy Blog. Anonymity, online privacy, policies, surveillance, and censorship are among the topics featured on this blog.
2. Privacy Blog. Medical record disposal, social networking privacy, and the Supreme Court’s take on privacy are recent posts here.
3. Threat Level. This blog at Wired.com touches on privacy, security, and related topics.
4. Conspicuous Chatter. Get research and opinions on the latest topics from the fields of anonymous and covert communication, traffic analysis, and censorship resistance.
5. Inoperability Streams. These posts include news about telecommunications, communications, and security.
6. Privacy International. This watchdog group posts news pertaining to privacy from all around the world.
7. Privacy Diary. Identity theft, risk management, information security, and more find their place in this blog.
8. TRUSTe Blog. Cybercrime and self policing are among the topics on this blog.

Online Privacy and Security

Guarding your privacy online is not only a good idea, but actually a necessity. Read these blogs to find news and updates from the world of cybersecurity and privacy.

9. MetaSecurity. Topics on this blog often include intelligence, cybersecurity, and virtual worlds.
10. Matt Blaze’s Exhaustive Search. This professor from University of Pennsylvania blogs about security and privacy issues as they relate to science and technology.
11. Freedom to Tinker. Published by Princeton’s Center for Information Technology Policy, this blog examines privacy, Internet security, intellectual property, and much more.
12. SMBlog–Steve Bellovin’s Blog. This professor from Columbia University blogs about Internet Security, privacy, and related issues.
13. Avi Rubin’s Blog. Electronic voting security, computer and network security, and other security issues appear on this blog written by a professor from Johns Hopkins University.
14. CERIAS. The Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security is one of the leaders in research and education on information security. and their blog focuses on these issues.
15. Random Spaf Items. Professor Gene Spafford from Purdue, who also posts on CERIAS, writes about privacy, cybersecurity, cybercrime, and more on his personal blog.
16. 1 Raindrop. Written by security software expert, Gunnar Peterson, the posts on this blog discuss online security and privacy issues.
17. SecurityBuddha.com. Mark Curphey writes about Internet security tools as he has begun to reshape his blog.
18. Security Retentive. This information security engineer blogs about Internet security and privacy issues.
19. Another Set of Teeth. This blog covers privacy, security, and ethics especially pertaining to Internet security.

National Security

These blogs cover national security from the perspective of the government, strategists, and others who are dedicated to keeping you informed about security issues.

20. In Homeland Security. This non-partisan and non-commercial blog is sponsored by the American Military University and delivers news and analysis of issues relating to national security.
21. Stephenson blogs on homeland security 2.0 et al.. Written by the well-known strategist and theorist, W. David Stephenson, this blog touches on technology and civil liberty issues in relation to homeland security.
22. Global Guerrillas. This former USAF pilot and current analyst on warfare and security writes on communities and potential crises.
23. Vital Systems Security. With posts including such topics as community health issues, security, and globalization, this blog brings the latest scientific news as it relates to these issues.
24. Emergency.Blog. This blog focuses on information relating to security issues such as terrorism, emergency service, and cyberwar.
25. Homeland Security Watch. This non-partisan, non-commercial blog provides information about national security events and news.
26. War and Piece. Written by a national security correspondent, this blog provides insight on national security issues and foreign policy.
27. DefenseTech. This blog from Military.com covers a variety of topics that pertain to national security.
28. Evolution of Security. From the Transportation Security Administration, posts here discuss security and technology as they relate to national security.
29. Security Debrief. This blog features news and commentary from several sources that all discuss issues surrounding national security.
30. Home Station. From the Integrative Center for Homeland Security at Texas A&M University, this blog discusses timely issues surrounding homeland security including cybersecurity, terrorism, and more.

Personal Privacy, Security, and Identity

From guarding your identity to keeping your family safe to digital identity issues, these blogs cover personal security and privacy.

31. Privacy and Identity Theft. Get news and learn how to protect yourself with the information here that examines cybercrime, identity theft, and more.
32. Privacy Gourmet. Privacy and social networking, data privacy, privacy resources, and keeping families safe online are some of the subjects covered on this blog.
33. Emergent Chaos. This collaborative blog focuses on privacy, security, liberty, and economics.
34. Schneier on Security. This "security guru" and renowned author blogs about computer security, personal security, and Friday squids.
35. The-New-Internet-Security-Cyberhood-Watch-Blog. This blog focuses on such privacy and security issues such as identity theft, child cybersafety, and cybercrime.
36. Ceci n’est pas un Bob. Learn about issues surrounding security, privacy, identity, and risk at this blog written by Bob Blakley.
37. Identerati. Another blog from an employee of Burton Group, this focuses on identity management and security with a perspective from both business and the individual.
38. IdentityBlog. Kim Cameron writes about digital identity, privacy, and more on his blog.
39. Identity Woman. Social issues surrounding online digital identity are the focus of Kaliya Hamlin’s blog.
40. Adventures of an Eternal Optimist. Digital identity, privacy, and more are the topics discussed here.

Law and Policies

These lawyers and organizations all blog about privacy law and policies.

41. Privacy Law Blog. Security breaches, privacy law issues, and more are the focus of this blog from Proskauer Rose, LLP.
42. Burton Group Identity and Privacy. Burton Group reports news and offers opinions on the state of privacy policy and issues.
43. Privacy and Security Law Blog. Medical records, cybercrime, and other privacy issues get attention on this legal blog.
44. Privacy and Information Security Law Blog. Global privacy law issues, especially as they pertain to the cyberworld, are featured here.
45. Privacy Spot. The law firm of Hughes & Luce, LLP blog about data protection and privacy law.
46. beSpacific. This law and technology blog frequently discusses topics such as government, cybercrime, and the Internet.
47. Think Progress. Advancing progressive ideas and politics are the mission of this blog where you can find topics including privacy, immigration, and security.
48. In General Counsel. This right-leaning legal analyst discusses issues of security, politics, and more from a legal perspective.
49. Gregory S. McNeal. This law professor writes on such topics as counterterrorism, national security, and criminal law.
50. Privacy Law & Policy. Privacy rights, open government, and cybercrime are the topics on this blog.

10 Shocking Facts About Modern-Day Pirates

Posted by Site Administrator on 05/27/2009 | 0 Comments

By Megan Jones

In April, when Somali pirates captured the MV Maersk Alabama and kidnapped the captain of the ship for four days, the news shocked many. While earlier reports of piracy may have made the news, they did not capture the public’s attention in the same way that this incident did. The fact is that piracy is not just a legend from days long past, but is a dangerous trend that is actually on the upswing and for the past few years. Read the following facts to discover what you might not know about modern-day pirates.

1. Weapons used. Many modern pirates have heavy-duty firepower, including automatic weapons, mortars, and rocket-propelled grenades. Pirates are also often equipped with cell phones and other tech gadgets to keep in contact with organizers who feed them information about ships and their locations. Many pirates’ weapons are specialized to their geographic location, with the most dangerous usually being in the South China Sea and Somalia.
2. Geographic occurrences. With the recent news about the pirate capture off Somalia, it may appear to some that modern pirates are isolated to this geographic area. While the political upheaval in Somalia does provide an ideal, lawless hideout for pirates, the fact is pirates are often found in many places around the globe. Some areas most frequented by pirates include the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the waters of Indonesia and Singapore.
3. Financial loss. The estimated annual loss due to piracy worldwide is about $13 to $16 billion. Unfortunately, most carriers decide not to report piracy incidents due to the financial burden. When an incident of piracy is reported, ship owners experience insurance rates that can increase by as much as 30% as well as the daily loss incurred during an investigation that can often run about $1000 a day.
4. Ties to government and organized crime. Many modern pirates have ties to the government and organized crime, such as the pirates in Somalia and the Far East, with some pirates in the South China Sea reportedly working under the protection of the Chinese government. Other pirates take advantage of a lack of government involvement, such as the pirates near Brazil, where there is no Coast Guard or its equivalent.
5. Anchored ships vs. high seas kidnapping. Pirates boarding ships at sea and kidnapping the crew have been making the news but an older report suggests that 72% of pirate attacks occur on anchored ships where the pirates either steal the ships or take cargo and crew members’ belongings. Recent trends show that kidnapping the crew in order to get ransom money is on the rise, as pirates cannot only profit from the ransom but stolen goods as well.
6. High ransom. When kidnapping is involved, ship owners sometimes must pay high ransom prices to help their kidnapped crew. Ransoms average around $120,000. Some owners will hire security organizations to escort their ships, at costs of around $120,000 per trip to avoid the high ransom payments, danger to their crew, and potential loss of the ship and its cargo.
7. Frequency. Piracy is a frequent activity happening much more often than what makes the news. Take a look at the Live Piracy Report and the Live Piracy Map at the ICC Commercial Crime Services and you will see that reported piracy incidents are currently occurring at about 20-30 per month. While not all incidents result in kidnapping or theft, many do.
8. Environmental pirates. Not all pirates use lethal weapons and are seeking riches. Some pirates, such as those in the group Sea Shepherd, are known to ram ships, throw rancid butter on their decks, or even sink ships in an attempt to disrupt their activities. Usually target ships are participating in whaling or fishing that harms other marine wildlife such as dolphins, seals, and sea turtles.
9. Little deterrent. Due to the current legal situation, most pirates who are captured are merely questioned and released. Unfortunately, there are almost no laws against modern pirates. Local laws pertain specifically to citizens and may not apply to pirates, and finding witnesses and translators can be difficult once pirates are detained. Additionally, many countries do not want to take on the expense of imprisoning pirates, so they are often returned to their life of piracy–complete with few deterrents to slow them down.
10. Help from London. London, the world headquarters of shipbroking and insurance, is also likely a hub for intelligence that is sent to Somali pirates. It is thought that at least one of the known pirate groups has "consultants" in London sending information to the pirates that include the layout of the ships, cargo, and routes. With this much information, the pirates have plenty of time and ability to carefully plan their attack so that the ships have little defense.

50 Terrific Social Sites for Law Students and Lawyers

Posted by Site Administrator on 04/21/2009 | 0 Comments

Law school and law firms sponsor their own networking events and aim to connect legal professionals for the sake of recruitment, collaboration and more. But to compete with the top lawyers and graduates, you’ll need to venture out on your own, too. These social sites can help you find jobs, interact with clients and build cases, all online.

Information Gathering

Thanks to social media sites, lawyers can enjoy unique access to people’s records and evidence through Facebook and other sites. This list of social networks are great for information gathering.

1. MySpace: Find incriminating photos and more on MySpace.
2. Facebook: Facebook is a popular site for members to put up photos of partying and other scandalous behavior.
3. Flickr: Find hard evidence through pictures on Flickr accounts.
4. LinkedIn: Confirm professional and social relationships by exploring a client’s LinkedIn profile.
5. Cake Financial: Find out information about someone’s accounts and investments on this site.
6. YouTube: Browse YouTube for videos of your clients or others caught in compromising situations.
7. Meetup: Find out where someone is going to be at a designated time by following them on Meetup, a social site that helps groups organize meetings in real life.
8. Geni: Use this social network for organizing family trees and genealogy records to confirm family ties.
9. OUTeverywhere: OUTeverywhere is a social networking site for gay dating and more.
10. Vimeo: Vimeo is another video sharing site that may prove useful to your research.

Networking and Jobs

Use these social sites for networking and job searching, as well as making friends.

11. Attorneys Online: Here you can take advantage of the Lawyer to Lawyer Referral Service for networking and more.
12. Twitter: Keep in touch with lots of colleagues and friends by sending out one single message to everyone.
13. Ryze: Ryze is a professional networking site that thrives on making business contacts.
14. Law.com: Check out the lawyer blogs and law jobs center on this site for networking purposes.
15. Counsel.net: This network features a chatboard, forums, and more resources for lawyers, law students and other legal professionals.
16. American Bar Associations: ABA members have access to an events calendar, career resources, discussion groups, a member directory, and other benefits through the website.
17. International Lawyers Network: Access contact lists and more for lawyers around the world.
18. Legal OnRamp: This invite-only network provides legal professionals with web services, like blogs, wikis, profiles and more.
19. MyPractice: Catch up on legal news, events and issues through this social network that lets you build your own profile and make connections.
20. LawLink: Join groups, chat on the forums, pose questions and learn about other attorneys in your field and beyond.
21. Law Marketing: This "national business network for the legal industry" features a forum, events calendar, profiles, blogs, notes, videos and more.
22. Avvo: The public uses this directory to find lawyers, so make sure you’re included in the network.

Sharing

Share news stories and collaborate on special social sites to work on your cases and contribute to the industry here.

23. Above the Law: This law news and gossip blog features a community for lawyers and legal professionals who want to discuss jobs, cases and other issues.
24. ESQChat: Here you can connect with other attorneys to share news, blog, ask questions and more.
25. MarkaBoo: Easily bookmark from e-mail, browser and your phone with this social bookmarking site, which also lets you host online study groups, share videos and create your own blog or podcast.
26. Ning: Create a social group online for the people you’re working with on a specific case. You can share information and ideas easily.
27. Memotoo: Organize your case information on this site, where it can be seen by colleagues.
28. Digg: Digg is one of the most popular social bookmarking sites and can be a great place to share news and research.
29. Google Groups: Google Groups is another place for you to set up a private place online to collaborate and share information.
30. Mixx: Lawyers in all areas of expertise, including sports, entertainment, science and health law can share news and stay on top of industry trends here.
31. Uloop: Law students and college students use this site to sell books and more.
32. Justia.com: Find the best law stories and groups online using Justia.com.

Forums

Visit these legal forums to meet others in your profession or share your advice.

33. LawVibe.com: Stay current on the law issues that people around the world are talking about.
34. The Attorneys Forum: Threads here include topics like bankruptcy, accident and injuries, financial law, and more.
35. Court Forum: Ask questions and submit feedback on feeds that deal with cyber law, corporate law, employment law, civil suits and more.
36. FreeAdvice: Build up your reputation and make contacts by giving free advice on this forum.
37. The Law: Access legal tools and network on the law forums.
38. The Frugal Law Student Forums: This popular site also features a forum for law students, where issues like productivity, personal finance and other topics are discussed.

Miscellaneous

From law student networking to more job connections, these social sites are worth checking out.

39. PivotalDiscovery.com: This network features a career portal, videos and more, for "e-discovery and litigation professionals."
40. lawyrs: lawyrs is a small networking group that lets members join groups and find law firms.
41. Advanced Advocates: Law students connect on this social site to find jobs, discuss issues, and more.
42. HubPages: Market your skills by becoming an expert the public turns to when you write articles on HubPages.
43. WSJ Law Blog: The Law Blog on wsj.com is more than just a blog. Readers, legal professionals and others frequently use the site to comment, discuss issues, network and more.
44. TweetLaw: This Twitter service is for legal professionals who want to narrow down their networking opportunities.
45. JDDiversity: This organization is devoted to promoting diversity in the legal community. Use the site to access blogs, participate in discussions, learn about special events, and more.
46. LegalBirds: Find legal professionals on Twitter by first networking on this site.
47. U.S. Law Blog Directory: Quickly find blog posts and discussions relating to various legal topics here.
48. LexTweet: Use this directory and community to find legal professionals on Twitter.
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10 Most Hilarious Crimes in Celebrity History

Posted by Site Administrator on 04/19/2009 | 0 Comments

By Kelsey Allen

Celebrities are known for their looks, wealth, homes, vacations and of course talent. But with all of the money and access comes a darker side that some celebs have a hard time avoiding. From drunk shopping escapades to quick affairs with prostitutes, these are some of the most hilarious crimes in celebrity history.

1. 
   Shia LaBeouf: Before Shia LaBeouf was arrested for drunk driving in the summer of 2008, he had a less dangerous, more humorous altercation at a Walgreens in Chicago. In November 2007, the Transformers star headed to a Walgreens store for pimple cream and cigarettes, after a night of drinking. After his first trip to the store, however, the intoxicated LaBeouf realized that he had forgotten the cigarettes, so he changed clothes (as part of a disguise) and returned to the store. He bought gummy bears but again forgot to buy cigarettes. LaBeouf went back to Walgreens a third time, wearing a new hoodie, and told the clerk "Well, buddy, it’s your worst nightmare" after the clerk teased him for changing so many times. Ultimately, LaBeouf was arrested for trespassing and refusing to leave the store, but the case was dropped.
2. 
   Charles Barkley: Rushing to the hospital is a common excuse for speeders who are caught by the police, but Charles Barkley revealed a little too much of the truth when he was pulled over for passing a stop sign. The basketball player and sports commentator told the police officer that he was in a rush because he was hurrying to drive around the corner and get a blow job. The police officer also notes that Barkley told him that the same woman who accompanied him had given him a blow job "one week earlier," and said "it was the best one [Barkley] had ever had in his life." That night, Barkley was arrested for drunk driving.
3. 
   Hugh Grant: British actor Hugh Grant is still considered a romantic comedy star and an A-list celebrity, but in 1995 he was famously arrested for misdemeanor lewd conduct in a public place with a prostitute. The scandal occurred just before Grant’s first major film release, but instead of damaging his career, Grant’s attitude toward the arrest helped amp up his image. He surprised the industry and the public by refusing to make excuses for himself and simply stating, "I think you know in life what’s a good thing to do and what’s a bad thing, and I did a bad thing. And there you have it."
4. 
   Kid Rock: Musician Kid Rock has earned five Grammy nominations, but he’s also accumulated a string of arrests, mostly stemming from his feud with Tommy Lee. When Kid Rock began dating Lee’s ex-wife Pamela Anderson, he called Lee in jail to tell him the news. After a few years of almost-fights between the two musicians, Pamela Anderson divorced Kid Rock and began dating Tommy Lee again. At the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, Tommy Lee stole Kid Rock’s seat when he went to the bathroom. When he returned, Kid Rock slapped Lee in the face and then punched him, sort of like you do in elementary school.
5. 
   George Michael: George Michael enjoyed a successful pop career in the 1980s and 1990s as part of the pop duo Wham! and as a solo artist. But his sexuality and public image were questioned in 1998 when he was arrested in Los Angeles as part of a sting operation that resulted in Michael’s "engaging in a lewd act" in a public restroom. The undercover police officer "started playing this game," Michael explained, "which I think is called, "I’ll show you mine, you show me yours," which ultimately resulted in his arrest.
6. 
   Nikki Blonsky: Long Island actress Nikki Blonsky became a became a national sweetheart when she won the role of Tracy Turnblad in the film version of Hairspray in 2007. The smiling, giggly twenty-year-old was even nominated for a Golden Globe and appeared on several talk shows to discuss her success, but in 2008, she and her father were arrested at the Providenciales International Airport in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Blonsky and her father were accused of starting a fight with America’s Next Top Model alum Bianca Golden and her family, during which Golden’s mother was injured and Golden claimed that Blonsky sat on her. Blonsky was charged with, and later cleared of, causing actual bodily harm, and her father was charged with assault and causing grievous bodily harm.
7. 
   Winona Ryder: Actress Winona Ryder was one of the most popular, most successful movie stars in the 1990s, appearing in films like Edward Scissorhands, Beetle Juice, Mermaids, Little Women, The Age of Innocence, and Reality Bites. When her career started to lose its spark in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ryder made headlines for her shoplifting arrest. In December 2001, she was arrested in a Beverly Hills Saks Fifth Avenue for shoplifting $4,760 worth of items. She was charged with grand theft and for illegal possession of prescription drugs, though her attorney insisted that Ryder was not under the influence of the painkillers at the time. One year later, Ryder was sentenced to three years’ probation, 480 hours of community service, $3,700 in fines, and $6,355 in rest
8. 
   Eddie Murphy: Comedian and actor Eddie Murphy was a favorite on Saturday Night Live and has appeared in successful films like Beverly Hills Cop and Dreamgirls, for which he won the Screen Actors Guild for Actor in a Supporting Role. But during a gap in his career, Murphy was involved in a scandal that involved a cross-dressing prostitute. In 1997, Murphy was pulled over by police, and the prostitute was ultimately arrested on charges from another warrant.
9. 
   Kelly Osbourne: Kelly Osbourne stood up for her fiance’s reputation and subsequently was arrested. Zoe Griffin, a celebrity journalist from the UK publication The Mirror, allegedly "reported that Osbourne’s fiance, Luke Worrall, did not know how an earthquake occurred," according to Wikipedia. In 2008, Osbourne allegedly slapped Griffin for her comment and was arrested for assault in January 2009.
10. 
    Boy George: In the 1980s, Boy George was an English icon and international celebrity, famous for his unique musical style and dress code. Currently, Boy George continues to write songs and release albums, but no longer enjoys the same celebrity status. In fact, his public image has been tarnished by a recent, disturbing arrest that involved Boy George and a male escort. In 2007, Boy George, after taking cocaine, became paranoid that the escort had hacked into his computer. George handcuffed the escort to the wall and beat him "with all sorts of sex toys and chains," reports Hollyscoop. In January 2009, Boy George was sentenced to 15 months in jail.