Financial institution robberies prompted by Hollywood film

Two geared up robbers dressed as nuns jumped a teller counter in an Ill. financial institution last Sunday. The thieves made off with an undisclosed quantity of cash. The robbery was shockingly similar to last year’s critically acclaimed Ben Affleck film, “The Town.”

Shots not fired during escape

”The Town” style burglary was most recently at the TCF bank. This financial institution is in Palos Heights, Ill. The two thieves, one male and one female, wore rubber masks and traditional nuns’ habits. They were both geared up. They had handguns to them. They stuffed a duffel bag with cash while at the financial institution and before leaving. They left in a Chevrolet with tinted windows. No shots were fired and nobody was hurt.

Looks like Ben Affleck’s movie

There is a town in Boston where armed criminals regularly come from. That is what occurs in Ben Affleck’s “The Town.” Affleck does what he is intended to as the male. He doesn’t like it very much though. In the movie, the burglary uses nun masks and habits also. This is just like Illinois’ burglary. Although no confirmation exists, it is apparent that the robbers might have been inspired by the movie.

Not the first thievery prompted by ‘The Town’

The Affleck movie was imitated before. There were three men wearing Halloween masks in Financial institution of The United States in Delray Beach, Fla., robbing the financial institution on January 4, including 29 year old Lee Lubin, 27 year old Eddie Solomon, and 28 year old Kay Daughin. As robbers stole $67,000 in cash, the bank consumers had to lie on their backs. They fled in a waiting Cadillac, followed by law enforcement and news helicopters. Local Television stations followed and covered them really well. All three men were apprehended within a few hours.

Lubin even said that watching “The Town” gave the men the idea for the burglary.

Articles cited

Pop Eater

popeater.com/2011/06/02/ben-affleck-the-town-chicago-bank-robbery/

Mail OnlineM

dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1344758/Three-men-dress-Halloween-masks-rob-bank-Florida-inspired-Ben-Affleck-film-The-Town.html

WPBF

wpbf.com/news/26381238/detail.html

‘The Town’ trailer

youtube.com/watch?v=QQ7wcayQQLQ

Not seeing Phil Ivey in the World Series of Poker competition he is definitely anticipated in

Big time pro poker gambler Phil Ivey is definitely boycotting the WSOP at the moment, claims Big Lead Sports. According to Ivey’s allegation in the courtroom, his and WSPO partner Full Tilt Poker has yet to give back online poker player money long after the United States government shut down online poker houses. The case claims that over $150 million in consumer funds is still in Full Tilt parent business Tiltware, LLC’s possession.

What Full Tilt did make Ivey feel ‘deeply disappointed’

On his Facebook page, Phil Ivey argued that Full Tilt’s actions aren’t only embarrassing, however they create economic hardship for experienced poker players who now cannot participate in buy-in tournaments to further their reputation.

“I am not playing in the world Series of Poker, as I do not believe it is fair that I compete when others cannot,” writes Ivey. “I am doing everything I can to seek a solution to the problem as quickly as possible.”

Needing to get Phil Ivey’s reputation back

Ivey thinks that his reputation has been damaged in the past few months since he has been closely associated with Full Tilt and the company hasn’t done anything. Ivey had to think of something he could do. He is going decided to sue Full Tilt Poker’s founder, Tiltware, LLC. Ivey made a Facebook statement about the team that said:

“I sincerely hope this statement will ignite those capable of resolving the problems into instant action… I will dedicate the entirety of my time and efforts to finding a solution for those who have been wronged by the painfully slow process of repayment.”

Full Tilt’s company accounts do not exist

A major allegation Ivey levies against Tiltware is definitely that Full Tilt Poker did not maintain a financial institution reserve account through which money could quickly be refunded to players. Just like banks invest money deposited into them, online poker sites invest the money deposited into them. Full Tilt does this as well, states International Business Times.

This is definitely something federal regulators know and have laws about. Individual banks and online gambling sites have to follow these reserve laws. It appears that Full Tilt is definitely either unwilling or unable to refund all the consumer money at once. Putting your money into one of these websites could be a dangerous thing to do. This is definitely because the gambling websites don’t generally have the FDIC insurance banks do and would never get a tax bailout. The government would have to open the nation’s wallet for players to get their money back.

Information from

Big Lead Sports

thebiglead.com/index.php/2011/06/01/phil-ivey-is-boycotting-the-world-series-of-poker/

Casino Scam Report

bit.ly/loVhfI

International Business Times

bit.ly/mR3mMV

Wall Street Journal

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704628404576265060852516194.html

Unfastened nuts in power steering results in Toyota Prius recall

An error in the power steering system has resulted in a Toyota Prius recall that pertains to every Prius made until 2003, including the first to be made on the assembly line. Nuts that secure the power steering system can come loose over time. The cars’ steering can become almost unmanageable if unchecked.

First Prius ever made affected in recall

MSNBC states that Toyota Motor Company issued a recall for the Toyota Prius Hybrid because of some troubles with the power steering system. In the past couple of years, Toyota has dealt with a ton of different recalls. The recall effects every Prius made from 1997 to 2003. In just Japan, there are 48,000 automobiles being affected. These were all made from 1997 to 2003. Automobiles from 2001 to 2003 are impacted in the rest of the world. That is because Prius didn’t sell the automobiles worldwide until 2001. Without counting Japan, there are 58,000 vehicles impacted. They’re all from those model years. About 1,800 of those cars are in the UK, 52,000 in the United States and 800 in Germany. There will be a total of about 106,000 cars recalled. That’s lots of vehicles that need fixing.

All Prius automobiles will be fixed for free

According to AutoWeek, there are low-quality nuts in the power steering structure. This has caused the Prius recall. The steering and left turns can be very hard to do if the nuts get loose with wear that secure the pinion shaft to the steering gear box. This loosening occurs whenever the wheel is turned many times to the full lock position, reports MotorTrend. This is likely to take place over the lifetime of a vehicle though. About four hours are needed for new nuts that won’t loosen to be installed. It will be done for free in all Prius cars. There has been only one accident, according to USA Today, and it was minor. In August 2007 in Japan, the first complaint was made. There were 28 more complaints in Japan and one in the U.S. This brought on the issue to be dealt with.

Toyota to get back on track

Toyota has announced that it expects to be returning to full production capacity soon. Toyota’s production facilities in Japan, along with other Japanese auto manufacturers, were severely affected as a result of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan earlier this year. Toyota plans to recuperate faster than at first though. This is after the March 11 catastrophe occurred. Toyota’s operations in Japan are anticipated to return to 90 percent pre-earthquake capacity nearly instantly. Global operations in Thailand, China and Europe are expected to be at 100 percent capacity this month. Toyota is jumping on this recall as early as possible. The car maker has been publicly rocked by the massive Toyota recalls in the last two years that resulted in more than 14 million cars being recalled.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su5V4I2kwQI

Information from

MSNBC

msnbc.msn.com/id/43235940/ns/business-autos/

Auto Week

autoweek.com/article/20110601/CARNEWS/110609999

MotorTrend

wot.motortrend.com/toyota-recalls-2001-2003-prius-steering-defect-82679.html

USA Today

content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/06/toyota-recalls-52000-prius-models-in-us-after-report-of-single-accident-/1?loc=interstitialskip

Mayor in Portland thinks city staff deserves sex change insurance coverage

If you are a Portland, Ore., community employee and are considering sex change operation, Mayor Sam Adams is in your corner, reports Portland Online. Adams has proposed regulation that would persuade community health insurance to cover the high price of the treatment for transgender employees. The Portland City Council is expected to vote on Adams’ proposition as early as June.

Adams states ‘Fair, common sense’

Mayor Adams told The Oregonian newspaper that the transgender operation bill amounts to “fair, common sense.” If the legislation makes its way into law, it would override the previous year’s area committee decision to veto gender change surgery coverage out of Portland’s self-insurance fund. The denial ended up happening. This was as the community didn’t decide entirely to change area policy like this.

According to Adams’ estimates, transgender surgery benefits for Portland city employees would cost around $32,000 per year. The estimated increase to the city’s self-insurance plan spending budget would be approximately .08 percent.

The ‘medically necessary’ things are covered

The American Medical Association made a decision in 2008. It decided that transgender health care is “medically important.” It is not allowed to withhold coverage for a treatment of gender identity disorder if a doctor prescribes it, with the AMA resolution.

“As Mayor, it is important to me that we attract and retain the best and brightest employees to the City of Portland,” writes Adams in a press statement. “Covering basic, medically-necessary care is a matter of fairness, and it’s the right thing to do.”

Choosing an insurance

Currently, the City of Portland provides two health insurance choices to its employees: insurance through Kaiser or a self-insurance plan called CityCore. Adams’ suggestion would make Portland much more like the companies in Oregon surrounding it and like 22 percent of Fortune 100 Companies. This is because CityCore would cover gender change surgery.

It all started in San Francisco

In 2001, San Francisco became the first United States city to offer transgender operation benefits. Sex change operations and hormone treatments were available to community employees after a bill was passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and then-Mayor Willie Brown.

At that time, male-to-female operation cost $37,000, while the reverse cost $77,000. City employees had to pay 15 percent if the surgeon was on the area health plan with the San Francisco ordinance. The fees capped at $50,000 per person for life though.

Watch the video of the same-sex marriage rally with Portland Mayor Sam Adams

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BMPgHIrjKA

Articles cited

Basic Rights Oregon

basicrights.org/

OregonLive.com

blog.oregonlive.com/portlandcityhall/2011/05/mayor_sam_adams_to_push_sex-ch.html

Portland Online

portlandonline.com/mayor/?a=350579&c=49278

SF Gate

sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/02/16/MN202072.DTL

Arlington Cemetery Memorial Day protest of Westboro Baptists protested by the KKK

A sorrowful Memorial Day 2011 at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia was disrupted by an unlikely pairing of counter-protesters, states CNN. Just a couple hours before President Obama was to lead nationwide observances at the Tomb of the Unknowns, participants in the Westboro Baptist Church and Ku Klux Klan exchanged words of conflict and caution. No incidents of violence or arrests were reported.

KKK object to Westboro anti-gay protests

The Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., has stolen national attention with its angry demonstrations against the homosexual community and the United States military’s supposed connection. Under the direction of Pastor Fred Phelps and his daughter Abigail, church members parade outside military funerals, sporting anti-gay signs that condemn the souls of dead soldiers to hell.

A group of 10 individuals at Arlington in representation of the Knights of the Southern Cross, or Soldiers of the Ku Klux Klan, do not like the Baptists though. A group of Ku Klux Klan members gathered near the Westboro Baptists and tried to drown them out with American flags and a banner that read "POW-MIA" for all who could see it.

According to Imperial Wizard Dennis LaBonte, who was present at the demonstration, the KKK was assembled to protest Fred Phelps’ anti-troop message.

“It’s the soldier that fought and died and gave them that right to free speech,” said LaBonte.

No Caucasian power in scripture

CNN spoke with Abigail Phelps who said that since there is no reference to white power in the Bible, the Westboro Baptists recognize no authority in the KKK. Those for the KKK for instance LaBonte say that they are just taking care of the Caucasian race rather than being racist. Meanwhile, the Westboro Baptists cling to their war against homosexuality and the United States military complex (illustrated by hateful slogans like "God hates fags" and "Thank God for dead soldiers").

The price of freedom

There was a United States Supreme Court ruling that allowed the Westboro Baptists to protest at military funerals with First Amendment protections. They do have to stay a distance away though. The Ku Klux Klan has the same rules to follow. So long as physical violence or direct violations of the law are not involved, such organizations can protest as often as they like.

Articles cited

Arlington National Cemetery

arlingtoncemetery.mil/

CNN

cnn.com/2011/US/05/30/arlington.cemetery.protesters/index.html

New York Daily News

nydn.us/mK3Aku

Getting ahead with car headlights

Few drivers take the time to consider anything about their headlights than whether they turn on. The story and technology behind them is interesting. If you know how your headlights accomplish the task, you’ll be able to maintain them more effectively and perhaps keep away from that moose or angry drifter in the road.

In the beginning

Either kerosene or acetylene was used over a century ago for headlamps. Small electric bulbs in a reflector/lens casing were then used after that. The lights would dim quickly from corrosion since insulation in old bulbs was a problem. Another problem with these lights -before the corrosion took its toll – was their intensity resembled constant high beams that blinded oncoming traffic, so the U.S. government made them illegal in 1941.

Other choices for light

Standard household light bulbs seemed to be comparable to Tungsten filament bulbs. Then there were high and low beam lights. These showed up in the 1920s. Brightness and overall beam control were inconsistent, which is not surprising, considering the bulbs were cheaply made. Quartz-iodine technology exchanged sealed-beam lights by 1973.

The next move

The standard headlight used today is the Quartz-Iodine (QI). The bulb is pretty much tiny. It is better protected too with the sealing materials we have today. The filament burns much hotter producing brighter light. This is because quartz glass can withstand very hot temperatures. When a QI bulb is changed, headlamps do not need re-aiming to happen. Modern filaments make this possible.

Trying out HD bulbs

High-intensity-discharge bulbs (HIDs) ditch the tungsten filament in exchange for a high-voltage arc that resembles a miniature lightning run. Getting on the HID light takes just a little bit far more energy. Keeping it on is much less energy than a QI though. Most observers claim an HID produces a crisper beam, but because they take a moment to reach full intensity, high-beams on HIDs could be problematic, particularly in emergency situations. For this reason, some modify HID arrays with QI bulbs for the high beams, but this can be prohibitively expensive.

Bulbs that shine like crazy

Taillights already use LED (light-emitting diode) lights, but they aren’t standard for headlamps yet. Popular Mechanics states that there is only one automobile where they’re standard. That is the Audi A8. Light in weight, vibration-resistant, bright and power-efficient, LEDs light up faster than a standard QI bulb, providing quicker warning that could be seen at greater distance.

If you don’t own an Audi A8 and want to experience LED car headlights now, there are DIY opportunities available, for instance the one described at the Instructables website. Keep in mind that because LEDs use so little power, conventional turn signal switches are not compatible. In order to get the right current going, you’ll need to switch them out.

Citations

Instructables

instructables.com/id/DIY-LED-car-headlights!/

Popular Mechanics

popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/maintenance/how-your-headlights-work

An inside look at LED headlights

youtube.com/watch?v=wSkQ4h-sFiY