Attorney Charles Ware's Blog: July 2012

Friday, July 27, 2012

CHARLES WARE, Attorney & Counsellor: MARTINDALE-HUBBELL REVIEW

Charles Jerome Ware, Esquire

Charles Jerome Ware, P.A., Attorneys & Counsellors

One ThousandCentury PlazaBuilding

10630 Little Patuxent Parkway

Suite 113

Columbia, Maryland 21044-2104

PH: (410) 730-5016

FAX: (410) 730-7603

EMAIL: CHARLESJEROMEWARE@MSN.COM

WEB: WWW.CHARLESJEROMEWARE.COM

Personal Injury. Medical Malpractice. Criminal Defense. Civil Litigation.

Class Action Lawsuits. Antitrust. Corporate Law. Family Law. Entertainment Law.

Immigration Law. DWI/Traffic. Estate Planning. Elder Law.

http://charlesware.blogspot.com/

http://thelawyersmailbox.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CharlesJWare

http://open.salon.com/blog/charlesjware

CHARLES JEROME WARE is the consummate trial attorney. He litigates on both the state and federal levels throughout the United Statesevery year: including Maryland, Washington, DC, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, Georgia,Alabama, Kentucky, et al. Education: Talladega College (B.A., With Honors, 1970); Howard UniversitySchool of Law (J.D., With Distinction, 1975). Experience: Staff Member, U.S.Senate, 1973-1975. In-House Legal Counsel, Lecturer and Writer, BostonUniversity, 1975. Assistant Director, Lecturer and Writer, Boston CollegeLaw School, 1976. Trial Attorney, U.S. Justice Department, 1979-1982. U.S. Immigration Judge, 1980. Special Assistant

United States

Attorney, Eastern District of Virginia, 1982-1984. Special Counsel, Federal Trade Commission, 1983-1986. General Counsel for the Maryland State Conference of the NAACP, 1988-1994. Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Saint Paul’s College, Lawrenceville, Virginia, 1986-1987. Member:Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland State and American Bar Associations; the Supreme Court of the United States; The District of Columbia Bar; U.S. District Court of Maryland; U.S. District Court of DC; U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia; Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals; National Bar Association; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; Maryland Trial Lawyers Association; American Inns of Court; Founder and President, The William Monroe Trotter Political Research Institute; Co-Founder and President, The Maryland Elder Abuse Hotline; Co-Creator and Host, “The Lawyer’s Mailbox” Radio Program, WEAA-FM Radio. Some Major Clients include: AFRAC Industries; former mayor of Atlanta/U.S. Congressman/United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young, II; former Boston Celtic Sam Jones; the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Sir Speedy, Inc.; The Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association; actor Danny Glover; Dr. Deepak Chopra, M.D.; Washington Metropolitan Airport Authority (WMAA); entertainer Vanity; professional announcer Michael Buffer; late Marvin Gaye’s wife Sherrill Gaye. Some Major Cases include: Hall, et al. vs Burger King, $750 million class action discrimination and antitrust lawsuit; Andrew Jackson Young III vs District of Columbia, et al., police brutality lawsuit; Blackmon-Malloy v. United States Capitol Police Board, class action discrimination lawsuit; Terrence Johnson vs State of Maryland, petition for writ of habeas corpus lawsuit; Cheryle Adams vs All-State Insurance, et al, automobile and pedestrian personal injury lawsuit. Awards: Charles Hamilton Houston Award for Outstanding Trial Advocacy, by the Minority Business EnterpriseLegal Defense and Education Fund, Inc., 1989; Chief Justice Earl Warren Legal Scholar. Lecturer: Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA), the California Bar, the Maryland Bar, the Florida Bar, the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), the National Bar Association, the American Bar Association, Harvard Law School, Oxford University in England, the University of London in England.

MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE VERDICTS: BEST ATTORNEYS AND COUNSELLORS

A cursory survey of medical negligence verdicts nationwide from Attorney Charles Jerome Ware and his national law firm, based in Columbia, Howard County, Maryland. Attorney Charles Jerome Ware is recognized as "one of the best attorneys and counsellors in the United States" [July 25, 2012]:

(1) $2.5 Million Verdict:

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE – ONCOLOGY – MISDIAGNOSIS OF "BORDERLINE" OVARIAN TUMOR – UNNECESSARY OOPHERECTOMY – THREE ROUNDS OF UNNECESSARY CHEMOTHERAPY – SEVERE "CHEMO BRAIN" DETERIORATION OF COGNITIVE ABILITIES.

This was a medical malpractice action in which the plaintiff contended that the defendant oncologist negligently misdiagnosed an ovarian tumor as adenocarcinoma when, in fact, the plaintiff suffered a "borderline" tumor or a "tumor of low malignant potential." The plaintiff maintained that chemotherapy would provide no benefit when addressing a borderline tumor and that the Defendant was negligent. (New York)

(2) Over $1.0 Million Recovery:

Medical Malpractice - Hospital Negligence - Failure to timely diagnose and treat bowel perforation - Cardiac Arrest - Wrongful death of 40-year-old following ovarian cyst removal surgery.

In this medical malpractice matter, the plaintiff alleged that the defendant was negligent in failing to recognize and timely treat a bowel perforation, a known complication of the ovarian cyst removal procedure that the plaintiff's decedent underwent. As a result of the failure to timely diagnose and treat, the plaintiff's decedent suffered cardiac arrest and brain death. (Illinois)

(3) $100,000 Verdict:

Medical Negligence - After a hysterectomy, the surgeon left a gauze sponge inside his patient, who then suffered infection and pelvic pain for three months before the sponge was discovered and removed.

On 1-13-09, the plaintiff, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, was also suffering from severe pelvic pain. She visited the defendant, an obstetrician/gynecologist in Selma, to see what the problem was. The defendant diagnosed her with a fibroid uterus and ovarian cysts and determined she needed surgery.

The plaintiff’s transvaginal hysterectomy was promptly scheduled, and she was admitted for the surgery in which the surgeon left a gauze sponge inside her. (Texas)

(4) #100,000 Verdict: Medical Negligence. The Plaintiff's ureter was injured during a laparoscopic surgery. Her OB-Gyn explained the injury represented a surgical complication.

The plaintiff underwent a laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy on 5-11-06. It was performed by the defendant Ob-Gyn at Skyridge Medical Center in Cleveland. It was designed to relieve the plaintiff’s ongoing pain that was caused by ovarian cysts.

The surgery appeared uneventful. Four days later the plaintiff reported to the defendant that she was nauseous. Eventually it was proven that negligent surgery caused the additional injury to the PLaintiff. (Illinois)

(5) $500,000

ARBITRATION AWARD: Medical malpractice - Surgery - Foreign Object - Surgical clip destroys Plaintiff's kidney after ten years - Severe hydronephrosis of kidney.

In this medical malpractice matter, the plaintiff alleged that the defendant surgeon was negligent in leaving a surgical clip behind when the surgeon performed the surgery. As a result, the plaintiff began to experience left sided pain which disclosed hydonephrosis of her kidney. The defendant denied negligence and causation. (Massachusetts)

(6) $100,000

VERDICT: Medical Malpractice - Ob/gyn - Alleged failure to diagnose ovarian mass - Surgical removal of ovary and appendix - Supposed reduction in fertility.

In this obstetrical malpractice action, the plaintiff alleged the defendant negligently failed to appreciate a large right ovarian dermoid cyst during a routine gynecological exam, necessitating a major salpingo-oophorectomy and appendectomy, rather than a minor laparoscopic procedure had the cyst been diagnosed at the earlier time. The plaintiff also claimed substantial internal injuries. (New York)

(7) $100,000

VERDICT: MEDICAL MALPRACTICE - RADIOLOGY - HOSPITAL NEGLIGENCE - FAILURE TO TIMELY INTERPRET SMALL BOWEL STUDY - BOWEL LEAK FOLLOWING SURGERY - CHEMICAL AND BACTERIAL PERITONITIS - ABDOMINAL HERNIA - DISFIGURING SCARRING.

The female plaintiff, a 65-year old woman, underwent surgery to remove an ovarian cyst in January 2009. During the surgery, the plaintiff suffered a bowel leak. There was a ten day delay in diagnosing the bowel leak despite repeated diagnostic imaging studies that were taken at the defendant hospital and interpreted by its radiologists. (Michigan)

(8) $1.0 Million

RECOVERY: Medical malpractice - OB/gyn - Negligent excision of colonic divitcula instead of intended laparoscopic ovary removal - Sepsis - Moderate abdominal scarring - Psychiatric overlay.

The 54-yea old plaintiff, who had a history of vaginal bleeding, and who was a candidate for an ovarian biopsy after an appropriately ordered ultrasound showed a complex cyst in the right ovary, contended that the defendant ob/gyn, who performed a lapaoscopic procedure, negligently excised a portion of the colon, rather than the ovary. The tissue was no submitted for a frozen sectional analysis as is standard procedure. (California)

(9) $100,000

Verdict on liability: Medical Negligence - The plaintiff blamed a family doctor (at an urgent care center) for failing to make an appendicitis diagnosis.

The plaintiff was seen on 10-19-06 at an urgent care facility known as Winona Health for abdominal pain. An ovarian cyst was suspected. She returned to the clinic on 11-18-06 and was seen by the defendant family doctor. Another ultrasound was done and reviewing it with a radiologist, the defendant again suspected an ovarian cyst. The plaintiff was back on 11-27-06 with a fever and vomiting. Eventually, appendicitis was the diagnosis. (Minnesota)

(10) $1.0 Million

CONFIDENTIAL RECOVERY: Medical Malpractice - Ob/Gyn - Failure to diagnose ovarian cancer in a timely manner - Approximately on year delay in diagnosis of ovarian cancer in 49-year old woman.

In this medical malpractice matter, the plaintiff alleged that the defendant was negligent in failing to follow-up on her complaints of continued bleeding. The defendant denied the allegations and disputed that there was any deviation from acceptable standards of care. (Massachusetts)

[see for background on medical malpractice/negligence, Chapter Two ("Medical Malpractice 101", page 11, Legal Consumer Tips and Secrets, 2011, iUniverse Publishers, by Charles Jerome Ware; www.jvra.com/Verdict , 7/25/2012; www.zarins.com; www.umdnj.edu; www.JuryVerdictReview.com; medicalnegligencereporter.com]

Consejos de Inmigración:

(Libro) "Quince (15) Los Consejos Para Ganar Casos De Inmigración", por el ex juez de inmigración de Estados Unidos Charles Jerome Ware, iUniverse Editores (2011)

QUINCE (15) CONSEJOS PARA GANAR CASOS DE INMIGRACION

Extractos del libro más vendido de inmigración,

“LA PARADOJA DE LA INMIGRACION: Quince (15) Consejos para Ganar Casos de Inmigración”

Por

Abogado Charles Jerome Ware

WWW.CHARLESJEROMEWARE.COM

Ex Juez de Inmigración de Estados Unidos

Thursday, July 26, 2012

CHINA BUYS AFRICA: CHECKBOOK DIPLOMACY?

When it comes down to "checkbook diplomacy", China is outdoing the United States...in Africa at least. China is buying Africa.

Recently, on Thursday, July 19, 2012, at the 5th Ministerial Conference of the annual Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing, China pledged $20 billion in credit over the next 3 years to African governments.

Further, failing to resist a dig at the West, China called for more "China-Africa coordination of international affairs" to defend against "bullying of richer powers".

In 2009 China similarly pledged $10 billion in credit over the 2009-2012 period, and since that time it has been Africa's largest trading partner.

What do you think?

[NBCNews wire services, July 19, 2012, "Checkbook Diplomacy? China pledges $20 billion in credit to Africa"; cpf.cleanprint.net/7-19-2012; BBC News-China, July 19, 2012, "China pledges $20 bn in credit for Africa at Summit"]

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

THE JACKSONS ARE FIGHTING! FAMILY KIDNAPPINGS ALLEGED! Beat it!

The Jackson Family is fighting. Apparently over deceased superstar Michael's $500 million estate. Even family kidnappings and physical altercations are alleged. Surprise, surprise. Beat it!

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana - June 25, 2009, Los Angeles, California): Superstar American recording artist, entertainer, singer, dancer, actor, etc., businessman and philanthropist. Frequently known as the "King of Pop", "Michael", and "MJ". Recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most successful entertainer of all.

The only family members included as beneficiaries in the "King of Pop's" $500 million last will and testament are his three children (Paris, Prince, and Blanket) and his beloved mother, Katherine Jackson. Neither Michael Jackson's father nor any of his siblings were included in his will.

Katherine Jackson has released a statement alleging, among other things, that on Monday, July 23rd, 2012, three of her children (Janet, Jermaine, and Randy) "ambushed" her grandchildren by Michael (Paris, Prince, and Blanket) and blasted through the security gates of her Calabasas, California home.

It is alleged that a physical altercation erupted at the scene between 14-year-old Paris and her 46-year-old aunt, Janet.

It is estimated that Michael Jackson's estate is worth more than $500 million.

What do you think? If anything.

[see, www.latimes.com/07-24-2012/"JacksonfamilymembersthrowdowninKatherineJackson's(Calabasas,California)house"; gawker.com/7-25-2012 ("Paris and Janet Got Into A Physical Fight Yesterday; All of the Jacksons Are Kidnapping One Another"; www.huffingtonpost.com/07-25-2012/ "Jackson Family Fight: Police Called To Katherine Jackson's Home After Possible Battery"]

URGENT IMMIGRATION UPDATE: EXPIRATION OF EB-5 IMMIGRANT INVESTOR VISAS?

[see, "The Immigration Paradox: 15 Tips for Winning Immigration Cases," by Attorney Charles Jerome Ware, former U.S. Immigration Judge, iUniverse Publishers (2009)]

The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program, popularly known as "EB-5", is scheduled to "sunset" or expire on September 30th, 2012. The U.S Congress must vote to extend or prolong this program, if it is to survive, on or before September 30th, 2012. Otherwise, USCIS will lose authority to grant these visas to immigrants.

The "EB-5" program was created by Congress in 1990 to stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors.

What do you think about this program?

[www.uscis.gov/EB-5ImmigrantInvestor; www.ilw.com/immigrationdaily/07-24-2012]

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Hispanic News: Maryland Y La Nación

"Wells Fargo acuerda pagar $175 millones en el fraude bancario y demanda por discriminación de precios En Baltimore, Maryland Area: Los afroamericanos y los hispanos, prinipalmente afectados por la discriminación."

Wells Fargo Bank se ha instalado otra demanda con el Gobierno Federal, entre otras disposiciones, acordando pagar $7,5 millones a la ciudad de Baltimore y 2,5 millones directamente a 1.000 residentes en la zona de Baltimore para la discriminación de precios dueno de una casa y fraude bancario.

[ver "Consejos Legales del Consumidor y Secretos (evitar la prisión de deudores en los Estados Unidos", por Charles Jerome Ware, y "Wells Fargo se compromete a pagar $175000000...", The Baltimore Sun, 12 de julio de 2012]

EB-5 FECHA DE VENCIMIENTO DE LOS INMIGRANTES visa de inversionista: los últimos dias??

La "puesta de sol", la fecha para el programa de visa EB-5 es 30 de septiembre 2012. El programa fue creado por el Congreso de los EE.UU. en 1990 para estimular la economía de los EE.UU. a través de la creación de empleo y la inversión de capital de inversores extranjeros.

El abogado Charles Jerome Ware ha sido elegido uno de los "mejores abogados y asesores en los Estados Unidos." Entre muchos otros logros, Fiscal Ware es un ex juez de inmigración EE.UU., el juicio reconocida a nivel nacional abogado, y el abogado y asesor jurídico de varias celebridades en los EE.UU. y el Reino Unido.

EB-5 IMIGRAN envestisé VISA: Dénye jou???

Pwograme "kouche soléy" dat la forthe EB-5 viza pwogram, se dat 30 sektanm 2012. Te kreye pwogram nan Kongré a nan ane ant 1990 ak estimile ekonomi an US nan kreyasyon travay ak envéstisman kapital pa envestisé etranje yo.

[Al gade nan: www.ilw.com/immigrationdaily; www.uscis.gov/EB-5; liv: "IMIGRAYSON paradoks LA: 15 Konséy pou Genyen Imigrasyon Dosyé", Charles Jerome Ware, ansyen US jij imigrasyon, Publishers iUniverse (2009)]

EB-5 Immigrant VISA ng mamumuhunan: LAST DAYS???

Naka-iskedyul na petsa na "paglubog ng araw" forthe EB-5 visa program ay 30 Set 2012. Ang programa ay nilikha sa pamamagitan ng Kongreso sa 1990 upang pasiglahin ang US ekonomiya sa pamamagitan ng paglikha ng trabaho at capital investment sa pamamagitan ng mga dayuhang mamumuhunan.

[tingnan ang: www.ilw.com/immigrationdaily; www.uscis.gov/EB-5; libro: "ANG Immigration kabalintunaan: 15 Mga Tip para sa panalong Immigration kaso", Charles Jerome Ware, dating US Immigration Judge, iUniverse publisher (2009)]

Monday, July 23, 2012

CHARLES JEROME WARE, ABOGADOS Y ASESORAMIENTO:

Seguimos trabajando. Aún cometido Todavia aquí para hacer una diferencia.

Elegido "uno de los mejores abogados y asesores en los Estados Unidos".

Autor, entre otrs libros más vendidos, "QUINCE (15) CONSEJOS PARA GANAR CASOS DE INMIGRACION", por Abogado Charles Jerome Ware, Ex Juez de Inmigración de Estados Unidos, iUniverse (2011).

CHARLES JEROME WARE, ATTORNEYS AND COUNSELLORS: Still working. Still committed. Still here to make a difference.

Chosen "one of the best attorneys and counsellors in the United States".

Author of, among other best-selling books, "QUINCE (15) CONSEJOS PARA GANAR CASOS DE INMIGRACION", by former U.S. Immigration Judge Charles Jerome Ware, iUniverse Publishers, Inc. (2011).

Charles Jerome Ware

El abogado Charles Jerome Ware ha sido elegido uno de los "mejores abogados y asesores en los Estados Unidos." Entre muchos otros logros, Fiscal Ware es un ex juez de inmigración EE.UU., el juicio reconocida a nivel nacional abogado, y el abogado y asesor jurídico de varias celebridades en los EE.UU. y el Reino Unido.

CHARLES HAMILTON HOUSTON AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING LITIGATION: Charles Ware

Charles Jerome Ware is one of the very first recipients of the prestigious "Charles Hamilton Houston Award for Outstanding Litigation". The award was given in honor of U.S. Congressman Parren J. Mitchell (D-Maryland_ by the Minority Business Enterprise Legal Defense and Education Fund (MBELDEF) of Washington, D.C., for outstanding litigation skills and services rendered by the recipient nationwide on behalf of minority and small businesses throughout the United States.

Charles Hamilton Houston is considered to be one of the greatest litigators in American history. Perhaps best known as the dean of the Howard University Law School, he served as professor and mentor to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

[law.ubalt.edu/centers/snyder/chhaward.cfm]

Thursday, July 19, 2012

RUSSELL WASENDORF SR. Peregrine Financial Group, Inc.: "I SPENT IT! AND, I AM SECRETLY MARRIED!"

Wednesday, July 18, 2012---

Russell Wasendorf Sr., founder of Peregrine Financial Group, Inc., who has allegedly embezzled upwards of $200 million to about $225 million dollars of customer funds, and has recently (and allegedly) attempted suicide, has responded in his own way as to what he did with the embezzled funds: "I spent it!" And, adds Wasendorf in a note to his son, "I am secretly married!"

Some of Wasendorf Sr.'s spending details are beginning to surface: a new $18 million Peregrine Financial headquarters building in Cedar Falls, Iowa; a $10 million private jet plane; a $100,000 personal wine collection stored at his multi-million dollar high-end Italian restaurant, "myVerona"; A $1 million-plus condominium near downtown Chicago; a $1 million-plus house outside of Cedar Falls; a publishing company worth millions; a holding company named Wasendorf and Associated; and other multi-million dollars entities.

And, as if this fact is important, Wasendorf is secretly married.

[www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/18/us-peregrine-ceo; WSJ, 07/18/2012, p. A1-A2; Huffington Post Business, July 18, 2012; www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/17/russel-wasendorf]

BEST ATTORNEYS AND COUNSELORS IN THE UNITED STATES

Attorney Charles Jerome Ware of Columbia, Howard County, Maryland has been chosen one of the "best attorneys and counselors in the United States".

A brief summary of Attorney Charles Ware's biographical information follows:

Charles Jerome Ware, Esquire

Charles Jerome Ware, P.A., Attorneys & Counsellors

One ThousandCentury PlazaBuilding

10630 Little Patuxent Parkway

Suite 113

Columbia, Maryland 21044-2104

PH: (410) 730-5016

FAX: (410) 730-7603

EMAIL: CHARLESJEROMEWARE@MSN.COM

WEB: WWW.CHARLESJEROMEWARE.COM

Personal Injury. Medical Malpractice. Criminal Defense. Civil Litigation.

Class Action Lawsuits. Antitrust. Corporate Law. Family Law. Entertainment Law.

Immigration Law. DWI/Traffic. Estate Planning. Elder Law.

United States

SALMA HAYEK JIMENEZ de PINAULT, DEEPAK CHOPRA, DANNY GLOVER: Attorney Charles Ware's Client Updates

Attorney Charles Jerome Ware: Still working. Still committed.

Salma Hayek's birthday is September 2nd. Salma is 45.

Danny Glover's birthday is July 22nd. Danny is 66.

Deepak Chopra's birthday is October 22nd. Dr. Chopra is 66.

In Recognition of naturalized citizen Salma Hayek, the "book-of-the-day" is:

QUINCE (15) CONSEJOS PARA GANARCASOS DE INMIGRACION, by former U.S. Immigration Judge Charles Jerome Ware, iUniverse Publishers, Inc. (2011)

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

CREDIT REPORTING COMPANIES MUST REPORT!

"Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will begin this Fall (2012) to supervise the 30 largest credit reporting companies including Experian, Equifax and TransUnion."

Finally, after decades of consumer abuse, some law and order may be coming this Fall (2012) to the arrogant, multi-billion dollar credit reporting industry.

[see, Chapter 3, "Credit Bureaus, Credit Scores and the Credit Business", Legal Consumer Tips and Secrets (Avoiding Debtors' Prison in the United States), iUniverse Publishers (2011)]

The 30 largest credit reporting companies the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPC) will begin federal oversight over on or about October 1st, 2012 will account for 94% of the credit reporting industry's annual receipts.

Combined, these intrusive behemoths issue more than 3 billion consumer credit reports each year and have files of very personal information on more than 200 million Americans.

[www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-consumer-credit-oversight/2012/07/16; Los Angeles Times, Business, July 16, 2012]

What do you think? Do you care?

Monday, July 16, 2012

CHARLES WARE'S 10 COMMANDEMENTS FOR CHARACTER AND SELF-ESTEEM

Attorney Charles Ware of Columbia, Howard County, Maryland has been chosen one of the "best attorneys and counsellors in the United States."

1. Think and believe that you are what you desire to be.
2. Your true self is your effort to manifest your pure potentiality.
3. Your willingness to give what you seek helps circulate the abundance of the universe in your life.
4. Follow the law of "karma", in which your actions seek equal responses.
5. Diligently seek your purpose in life: i.e., your unique gift or special talent to give to others.
6. Do not consort with people who make you feel bad about yourself.
7. Do not keep company with people who are more dysfunctional than you are.
8. Do not fret over what people think about you.
9. Do not give beyond your capacity to give.
10. Develop and trust your instincts.

[© 2012, Charles Jerome Ware]

CHARLES WARE'S LEGAL BLOG: "Wells Fargo Agrees To Pay $175 Million In Bank Fraud And Pricing Discrimination Lawsuit in Baltimore, Maryland"

Wells Fargo bank has settled another bank fraud and pricing discrimination lawsuit in Baltimore, Maryland by agreeing to pay $7.5 million to the city of Baltimore and $2.5 million directly to 1,000 Baltimore area residents.

The total nationwide for the settlement between the U.S. Department of Justice and Wells Fargo is this "discriminatory lending practices" lawsuit is $175 million. Federal officials credit the city of Baltimore with first raising issues of discrimination related to the bank's subprime mortgages throughout the country.

The essence of the civil lawsuit is that Baltimore city alleged Wells Fargo bank steered minorities into subprime loans, gave them less favorable rates than white borrowers and foreclosed on hundreds of Baltimore homes of minorities, creating inner city blight and higher public safety costs.

Wells Fargo is the largest residential home mortgage originator in the United States.

[And see, "Wells Fargo agrees to pay $175 M settlement in pricing discrimination suit", Luke Broadwater (writer) The Baltimore Sun, July 12, 2012; Legal Consumer Tips and Secrets (Avoiding Debtors' Prison in the United States), Attorney Charles Jerome Ware, iUniverse Pub. (2011)]

Other Books Also By Charles Jerome Ware

Understanding the Law: A Primer

The Immigration Paradox: 15 Tips for Winning Immigration Cases

Charles Jerome Ware

(BLOG) http://charlesware.blogspot.com

(BLOG) http://thelawyersmailbox.blogspot.com

(Twitter) http://twitter.com/CharlesJWare

(BLOG) http://open.salon.com/blog/charlesjware

(Website) www.CharlesJeromeWare.com

PRIVATE JAILS, PRIVATE ENTERPRISE: "Incarceration by private enterprise is becoming the norm in the United States" (Archives, 1976) -- Charles Ware

"Incarceration by private, money-making, for-profit enterprise is becoming the norm in the United States. And, I predict, in the 21st Century there will unfortunately exist premium incentives for incarcerating people in America."

[Attorney and Professor Charles Jerome Ware, "The American Penal Institution, A Microcosm: The Massachusetts Correctional System," Debate and Understanding Journal, Volume 2, Number 1, The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts (1976)]

CHARACTER and SELF-ESTEEM: CHARLES WARE'S COMMANDMENTS

Attorney Charles Ware's commandments for understanding and developing your own character and self-esteem:

1. Think and believe that you are what you desire to be.
2. Your true self is your effort to manifest your pure potentiality.
3. Your willingness to give what you seek helps circulate the abundance of the universe in your life.
4. Follow the law of "karma", in which your actions seek equal responses.
5. Diligently seek your purpose in life: i.e., your unique gift or special talent to give to others.
6. Do not consort with people who make you feel bad about yourself.
7. Do not keep company with people who are more dysfunctional than you are.
8. Do not fret over what people think about you.
9. Do not give beyond your capacity to give.
10. Develop and trust your instincts.

[© 2012, Charles Jerome Ware]

Thursday, July 12, 2012

JOHN MAYNARD KEYNES, Macroeconomist and CHARLES JEROME WARE, Microeconomist & Attorney: The "LIQUIDITY TRAP"

During his lifetime, John Maynard Keynes, a British economist subject, achieved great fame as the world's foremost macroeconomist.

Keynes, also known affectionately as "1st Baron Keynes of Tilton" (born June 5th, 1883, died April 21st, 1946), developed ideas, known as "Keynesian economics", had a major impact on modern economic and political theory and on the fiscal and financial policies of many governments.

Keynes also had remarkable achievements as an investor. In an eighteen-year period encompassing the Great Depression and World War II, the "Keynes Chest Fund" investment portfolio grew 5-fold; which was a remarkable performance given that the United Kingdom stock market fell 15-percent during the same period.

John Maynard Keynes made and lost fortunes speculating. He was known to warn investor novices about the dangers of trying to match their intellects against the vagaries of financial markets by stating:

"Markets can remain irrational for longer than you or I can remain solvent." J

[www.maynardkeynes.org; John Marynard Keynes, "The Collected Writings of John Marynard Keynes," 26, MacMillan: London (1980); Nicholas Jenkins, "John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes" (17810), W.H. Auden - 'Family Ghosts', Stanford University; Robert Skidelsky, "John Maynard Keynes: 1883-1946: Economist, Philosopher, Statesman, Pan MacMillan Publ. (2003)]

It is macroeconomist John Maynard Keynes who first proposed the economic malady "liquidity trap", which can be caused when people hoard cash because they expect an adverse event such as deflation, insufficient aggregate demand, or war. In Keynesian economics, a "liquidity trap" situation can occur also when injections of cash into the private banking system by a central bank (the Federal Reserve) fail to lower interest rates and therefore fail to stimulate economic growth.

[see, Charles Jerome Ware, "The Keynesian Liquidity Trap: Is it Real Or Just An Illusion?", Boston University Graduate School of Management (1975): (Quote) The Keynesian Liquidity Trap is a "floor", R1, below which interest rates on bonds will not fall; John Maynard Keynes, The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, Macmillan (1936)]

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

FBI FORENSICS FIASCO: Update

Once again, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have launched another embarrassing review of thousands of criminal cases to make determinations as to whether any defendants were wrongly convicted or deserve new trials because of flawed FBI Laboratory forensic evidence.

The announcement of this new investigation was made yesterday, Tuesday, July 10th, 2012, by DOJ.

The review comes after The Washington Post reported in April 2012 that Justice Department officials had known for years that flawed forensic work might have led to the convictions of potentially innocent people but had not performed a thorough review of the cases. In addition, prosecutors did not notify defendants or their attorneys even in many cases they knew were troubled.

The undertaking is the largest post-conviction review ever done by the FBI. It will include cases conducted by all FBI Laboratory hair and fiber examiners since at least 1985 and may reach earlier if records are available, people familiar with the process said. Such FBI examinations have taken place in federal and local cases across the country, often in violent crimes, such as rape, murder and robbery.

[see, "Flawed Forensics Spur Case Reviews", Spencer S. Hsu, The Washington Post, Wednesday, July 11, 2012, p. A1]

"LIQUIDITY TRAP": John Maynard Keynes

Of several other macroeconomic theories and concepts, it was the great British economist John Maynard Keynes (aka, First Baron Keynes) who first proposed in the early 20th century the macroeconomic concept of a "liquidity trap".

[see, "The Keynesian Liquidity Trap: Is It Real Or Just An Illusion?", by Charles Jerome Ware, Boston University Graduate School of Management (1975), Boston, Massachusetts]

In its original Keynesian conception, a "liquidity trap" refers to the macroeconomic phenomenon when increased money supply fails to lower interest rates; or, in the case of the United States, when injections of cash into the private banking system by a central bank (the Federal Reserve) fail to lower interest rates and therefore fail to stimulate economic growth.

[see, The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, by John Maynard Keynes, MacMillan Pub. (1936)]

In recent years John Maynard Keynes' theory of a "liquidity trap" has been espoused most notably by Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman; particularly during the period of 2008 to 2011, when Krugman argued regularly that much of the developed world, including the United States, Europe, and Japan, was in a liquidity trap.

[see, Paul Krugman, "How Much Of The World Is In A Liquidity Trap?", The New York Times (March 17, 2010, krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/17]

What do you think? Are we in a liquidity trap?

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

"SWAPS" NOW DEFINED BY THE "CFTC"

The COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION (CFTC) today (Tuesday, July 10th, 2012) voted 4 to 1 to approve final overdue rules defining the controversial term "swap" as it pertains to commodities. This necessary and important definition of "swap" will now help facilitate much-needed major reforms in the so-called "Swaps" industry.

The CFTC's sister agency, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), approved the final rules in a unanimous closed-door vote on Monday, July 9th, 2012. Approval by the SEC was required by the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law, which requires most "swaps" to be centrally cleared and traded on exchanges (places where securities or commodities are bought and sold).

Traditionally, a "swap" is a derivative or agreement in which counterparties exchange cash flows of one party's financial instrument or commodity for those of the other party's financial instrument or commodity.

Once the appropriate regulators decide which derivatives or agreements are considered legally to be "swaps" under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, U.S. regulators will unleash a large number of rules on this $648 trillion global market of "swaps" which will be designed to prevent a repeat of the 2008 credit crisis.

[www.businessweek.com/news/2012-07-09/sweap=definition; John C. Hulls, "Options, Futures and Other Derivatives" (6th Edition), Prentice Hall: New Jersey, 2006; "Fundamentals of Corporate Finance" (9th, Alternate Edition), McGraw Hill (2010); news.yahoo.com/u-swaps-regulators-finalize-key-reform-trigger-133304154 (07/10/2012); in.reuters.com/article/2012/07/10/cftc-swap-definition, 07/10/2012

ELVIS and the "God Particle", or "Higgs Boson"

The “Higgs Boson” walks into a church. The priest says, “We don’t allow Higgs Bosons in here.” The Higgs Boson responds, “But without me how can you have mass?”

The universal fundamental composition of stuff has allegedly been found. Hooray... I guess.

On July 4th, 2012, some scientists announced the discovery of the "Higgs Boson" which is also affectionately known as the "God Particle". For the average person, however, this brilliant and intellectually intriguing news may be better received by the public masses by asserting that we are a step closer to determining if Elvis Presley (aka "Elvis") and Michael Jackson (aka "Michael") are located in nearby parallel universes (with their same masses). J

For the scientifically-inclined, the "Higgs Boson" or "God Particle" is now confirmed by the scientific community to be an elementary mass particle in the so-called Standard Model of physics. It has been an enormously expensive endeavor over several years of scientific research.

This particle (H⁰) is named after physicist Peter Higgs who, along with 5 others, proposed the scientific mechanism that suggested the existence of such a particle in 1964.

According to these scientists, among other things this particle allows multiple identical particles to exist in the same place in the same quantum state; i.e. and e.g., parallel universes, etc.

[see, CERN Experiments Observe Particle Consistent With Long-Sought Higgs Boson", CERN press release (July 4, 2012), http://press.web.cern.ch/press/PressReleases2012/PR17.; Lucas Taylor, "Observation of a New Particle with a Mass of 125 GeV," http://cms.web.cern.ch/news/observation-new-particle-mass-125-gev, CMS Public Website. CERN (July 4, 2012); Peter Higgs, "Broken Symmetries and the Masses of Gauge Bosons," Physical Review Letters 13 (16): 508-509 (1964)]

Monday, July 9, 2012

TomKat Divorce Settled

After less than two weeks of publicity-ridden drama and intrigue, megastar actor Tom Cruise and his estranged actress wife Katie Holmes have settled their divorce case.

The terms of the couple's divorce are "confidential", but we believe the following:

The parties have joint-legal custody of their 6-year-old daughter, Suri, but mother Katie Holmes has primary physical custody. The father, Tom Cruise, has liberal visitation rights with his daughter.

We believe the pre-nuptial agreement Katie Holmes must have signed before this contracted and staged "Hollywood" marriage allows minimal financial marital settlement to Holmes, particularly in relationship to Cruise's vast wealth. We believe Holmes gets one of the multi-million dollar houses and perhaps between fifteen and twenty-five million dollars in cash.

It is, we believe, significant to note that Holmes waited for 5 years to file for divorce from a marriage that has been shaky since daughter Suri was a baby. We believe this marriage, quite frankly, has been a 5-year contract (in other words, a marriage for a fixed term of years: 5 years minimum).

What do you think?

DEEPAK CHOPRA: "The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide To The Fulfillment Of Your Dreams"

This 1994 book by Dr. Deepak Chopra is this law firm's "book-of-the-day". Filled with wisdom and practical steps, this book presents interesting perspectives on the attainment of "Success", including:

Chapter 1 - The Law of Pure Potentiality
Chapter 2 - The Law of Giving
Chapter 3 - The Law of "Karma" or Cause and Effect
Chapter 4 - The Law of Least Effort
Chapter 5 - The Law of Intention and Desire
Chapter 6 - The Law of Detachment
Chapter 7 - The Law of "Dharma" or Purpose in Life.

Friday, July 6, 2012

NORTH CAROLINA AND THE RACIAL JUSTICE ACT: A Southern State Regresses To Its True Colors On Race And Gender

The North Carolina Legislature on Monday, July 2nd, 2012, overrode the state Governor's veto of legislation that rolls back a state law giving "death row" inmates an avenue to seek as reduced prison sentence because of racial bias.

The original law (the Racial Justice Act) directed North Carolina state judges to reduce a death sentence to life imprisonment if they found that the defendant's race was a significant factor in a death sentence or in the composition of a jury.

Many district attorneys and Republicans said the original law went too far. With the veto override, the scaled-back version now prevails.

[www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/US/north-carolina-bias-law-scaled-back.html; The Associated Press (AP), July 2, 2012, "North Carolina: Bias Law Scaled Back"]

In addition, this same North Carolina Legislature overrode the Governor's veto of another blatantly discriminatory bill. The bill, pushed by the Republican-dominated Legislature, is designed to strip Planned Parenthood of all state funding.

[takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/05/north-carolina-regresses-on-race-and-gender]

TOM CRUISE, SCIENTOLOGY, KATIE HOLMES, CATHOLICISM, and CULTS

What do you think?

Tom Cruise is the highest paid actor in the world.

Katie Holmes, his estranged wife, is a successful actress in her own right.

Katie has sued Tom for divorce after 5 years of marriage. The couple has one child, a daughter Suri, age 6.

Tom Cruise is a devout Scientologist.

Katie Holmes was raised a Catholic.

According to media reports, Cruise wants to familiarize the couple's daughter, Suri, with Scientology beliefs and principles; but Holmes, the Catholic, is uncomfortable with that plan, perhaps desiring to raise Suri in the Catholic faith.

It is my observation that both Cruise and Holmes are nice people who love their daughter Suri, and both seem to want the best for her.

Protagonists and antagonists on both sides of the couple's highly-publicized marriage, and now divorce action, have called each other's religious practices a "cult" from time to time.

Let's take a look at these 3 general belief systems:

CULTS

The word "cult" in current popular usage generically and usually refers to a relatively new religious movement or other group whose beliefs or practices are considered different, unusual, strange, abnormal, ritualistic, or even bizarre.

[Collins English Dictionary (10th Edition, 2009); Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper (2010); OED, citing American Journal of Sociology 85 (1980), p. 1377; Marybeth Ayella, "They Must Be Crazy: Some of the Difficulties in Researching 'Cults'", American Behavioral Scientist 33 (5): 562-577 (1990); T. Jeremy Gunn, "The Complexity of Religion and the Definition of 'Religion' In International Law", www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/hrj/iss16/gunn.shtml#fn33; Thomas Robbins, "Combating 'Cults' and 'Sects'," Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 40 (2): 169-176 (2002); Marion Goldman, "Review Essay: Cults, New Religions, and the Spiritual Landscape: A Review of Four Collections", Journal of the Scientific Study of Religion 45 (1): 87-96 (2006)]

SCIENTOLOGY

"Scientology" in current popular usage refers to a body of beliefs or practices created as a relatively new religious movement by L. Ron Hubbard (1911-1986), beginning in 1952 as a successor to his previous self-help system called "Dianetics". Hubbard incorporated his new body of beliefs or practices into the Church of Scientology in Camden, New Jersey in 1953.

Scientology espouses the belief, inter alia, that people are "immortal" beings who have forgotten their true nature. Its method of "spiritual rehabilitation" is a type of counselling known as auditing, in which practitioners of Scientology such as Cruise seek to consciously and ritualistically re-experience painful or traumatic events in their past in order to free themselves of their limiting effects, etc.

Scientology also espouses the belief that souls ("thetans") reincarnate and have lived on other planets before living on Earth, and that the practice of psychiatry is destructive and abusive and must be abolished, etc.

Practicing Scientology and rising to its highest levels can be expensive.

[Alan W. Black, "Is Scientology A Religion?" (January 24, 1996) Church of Scientology, www.newrelgion.de/ENG/Black/index.htm; Shamus Toomey, "'TomKat' Casts Spotlight Back on Scientology", (June 26, 2005), Chicago Sun-Times, web.archive.org/web/20050629002146/http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-scientology26.html; The Church of Scientology (Studios in Contemporary Religions, 1) by J. Gordon Melton Publisher (September 2000), ISBN 978-1-56085-139-4; "What is Scientology?", published 1998, Bridge Publications, ISBN 978-1-57318-122-8, http://www.whatisscientology.org; L. Ron Hubbard, "Why Doctor of Divinity?", Professional Auditor's Bulletin, No. 32 (August 7, 1954); "Scientology.org-Introduction to Scientology", www.scientology.org/enUS/religion/index.html, Church of Scientology]

CATHOLICISM

"Catholicism" in current popular usage refers to the "Catholic Church", also known as the 'Roman Catholic Church". It is one of the world's oldest institutions, as well as the world's largest Christian church with more than one billion members worldwide.

The world-wide headquarters for the Catholic Church, and "Catholicism", is oddly the landlocked sovereign city-state of the "Vatican", whose territory consists of 110 acres with a population of just over 800 within a walled and highly-guarded enclave in the Italian city of Rome. The "Vatican" is the smallest independent state in the world in both area and population.

Catholic hierarchy is led by the Pope and includes cardinals, patriarchs and diocesan bishops. The church teaches that it is the one true Church founded by Jesus Christ,that its bishops are the successors of Christ's apostles and that the Pope is the sole successor to Saint Peter. The central governing body of the church is known as the "Holy See", referring to the jurisdiction of the Pope as the Bishop of Rome.

The Catholic Church is Trinitarian and defines its mission as spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacramentsand exercising charity.Catholic worship is highly liturgical, and ritualistic, focusing on the Mass or Divine Liturgy during which the sacrament of the Eucharist is celebrated. The church strangely teaches that bread and wine used during the Mass is miraculously changed into the body and blood of Christ. The Catholic Church practices closed communion and only baptised members of the church are ordinarily permitted to receive the Eucharist.

Catholic doctrine maintains that the Church (ie, the Pope) is infallible when it dogmatically teaches a doctrine of faith or morals.

The Church holds the Blessed Virgin Mary as mother of Jesus Christ in special regard. The church has defined four specific Marian dogmatic teachings, namely her Immaculate Conception without original sin, her status as the Mother of God, her perpetual virginity and her bodily Assumption into Heaven at the end of her earthly life. Numerous Marian "devotions" are also practiced, inter alia.

[Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 77 and 890; Declaration on the Unicity and Salvific Universality of Jesus Christ and the Church "Dominus Jesus", para. 17; Zenit News Agency, April 27, 2010, www.zenit.org/rssenglish-29058; "The Roman Catholic Chruch, and Illustrated History", by Norman (2007); Geography of Religion, by Hitchcock (2004); "General Essay on Western Christianity", Overview of World Religions, Division of Religion and Philosophy, University of Cumbria, ELMAR Project (1998), www.philtar.ac.uk/encyclopedia/christ/west/westessay.html]

Thursday, July 5, 2012

"LIVING WILLS" FOR BIG BANKS!

Traditionally, the American public is accustomed to the following definition of a "living will": a legal document that sets out the medical care an individual, or the principal, wants or does not want in the event that he or she becomes incapable of communicating his or her wishes.

[www.investopedia.com/terms/livingwill.asp]

Now, however, in an effort to end the era of "too big to fail", the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, on Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012, released new so-called "living wills" guidelines for megabanks which seek to deal with the issue of "unwinding" 9 of the largest banks doing business in the United States.

On Monday, July 2nd, 2012, these nine big banks were required to give regulators copes of their living wills, which these regulators will use to guide themselves on how to resolve a failing but systematically important bank (that is, a "megabank"). Summaries of these living wills were released on Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012.

The purpose of these living wills is to detail exactly how the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) would halt (stop) business operations and sell-off parts of the bank should the bank spiral downwards the way Lohman Borthers and Bear Stearns did in 2008.

The bank generally state in their resolution that -- in the unlikely situation they don't have enough capital in subsidiaries to cover claims -- money could be raised "by divesting in any of our lines of business," as the summary for JPMorgan Chase stated.

The nine banks that were first to turn in their wills have more than $250 billion in assets. U.S. banks in the group are Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500), Citigroup (C, Fortune 500), Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500), JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500) and Morgan Stanley (MS, Fortune 500). International banks that also had to submit living wills are Barclays (BCS), Credit Suisse (CS), Deutsche Bank (DB) and UBS (UBS).

By December 2013, some 125 banks will have given regulators living wills, according to an FDIC official.

[money.cnn.com/2012/07/03/news/economy/bank-living-wills/index.htm]

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

DRUG FRAUD UPDATE: GlaxoSmithKline Forced To Pay $3 Billion In Drug Fraud Settlement

British-based GlaxoSmithKline PLC, one of the world's largest drug companies, has agreed to plead guilty to 3 criminal misdemeanor charges of drug fraud and to pay $3 billion as part of an effort to settle a wide range of fraudulent drug marketing cases.

It is the largest settlement of its kind, and it is one of a series of expensive settlements and agreements to resolve the company's many criminal and civil investigations.

The three criminal please relate to the giant drug maker's promotion of two popular drugs for unapproved uses, and the company's failure to report important safety information about a diabetes drug to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The criminal pleas in this massive settlement involve the following GlaxoSmithKline drugs: Paxil, Wellbutrin, and Avandia.

Prosecutors say GlaxoSmithKline encouraged use of Paxil for children although it was not approved for anyone under 18. The company also promoted Wellbutrin for uses besides major depressive disorder, its only approved use. And they say that between 2001 and 2007 it failed to report on two studies of the cardiovascular safety of Avandia, a diabetes drug.

When the company announced the payments in 2011, it said they would cover not only the Avandia case, but also a Justice Department investigation of its Medicaid pricing practices and a nationwide investigation led by the United States attorneys in Colorado and Massachusetts into the sales and marketing of nine of its drugs from 1997 to 2004.

Of the penalties, $1 billion covers criminal fines and forfeitures and $2 billion is for civil settlements with the federal and state governments.

In a separate case in 2010, GlaxoSmithKline agreed to pay $750 million, including a $150 million criminal penalty, to resolve federal complaints about manufacturing quality at a plant in Cidra, P.R., since closed.

Monday, July 2, 2012

BARCLAY'S: ANOTHER BANK SCANDAL

"Barclay's chairman, Marcus Agius, steps down after price-fixing bank rates scandal."

Agius, the bank's chairman of the board, announced his resignation today (Monday, July 2nd, 2012) after accepting and announcing his responsibility for a price-fixing scandal that saw the London-based bank slapped with trans-Atlantic fines of $453 million.

Agius was paid 751,000 pounds ($1.18 million) by Barclay's bank in 2011.

U.S. and British agencies imposed the fines on Barclays for submitting false data on interbank borrowing rates between 2005 and 2009. The bank's executives have been under fire since then and the calls are growing for chief executive Bob Diamond to quit, too.

Several other major banks including Citigroup, Royal Bank of Scotland, and HSBC are also being investigated for possible manipulation of London interbank offering rate.

[bing.com/news, 07/02/2012/Barclay's Bank News; Associated Press (AP), 07/02/2012, 'Barclay's chairman steps down after rates scandal"; www.omaha.com/article/20120702/AP(London)]

NEW LAWS EFFECTIVE JULY 1st, 2012: THE QUIRKY, STRANGE, AND UNUSUAL!

It's that time of the year again: July 1st... the first day of the second half of the year. The date a whole new group of laws go into effect... just like January 1st of every year.

Many of these new laws, as customary, can be considered by some to be quirky, strange, and weird.

[For some historical legal background, see the book: UNDERSTANDING THE LAW: A PRIMER, by Attorney Charles Jerome Ware, iUniverse Publishers (2008), New York]

OR, maybe these new laws are NOT so quirky, or strange, or unusual:

1. "Feral" Hogs in Kentucky can no longer be released into the wild. A "feral" hog is a hog or pig that was once domesticated but is now considered wild.

2. "Shackling" of incarcerated women in Florida is now unlawful during their pregnancies and immediately after their giving birth.

3. The Illinois "Vomit" Fee is now in effect. Taxi drivers can now charge passengers an extra $50 cleanup fee for vomiting in cabs.

4. "Made in America" becomes more important in Kentucky. It is now the law in Kentucky that "Prisoner of War" and "Missing in Action" flags purchased by or displayed by public institutions must be made in the United States.

5. "More veggies for school children in Punxatawney, Pennsylvania". School guidelines in this groundhog school district now require an increase from 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup the "minimum" serving of vegetables for students in kindergarten through 8th grade.

6. "Truth in Chili Peppers Advertising in New Mexico". Grocery stores, restaurants and other vendors are prohibited from claiming that their fresh chili peppers are New Mexico chilies unless they were grown in the state.

7. What do you think of this one?
"Did you get the fax? You are under arrest!" In the great state of Idaho, law enforcement officers can now issue arrest warrants by FAX!

8. "Where's your gun?" In Virginia, a concealed handgun permit is now considered a valid form of identification.

9. "Privacy is golden" in Florida. A law prohibits people from videotaping a person without his or her knowledge in a residential dwelling.

10. "Look at me! Look at me!" In Virginia, a local ordinance requires electronic messages on outdoor advertising to remain in place for at least eight seconds to avoid driver distractions.

[war1057.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/new-laws-as-of-july-1st-2012; www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php/CNN-July-1-brings-new-sometimes... 7/2/2012]