thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
amazement, when the super committee failed to reach an agreement the markets yawned, undaunted by a $1.4tn deficit and accumulated debt in excess of $16tn. Beware, though. At some point during 2012 the markets will wake up and say: No! We cannot wait until after the presidential election to fix this problem. The Obama administration and Congress must quickly cobble a credible debt-reducing package. Otherwise, as in Europe, the markets harsh solutions will be borne disproportionately by the low income and disadvantaged. This is not acceptable, nor is it good for capitalism.3. Integrate the emerged markets. The world needs to acknowledge that the centre of capitalism is shifting to the emerging markets where most of the growth will occur in 2012. But having emerged, China, India and Brazil, among others, need to be fully integrated into the global economic decision-making process. If they are not, the capital needed to solve many of the developed markets current problems, especially residual issues of the great recession, will not be available on tolerable terms. Again, this will hurt the poor more than the wealthy.4. Educate. Educate. Educate. Perhaps the greatest cause of income inequality is the dismal state of primary and secondary education. The mismatch between job openings and qualified candidates is growing, which leads to reduced economic activity, a greater sense of disparity between the haves and the have-nots, and social unrest. To address these issues, governments need to embrace reform, ensure effective funding and allocate resources more efficiently. By educating all their children, reducing soaring high-school dropout rates, and re-educating and retraining adults, nations can more effectively prepare workers to embrace new technological realities.Though much time has passed since I last put pen to paper, my faith in capitalism is steadfast. The problems you face saving the EU, fixing the US budget, welcoming emerged nations as full partners and making education a real priority are huge challenges that must be addressed now.It is the only way to continue creating wealth for all nations and people, while giving capitalism the legitimacy it needs to thrive.The writer is managing director and a co-founder of The Carlyle Group
The EconomistPublished: January 28, 2012The big business of swindling people who trust youJan 28th 2012 | SALT LAKE CITY | from the print editionWITH a nudge from their pastor, the 25,000 members of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church near Atlanta opened their hearts, and their wallets, to Ephren Taylor. And why not, given his glittering credentials? Mr Taylor billed himself as the youngest black chief executive of a publicly traded company in American history. He had appeared on NPR and CNN. He had given a talk on socially conscious investing at the Democratic National Convention. Snoop Dogg, a rapper, had tapped him to manage a charitable endowment.So when Mr Taylors Wealth Tour Live seminars came to town, faithful ears opened wide. Eddie Long, the mega-churchs leader, introduced Mr Taylor at one event with the words: [God] wants you to be a mover and shaker...to finance you well to do His will. Mr Taylor offered low-risk investment with high performances, chosen with guidance from God.In this sectionFleecing the flockFaster, faster, fasterResearch in commotionDotcom bustPsst, wanna buy a law firm?Grabbing GrameenThe power of tribesReprintsRelated topicsBusinessCrimeCrime and lawCorporate crimeBernard MadoffDivine inspiration, alas, has given way to legal tribulation. For many investors, the 20% guaranteed returns proved illusory. Mr Taylor (whereabouts unknown) stands accused of fraud in a number of lawsuits. Bishop Long, a co-defendant, has urged Mr Taylor to do the right thing and cover any losses. The charges are not the first blot on the ministers reputation: last year he settled for an estimated $15m-25m claims that he had coerced young men into oral sex.An essential element of Mr Taylors approach was to make those he targeted want to invest in him personally, says Cathy Lerman, a lawyer representing some of the victims. He was a master of creating a marketing presence. He would say: If you want to check me out, just Google me. He had no problem convincing them that he was an ordained minister, even though he had no formal seminary training, according to court documents.It will take time to gauge the full extent of the losses, not least because it will require untangling a web of companies, some of them shells. Victims, many of whom entrusted their life savings to Mr Taylor, are still coming forward. Some call him the black Bernie Madoff.Let us preyMr Madoff, whose victims lost perhaps $20 billion, perpetrated the largest affinity fraud ever. The term refers to scams in which the perpetrator uses personal contacts to swindle a specific group, such as a church congregation, a rotary club, a professional circle or an ethnic community. Once the scammer gains their trust, his scam spreads like smallpox. Most affinity frauds are Ponzi schemes, in which money from new investors is used to repay old ones, or is siphoned off by the promoters.The Madoff fraud fed on multiple affinity circles: wealthy Jews in Florida and Israel, country-club types and European old money, lured with help from marketers running feeder funds. The next-largest alleged investment fraud of recent years, the $7 billion collapse of Allen Stanfords empire,
also concerned specific groups, including the Latin American and Libyan diasporas and Southern Baptists. Mr Stanfords trial began on January 23rd. He denies wrongdoing.Beneath the mega-scams swirls a mass of smaller cons, spanning the world. Any close-knit community can be a target. Last August a South Korean pastor was indicted for misappropriating 2.4 billion Korean won ($2.3m) that the faithful had handed over to set up a Christian bank. In Britain, Kevin Fosters KF Concept targeted the former coal-mining towns of South Wales, bilking more than 8,000 victims with the help of glitzy roadshows.The problem is a global one but best-documented in America. Besides the Madoff saga, Marquet International, a consultancy, has identified more than 300 sizeable Ponzi schemes from the past ten years, with combined losses for investors of $23 billion. It estimates that up to half of those were affinity-based. No one has a reliable number for smaller frauds over the same period, but guesses range from $5 billion to $20 billion. In all, affinity-fraud losses in America could be as much as $50 billion.The FBI is probing some 1,000 cases of investment fraud, more than double the number outstanding in 2008. Six state securities commissioners contacted by The Economist all say the problem is growing.The increase is partly a result of better detection, post-Madoff. The SEC filed more than twice as many Ponzi cases in 2010 as in 2008. The number of Ponzis exposed each month began to climb just as the financial crisis struck in 2007 (see chart). Frauds are more prone to collapse in a weak economy as investors try to pull money out to cover shortfalls elsewhere.Bad times also make get-rich-quick schemes more tempting. Desperation breeds gullibility. The median annual return offered by scammers in the Marquet study was 38%. In a case in Montana, victims were promised 800% back in a week.Mistrust of mainstream finance helps the scammers. The big guys on Wall Street have shown they cant be trusted, they say; better to go with someone you know. This was part of Mr Taylors pitch in Georgia.Brent Baker, a former SEC lawyer who now works on affinity-fraud cases, has seen ones involving just about every type of community you can think of, including one where loyal listeners of a Persian-language radio show were bilked by its presenter. But religious fraud is particularly common, because people find it hard to imagine that the pastor is a perp. Joseph Borg, Alabamas securities commissioner, reckons half of all affinity frauds in the American South are faith-based.The problem stretches across all types of belief, and ranges far beyond the Bible Belt. In September, a 77-year-old man from Ohio was indicted for allegedly defrauding 2,700 fellow Amish of $17m (though he had somehow resisted the temptation to trade his horse and cart for a Ferrari).The hook of MormonThe state thought to have the most affinity fraud per head is Utah, where 60% of the population are Mormons. In 2010, regulators and the FBI were investigating cases there with 4,400 victims and perhaps $1.4 billion (or $500 for every Utahn)
in losses. The numbers have surely climbed since, with the three largest cases alone involving combined losses of up to $700m, says one investigator.Mormons tend to be both trusting and welcoming of newcomers, says Keith Woodwell, head of Utahs Division of Securities. As soon as you pull up to your new house, neighbours appear to help you unpack. A scammer who gets his foot in the door can exploit this closeness.LuElla Day, for example, lost $1.2m in a deal hatched by Daniel Merriman, a fellow Mormon she had known for four years. Hed spoken at our meetings. When I sold my farm, he came and said the bishop had asked him to help me invest the proceeds, says the 81-year-old. He told her the money would go into government debt. The transaction was done on a handshake. Ms Day never got a penny back.Credulousness is not confined to sweet old ladies. One of Ephren Taylors victims was an electrical engineer with an MBA. A man in Utah was taken for $50,000 by his next-door neighbour, who offered a chance to invest in a new type of ice machine. Nothing remarkable there, except that the victim was a retired federal agent who had worked on white-collar fraud cases.Why do such people let their guard down? Everyone is looking for a shorthand way to judge character, and affinity settings offer that, at least in theory, says Jeff Robinson, head of the Utah County Attorneys investigations bureau. Tribal ties foster trust, which is usually a good thing (see article). But it can be abused.Another factor is the rise of prosperity theology, or the belief that God wants Christians to be rich as well as good. This idea has taken root fastest in black and Hispanic churches. The problem is that it puts pressure on congregations to invest successfully, which makes them more vulnerable, says Ole Anthony of the Trinity Foundation, which investigates church fraud.Social media make affinity fraud quicker. Bonds that used to take years to establish can be forged in days on Facebook or Twitter. Fraudsters read potential victims online profiles, and use the information they glean to refine their pitches. In a recent case, the SEC won a restraining order against a scam targeting users of chat sites popular with the deaf.At a federal level, the American governments response has been inadequate. The SEC has launched some high-profile cases, but done little to educate investors. The agency has chosen to stick some ambulances at the bottom of the cliff rather than build fences at the top, as one former employee puts it.American states have tried harder. Pennsylvania, for example, holds hundreds of meetings a year to teach investors how to be more careful. Utah ran a billboard campaign showing a series of respectable-looking types saying: Im your friend. Im your neighbour. Im a con man. People should be trusting but verify, says Gary Herbert, Utahs governor.A new law in Utah increased penalties for fraudsters who abuse a relationship of trust. Another pays whistle-blowers up to 30% of recoveries. (The SEC operates a similar
scheme, but only for cases larger than $1m.) Both bills were sponsored by Ben McAdams, a state senator who returned to his native Utah from New York to help ensure that as much energy went into shrinking the fraud economy as growing the ski economy. In Utah, suspected fraudsters property can be seized before charges are brought, if there is probable cause that a crime was committed.Other ideas are percolating. Sean Reyes, a lawyer who is running for state attorney-general, supports the creation of a fraudsters registry, similar to the one for sex offenders. Its amazing how many are repeat offenders, he says. He also wants to explore the idea of reducing sentences for scammers who lead investigators to assets they have salted away. Most victims see a few pennies on the dollar returned, if that.Investigators face strong headwinds. One is that victims are often reluctant to come forward. Some cannot admit to themselves what they have lost. Others dont want their families to know: older victims often fear being deemed unable to manage their lives and shoved in a home. In religious cases, there is often an unwritten rule that what happens in church stays there, with disputes handled by the church elders or the minister. Many frauds are dauntingly complex. One Ponzi, at the Baptist Foundation of Arizona, used 120 shell firms to extract $590m from members.There is only so much governments can do to protect people from their own credulity. Mr Baker thinks that private groups are better-placed to build those fences on the cliff top. He has set up a Fraud College in Utah (and on the web) with help from Mr Reyes. This self-styled neighbourhood watch for fraud offers online advice and holds events to raise awareness. The next conference, on February 15th, will hear from state and federal fraudbusters, victims and, in a first, a senior figure from the Mormon church. Amen to that.
Apresentacao do teatro infatil na noite do dia 12 de junho de 2011 Nova imagem para acessar este top. As vezes eu sou bom demais, e acabo levando um abraco pela frente e uma facada por tras.- Rodrigao, BBB 11 Mesmo depois de conhecer varios e novos sorrisos, o dele ainda e o meu preferido. Cenas como essa se repetem todos os dias, nao so no Brasil, como em todo lugar do mundo a ultima tragedia no Japao e um triste exemplo disso. Eu poderia falar de futilidades, dedicar as minhas palavras a pessoas ingratas, que nao merecem nenhuma consideracao, mais nao quero que nada seja em vao. Este post vai para todo o mundo, para a todas as pessoas, vai para mim, para voce, para sua familia... para todos nos... Como um pedido de Paz a Deus e como um apelo de ajuda aos homens...Porquer o futuro da nossa nacao esta na nossas maosDia Do Post Dedicado THE WORLD Quanto tempo leva pra ser feliz? E relativo ao tempo que voce demora pra perceber que a felicidade ja esta bem perto, nas coisas simples e dentro de voce mesmo. Se eu humilhar diante do Teu altar e sacrificar aquilo que me custar, tu inclinaras os teus ouvidos ao meu clamor. Mais vale um dia no centro do Teu querer que toda a vida sem jamais Te conhecer . Ja percebeu? Quando voce esquece que aquela pessoa existe, ela da um jeito de voltar pra sua vida. Entao erga sua cabeca garota, e voce ira longe. Born This Way - Lady Gaga Hayley Williams, Daniel Radcliffe, Demi Lovato, Maddona, Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, Megan Fox, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Kate Wislet, Michael Phelps, Pe Lanza, Thomas, Pe Lu, Koba, Lady Gaga. Todos eles ja sofreram bullying. Agora pense: muitas pessoas que sofrem com isso hoje, podem ser brilhantes no futuro. E aqueles que ja cometeram suicidio por isso, poderiam tambem. Simplesmente serei mais eu. Serei a pessoa mais sorridente quando voce passar com outro amor. Serei um poco sem lagrimas quando voce mal olhar pra minha cara. Serei a pessoa mais forte quando voce vier falar comigo denovo. Serei a pessoa mais orgulhosa quando der tudo certo pra mim e voce me olhar com aquela cara de O que foi que eu fiz, como e que a perdi? Se tem uma coisa pela qual eu lutarei pelo resto da minha vida, sao os meus sonhos. Miley Cyrus Lullanao saber quanto ganha eu acho ate natural, nao so porque e comum o calhordanao saber de nada, como tambem como sua rende deve ser muito diversificada, comfontes absolutamente diversas, fica dificil controlar, mas e impossivel que aReceita Federal nao tenha mecanismos para "desvendar essa charada".Poressas e por outras e que costumo dizer que a quase totalidade das corrupcoescometidas no Brasil, por politicos e/ou empresarios, seriam impossiveis de ocorrer se a ReceitaFederal fosse tao vigilante em relacao a esses segmentos, como e com o cidadaocomum ou o pequeno comerciante,aqueles simplesmentesobrevivem dom salarios e dos parcos lucros que conseguemauferir ao final do mes.Naverdade, o Brasil so
consegue ser o paraiso da corrupcao porque as autoridadesque deveriam auditar os fluxos financeiros de todos, nao cumprem com o papelque deve a sociedade, restringindo-se quase que unicamente a "bisbilhotar" asfinancas dos pequenos contribuintes que nao estao protegidos pelo "manto do PODER". Etenho dito!
de Lulla, Dilma e seus"petralhinhas amestrados" ja causaram todo a desgraca que poderiamcausar ao Brasil, e aos brasileiros, somos cotidianamente surpreendidos pornovas "presepadas", a exemplo da divulgacao da lista mundial declassificacao do IDH (indice de Desenvolvimento Humano), na qual o Brasil estaem 79o, perdendo para paises sabidamente miseraveis, tal como a"indigente" Venezuela e a "sucateada" Cuba. E,com certeza, outros escandalos virao, ainda na esteira dos desmandos de Lulla,Dilma e sua "trupe".
e ecologista William Rees. Atualmente a pegada ecologica e utilizada como fonte de informacoes sobre nosso estilo de vida proprio, muitas vezes as pessoas nao sabem o mal que estao causando ao meio ambiente, e e ai que a pegada ecologica nos influencia. Ao fazer o teste da pegada ecologica, fiquei realmente muito surpresa com o resultado. Por sempre reciclar o lixo e tomar grande parte de atitudes tidas como saudaveis para o meio ambiente nunca pensei que minhas aquisicoes fossem causar tamanho impacto no meio ambiente. Se todos vivessem no mesmo estilo de vida que eu seria necessario um planeta e meio (aproximadamente) regenerado-se a cada ano, o que me fez parar para refletir sobre os meus gastos , o que essa minha pegada estaria deixando para as proximas geracoes, e quantas outras pessoas possuem uma pegada igual a minha? Qual medidas poderiamos tomar? esta pesquisa me fez repensar no que faco com o planeta, sempre acreditei levar uma vida ecologica reciclando , com aquelas dicas de desligar as luzes, fechar a torneira, mas vendo dessa maneira, posto em graficos noto que e bem mais do que essas atitudes, esse e o minimo que devemos fazer para ''agradecer'' nosso planeta, nos e que devemos co-existir com o planeta, natureza e seus dominios e nao ao contrario.
Higgs e qual sua importancia para a Fisica?4) Por que o Boson de Higgs e chamado de "particula de Deus"?----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1) O maior acelerador de particulas do mundo, localizado na suica,que tenta reproduzir uma situacao semelhante ao que o ocorreu nos tempos consequentes ao Big Bang. Tudo nele e microscopio, exceto a energia da explosao que conta com 14 trilhoes de volts, energia suficiente para abastecer 40 mil casas. 2) Um de seus principios norteadores e a missao de encontrar novas particulas, que ate entao vem sendo testadas e buscadas com veemencia pela sociedade de fisicos, o choque entre as particulas contidas la dentro dao origem a outras, A descoberta do Boson de Higgs era uma de suas buscas principais.3) O Boson Higgs e a particulada associada ao campo de Higgs, que e o que da massa a todo universo. O campo de Higgs impede que as particulas viagem com alta velocidade, dando massa a elas.Reprresenta a chave para validar a autenticidade de todas as outras teorias sobre moleculas, particulas e grande parte dos conhecimentos fisicos. Ja que e ela quem da massa a todos eles.4) Devido ao fato que essa particula possibilita que as outras possuam massa.
e o estudo que e direcionado aos oceanos, rios, a vida marinha* (como havia sido citado em zoologia, e um desses o foco em uma especie especifica) e ate mesmo no clima. Podemos com essa ramificacao, prever catastrofes como Tsunamis e Terremotos observando alteracoes nas frequencias do mar. A oceanografia e importante pois com seu auxilio podemos voltar ao assunto principal : Preservar. Estudando e entendendo o ritmo dos animais que ali vivem poderiamos desenvolver um novo ciclo de caca e reposicao que permitiria que os animais marinhos ( como baleias , tartarugas ) nao sofressem tanto, alguns pesquisadores a muitos anos atras disseram a seguinte frase ''animais de sangue frio nao sentem dor'', e foi ai que comecou uma morte desenfreada de peixes,e por ignorancia, na epoca, foi se explorando sem limites o resto do mar.O que nao deixa de ser um fato sem baseamentos reais, pois nao existem estudos que afirmem que esses animais nao sentem dor, e tambem se nao sentissem, a oceanografia existe para nos mostrar o quanto nosso meio ambiente depende desse equilibrio, e que matar dessa forma nos auto-prejudica de formas indiretas. A Agricultura e a enfase nas descobertas sobre o plantio, as tendencias de crescimento e o comportamento das plantas alimenticias e de arvores frutiferas em massa. O seu estudo vem muito antes Da revolucao industrial e onde era denominada Agricultura Arcaica, pois o seu plantio e metodo eram simples e nao envolvia quase ou nenhuma preparacao para o solo ou preocupacao com as futuras safras que teriam que crescer em um solo extorquido. Com o passar do tempo a tecnologia foi avancando e junto com ela ate mesmo as areas rurais, que viraram adeptas de meus industriais de plantio baseado em pesquisas de tempo em que uma planta levava para germinar, florescer e enfim dar os seus frutos. Foi pensado e inventado meios de controlar as pragas, diminuir as chances de a planta bichar, e ate aumentar o tamanho com os agrotoxicos, mas sera mesmo que esse conhecimento esta sendo bem aplicado? Quando pensamos em frutas e legumes, automaticamente nos lembramos que para elas ficaram coloridas e grandes, nem sempre e por um meio natural, lembramos de "agrotoxicos" e "vegetais transgenicos", talvez seja a hora dos pesquisadores dessa area, encontrar uma maneira de usar esses "remedios" em uma quantidade moderada.