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| Provided to you Exclusively by Robert D. Ashby, CMPS |
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For the Month of April 2006 --- Vol. 1, Issue
5 |
In This Issue...  |
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Order in the Court? How about the Odor in the Court...back in the days when smoking was allowed in the courtroom! But did you know that the famed attorney Clarence Darrow actually used this to his benefit, in a way that will amaze you? And you'll definitely want to read on, to learn how to keep your family safer at home...by knowing within five minutes from now if any sex offenders live or work in your community. And finally - would you recognize "Funny Money" if you'd seen it? Statistics say that 75% of all known counterfeit currency is seized before it ever reaches the public...but many people have had a bill pass through their hands, and unwittingly been handling a fake. This is definitely an issue you'll want to pass on to family and friends. And as always, please be sure to call or email if you need any assistance at this time! |
| Order In the Court! |
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The courtroom is heating up as the trial of Enron executives, Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling, is fully under way. Jurors have been carefully chosen to hear the arguments of the prosecuting and defense attorneys, and the air in the courtroom will be thick with tension while each attorney states their best arguments to sway the jury in their client's favor. However, the air in the Enron courtroom will never be as thick as when Clarence Darrow, the greatest criminal defense lawyer in American history, was defending his clients. He was known for several famous trials, including John S. Scopes in the so-called "Monkey" Trial, and was also known for opposing the famous William Jennings Bryan, three time nominee for President. And back when Clarence Darrow was defending clients, smoking was permitted in courtrooms and Darrow was known for lighting up a good stogy while in the courtroom. But Clarence never lit up a cigar in a courtroom for the pure enjoyment or great taste. He saved his cigar for just the right moment during a trial, always lighting his cigar just when the opposing attorney got up to give their closing argument to the jury. There was a method to his madness. While the opposing attorney gave their closing argument, Clarence would puff away on his cigar, prominently holding out the cigar as the ash grew and grew...but never seemed to drop. One by one, the jurors would become transfixed, watching the ever-growing ash and anxiously waiting for the ash to drop. But it never did...why? Because Clarence wasn't smoking just any cigar...he would smoke a cigar that had been "pre-wired" with a straightened paperclip, which kept the ash from falling. With the jurors increasingly engrossed by the progress of the ash, they would not pay close attention to the opposing counsel's statement, often leading Darrow to victory for his clients. |
| Know Thyself... |
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...This famous phrase is attributed to any number of ancient Greek philosophers, including the great Socrates. But in today's world, it is almost more important to "KNOW THY NEIGHBOR". Why? Because sex offenders don't advertise their home or business location, but wouldn't you want to know? Finding out if one of your neighbors is a sex offender or being notified if a sex offender moves into your neighborhood can be done with just a few clicks of the mouse by visiting: http://www.familywatchdog.us/. The site provides up to date information about registered sex offenders in your surrounding neighborhood, and has several educational tools available for your family as well. Simply enter your address or zip code and an area map will pop up. The locations of registered sex offenders are identified on the map by color-coded boxes. Colors identify if the location is the offender's home address or business address, and the type of crime the offender has been charged with. Further, double click on the colored box and you can obtain the offender's name, complete address, photo, and more information about the conviction. If a registered sex offender lives in your area, it is important that your children learn safety lessons. Need a little help finding material to educate your children about proper safety precautions? Simply hit this link: Watchdog Education, and download a free "Family Discussion" questionnaire and safety poster. The questionnaire is a great guideline for covering safety precautions with your children, and the poster provides children with pertinent information should they encounter a dangerous situation. "The Safe Side - Stranger Safety" video is also available for purchase to educate your children. Coming this fall, a new video will be available on the site that will address Internet safety - another hot topic for parents. Even if your neighborhood checks out and at present there are no sex offenders living in your area, let the "watchdog" continue to look out for your family. Enter one address free of charge and receive notification if a sex offender moves within one mile of that address. Or, enter up to three addresses (home, school, daycare, etc.) for a nominal fee and receive an email notification if a sex offender moves within five miles of any of the three locations in the future. Most importantly, pass this article on to family, friends, coworkers, neighbors and teachers. Your family is your most valuable asset; invest the time to keep them safe and secure. |
| Funny Money... |
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A few years back, a young man approached the cashier at a local McDonald's and paid for his hamburger with a $20 bill. Next in line was his friend, who did the same thing. After that came a third. Nothing unusual about this...except that these young men had produced the bills at home on a desktop computer. Welcome to the new face of counterfeiting. Where it once was an expensive and laborious process to reproduce a high-quality US greenback — today's color photocopiers, scanners, and ink-jet printers have opened up counterfeiting to a new breed of criminal. Younger, more comfortable with technology, and sometimes with no prior criminal record, the ease of counterfeiting has tempted some people into committing a serious felony...who otherwise might never have dreamed of taking such a risk. But identifying and detecting the authenticity of a note can be quite simple if you know what to look for. Use these tips to determine if a note is phony or real. Put the suspect note and the genuine note (of the same denomination) side by side and use a magnifying glass to compare the portrait, the paper, and the print quality. The portrait on the genuine note will be lifelike, sharp, and will stand out from the background of the note. On the counterfeit note, the portrait will appear blurry, lifeless, flat, and will blend into the background of the note. The paper of a genuine note has a distinct look and feel. Genuine currency paper is one-fourth linen, three-fourths cotton, and contains tiny red and blue fibers embedded throughout the paper. Counterfeit paper has the red and blue lines printed on the surface not embedded in the paper. When looking at the print, compare the Federal Reserve and Treasury seals, border, and serial numbers. On the genuine note the Federal Reserve and Treasury seal saw-tooth points will be distinct and sharp, borders will be clear and unbroken, and serial numbers will be evenly spaced and printed in the same color as the Treasury seal. On the counterfeit bill the print will be blurry, uneven, and the numbers will not be uniformly spaced. And to combat the growing risk of counterfeiting, the US Government is taking great strides to redesign currency with enhanced designs and security features. The redesigning process started in 2003 when the new $20 note was introduced, followed by the $50 note in 2004. The new $10 note has already entered circulation this year. Check out these new features:
A few additional design features worth noting include the added background colors. Of all the design features, the added colors will be the most noticeable. The borders and the fine lines surrounding the portrait on the face of the note and the building on the back of the note have been removed. Symbols of freedom have been added to the face of each note and differ for each denomination. By adding the security and design features to the notes, counterfeiting of US currency has already significantly dropped. In an effort to continually keep the levels of counterfeiting low, the government expects to redesign our currency every seven to ten years. The next note to be redesigned with the new security features will be the $100 bill. At present, there is no plan to redesign the $5 note, and the $1 and $2 notes will not be redesigned at all. If you ever have a note that you suspect is counterfeit, turn it over to your local police department. If the police department determines that the note is genuine it will be returned to you. Although you will not be reimbursed if the note is counterfeit, knowingly passing a counterfeit note is against the law. For more information about the enhanced designs, security features, or to view an interactive presentation about each note, hit this informative link: Money Factory. |
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