Most Important Person In British PR Arrested By BBC Sex Abuse Scandal Investigators

Max Clifford, PR advisor to the stars and one of the most important people in British media, has been arrested in an investigation that has links to the BBC's ongoing sex abuse scandal.

According to the BBC, British police have confirmed they have arrested a man in London "on suspicion of sexual offenses". Sources have reportedly told the Telegraph that the man is Clifford. It appears Clifford has not been charged and is only being questioned at present.

Few people in British media are as powerful as Clifford, who became a household name for his willingness to work with unpopular figures on their public image, especially after big scandals. Some of his most famous clients OJ Simpson and Simon Cowell.

While specific offences are not believed to be directly linked to the allegations of sexual abuse against BBC star Jimmy Savile, the investigation is part of Operation Yewtree — an operation British police set up after the Savile scandal in a bid to investigate "historic sex offences".

Clifford may have seen this coming. During a Sky News interview in October he said that in the 1960s people “never asked for anybody’s birth certificate."

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Things Should Be Aware Of With Regards To Debt Consolidation Reduction Lending Options

At this time, most of us inhabit a good fast-paced, high-technology environment where all sorts of things comes and goes when rapid as being a blink of total eye. Right from e-mails that will messengers that will cards, these items realestatehomesbcseem to be whatever you call now when necessities. Even now, we quite often lose [...]

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Source: http://www.legaldebthelponline.com/2012/07/02/things-should-be-aware-of-with-regards-to-debt-consolidation-reduction-lending-options/

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HSBC May End Up Paying A $1.8 Billion Money Laundering Fine

hsbc

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - HSBC Holdings Plc might pay a fine of $1.8 billion as part of a settlement with U.S. law-enforcement agencies over money-laundering lapses, according to several people familiar with the matter.

The settlement with Europe's biggest bank - which could be announced as soon as next week - will likely involve HSBC entering into a deferred prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The potential settlement, which has been in the works for months, is emerging as a test case for just how big a signal U.S. prosecutors want to send to try to halt illicit flows of money moving through U.S. banks.

An HSBC spokesman said: "We are cooperating with authorities in ongoing investigations. The nature of discussions is confidential."

HSBC said on Nov. 5 that it set aside $1.5 billion to cover a potential fine for breaching anti-money laundering controls in Mexico and other violations, although Chief Executive Stuart Gulliver said the cost could be "significantly higher."

In regulatory filings, HSBC has said it could face criminal charges. But similar U.S. investigations have culminated in deferred prosecution deals, where law-enforcement agencies delay or forgo prosecuting a company if it admits wrongdoing, pays a fine and agrees to clean up its compliance systems. If the company missteps again, the Justice Department could prosecute.

A deferred prosecution agreement could raise questions over whether HSBC is simply paying a big fine and nothing more, said Jimmy Gurule, a former enforcement official at the U.S. Treasury.

It would make a "mockery of the criminal justice system," said Gurule, who is now a University of Notre Dame law-school professor.

In his view, the only way to really catch the attention of banks is to indict individuals.

"That would send a shockwave through the international finance services community," Gurule said. "It would put the fear of God in bank officials that knowingly disregard the law."

An HSBC settlement, long rumored, has been slow in coming. Inside the Justice Department, prosecutors in Washington, D.C. and West Virginia argued over how to best investigate HSBC. According to documents reviewed by Reuters, the U.S. Attorney's office in Wheeling, West Virginia, was prepared as far back as 2010 to indict HSBC and include more than 170 money laundering counts.

Prosecutors in Washington ultimately took charge.

In June, the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released a report saying HSBC allowed clients to move shadowy funds from Mexico, Iran, the Cayman Islands, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

The use of deferred prosecution agreements has surged in recent years because Justice Department officials believe they give prosecutors an option aside from indicting a company or dropping a case.

According to a report in May by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, a conservative-leaning think tank, there have been 207 deferred or non-prosecution agreements since 2004.

The agreements "have become a mainstay of white collar criminal law enforcement," U.S. Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer said in September during an appearance at the New York City Bar Association.

"I've heard people criticize them and I've heard people praise them. DPAs have had a truly transformative effect on particular companies and, more generally, on corporate culture across the globe."

If U.S. prosecutors agree to a deferred agreement, they still could wield a powerful legal tool by accusing the bank of laundering money.

That would be a much more serious charge than if prosecutors, in a deferred agreement, charged HSBC with criminal violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, a law that requires banks to maintain programs that root out suspicious transactions.

In March 2010, for example, Wells Fargo & Co's Wachovia entered into a deferred prosecution agreement to pay $160 million as part of a Justice Department probe that examined how drug traffickers moved money through the bank. Wachovia was accused of violating the Bank Secrecy Act, a decision that prompted criticism from some observers who thought a money laundering charge should have been employed and individual bankers prosecuted.

A charge of money laundering would be a rare move by the Justice Department and would send a signal to other big banks that the agency is intent on cracking down on dirty money moving through the U.S. financial system. (Reporting by Carrick Mollenkamp and Brett Wolf; Additional reporting by Emily Flitter and Aruna Viswanatha)

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Should You Consolidate Debt With 0% Balance Transfer Credit Card Offers?

Consolidation Loans For People with Bad Credit With the new CARD act, a lot of card companies started to change their business models which helped in making zero percent credit card balance transfers a very rare commodity according to the wall street journal. But there are still a few and when properly executed, they can [...]

The post Should You Consolidate Debt With 0% Balance Transfer Credit Card Offers? appeared first on legal debt help online.

Source: http://www.legaldebthelponline.com/2012/06/28/should-you-consolidate-debt-with-0-balance-transfer-credit-card-offers/

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Ewan McGregor Says He'd Return For 'Star Wars' Episode 7

Obi wan kenobi ewan mcgregor

It's not only the classic "Star Wars" cast who say they would return for Disney's franchise reboot. 

Some newer cast members wouldn't mind reprising their characters on the big screen, too.

Ewan McGregor, who starred in prequel episodes I, II, and III told Digital Spy he'd be glad to return as Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Yeah of course. If they need me, yeah, I'd be happy," said McGregor.

Since "Star Wars" McGregor went on to "I Love You Phillip Morris," "Angels & Demons," and more recently, "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen."

Watch the interview below:

SEE ALSO: The most expensive movies ever made >

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5 Steps to a Successful Stewardship Ministry

Over the past decade, Gateway Church has developed a stewardship ministry that serves more than 3,000 people a year with 170 stewardship classes. The charge is led by Gunnar Johnson, who is often asked: ?What does it take to develop and maintain a successful stewardship ministry??

Gunnar says it?s really an easy ministry to keep running if you start with a little bit of guidance on the front end. Too many churches start off just thinking in terms of curriculum. People from the congregation aren?t as receptive to this approach because the church is often violating the very principles they are teaching.

Gunnar has a passion to help other churches create thriving stewardship ministries like the one Gateway enjoys, so he has shared five steps that have helped to make theirs so successful:

1. Determining Vision

Gunnar said it's key for the senior leader to be involved in this discussion. The vision of the stewardship ministry must tie into the church?s other ministries from the get-go. Gateway?s pastor had a vision for the people of the church to be radical givers and good stewards. At the same time, God had spoken to Gunnar about building a comprehensive stewardship ministry. Their vision was birthed out of 1 Timothy 6:17?19:

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

These verses lay out exactly what good stewardship looks like: People would be generous, have margin, and put their faith and hope in God. They would not be materialistic, and they would be building up their lives in contentment and serving the Kingdom.

?I think each church has its own unique vision,? Gunnar said. ?There?s not a single mission statement for every church. The leaders of the church have to get together and decide: How are we going to teach on money? They have to determine it from the head. It?s not about starting a class because we should or because giving is down.?

2. Creating Mission

This is when you ask: ?Why are we here? What are we doing? What is our purpose?? Gunnar says mission and vision are easily confused. Gateway sees their mission as being the Great Commission. ?We are going to launch these people out to do what God wants them to do. Our mission isn?t just to teach them biblical principles, it?s to get them active in their faith,? he said. ?At the end of all of our lives, each one of us has a date with Christ. I want every person in our church to hear, ?Well done, good and faithful servant,? because they have been faithful with their time, talent, treasure.?

3. Setting Objectives

Now it?s time to create something you can put your hands on and answer, ?How can we actually do this?? Objectives need to be meaningful, measurable, manageable.

Gunnar explained Gateway?s five straightforward stewardship objectives:

  • To create givers: Not so we can raise the budget or bring in more money, but because God does something in people?s lives when they allow Him to change their perspective about money.
  • To have Christ-centered stewards: I don?t want them to just get wealthy. If they do, I?m okay with that. But whether they have a lot or a little, I want them to be Christ-centered and know what God has purposed them to do with money.
  • For people to be biblically literate: We want them to know what the Scriptures say?where it is and how to do it. Theories come and go. If someone comes in and tries to sell them a bill of goods, we want them to know how it violates biblical principles. If they are being told to leverage debt, they?ll know the truth of Proverbs 22:7 that tells us, ?The borrower is the slave of the lender.?
  • For people to be debt-free: Debt chains us to our past and robs us of our future. If I open a credit card to buy Christmas gifts, it chains me to that year?s Christmas and robs me of what God may have for me. I don?t want the mistakes of my past to hinder my future. That?s what inspires me about being a Christ follower. He gives us the opportunity to erase the past: sin debt and financial debt.
  • For people to be savers: The Bible tells us that wise people save money. A debtor loses opportunities, but a saver is ready when God presents them.

4. Building a Strategy

This is when you determine how, when and where you will meet your objectives. Now is the time to talk about the curriculums out there and how they might fit in. Gateway categorizes people as struggling, stable, solid, or surplus and ministers to each of those groups in different ways. For the struggling it?s a compassionate yet accountable process of benevolence. For the stable and solid, they offer all kinds of classes with practical application. Those with surplus are treated differently, but not better because they have wealth. They experience a time-intensive, slow-going process that helps them become good managers of their wealth.

5. Determine Your Tactics

This is where you lay out your plan. For example, Gunnar said they are planning to run Financial Peace University (FPU) in the spring. He knows how many memberships he needs to buy, has the room secured, a team to run it, registration set up. They do this for each area of their strategy. It?s a calendar-heavy step, and a lot of work goes into it based on their overarching visions and goals.

Once you work through these five steps, you can pull back at any time and ask: Are we meeting the goals we?ve set? Things are going to change from year to year, and that?s okay. ?God will give us a new revelation and call our church to do that, and we?ll move into that,? Gunnar said. ?But creating a healthy stewardship ministry is much deeper than just starting a class. ?

By laying a foundation of interconnectedness with other ministries with leadership support, you will invite a spirit of unity, and where there is unity, there is blessing.

Dave Ramsey has created a program called Momentum to lock arms with churches that want to do just that. Momentum is all about bringing people back to God?s view of money management and cultivating a culture of lasting generosity. Discover today how Momentum can help your congregation.

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Source: http://www.daveramsey.com/article/5-steps-to-a-successful-stewardship-ministry/lifeandmoney_church

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Banks Can Boost Profits Without Raising Fees On Its Poorest Customers

Sallie KrawcheckThis post originally appeared on LinkedIn. Follow Sallie on LinkedIn

The topic of banks increasing fees on unprofitable "low balance" (ie, low income) customers is back in the news.

Here’s an idea for the banks: Don’t. And never do.

Instead, think about the issue in a completely different way:

Think of the provision of basic banking services as a valuable public and community service you provide for some group of these low-income individuals.

Think about it, categorize it, quantify it, analyze it, talk about it….heck, crow about it….in the same vein as the (very significant) donations you make to non-profits and the community service days you organize your employees to participate in (but without the matching bank t-shirts and the annual report photographer on hand).

Think about it as a return you provide to taxpayers for the explicit and implicit public support banks receive.

And think about it as a means of bringing your formal “Corporate Value Statements” – the part about making the communities in which you operate better places – to life in a tangible fashion.

The good news: Don’t think about it as costing you much, as the fixed costs for your banking infrastructure are already in place. And the profitability on these customers is already low.

(The bad news: Increasing your returns for shareholders, in this interest rate environment, likely isn’t going to be as easy as just charging the same customers more for the same services. Yes, you can cut costs. But at some point, it’s also going to require the hard work of great customer service and innovation.)

One other thought: those community service days you organize are good. It’s hard to argue against cleaning up parks and helping build homes. But an even greater impact could be to help with one of our country’s greatest needs by doing what you do: providing financial education and financial guidance….in this case not to the wealthy, but to struggling families. If every bank and Wall Street employee contributed just one day a year to this, the impact to low-income families could be life-changing, and the impact to our country could be extraordinary. And, check your internal employee surveys: your employees want to be part of the solution.

Let’s face it: the big banks are not one sharp advertising campaign away from restoring their reputations. Instead, the smart management teams will reframe the issue. They will fundamentally rethink how they can employ their unique attributes – their branch systems, the expertise of their employees – to tangibly improve their communities and help with the challenges those communities are facing, thus improving their own standing. While I understand the pressure of the quarterly earnings cycle (yes, learned the hard way), I’ve also seen that making long-term investments of this type can pay off surprisingly quickly

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EIA: Here's What Oil Prices Will Do For The Next 30 Years

The Energy Information Administration (run by the Energy department) just released its initial Annual Energy Outlook for 2013.

The big news: the agency sees Brent spot prices declining to $96 into 2015 — but then exploding to $163 in 2040.

Here's the chart:

aeo 2013 energy

And here are their assumptions:

  • Average economic growth of 1.8 percent per year for major U.S. trading partners
  • Average annual economic growth in other U.S. trading partners of 4.0 percent
  • Declining liquid fuels consumption per unit of GDP
  • The OPEC market share of total liquid fuels production remains at approximately 40 to 45 percent over the projection period
  • Production from non-OPEC countries increases to levels above those in last year's annual energy outlook

SEE MORE: Take A Tour Of The Most Profitable Oil Play In The World >

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The Cost Of Debt Consolidation

Best Credit Card Consolidation Companies Opting for a debt consolidation can be a great solution if you are looking for a way to settle your debts, get lower monthly payments or maybe low interest rates. Don’t just sign any documents without reading and understanding the terms. Be sure you have read every clause and you [...]

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Source: http://www.legaldebthelponline.com/2012/06/30/the-cost-of-debt-consolidation/

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Guilt Makes For A Delicious Addition To Forbidden Foods When You?re On A Diet

When all you want, all you need is just a bite of smooth, creamy, calorie-laden chocolate ice cream and you’re not supposed to have it for whatever reason (dieting, it doesn’t belong to you), giving in to that impulse feel so guilty. And it’s so tasty, partly because it is forbidden, says a new study. Guilt makes for quite a … [More]

Source: http://consumerist.com/2012/12/04/guilt-makes-for-a-delicious-addition-to-forbidden-foods-when-youre-on-a-diet/

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