Sort by: Most Relevant Publish Date

PHONY  

To all potential victims, I offer some tips for spotting phonies and scams. There are several red flags you need to watch out for. Any of them is almost always a dead giveaway that you have encountered a potential phony or scammer.

Pure is a well-told love story between a boy and his mother that satisfyingly concludes its plot conflicts with a believable outcome that doesn't rely on phony melodrama and the heavy hand of the author.

Just about everyone has dealt with one person in their life that is phony.

The process of clearing the phony pillars of power politics from the face of the earth may take a few more decades to accomplish according to "The Penny King", the former Chairman and CEO of Penny King Holdings Corporation!

Gym membership sales are sky high, and it seems you can't even turn a corner without finding an advertisement for some new magical weight-loss product that lets you eat all you want. I noticed lately, however, that there's an even bigger scam; phony personal trainers.

What is wrong with our federal government, especially in time of crisis? Why did FEMA stage a phony news conference to make itself look good over the California fires?

To do away with corruption in Congress, by lawmakers, by lawyers, by bankers, is for the people to take away the power of government to control the value of our money. That power belongs to the people. Only the people can get it back by dumping dollars and pinching pennies!

Jon & Kate Plus 8 is the reality TV show starring Jon & Kate Gosselin and their 3-year-old sextuplets and 6-year-old twins. One reason Jon & Kate Plus 8 has taken off is Kate: pretty, but nasty - mainly to her poor husband. Is this good for the kids?

Foreigners e-mail you with stories of dormant bank accounts with millions of dollars that they'll share with you for a percentage, or for which all you do is pay a security keeping fee, or your e-mail address was picked as a lottery winner

As these fake war heroes learned, whether they spin their tales for fame, government benefits or simply to impress their pals at the local watering hole, they risk being exposed by a growing number of angry citizens determined to set the record straight.

A big warning for a scamming psychic revolves around money. Most psychics do charge a fee for a reading, and this is normal. However, there are some out there who upon attending your reading they will inform you that you have a "curse" or "dark aura" surrounding you.

Finally, with the back against the wall, Los Angeles has placed the phony phone tax, as detractors like to refer to it, on the Super Tuesday ballot under the moniker of Proposition S.

After surviving the brutal shopping season (congested traffic, rude people, overpriced crap, phony sales people), the Big Day is so anticlimactic as to be downright murderously depressing.

Make sure that your money goes where it's supposed to when giving to charities.

Phone and billing fraud takes place in many different forms. It ranges from fraud against users by phone companies to frauds against the phone companies by third parties.

Have you ever wondered how there can be so many red carpet events? If everything in Hollywood is treated like a special occasion, then when are occasions ever really special? Take a look at some hilarious faux events coming soon to a red carpet near you....

The warning signs your legal counselor might not be on your side after all

Doing business online means it's hard to tell what ads are opportunities and what ads are scams. Here is the cheat sheet to tell.

There are dishonest people after your money after every natural disaster. They will have phony charities, offer phony home repairs, try to steal your identity. There are things you can do to avoid being cheated.

"The assets of America and Americans in general are really worth less than ten cents on the dollar, and every loan on every book of every bank with more than a billion dollars in assets is phony paperwork designed to mask the truth of the real situation!"

From the man who gave us Primary Colors, comes a book that laments the passing of the real politician, as if the nod toward Milton in the title wasn't foreshadowing enough. Not the politician that is patently phony, but the true politicians who aren't afraid...

Placebo is a Latin word that literally means "I will please" and is used for any phony version of a treatment or medication. Not many doctors and health care professionals admit to administering placebo drugs and treatments.

When the loser DOES give credit, it comes off as scripted and rehearsed, and that's phony. When Serena Williams loses, it's because she stunk for that match. And she admits that. And what's wrong with that?

A character study

As we move into 2007, let's hope that we, the electorate, will once again engage our brains and be able to distinguish the difference between genuine statesmen and phony actors who have no business on the political stage.

So your career as a phony baloney psychic is off to a swimming start. What next? Simple, pull off a miracle on stage and you'll have a show on Broadway in no time

Being a collector of retro Air Jordans and Air Force 1's, I would hate for sneaker lovers to spend their hard earned cash on a pair of fakes.

They are everywhere-con artists who want your money. They may use the phone, Internet, or come door-to-door to pull of their schemes, but beware. They are out to get you.

The New York Board of Health stepped up to the plate recently and banished trans fats. The people who make this artificial food that last longer than our arteries are upset that food will have a natural shelf life.

125 Jackson Hewitt stores in four states are accused of filing false returns claiming refunds based on phony W-2 forms, using fabricated businesses, and massive fraud related to earned income tax credit.

Most have recurring monthly fees automatically charged to your mobile phone and cancelling the service is never easy.

If you fit the description of being phony, you have two options in life. Either work hard like everybody else in hopes of getting what you want, or use your natural abilities.

There was a logical connection between the War on Terror and the War in Iraq; it's just not a rationale that conservatives or liberals want to talk about.

Did you ever want to go back to Jupiter, where you belonged? Yes, that's it. Fiction readers always seem to want a certain couple where it belongs. Going to the moon you would put it. Or Mars.

Most Americans live in suburban sprawl. In the past 50 years nearly all new housing has been in automobile-dependent places. But a high fraction of Americans want something else. Tthe sprawl industry uses its money to keep out competition.

This article discusses drug free alternatives for treating ADHD children.

Designer handbags are everywhere. Most of us can't afford the authentic thing, so we gravitate towards the the next best thing...replicas. Here are five major things to look for when buying a designer knock-off and tips for spotting a spoof.

Maybe you can relate to this. Can you dig it?

Building a relationship with adult stepchildren can be a difficult challenge. These tips may help you make the transition more easily.

For all of you novices who will not only be new to football this season, but will forced to participate in it because of your surrounding company, here's your guide to making people respect your football acumen...Even if you really don't have one!

Illegal immigration poses a mortal threat to America. While Congress is paralyzed on this issue, the problem will only get worse.

Hollywood now turns to CGI for every special effect they require. Unfortunately, most of the time these effects are as cheesy and unrealistic as any 1950s horror movie. And worst all, now they want to turn the Silver Surger into a CGI figure.

New Haven Mayor John DeStefano and Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy, both Democratic gubernatorial candidates, discussed their similarities and differences during a televised debate at the Garde Arts Center in New London on July 18.

When I turn on the local news, it turns me off

Where can you go to purchase infant water shoes? (AKA: hydro shoes, swim shoes, water socks, aqua shoes, aqua socks, etc.)

A two pieced bonanza of why men can't live with women or can't live without them.

If any party can find a way to lose what seems like a sure thing - winning back Congress in the age of Bush - it's today spineless Democrats.

Holden Caulfied, the protagonist of Catcher in the Rye, has long been an icon of 50s rebellion and noncomformity. How strange, since a close reading of the text reveals a character who longs for a return to a less progressive time than even that decade.

She was born in a black and white world. She committed a crime when she was ten. We jump to when she is an adult with a partner who crochets and some childhood things link up to the adult.

Discuss scams and con artists on the Internet. Provides real life examples. Light humor.

If you are one of the millions of people "hooked" on reality television, chances are you will pay a very dear price in the end.

I was a young soldier and world traveler in 1966. I visited Syria, Jordan,
Lebanon and Israel. The same attitudes I discovered then are the same ones
that exist now among most non-Israeli Arabs and Israels and Arab Israelis.

My reality TV show idea would take place every four years. lt would replace the Presidential campaign with a reality show in which the candidates were forced to live on minimum wage.

New York fans have been pretty unmerciful in their booing of Alex Rodriguez. Can he ever get the fans on his side, or is this relationship beyond fixing?

If you have a practical joker in your life, why not bring him or her a chuckle for the holidays? Give the perfect gag gift, without spending a lot of dough.

Sociery is more accepting of homosexuality. The media talks much about homosexuality.

Think you know what Scientology's all about? Read the first in a series of articles exposing the truth about Scientology.

The success and progress of your career, like many things in life, is determined not by what you have but how you use it.

E! announced that both Paris and Nicole would return for another season of The Simple Life before the 4th season of the show was even over. The surprising finale of the 4th season only left fans wondering what the real story behind their friendship is.

An essay about The Catcher in the Rye: Themes, Motifs, and Symbols

Too many cheerful people around? Solve that problem with one of these handy ideas.

Some prophecies are better than others - and Mrs. Marston's "Message From Space" (by way of "Yam" back in 1964), already shaky, begins to look like a stinker: It's about to come crashing down upon her, her dysfunctional congregation and the Boggs family.

"Ghost Hunters," beginning its third season on the Sci-Fi channel, has turned into a quiet cult hit. You can call it a reality show or a documentary or, for skeptics, a bunch of baloney, but you can also call it compelling television.

Lost's third season expands with some footage of Jin, Sun, and Sayid. Plus, someone tastes like fish biscuits.

I wish that for simply being ourselves, in the unique physical canvas God created us to be, we can all be comfortable in our own skin without feeling as if we constantly need to measure up to perpetual standards.

Throughout the world marriage, family and love comes in many forms. The US needs to accept this.

When I referred to him as Mr. Bush, he said "I'm just George." I had no idea I was meeting with a future Governor of Texas and United States President.

What is this world coming to? When even Oprah starts overestimating Angelina Jolie's love of Africa, you know we've got some serious problems.

This is an article about the Today Show, The View and the CBS Evening News.

The sick sad news this week is that Pres. Bush apparently believes morale is high in the military, Candice Bergen and others believe we are currently in television's Golden Age, and Ann Coulter still hasn't bee investigated for soliciting murders.

Viral marketing campaigns on MySpace are finding a fresh audience, but the advertising-in-disguise method may encourage negative views on corporate brands. Find out why the surge in growth of MySpace profiles may be misleading.

Solitude/Solitaire. World Falling Down. After All. These Peter Cetera tunes make up some of my personal top ten songs by this performer.

By understanding both sides of your face (and others') you can gai na deeper awareness of how you view the world and yourself

Eight million US schoolchildren are ingesting dangerous psychiatric drugs daily after being affixed with unscientific diagnoses. Find out what is driving this and why children have been turned into psychiatry's top drug market.

The film Aileen Wuornos: the Selling of a Serial Killer tries to take the position that while Wuornos was indeed a killer she was wronged in many ways throughout her life

Many life experiences and events that Salinger went through are comparatively similar to those he has Holden go through. Here are some concrete examples from, "Catcher in the Rye" of these similarities.

The story of a couple, told through both of their eyes, tracing their marriage from begining and beyond.

A look at the sickest, saddest news of the past week.

When I'm writing letter of recommendation documents I always introduce myself and how I'm associated with the person for whom

April Fools Day phone pranks aren't just for kids. If you want to play a harmless phone prank on your husband or wife, you can use a soundboard. Soundboards are available online, and they can help you pull off the best pranks ever.

Becoming a major epidemic, Identity Theft occurs when a criminal uses another person's personal information to take on that person's identity.

An examination of the idea of the scopophilic look in Dorothy Arzner's films.

I have a drawer full of love letters that my boyfriend of two years has written me.

A closer look into the world of stockmarkets. Also a look into the scandal that shook its world.

After ushering in a testament to DJ culture with the Documentary Scratch, director Doug Pray captured the high energy 2002 tour stop in Los Angeles into the follow-up film Scratch: All the Way Live.

starring Denis Quaid, a plane's passengers are stuck in the desert with on hope for survival

They are targeted because of their youth and naivete. According to F.B.I. estimates, over 100,000 children are victims of human trafficking in sex.

Inspector Jacques Clouseau is back agin to find the elusive diamond, The Pink Panther, and catch a killer. Find out more about the film and my opinion of it in this review.

The 1950s are seen as a time of conformity and repression. But that decade was simply a ticking bomb that had been set ten years earlier and would violently explode in the 60s.

Archie McPhee's has a flair for the odd. Come here and buy something fun for someone you know this Christmas.

The back doors to Automated Telephone Customer Service systems are revealed, allowing the customer greater control over the customer disservice experience.

Watching a lot of TV affects brain function. AS you watch TV, your brain goes into an alpha state, in which you are receptive to subliminal advertising. You also lose brain capabilities over time.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy film is just a mess. Poor casting, bad screenwriting, and not very good directing all add up to a messy film that isn't very funny.

Unfortunately, we're living in a world where corporate intrusion into our lives has gotten so bad, the Muzak that used to be played in elevators and dentist's offices has been replaced by a sales pitch.

Airport parking is relatively safe, but there are a few things you can do to make it even moreso.

It comes with text messaging (you can send a small text message to other phones) and free voice mail (leave a voice mail message) But is Tracfone the right phone for you?

Escaping for a weekend of total relaxation in a historic villa in Palm Springs, CA.

Pierce Brosnan has been in four James Bond movies, and was asked to act in a fifth one. It was all gravy until one day he decided he wasn't going to do it.