| How to Beat Fraud and Still Make Money Doing Business in Brazil
According to a survey from Unisys in 2005, and reported in IT Digest and other publications, Brazil was ranked third in the number of banking identity theft frauds. The study sampled bank fraud in Mexico, Australia, USA, France, England, Hong Kong, Germany and Brazil. This dilemma has received enough attention that Brazilian banks have begun to implement stricter security policies in response to previous problems. The tax and currency fraud issues stem from discrepancies in how products/goods are imported into, or out of, the country. Companies that engage in these fraudulent activities seek to skirt paying Brazilian taxes on these items by falsely lowering the cost of the product on documents provided to the government thus allowing them to pay fewer monies to the authorities than they would otherwise be required.
3 new faces on Hollywood Commission
Hollywood voters elected three new members to the Hollywood City Commission, along with ousting longtime Mayor Mara Giulianti. Real estate agent Patty Asseff beat longtime District 1 Commissioner Cathy Anderson. U.S. Army veteran Heidi O'Sheehan was elected to replace retiring Commissioner Sal Oliveri in District 3. Linda Sherwood will fill the District 6 seat vacated by Peter Bober's mayoral victory. Incumbent Commissioner Quentin ''Beam'' Furr held on to his District 2 seat. Hollywood voters also passed a referendum giving the city commission approval to sell four properties to developers for new projects. The land will likely be part of negotiations for new offices. For the first time in three decades, Hollywood beach will have a new representative.
MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS: Station Casinos buyout closes Gambling ...
Construction continues Tuesday on the site of Aliante Station. The $675 million hotel-casino project in North Las Vegas, a Station Casinos joint-venture, is scheduled to open in December 2008.
Photos by Ronda Churchill
The stock of now private Station Casinos, which is building Aliante Station, above, will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.
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Bedford Co. considers raising fees for dog licenses
If you own a dog in Bedford County it may cost you more to purchase a license for your furry friend. The Bedford County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing Tuesday to consider raising dog licensing fees. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the County Administration Building . The proposed cost to license a spayed or neutered dog will rise from $3 to $5. For non spayed or non-neutered dogs, the license fee is proposed to increase from $5 to $10. New state legislation, which took effect July 1, requires veterinarians to forward rabies vaccination certificates to the treasurer's office. “This state requirement has increased the workload of the treasurer's office to the point that the cost to process the tag and to complete the required paperwork has exceeded the income derived from the dog tags," County Attorney Carl Boggess said .
Javier Bardem, "The Sopranos" SAG winners
Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Eva Longoria and Tom Cruise provided some much-missed star power at the SAG event. During the three months of the ongoing strike by Hollywood screenwriters, celebrities have boycotted the Golden Globes and People's Choice Awards to honor the Writers Guild of America's picket line. "The entire town has been going through a very difficult time. So to be able to celebrate something is a wonderful thing," former "Will & Grace" star Debra Messing told Reuters. The WGA allowed its members to write for the SAG awards show and said it would not protest outside the event because actors have been strong allies of the writers in their bid for higher payments for work distributed over the Internet. The strike threatens the February 24 Oscars, the movie industry's biggest showcase, although hopes have risen for a settlement after informal talks resumed last week between the WGA and major studios.
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