So Bernie gets his free place in a secure retirement home, but where is the money. Perhaps the feds should start digging on Mt Sion?

RF .... you are correct, but Fred's post is interesting for all that.

The easy bit ..... the plague, which had regular outbreaks until about 1720 (in UK) i think, was spread by fleas ...... it follows that general and personal hygiene will discourage the flea's occurrence in the immediate environment - e.g. on the person and/or in the home.

Now to persecution ..... in the Middle Ages, the Jews were banned from practicing almost all trades in many countries so found themselves almost forced to take up money-lending - a bit simplified, but sufficient for the purpose.

At that time, many or even most Jews wore distinctive clothing, so were easily identified. In times of economic hardship, either personal or general, it was easier to "persecute the Jews" than to repay what was owed. For all that, it is somewhat ironic that after a while, the Jews were often invited back to those self-same countries, for they had all the right contacts etc for the raising of necessary funds.

Cynic, Read http://www.avma.org/reference/zoonosis/znplague.asp

You will probably understand what I am getting at. Cleanliness or hygiene is useful, but the source is often the main problem. Clean kids going to school come back with scabies, lice, etc.. Washing does not prevent this.

The use of various herbs was attempted to prevent infestations. Rue being one of the herbs, which was placed as "flooring". The strange thing about Rue is it is quite a potent "allergen" and often causes skin rashes in gardeners.

Balerboy, you are of course writing about you own values?

rue was strewn on the floor for fragrance as much as anything else ...... and don't forget that cleanlinerss is next to godliness - lol!

Or just unlucky and slipped on a banana skin ????

cynic why not stop trying to hide the facts Madoff is a self confessed thief who preyed on those of the same religious conviction, his victims include elderly people with not a great deal of knowledge of Wall Street. Madoff was ruthless from day one he exploited his jewish background and has stolen a huge amount of money. Trust is a fine thing but when it comes to money beware, in this case those who trusted Madoff because he is a jew were sadly mistaken.

Fred1new...moi pompous ?..(sniggering giggles !..)....

i give up! ...... you and some others have a fixation of BM being jewish, and thus create all sorts of erroneous associations ..... i truly cannot be bothered to re-post for the 3rd or 4th time as to why that so-called logic is flawed

Have you smelt Rue?

PS, Wasn't BM fault he was Jewish! 8-)

yes .... we have it in our garden ..... it's like soap ..... fyi its allergen factor is more prevalent when it's sunny

Cynic, Reaction is!

cynic the facts speak for themselves Madoff is a convicted fellon, he stole from his fellow jews having persuaded them he was trustworthy. They trusted him because he is a fellow jew, why do you persist in denying the facts.

Fred, just stating a fact, you probably drive a car like the rest of us and in the past just like me probably had a larger than needed gas gussler, (I've had two very large american 60's cars) now we all economise and squeeze the last mile from a gallon of juice. But it doesn't stop you from investing in oil companies to make a gain. we're all out for something for nothing, including you. :))

HalifaxCan you not understand that a thief does not have morals or scruplesthey just steal from the easiest targetsif BM had been asked to invest 5 milfrom a children's hospices fundhe would have taken the money and FCUKED OFF!!he would not have discriminated against non Jews any more than Reggie Kray would have had a second thought about tucking up any JewIm not here defending Jewsas I have had bad experiences as well as good with themand I certainly dont agree with their handling of Gaza I just cant believe the bollocks that has been written on this thread.having said that is not Sir Allen Stanford Jewish. Cynic?

tabby .... thank you for injecting some common sense .... i felt very much like the Lone Ranger .... as for Stanford's ethnicity, i really have no idea at all, any more than i do about freddie flintoff's or ian botham's or richard ponting's

Stanford
jewish? .... racing certainty that he was not .... indeed, his background suggests solid bible-bashing Texas christian .... but totally unimportant - of course!

after some very basic research - some very interesting reading there is too! ....... St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has been Stanford's corporate charity of choice ..... and also Libyan gov't apparently invested $500m in his companies .... clearly the marks of "one of the chosen people"!!

Good morning alljust off to Suffolk/Norfolk...so know more posts for a few days.
Cynic You dont need to thank meover a long period of time you have shown yourself on this bb to be unequivocally honest and decant.that dont mean to say all Jews are lol
As you have researchedI will stand corrected on Stanford
My mistake simply highlights my previous commentany raceany religionany colour can be oneand a thief is not discriminatorythey will stitch anyone when an opportunity presents itself and without feeling or remorse!and I have met a few slippery characters Morning JKDI'm in trouble now!
Off piste.good luck today TFLBT
Toddle pip

Madoff starts prison sentence
By Grant McCool


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bernard Madoff's prison life began on Tuesday, a long way from the luxury homes, sleek yachts and precious designer watches and clothes he accumulated in the years he ran Wall Street's biggest investment fraud.

Prison officials said the 71-year-old swindler checked into the Butner Federal Correctional Complex in North Carolina, where two other well-known white collar criminals, a convicted spy and a convicted bomb plotter are incarcerated.

The disgraced New York financier arrived on Tuesday morning in a prison van after being moved from a jail cell in his home city and then temporarily to a federal prison in Atlanta, a prisons spokeswoman said.

Federal Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman Linda Thomas confirmed that the prison, 45 miles northwest of Raleigh, North Carolina, was Madoff's final destination to serve the effective life sentence he received on June 29 for bilking thousands of investors from all walks of life.

A judge sentenced him to a total of 150 years on several criminal charges, including securities fraud, money laundering and perjury for a Ponzi scheme amounting to as much as $65 billion worldwide over about 20 years. A Ponzi scheme is one in which early investors are paid with money from new clients.

Madoff has spent the last four months in the Manhattan Correctional Centre next door to the courthouse where he pleaded guilty in March. He was arrested by the FBI in December after confessing to his two sons that he was a fraud.

PRISON CLOTHES

At the 3,400-inmate prison, Madoff will wear prison-issued clothing, initially be in isolation and then have a cell mate, according to those who have served time in the U.S. system. He will earn pennies a day doing menial work.

Other white-collar criminals at Butner are former Adelphia Communications executives John Rigas, 84, due for release in 2018, and his 53-year-old son, Timothy, whose term ends in 2022, according to official records.

Jonathan Pollard, an American convicted of spying for Israel, is also housed at the facility, which has several levels of security. A blind Egyptian cleric, Omar Abdel-Rahman, was moved to Butner two years ago after being sentenced to life in 1995 for a plot to bomb New York landmarks and assassinate Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Once Madoff is settled into his new surroundings, his wife of 45 years, Ruth, will be allowed to visit him. The prison is an eight-hour drive from New York and it is not the one requested by his lawyer.

He had asked Madoff be sent a medium-security prison in Otisville, New York, about 70 miles northwest of New York City, but the bureau of prisons decides where convicts go.

On July 2, Ruth Madoff gave up the couple's luxury $7 million Manhattan penthouse apartment and its valuable contents, with proceeds eventually going to defrauded investors.

Under an agreement with U.S. prosecutors, Ruth Madoff was allowed to keep $2.5 million in cash, but she and her husband were ordered to forfeit everything else they owned, including other homes, yachts and jewellery.

but will they ever find the offshore stuff and loot that that has placed with "friends"? ...... not much chance of that

Watch CNBC tonight 23.00hrs CET and you might find out how Madoff cheated his victims.

oh we all know the how ..... it's not that difficult for it also self-generates ..... almost like pyramid selling