Reports of frauds, deceptions and scams keep appearing, weekly even daily, on
major news channels and newspapers. Some of these frauds seem just too big and remote to be of immediate, direct relevance to our daily lives. But, we will eventually pay for the consequences and damages, in taxes, costs of goods and services, regulations, copy-cats etc.

I hope we can collect, in one thread, frauds and scams, reported or heard. We must become more aware and more educated to guard against frauds and scams
which impact upon the health, well being, and wealth of ourselves and our families.

Bolshi,

Well spotted.

I'm one who subscribes to the view that global warming is a lovely gravy train on which to jump to find ways of making money.

On another thread I drew attention to Frederick Forsyth reminding us on Question Time that the Romans grew wine grapes on Hadrian's Wall and of how hot it was in the Middle Ages.

Carbon, CO2 and all the similar worries can be just as easily explained as the result of the earth getting warmer, instead of the more widely publicised view of them being the cause of it getting warmer.

TP

TP. I'm not a great fan of Freddie Forsythe (if only he'd smile sometimes - miserable git) but he did talk the most common sense out of all the panellists imo.

Trouble with the enviromental scientists is that they would be out of a job if they said it's all perfectly natural. If, on the other hand, they forecast doom and gloom, they're likely to be rewarded with grants and more staff.

How do BBC get the Q Time audiences? They always appear to be teeming with left wing green activists and teachers! Not much difference really :-)

TP: I agree.

You just need to see the attitude of local councils to 4x4s to see that it's just a money-making scam. You can't object because you "don't care about the planet", as if paying more for parking (a car that isn't moving ain't polluting) or for refuse collection (what's the council tax for?) will make a jot of difference.

As for air passenger duty, those contrails that aircraft leave are made of ice crystals which reflect heat and light from the Sun. They're good for you.

Ken Livingstone, bless him, has proudly annouced that he has installed a charging point outside his house for his electric car -- which is a Toyota Prius which has no provision for external charging. It charges its battery from recovered braking energy or from its, er, well, actually, petrol engine.

And if he did have an all electric car, where does he think the electricity to charge it comes from?

And when will people work out that wind farms don't generate power when the wind doesn't blow -- like when it's freezing cold? And the "carbon footprint" caused by making all that concrete to embed them in kinda erases the other gain?

Time to build nuclear plants, and quickly.

Whilst on the topic of stuff on tv, cars and scams....

I've now seriously gone off 'Top Gear'. Last night's show was both a scam and a sham and not at all up to its usual high standard. One more like that and they are all set to lose half their viewers at least, IMHO.

The majority of the show saw the three 'nine year olds' each buying an American car for less than $1,000 and then driving it 800 miles from Miami to New Orleans. The antics they got up to on the way, giggling about their oafish pranks and problems with their bum cars, were absolutely pathetic and totally childish, let alone juvenile.

The worst bit was when they wrote anti-Americanisms in large crude lettering on the side of their cars and then had to flee lots of angry and offended 'Rednecks'. It reminded me of the stupidity of Jane Goody, who Clarkson so aggressively and nastily castigated in the last week's similarly poor previous show.

Last week the trio were tarmaccing and that had lots of oafish stupidity, was similarly poor and done in a comparable vein to this week's show.

Yes, only one more chance, Clarkson. Fail with it and 'I'm out of here'.

"How do BBC get the Q Time audiences? They always appear to be teeming with left wing green activists and teachers! "

A pal of mine was in the audience about eight weeks ago. His question was not aired - which speaks highly of my choice of friends, I trust!

Before returning to this thread I had a little Google.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=global+warming+myth&meta=

This will bring you more articles on the myth than any of us have the time to read.

Sadly we seem to have drifted into an era when anything claimed by those in authority, I suppose we include Mr Ken in that category, is to be regarded with suspicion.

I even found myself wondering, over the weekend, when the news would break that they never did prove that any of those poor turkeys had a nasty.

TP

Interesting timing "The Day After Tomorrow" on network TV last night.

I think human activities contribute, in a small way, to climate change. But business and government motivations are power and profit, not saving the planet for us.

Doc:

Anti-Americanism: "Hillary for President". Oh, I suppose you might be right.

Your Money or Your relatives' health and lives?

Elderly at risk in nursing homes

Older people were put at risk in two substandard nursing homes, according to the regulator for homes in England.

A whistleblower who worked at Laurel Bank Home in Halifax, has told Panorama of the "mental torture" and "abuse" of residents she witnessed.

The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) says Laurel Bank is now "significantly improved".

But it wants to shut a second home in Halifax, The Haven, which remains open as its owners appeal against closure.

A former care worker at Laurel Bank, who was employed between 2002 and 2003, told Panorama that staff humiliated some residents.

She said relatives were unaware of what was happening: "They only saw what they were supposed to see. People were fed when relatives were there and not when they weren't. They were left to do it on their own."

The forerunner of the CSCI, the National Care Standards Commission, has admitted that it took too long to deal with the problems at Laurel Bank.

CSCI inspectors wants to close another home in Halifax, The Haven.

They made 21 visits in one year to intensively monitor standards at the home. Panorama questioned how effective the visits had been in bringing about improvements.

Mike Rourke from the CSCI told Panorama's Vivian White: "We were keeping a very close eye on the establishment but your point is well made that this home did not improve.

"Elderly vulnerable people were at risk."

12 years ago the Law Commission proposed legislation which would protect older people from abuse and neglect but so far, governments have refused to implement it.

Thousands of people contacted Panorama last year after The National Homes Swindle and A Growing Scandal films were transmitted. They shared their experiences about the reality of elderly care provision.

Many voiced concerns about the care of their elderly relatives. They wrote about abuse, a lack of protection and feelings of powerlessness.

--------------------------

Laurel Bank Nursing Home response to Panorama

Both Christopher Bolland, the owner of Laurel Bank nursing home, and his Manager, Linda Parker declined to take part in our film or to comment on the allegations made about the home.

---------------------------


Response from The Haven
The owners of the Haven nursing home, Freshsupport Ltd, run by the Tariq Malik family from a hotel in Manchester, declined repeated requests from Panorama for an interview.

----------------------------

Cow Dung, Rotting Chickens Poised to Beat Oil, Natural Gas

"...
Greed is motivating Wall Street to join the fight against global warming. New York-based Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the largest securities firm, made at least $68 million in six months from an investment in Climate Exchange Plc, an emissions trading marketplace that has tripled in value.
..."

Could it be the other way round? That someone spotted opportunities to make fantastic returns if governments, public and the media can be whipped into a fever of concern on global warming and green issues ...

A global scam? I heard that some media is now trying to get religious leaders and establishment involved ...

"That someone spotted opportunities to make fantastic returns if governments, public and the media can be whipped into a fever of concern on global warming and green issues ..."

Someone? Thousands of someones, surely?

Today we hear in the news that we are to spend 30m on newly appointed council employees who are to 'police' the non-smoking regulations that come in this summer.

Yesterday, in the nearby MIST thread, someone pointed out that it uses more energy to manufacture a wind turbine than it is likely to generate in its working life.

I'm tempted to start a subscription newsletter called Gravy Train Opportunities highlighting all the latest scares that open up new ways of making money.

TP

TP, do you need an editor ? :-)

axdpc. You'll need a title for your editorial section. How about " We're all doomed I tell ye!"
:-)

Bolshi :-) That may be too common. Most religions have been preaching and predicting doomsday for thousands of years. "I told you so" is too patronizing ...

axdpc, you're a natural, a saffron robe and a story for coping with doomsday and you could make zillions :-)

' How about " We're all doomed I tell ye!" '

I'm not sure that would work. If we are doomed anyway there is not much point in spending 30m looking for ciggies.

You need someone producing a strong enough PR campaign to make us think that if we all go on driving the wrong cars we'll start breeding kids with webbed feet - and then you start a Prius factory to cash in on it. The fact that manufacturing a Prius costs more energy than it saves is something you keep quiet.

TP

Kayak :-) Not a natural but became a reluctant cynic/realist after too many bad experiences, trusts and goodwills betrayed ... Anyway, happy with a few billion, don't know what to do with a zillion :-)

TP, religions and financiers have used fear, greed and deceptions for thousands and hundreds of year ... what's the third way?

Many degree students 'cheating'

"...
BBC education correspondent Sue Littlemore said it is estimated that 10% of university work from across the UK is plagiarised and that most cheating goes undetected or ignored.
..."

And they carry on the practices and habits into their working lives ...
Worked with people like that and one particular bad case lives up to the true meaning of the expression "arrogant shameless job squatter".

Not worth a new thread, but a scam nevertheless.

The Transport for London web site, in which you pay your congestion charge, has been inpenetrable this morning. I hold up little more hope for the phone alternative so will have to go and buy a ticket from a machine at lunchtime.

I wonder if anyone expected it might be a tad busier on the day they doubled the size of the zone.

Off in a Huff.

TP

Oh untrusting soul!!

The phone system did work.

And I thought it was a scam!

TP

At last, found the third leg of all scams and frauds ... guilt. Bit like those commercials, especialyy during Xmas, which try to stir up one's guilt when not wanting to load up credit cards to the limit to buy loved one everything we were told we should buy to show our affection etc ...