A Reynoldsburg man is indicted, accused of defrauding lenders of more than $3.5 million in mortgage loans in Columbus.
According to the IRS, a federal grand jury returned a seven-count indictment charging Kevin D. Hightower, 44, of Reynoldsburg, with defrauding lenders out of approximately $3,592,099.32 in mortgage loans in connection with 38 Columbus properties he purchased through his real estate investment company, Suite 500 LLC.
The indictment says Hightower bought the properties for $1,370,000 and intended to break up the properties and sell each of them individually for a profit. Hightower and others allegedly recruited prospective investors, often offering to provide the money for the buyers? down payments because they were unable to provide down payments on their own.
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Hightower allegedly arranged for the purchase prices of the homes to be at or above their market value so as to allow him to profit enough on the homes to cover both the down payment and to allow him to receive substantial sums of money at closing. Hightower allegedly used this money for his own personal profit as well as to pay other co-conspirators.
The houses, located in near eastside Columbus neighborhoods, went into foreclosure.
The indictment also alleges that Hightower made false statements as the executor of a charitable remainder trust to the financial institution that he was withdrawing money from the trust for charitable purposes and instead used the money to pay personal debts.
The indictment charges Hightower with one count each of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and making false statements to a lending institution, each punishable by up to 30 years in prison. He is also charged with one count of wire fraud, punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The indictment charges him with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of money laundering, each punishable by up to ten years in prison.
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You'll find all sorts of different condos in the Toronto region for people to check out. Various condos are accessible for purchase or rent. However it will help to be smart when finding Toronto condos for sale. Here are some tips to use for locating these condos in Toronto. It will be best to appear in to the size of a condo which is becoming utilized. A number of different high rise buildings provide condos of different sizes in Toronto. Some condos provide one bedroom and one bathroom. Other people offer two of every. It will aid to limit one's search to places that are big sufficient for one's requirements.
For far better living, you need to often consider real estate in toronto. In some cases, people use the terms condo and loft interchangeably. Both a condo and a loft are single units inside buildings that contain numerous residencies. The loft, nevertheless, tends to have more open floor plans. In some lofts, the floor plans are so open that home owners are responsible for sectioning off person rooms.
The Condos available for sale may have shared structures. They may have a common entrance hall, common walkways and so on. They are not suitable for people who want silence, as these shared complexes are generally noisy. You would locate an association bill monthly inside your mailbox. It is a bill for the facilities offered to you like removal of snow from the front-walk, or trimming from the lawn grass. When you are searching for real estate toronto, you need to always contemplate trying to find extensive research.
Browse Around HERE for real estate in Toronto You are able to pick among two types of condominium. Some Condos available are skyscrapers, highly sophisticated with a private entrance to appreciate privacy. In addition, you are able to find condominiums effortlessly according to your funds and your way of life. Most people try to find the condominiums near their operating place to minimize the time of travel to their function.
Sometimes you really feel that the condominium you are picking is not suitable for the family members needs i.e. it might lack a playground, or it may not be near any school for the kids. It isn't actually an issue. Certified real estate agents are obtainable to resolve your minor difficulties. They would certainly suggest you Condos according to your needs. In the event you had been looking for Condos close to a school, the agents would surely suggest you an suitable one.
If this can be your initial foray into real estate ownership or you might be an existing homeowner who would like to minimize their debt load you'll be able to have confidence that investing inside the Toronto condominium industry will likely be a wise investment decision.
Toronto has indeed earned it really is reputation as the top marketplace for condominiums in North America with over 260 projects planned or currently below construction. "Deteriorating affordability levels in main Canadian centers have led to the resurrection in the condominium way of life in recent years," said Michael Polzler, executive VP of Re Max Ontario-Atlantic Canada.
It's excellent to go through all data obtainable relating to condominiums just before you sign up for anything. This is to avoid any future complications..
When Tax Watch asked state Sen. Greg Ball, R-Patterson, ?last week about his use of the Senate franking privilege to send campaign-style pamphlets to constituent homes, his office issued a prepared statement, saying his spending was within his ?allotted mail budget, and not a penny more.?
But Ball has refused to disclose his allotment.
Today, his opponent in the November election, attorney Justin Wagner, a Cortlandt Democrat, sent Ball a letter, asking for an accounting.
?Please disclose the number of franked mailings you have sent to constituents since taking office as state Senator, the cost of each individual mailer, and the target audience that each piece was sent to,? Wagner wrote. ?As taxpayers, we paid for it, and we have the right to know. I believe the public deserves answers, and the best way to resolve this is to come forward and publically disclose the details of this spending.?
Those answers, however, weren?t forthcoming. Ball?s press secretary, Joe Bachmeier, didn?t return several phone messages. Ball aide Krista Gobins said the senator was in session in Albany and unavailable.
Tax Watch reported on Saturday that Ball?s six-month spending on mail ? $114,108 ? was the third highest among the state?s 62 senators and more than double the state Senate average of $46,943 on mail. Ball spent at twice the rate of the Lower Hudson Valley?s six senators, who averaged $57,299.
Wagner says taxpayers deserve to know the particulars of the ?allotted mail budget? that Bachmeier referred to in his prepared statement. In an interview, Bachmeier said he believed the mail allotment was not a matter for public disclosure.
?This is outrageous, as either your office is keeping this budgetary allotment secret from taxpayers, or you are working within an allotted mail budget that you do not know the amount of, which I presume would make it difficult to ensure that you are staying within budget,? Wagner wrote. ?Secrets may fly in Albany now, but taxpayers deserve better.?
You will be amazed by the fact that even simple act of staining your concrete patio can hugely affect the way your patio looks like. However, you will need to understand?how to stain concrete patio?if you want to do this home improvement on your own. Or else, you can hire the services from the professionals. Well, the thing is that concrete staining can transform the old drab gray of your concrete patio into a great new look that will certainly bring a lot of fun and excitements.
Concrete stains
Moreover, concrete staining can also provide a look that enhances the value of your home, which is something you can be proud of. So, rather than going to the expense of replacing the old concrete, concrete staining will be a perfect and economic choice to get a new look for your patio. Well, as life is becoming harder and harder due to competitive economic condition, it will wise if you can save some cash from the way you improve the value of your home. Concrete staining, when it is done correctly, can both enhance the quality of your patio and the quality of your home.
Stained concrete patios
Moreover, it will be better for you as homeowners if you can find out?how to stain concrete patio. The basic information that you need to know is that concrete staining can be applied by brushing, spraying or rolling. However, for most people, the most effective way of applying these substances will be by spraying the surface with a plastic garden sprayer. With the right steps, concrete staining can actually highlight and intensify the variations found in the concrete.
How to Apply Concrete Stain on Outside Patio
It will also create beautiful colors on concrete and make it look like new. The process of concrete staining can be simple and you can find them right on the internet if you prefer doing this on your own. When you have done staining your concrete patio, an exciting new look for your concrete is ready to enjoy. Watching the concrete stain go down on your freshly cleaned concrete is exciting and most importantly, it will be very beneficial for you.
How to stain concrete patio-Do it yourself or have it done
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Wayne State develops IT solution to help disabled make better wheelchair selectionsPublic release date: 23-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Julie O'Connor julie.oconnor@wayne.edu 313-577-8845 Wayne State University - Office of the Vice President for Research
DETROIT A Wayne State University researcher has introduced computer technology that makes it easier for people who need wheelchairs to select one that best suits their needs.
In "Remote Decision Support for Wheeled Mobility and Seating Devices," recently published online and set to appear in the June edition of Expert Systems with Applications, Kyoung-Yun Kim, Ph.D., associate professor of industrial and systems engineering in WSU's College of Engineering, introduces a Web-based decision support system for remotely selecting wheelchairs.
According to the 2010 U.S. Census, 3.3 million people age 15 and older use wheelchairs; 10 million use walking aids, such as canes, crutches or walkers. Eleven million people age 6 and older need personal assistance with everyday activities, including such tasks as getting around inside the home, taking a bath or shower, preparing meals and performing light housework.
Many people with disabilities live outside large metropolitan areas and lack access to experienced clinicians who can help them decide what kind of device is best for them. Such help has become more necessary with changes implemented by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the Healthcare Common Procedures Coding System (HCPCS) for wheeled mobility devices. Those changes included expanding the number of device identification codes from four to 64, making it difficult to understand where a product falls within the new structure.
"Disabled patients almost always have a unique situation, so for something that looks like a simple device, making an optimal decision is not that simple," Kim said. "It requires doctors' and clinicians' assessments, as well as those of patients and their families. Combined with testing time, these are significant factors that lead to an increasingly expensive selection process."
In a study supported by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Education, Kim's team reviewed current research in telerehabilitation, an emerging field that aims to deliver rehabilitation services over telecommunication networks and the Internet, and complements in-person clinical assessment and therapy in underserved areas.
His system improves the selection and evaluation processes by enabling remote assessment of appropriate wheelchair alternatives with advanced queries and selection criteria. It also provides a reusable information repository and enables systematic evaluation.
HCPCS coding changes have increased the gap in decision-making abilities of less experienced clinicians in underserved areas and their more experienced peers in larger population centers, Kim said. In an effort to minimize that gap, the teleconsultation model gives the former group access to the latter, ultimately allowing clinicians to make better selections.
A study based on the Technology Acceptance Model was conducted with three groups of clinicians: just graduated, moderately experienced and senior level, via the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center. The model is a formal research tool for evaluating technological support of a given task.
As a control, Kim's team tested face-to-face patient-clinician interactions. It also set up remote assessments using webcams so that patients and less experienced clinicians in one location could consult with more expert clinicians in another location.
Subjects said the remote wheelchair selection system generally was very user friendly and made it easy to find quality information, but they were neutral on whether they wanted to use it in their clinical decision making. Kim and his team plan to work with other medical facilities, such as U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, to encourage wider use of the teleconsultation model with this remote wheelchair selection system.
"The goal of this study is to create a portal that gives clinicians easy and timely access to the information they need to make the best decisions for their patients," Kim said. "We also aim to reduce the gaps in knowledge and human bias between experienced and inexperienced clinicians.
"We believe these improvements can also reduce the time needed to select a wheeled mobility device and eventually reduce the cost of the process as well."
###
Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit http://www.research.wayne.edu
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Wayne State develops IT solution to help disabled make better wheelchair selectionsPublic release date: 23-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Julie O'Connor julie.oconnor@wayne.edu 313-577-8845 Wayne State University - Office of the Vice President for Research
DETROIT A Wayne State University researcher has introduced computer technology that makes it easier for people who need wheelchairs to select one that best suits their needs.
In "Remote Decision Support for Wheeled Mobility and Seating Devices," recently published online and set to appear in the June edition of Expert Systems with Applications, Kyoung-Yun Kim, Ph.D., associate professor of industrial and systems engineering in WSU's College of Engineering, introduces a Web-based decision support system for remotely selecting wheelchairs.
According to the 2010 U.S. Census, 3.3 million people age 15 and older use wheelchairs; 10 million use walking aids, such as canes, crutches or walkers. Eleven million people age 6 and older need personal assistance with everyday activities, including such tasks as getting around inside the home, taking a bath or shower, preparing meals and performing light housework.
Many people with disabilities live outside large metropolitan areas and lack access to experienced clinicians who can help them decide what kind of device is best for them. Such help has become more necessary with changes implemented by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the Healthcare Common Procedures Coding System (HCPCS) for wheeled mobility devices. Those changes included expanding the number of device identification codes from four to 64, making it difficult to understand where a product falls within the new structure.
"Disabled patients almost always have a unique situation, so for something that looks like a simple device, making an optimal decision is not that simple," Kim said. "It requires doctors' and clinicians' assessments, as well as those of patients and their families. Combined with testing time, these are significant factors that lead to an increasingly expensive selection process."
In a study supported by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Education, Kim's team reviewed current research in telerehabilitation, an emerging field that aims to deliver rehabilitation services over telecommunication networks and the Internet, and complements in-person clinical assessment and therapy in underserved areas.
His system improves the selection and evaluation processes by enabling remote assessment of appropriate wheelchair alternatives with advanced queries and selection criteria. It also provides a reusable information repository and enables systematic evaluation.
HCPCS coding changes have increased the gap in decision-making abilities of less experienced clinicians in underserved areas and their more experienced peers in larger population centers, Kim said. In an effort to minimize that gap, the teleconsultation model gives the former group access to the latter, ultimately allowing clinicians to make better selections.
A study based on the Technology Acceptance Model was conducted with three groups of clinicians: just graduated, moderately experienced and senior level, via the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center. The model is a formal research tool for evaluating technological support of a given task.
As a control, Kim's team tested face-to-face patient-clinician interactions. It also set up remote assessments using webcams so that patients and less experienced clinicians in one location could consult with more expert clinicians in another location.
Subjects said the remote wheelchair selection system generally was very user friendly and made it easy to find quality information, but they were neutral on whether they wanted to use it in their clinical decision making. Kim and his team plan to work with other medical facilities, such as U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, to encourage wider use of the teleconsultation model with this remote wheelchair selection system.
"The goal of this study is to create a portal that gives clinicians easy and timely access to the information they need to make the best decisions for their patients," Kim said. "We also aim to reduce the gaps in knowledge and human bias between experienced and inexperienced clinicians.
"We believe these improvements can also reduce the time needed to select a wheeled mobility device and eventually reduce the cost of the process as well."
###
Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit http://www.research.wayne.edu
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
The YouTube team recently celebrated its 7th birthday, and announced an amazing statistic: 72 hours of video are uploaded to the site every minute. And if you think that's a lot, the amount of video being watched in that minute?is 1,000 times greater.
Just a few weeks ago the news that YouTube was doing 60 hours per minute created a sensation on the Internet, and this increase shows how fast the site continues to grow. We got a little more detail on these numbers from?Christian Kaiser, YouTube's engineering director.
The 72-hours figure is an average, of course: there are busy times and quiet periods as different time zones and regions wake up, upload video and log off. So although 72 hours per minute is a good way to sum it up, they might be processing far more than that at any given time.
And they're not flubbing the numbers, either. That 72 hour figure doesn't include the various versions that YouTube encodes ? high definition, 3-D, etc. People are simply uploading three times as much video as they were two years ago.
So what accounts for this huge increase in video? It's pretty much just more use across the board, says Kaiser:
We?ve got more video coming from more people in more places, as well as bringing in thousands of full-length films and original programming to YouTube. As examples, mobile now contributes to three hours of our total upload time, and we?ve signed MGM, Paramount, Walt?Disney Studios and other studios to bring thousands of movies to YouTube.
And how about viewership stats? They say that users are watching 3 billion hours of video every month. In case you're wondering, that's about 70,000 hours being watched each minute.
There's a lot of competition out there, though, and YouTube makes a big target. Facebook's own?video numbers are rising meteorically as well. Smaller and more specialized?sites like Vimeo and Ustream are growing quickly too, as more and better video is uploaded from DSLRs and mobile phone cameras. But with its existing popularity?and Hollywood?partners, YouTube probably still has a few good years left on top.
Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for msnbc.com. His personal website is?coldewey.cc.
Starting a diet to lose weight is a step towards the right direction but in many cases the theory is different than reality. You can calculate how many calories you should eat per day in order to lose weight but your gut may have a different opinion. Does this mean that you doomed to fail? Of course not, there are simple ways to suppress your appetite naturally (that is without pills) and still follow your diet plan. Once you read our 10 suggestions below I am sure that you can think of many other ways to ?trick? your hunger and stay within your daily calorie range.
1. Eat a healthy breakfast
The best way to suppress your hunger is to start your day with a rich breakfast high in protein and fibre and low in fat and sugars. The importance of breakfast for weight loss is well known and documented but research has also shown that people who consume a high protein breakfast eat fewer calories throughout the day.
2. Eat fibre rich foods
Fibre foods can keep you full for longer. The recommended daily intake of fibre is 14 grams for every 1000 calories consumed. ?In general men should consume 35-38 grams of fibre per day and women 21 to 25 grams. This is equivalent to 5 medium apples for women and 8 for men. See our list of 10 fibre rich foods for more food ideas.
3. Drink a glass of water every hour
One of the benefits of drinking water is better appetite control. On average men should drink 3.7 liters of water per day and women 2.7 liters.? See also water for weight loss for more benefits and tips for drinking more water per day.
4. Drink green tea and other healthy drinks
Green tea, water, vegetable juices and low fat smoothies can provide you with protein and fibre with minimum sugar and fats. They are great appetite suppressants and can be taken with your meals or as afternoon drinks and replace sugar soft drinks.
5. Perform high Intensity cardio
We explained before how high intensity exercise can increase the calories you burn when at rest. What is more interesting is the finding of a study by the American Journal of Physiology suggesting that high intensity cardio can reduce your appetite for as long as 2 hours after your workout. During high intensity exercise the body releases appetite suppressing hormones that keep hunger away for longer periods.
6. Drink black coffee (in moderation)
Coffee is a short term appetite suppressant provided that you drink in moderation and without adding sugar, cream or full fat milk. 2-3 cups of black coffee per day can give you the extra energy you need without any adverse effects. If you want to find out more about the role of coffee in your diet read ?does coffee or caffeine help you lose weight??
7. Brush your teeth or use mouthwash
Brushing your teeth or using a mouthwash can give a different taste to your mouth keeping hunger away for at least a short time. It is not certainly the best way to suppress your appetite but it?s a trick that works for some people. Try it out to find out if it works for you!
8. Eat sugarless chewing gum
Having something in your mouth may keep hunger away. Sugarless chewing gum is a good choice if you like chewing gums. Other good choices include carrots (chopped into small pieces with lemon and salt) and popcorn (they are low in calories and high in fibre).
9. Foods that fight hunger
Make sure that you include these foods in your diet: apples, oatmeal, pine nuts, flaxseed, soups, salads, dark chocolate, fish, fruits and vegetables, eggs, popcorn. In general solid foods can help you feel full for longer compared to liquid foods. This is because water found in liquids does not stay for long in the stomach while solid foods stay for longer until they are fully digested and absorbed by the body. ?For example if you have a choice of drinking a low fat smoothie or eating an apple, then go for the apple.
10. Sleep more
It is a scientific finding that lack of sleep can increase hunger and negatively affect metabolism. This is related to the level of cortisol (a hormone related to stress) which is increased even when you are full. Sleeping at least 7 hours at night can also give you more energy during the day and also increase the levels of growth hormone which is responsible for controlling the proportion of fat and muscles in the body.
What is your favorite way for suppressing your appetite? What do you normally do when you are hungry and it?s not time to eat?
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Alex is editor-in-chief of Calorie Secrets. You can connect with him on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. You can also contact Alex for any comments or suggestions about the web site.
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