[Editor’s note: Sounds a bit like You’ve Got to be Kidneying from Snopes.com. If you read down to the bottom of that link, you’ll find a hauntingly similar story that was reported in May of 1998. Perhaps it’s been a slow news week in New Delhi.]

Indian Police Probe Transplant Ring
by Sam Dolnick
1010 WINS
January 28, 2008

New Delhi (AP) — Police said they were raiding hospitals and guest houses Monday as part of their investigation into an illegal transplant racket that allegedly removed kidneys from up to 500 poor laborers and sold their organs to wealthy clients.

Police suspect that dozens of doctors were involved in the kidney racket, which had a waiting list of some 40 people hailing from at least five countries.

The scam, centered in Gurgaon - a posh suburb of New Delhi - used luxury cars outfitted with blood-testing machines to test donors on the fly as well as sophisticated surgical equipment hidden inside a residential neighborhood.

The sprawling investigation is ongoing and police are raiding hospitals’ offices and guest houses, Gurgaon Police Commissioner Mohinder Lal told reporters in Gurgaon on Monday.

The primary suspects, who police said have been tied to organ transplant rackets in the past, have apparently fled the country, Lal said.

“We suspect around 400 or 500 kidney transplants were done by these doctors over the last nine years,” Lal told reporters last week. (more…)

Dean: Terminate My Impostor
New York Post, Page Six
January 28, 2008

Fans of Dean Winters, beware! An impostor has been posing as the actor from Oz and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

The 6-foot-1 heartthrob told Page Six: “Four years ago, I met a girl in Bungalow 8. She said, ‘Oh. My friend knows you’… But we’d never met. I’ve had other reports of being places where I wasn’t.

“A female friend told me, ‘I had fun talking to you on your MySpace page.’ I said I don’t have a MySpace page.’ She said, ‘I thought maybe it wasn’t you, because you made some inappropriate comments.”

Winters, who also stars with Thora Birch in the upcoming drama Winter of Frozen Dreams, continued: “Two weeks ago, this Russian girl came up to me and said, ‘Are you Dean Winters? Wait here.’ She brings her friend over, and her friend says, ‘That’s not him.’ She’d had a five-month relationship with this impostor thinking it was me.”

Read the rest of the story here.

False Pretenses
by Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith
The Center for Public Integrity
January, 2008

Following 9/11, President Bush and seven top officials of his administration waged a carfully orchestrated campaign of misinformation about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.

President George W. Bush and seven of his administration’s top officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, made at least 935 false statements in the two years following September 11, 2001, about the national security threat posed by Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. Nearly five years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, an exhaustive examination of the record shows that the statements were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses.

On at least 532 separate occasions (in speeches, briefings, interviews, testimony, and the like), Bush and these three key officials, along with Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan, stated unequivocally that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (or was trying to produce or obtain them), links to Al Qaeda, or both. This concerted effort was the underpinning of the Bush administration’s case for war. (more…)

‘Hoax mummy’ still awaits burial in Pakistan
Karachi News.Net (ANI)
January 26, 2008

London, The mummified body of a woman, which was (e)arlier, considered dating back to the 6th century BC and later (d)iscovered to be a hoax, is still awaiting burial in the city of (K)arachi in Pakistan.

According to a report in BBC, Pakistani police discovered the (m)ummy in 2000, during a murder investigation.

After the script on the coffin dated the mummy to 6th century (P)ersia, both Iran and Pakistan claimed it as their own.

But subsequent examination by experts found that the body was not (m)ore than a few years old and the woman was apparently mummified (b)y antiques smugglers and touted as an archaeological find.

“It was of a middle-aged woman who probably died in 1996 or 97 (b)ecause of a broken back,” said Dr Asma Ibrahim, an archaeologist (w)ho was then curator of the Karachi Museum and a member of the (t)eam that examined the mummy.

As for the evidence for the mummy being a hoax, Asma said, “There (w)ere flaws in the ancient script, and a physical examination (s)howed that the process of mummification was also not the same as (t)hat followed in ancient Iran.”

The body is now being kept in the mortuary of the Edhi Trust, (w)hich is waiting for the police departments of Balochistan and (S)indh to authorise the burial.

“Keeping a body in the mortuary for three days costs us 500 (r)upees and this body has been lying here for seven years,” said nwar Kazmi, a trust spokesman.

According to Kazmi, Edhi Trust has since written to Karachi (M)useum for permission to bury the body, but has been told that a (c)learance must come from the police because the body is property (o)f a criminal case.

“But, the police seem to have lost all interest in the case,” (s)aid Kazmi.

“We have been writing to the authorities in Sindh and (B)alochistan, but there has been no reply,” he added.

via Topix

Police question ‘rogue trader’
Michelle Carlile-Alkhouri reports
Reuters
January 26, 2006

French trader Jerome Kerviel is taken into police custody in Paris.

Kerviel was taken to a police station in Paris at around 2.00 p.m. (1300 GMT). He allegedly cost French Bank Societe Generale over 7 billion dollars in trading losses. The bank said the rogue trader was managing hundreds of thousands of concealed trades and an equal number of fake hedges to give the appearance that any loss was offset.

More on this story:

via LiveLeak.com

House candidate mum on doctored campaign photo
His aide says there wasn’t time for photo session
by Alan Bernstein
Houston Chronicle
January 18, 2007

The brochure that U.S. House candidate and former Sugar Land mayor Dean Hrbacek mailed to voters this week says, “Dean’s record speaks for itself.”

But his physique does not. In a photo next to the words of praise, Hrbacek’s body is spoken for by the torso of an appreciably slimmer man.

The picture, presented as a true image of the candidate, is actually a computerized composite of Hrbacek’s face and someone else’s figure, in suit and tie, from neck to knee caps. The give-away is a flawed fit of head and collar.

Hrbacek, a tax lawyer and accountant, did not return calls about the campaign literature Thursday. He is among 10 Republicans seeking the nomination to run against U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Stafford.

But campaign manager Scott Broschart admitted the image is a fake. (more…)

Viagra Ingredient in Chinese Supplements
December 29, 2007

Washington (AP) — Dietary supplements marketed to provide male sexual enhancement contain undeclared erectile dysfunction drugs putting users at risk, the Food and Drug Administration warned Friday.

The agency advised consumers to stay away from Shangai Chaojimengnan supplements sold under the names Super Shangai, Strong Testis, Shangai Ultra, Shangai Ultra X, Lady Shangai and Shangai Regular. The Chinese-made supplements are packaged and distributed by Shangai Distributor Inc. of Puerto Rico.

Product testing indicates that some of these so-called supplements contain Viagra’s active ingredient, sildenafil, or a compound with a chemical structure that mimics sildenafil.

These chemicals could interact with nitrates in drugs taken for disorders commonly associated with erectile dysfunction, including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease. The result could dangerously lower a user’s blood pressure, according to the FDA.

The agency also warned that the safety and purity of these illegal ingredients is unknown.

image: dallasdancemusic.com

Clinton Campaign Asked for Resignation From Second Iowa Coordinator for Hoax Obama E-Mail
by Nedra Pickler
The Raw Story
December 9, 2007

(AP) Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign on Sunday requested the resignation of a second Iowa volunteer coordinator who forwarded a hoax e-mail saying Barack Obama is a Muslim possibly intent on destroying the United States.

Obama is a member of the United Church of Christ and says he has never been a Muslim, but false rumors attempting to tie him to Islamic jihadists are circulating on the Internet.

“Let us all remain alert concerning Obama’s expected presidential Candidacy,” read the e-mail. “Please forward to everyone you know. The Muslims have said they Plan on destroying the US from the inside out, what better way to start than at The highest level.”

The Clinton campaign has decried the rumors as offensive and outrageous, and last week forced volunteer Jones County coordinator Judy Rose to resign after learning that she forwarded a such an e-mail on Nov. 21. But it turns out Rose wasn’t the only one. (more…)

Filmmaker Robert Greenwald (Iraq for Sale, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, Outfoxed and Uncovered) is interviewed about the first of his four new Internet movies, “The War on Greed” on CNBC’s Closing Bell:

Here’s the actual “The War on Greed” Internet movie. He premiered this movie, starring Henry Kravis, a private equity executive with a lavish lifestyle, for protesters in New York City, outside of Henry Kravis’ house:

(more…)

Man Sentenced in Bizarre Diagnosing Scam
1010 WINS
December 5, 2007

Monroe, La. (AP) — A man was sentenced to more than four years in prison for bilking friends and family out of more than $800,000 by convincing them that his wife was a government agent who could arrange to have their medical problems diagnosed by satellite imaging…

U.S. Attorney Donald W. Washington said in a news release following Monday’s sentencing of Brent Finley that the couple convinced numerous people that Stacey Finley was a CIA agent and with her contacts she could schedule a medical scan of the victims’ bodies by satellite imaging that would detect any hidden medical problems.

The Finley’s convinced their victims that, if any medical problems were found, secret agents would administer medicine to them as they slept in exchange for payment, according to a bill of information filed when the Finleys were charged in May…

Image: flightsim.com

Editors’ Note: Speaking of miracle cures — In 1981, Joey Skaggs perpetrated his Metamorphosis Hoax. Under the name Josef Gregor, he claimed to be an entomologist who had extracted a hormone from his proprietary strain of super-roaches which were immune to toxins and radiation. To date his medical breakthrough had cured all of the common ailments known to man, including colds, acne, anemia, and menstrual cramps. Skaggs claimed that his cockroach miracle cure would even make people immune to nuclear radiation. Widely covered by the national media as if true, Metamorphosis aptly satirized the public’s gullibility when it comes to medical miracle cures.

Extortion hoax stuns Mexican Congress
Bogus abduction phone calls likely made by inmates
by Gregory Brosnan
Houston Chronicle
November 30, 2007

Mexico City — One by one, the shrill rings of cell phones cut through the din of a typically raucous session in Mexico’s Congress. Each lawmaker who answered got the same chilling news: A close relative had been kidnapped and that they should do as they were told.

The messages to the Mexican ruling party lawmakers turned out to be from phony kidnappers pretending to hold family members captive for ransom, giving birth to a disturbing new criminal trend. (more…)

Here’s an interesting, controversial and challenging hour and 51 minute film produced in 2006 by Aaron Russo (1943-2007).

From the Conscious Movie Network:

“Determined to find the law that requires Americans to pay income tax, Aaron Russo (The Rose, Trading Places) sets out on a journey. Neither left- nor right-wing, this startling examination exposes the systematic erosion of civil liberties in America. Through interviews with US Congressmen, a former IRS Commissioner, former IRS and FBI agents, tax attorneys and authors, Russo connects the dots between money creation, federal income tax, voter fraud, the national identity card (becoming law in May 2008) and the implementation of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to track citizens. A striking case about the evolving police state in America.”

However, David Cay Johnston wrote an article in the New York Times, July 31, 2006, refuting some of the filmmaker’s assertions about American income tax laws. This is none-the-less a very compelling story.

Links of interest:

Thanks Brian Truskey. Photo: Mikkelina’s Thoughts.

Hidden Dangers in Visiting Porn Sites
By Jordan Robertson
AP Technology Writer
November 28, 2007

San Jose, Calif. (AP) — Online pornography hunters’ Internet adventures are already fraught with danger from malicious code many porn sites use to commandeer visitors’ machines or steal personal data.

Now comes a scheme some researchers say amounts to extortion: One site’s threat to disable visitors’ computers with relentless pop-up ads if they don’t pay for a subscription they were automatically signed up for after a free trial.

The threats, reported this week by researchers at security vendor McAfee Inc.’s Avert Labs, affect people who visit the Web site and download software to access a free three-day trial membership.

Visitors do get free access for three days, but the download includes code that then generates a stream of pop-up windows, when the user is online and offline, demanding payment of roughly $80 for 90 days’ worth of additional access. (more…)

Meet The King Of NY Con Men
November 25, 2007
New York Post

New York City has been home to some of the cleverest con men in history - but no flimflam artist was a greater scoundrel than George C. Parker.

In his upcoming book, The Modern Con Man: How to Get Something for Nothing, Todd Robbins recounts the astounding chutzpah of Parker as he merrily ripped off countless numbers of residents and tourists - “selling” them city landmarks over and over again.

“He was one of the ballsiest grifters ever,” Robbins writes. “He sold the Brooklyn Bridge on an average of twice a week for years and it was not unusual for buyers to begin construction of their own tollbooths before police broke the news to them.”

Following this great tradition, Joey Skaggs once sold the Brooklyn Bridge too (see The Brooklyn Bridge Lottery hoax). In 1992, he faked an inter-office memo from then Mayor David Dinkins, purporting that the City was planning a lottery to sell the Brooklyn Bridge. In addition to a million dollar prize, the winner would have the bridge named after him or her for five years. The proceeds would help to pay for the restoration of the decaying bridge.

To continue the Post story about George C. Parker (more…)