Jacques Morial Failed To File Taxes

"While many of the cases against members of Marc Morial's inner circle have had clear links to contracts awarded during his City Hall tenure, Jacques Morial's offense does not appear to have any relation to his brother's actions as mayor between 1994 and 2002. Marc Morial, who has headed the National Urban League since 2003, has not been accused of any wrongdoing."

"More jail sentences are pending, however, in connection with the highest-profile case to come out of the City Hall investigation: a scheme to skim more than $1 million from the city's massive energy-efficiency contract with Johnson Controls Inc., which was awarded during the waning months of Marc Morial's mayoral term."

"One of the four co-conspirators, Kerry DeCay, who headed the city's property management department under Morial, began serving a nine-year stint in a Massachusetts prison last month after pleading guilty to corruption charges."

"The other participants in the conspiracy -- restaurateur Stan "Pampy" Barre, a Morial family confidant; businessman Reggie Walker; and former Johnson Controls project manager Terry Songy -- are cooperating with investigators and awaiting sentencing." | Read more|

Rehab Treatment Methods

"To understand rehab-treatment methods, we must first understand how addiction works. Our understanding of addiction has evolved over the past two centuries, and we've arrived at the conclusion that addiction is a "brain disease." Under this model, addiction is a chemical transition that takes place within the brain's processes. This transition takes the decision of whether to abuse a substance or engage in a compulsive behavior out of the hands of the addict.


To this end, addiction researchers have concluded that treatment is a long, multifaceted process that takes time. How much time is debatable; some say a month, some say a lifetime. But most modern researchers have concluded that treatment should consist of a combination of methods in order to achieve the highest potential for lifetime abstinence.

When an addict enters rehab for a substance-abuse problem, the first order of treatment is to help him through the withdrawal process. Some rehabs end there, while others include them as part of a larger treatment program including other aspects detailed below.

Twelve-step programs are considered by many addiction researchers to be the most effective form of treatment. The 12 steps to recovery, originally created by AA cofounders Bill W. and Dr. Bob, have been shown to increase sobriety rates over two years by 30 percent compared with Cognitive Behavioral Counseling (more on that later). Though it's repeatedly been shown to be effective, it's often criticized as being too indulgent to the addict's ego and too reliant on a belief in God. As a response to this, Narcotics Anonymous, one of the many 12-step programs that has roots in AA, has molded its program to support both believers as well as atheists.

Cognitive Behavioral Counseling (CBC) is a type of psychotherapy that's used for a variety of mental disorders, like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. CBC practitioners believe that concentrating on the reasons for the addict's behavior can help eradicate addiction from his life. Most rehabs include CBC as part of an overall treatment program, and counseling is usually offered in group, individual and family settings.

Medication is another aspect of modern dependency treatment. Medications may be used to help alleviate the physical and psychological symptoms of withdrawal. Heroin withdrawal is considered particularly excruciating, so methadone is often administered during the weeklong withdrawal period, but it's also used as a long-term treatment.

Antidepressants are also commonly used in the rehab setting. Depression may exist in conjunction with an addiction -- either a substance dependency or a compulsive disorder -- and may be used as part of treatment in both cases.

There's also a wide variety of nontraditional methods of treating addictive behavior. Some are ancient-- acupuncture is one good example of this kind of treatment. Others are relatively new, like the detox treatment created by Scientologist founder L. Ron Hubbard. This treatment is purported to rid the body of toxins and addictive substances through a regimen of vitamins, exercise and exposure to saunas.

Some conventional rehab facilities incorporate nontraditional methods of treatment into their wider program. High-end facilities sometimes include as treatment wilderness survival programs to build self-confidence and activities like helicopter rides to inspire awe and humility.

Other nontraditional programs stand alone. The Jude Thaddeus Program uses no medications and operates on the notion that addiction is a learned behavior that can simply be unlearned. Rather than viewing the battle against addiction as a lifelong process, this program aims to completely free its patients after a six-week stay.

But do these programs -- in conjunction or alone -- have any affect on addiction?"

How "Rehab" Works

"When we hear the term "rehab," we usually think of a residential treatment facility where celebrities go to "dry out." As it turns out, there are a variety of types of programs, and even more methods of treatment.


The success of prison rehab programs has shown that
involuntary treatment can be effective in breaking addiction.

There are several settings where treatment can take place. Hospitals often serve as rehab facilities, treating people who come into the emergency room with an acute drug overdose. This treatment usually doesn't last long; however, some hospitals do offer longer-term and more expansive treatment programs. Rehabs can range in appearance from a very clinical setting in a prison to a luxurious day spa on an exotic island, and everything in between. What most treatment facilities have in common is that they are divided by the length of the service they offer.

Treatment generally takes place as inpatient, outpatient or partial-hospitalization:

* Inpatient treatment (also called residential) - the addict is cared for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Inpatient rehab can be offered either as short-term (usually 28 days) or long-term, which consists of residential treatment for six months or more. Often, long-term inpatient treatment is court-ordered, and, in addition to treatment, includes resocialization, the process where patients learn to behave as a normally functioning member of society again.

* Outpatient treatment - takes place on a visitation basis. In this setting, a patient may come to a rehab facility to attend support groups, receive medication (such as methadone for the treatment of heroin), and receive counseling. In outpatient treatment, an addict usually goes about his daily life and sleeps at home.

* Partial-hospitalization - a combination of both inpatient and outpatient treatments. The addict receives treatment during the day and goes home at night. This treatment setting somewhat resembles the 9-to-5 work schedule most people keep, but rather than going to work, the addict goes to rehab.

Prison is another place that can serve as a rehab treatment center. In this setting, substance-dependent patients are removed from the general prison population to diminish the possibility that they'll be exposed to drugs or alcohol. Treatment facilities are becoming popular in American prisons, as they have increasingly been shown to be effective.

Regardless of whether treatment is received in prison or in a spa, the treatment programs are similarly structured."

Note: Convicted felons are usually tested, for drug use, before they are sentenced to prison. Son of convicted operative and politician wannabe, Stan "Pampy" Barre, has already expressed fear that his hair follicles will be tested.

The History of "Rehab"

"The idea of rehabilitating addictive behavior has existed since the beginning of the early temperance movement in19th-century America. This movement, which began in the 1800s, gave rise to our modern notions of addiction and the need for our society to help alleviate the suffering of its addicts.

The goal of the temperance movement was abstinence, or the complete disuse of a substance -- in this case alcohol. Eventually, alcohol became identified as an agent of social decay, and the movement increasingly believed that it was up to society to care for its alcoholics by doing away with any spirituous beverage.

The organization gave birth to the first rehab centers in the United States, called "sober houses," where men lived collectively, sequestered away from the temptations of the world. Sober houses were set up as early as 1840 in cities like Boston and New York by the Washingtonian society, a branch of the temperance movement.

The temperance movement began to focus on the general public. If society could be free of alcohol, they reasoned, then it could then be free of alcoholics.

After a century of gaining momentum in their beliefs and membership, the temperance movement helped to get the Prohibition Act -- the law that outlawed the sale, possession or consumption of alcohol in the United States -- passed in 1920. But American society as a whole wasn't prepared to give up its booze, and the law was repealed 13 years later. The experiment had a lasting effect: If America couldn't provide its alcoholics with a country free of temptation, alcoholics needed a refuge within the larger society where they could be free from the temptation of alcohol: rehab.

Eventually providing treatment for addicts was taken from the hands of goodwill societies and placed in the trust of the medical field. As medical science came to play a larger role in caring for the world's addicts, treatment came to be moved into more of a clinical setting. Rehabilitation now took place in hospitals, psychiatric wards and sanitariums.

This isn't the only contribution that temperance made to our modern rehabs. It also gave rise to fraternal organizations, like the International Order of the Good Templars, which served in part as support groups. These groups set the stage for America's first organized support-group treatment program, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Cofounded by Robert Smith and Bill Wilson (Dr. Bob and Bill W.) in 1935, AA created the 12-step program.

Throughout the 20th century, thanks to the success and popularity of programs like AA, it became clear that treatment programs were a viable solution to the nation's substance-abuse problems. As a result, President Richard Nixon was the first commander in chief to create federal funding for treatment programs. The budget for his antidrug policy, which would serve as the origins of the War on Drugs, was divvied up, with one-third toward eradicating the supply (police enforcement), and two-thirds toward getting rid of the demand (treatment). When his successor, President Gerald Ford, came to office he cut the budget for federal funding of treatment programs, making the division fifty-fifty.


This is ironic, because it was President Ford's wife who founded one of the United States' iconic rehab facilities, the Betty Ford Clinic. Mrs. Ford developed an addiction to alcohol and prescription medication in the 1970s, and as a result, she opened the Clinic in 1982 as a way to help others who shared her problem.

In the 1980s, the proliferation of private residential treatment facilities mushroomed. The peak of the War on Drugs fueled fears of addiction, and fueled the demand for rehab treatment. Interestingly, as the War on Drugs was showing a major effect on reducing drug usage in the United States, the use of rehab facilities in the country continued to increase.

So what kind of treatment is offered at these facilities, and how do they help addicts recover from their dependency?"

The Meaning of "Rehab"

"The word "rehab" has become a part of the international lexicon. While it can mean several things, it most frequently refers to a center or program where a person can find treatment for addiction. Although it's become so firmly embedded in our consciousness as a natural byproduct of the addictive nature of Western society, rehab is a relatively new concept.

Prior to the 1980s, anyone seeking help for a drug or alcohol addiction was sent to a sanitarium -- a psychiatric hospital -- or a traditional hospital. Think Patty Duke's character in "Valley of the Dolls" or Winona Ryder's character in "Girl, Interrupted."

In the '80s, rehab centers branched off from their psychiatric foundations to encompass several forms of treatment. This was partly due to a change in the perception of addiction. Rather than pinpointing a substance (with its addictive properties) as the cause of addiction, or believing addiction to be a weakness of will, addiction itself became viewed as a disease. However, what hasn't changed is the purpose of rehab centers: to provide a place of solace and respite where an addict can "kick the habit."

For many years, going to rehab was viewed as somewhat taboo. It wasn't an experience that was openly discussed and is still sometimes looked upon as somewhat shameful, as if the patient had failed somehow. But as more and more people go to rehab to find help for their addictions, it has come to play an accepted -- and necessary -- role in society.

Recently, the acceptance of a stay (or several stays) at a rehab -- as a consequence of fast living -- has became so widespread that some celebrities are reputed to have used rehab excursions as a publicity stunt to boost their fame.

Actress Lindsey Lohan made several highly publicized trips to rehab in 2007. Even Amy Winehouse, the British singer notable for her first American single "Rehab" (including the lyrics "They tryin' to make me go to rehab / I said no, no, no") eventually said "yes" to several short rehab stays after a brush with death from an overdose consisting of heroin, cocaine, ketamine (a horse tranquilizer) and ecstasy [source: Daily Mail].

Celebrities have even managed to boost some rehab facilities to fame. Centers like Promises in Malibu, Calif., and Crossroads in Antigua, West Indies, now enjoy elevated status thanks to some of their high-profile patients.

Although celebrities get the lion's share of the publicity for their visits, they aren't the only ones who utilize rehab services. The 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 3.9 million Americans age 12 and older received some kind of treatment for drug and/or alcohol dependency in 2005. Treatment was received in a variety of locales, including inpatient rehab centers, self-help groups (the largest portion) and prison [source: Department of Health and Human Services].

The wide array of treatments for people suffering from addiction reveals that a large portion of Western society has succumbed to dependency on everything from liquor to pills to sex, and even food. So what are these places where people can go to get help?"

Fighting Money Laundering

"It's a daunting task to trace the origins of any deposit when there are about 700,000 global wire transfers occurring every day [ref]. Which is the dirty money and which is the clean stuff? Within the United States, there are two primary methods employed by the government to detect and combat money laundering: legislation and law enforcement.

The United States addresses the crime of money laundering in countless legislative acts. Here are just a few of them:

The Bank Secrecy Act (1970) basically eliminates all anonymous banking in the United States. It gives the Treasury Department the ability to force banks to keep records that make it easier to spot a laundering operation. This includes reporting all single transactions above $10,000 and multiple transactions totaling more than $10,000 to or from a single account in one day. A banker who consistently violates this rule can serve up to 10 years in prison.

The 1986 Money Laundering Control Act makes money laundering a crime in itself instead of just an element of another crime, and the 1994 Money Laundering Suppression Act orders banks to establish their own money-laundering task forces to weed out suspicious activity in their institutions. The 2001 U.S. Patriot Act sets up mandatory identity checks for U.S. bank patrons and provides resources toward tracking transactions in the underground/alternative banking systems frequented by terrorist money handlers. For a more complete list of U.S. anti-money-laundering legislation, see FDIC: Bank Secrecy Act and Anti-Money Laundering.

In addition to legislation intended to detect a money-laundering operation, undercover stings are also a component of the fight. The DEA's Operation Juno, which ended in 1999, is a prime example. The DEA out of Atlanta conducted a sting operation that involved providing resources to drug traffickers to launder money. The undercover DEA agents made deals with the traffickers to turn drug money from dollars to pesos using the Columbian Black Market Peso Exchange. The operation ended with 40 arrests and the seizure of $10 million in drug proceeds and 3,600 kilograms of cocaine.

Despite these victories, the truth is that no individual nation has the power to stop money laundering -- if one country is hostile to laundering, criminals simply look elsewhere for a place to clean their money. Global cooperation is essential. The most prominent international organization in this respect is probably the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which has 33 member states and international organizations on its roster list as of 2005. The FATF issued the "40 Recommendations" for banks (there are actually 49 now, but the moniker hasn't changed) that have become the anti-money-laundering standard. These recommendations include:

* Identify and do background checks on depositors.
* Report all suspicious activity. (For example, if a background check revealed that depositor A works in a steel factory, and he typically deposits $2,000 every two weeks, a series of 10 $9,000 deposits over the course of two weeks should raise a red flag.)
* Build an internal taskforce to identify laundering clues.

The "recommendations" are really more like rules than friendly tips. The FATF keeps a list of "uncooperative countries" -- those who have not enacted the recommendations. The FATF encourages its member states not to deal with those countries in financial matters.

Other global organizations fighting money laundering include the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and smaller groups like the Caribbean FATF and the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering.

While increased worldwide efforts are making a small dent in the money-laundering industry, the problem is huge, and the money launderers are winning overall. Countries with bank-secrecy rules, which arguably have legitimate benefits to the honest depositor, make it extremely hard to track money once it's transferred overseas. Still, the FATF's uncooperative list has gone from 15 countries in 2000 to two countries (Myanmar and Nigeria) in 2005. By most accounts, this is a significant sign of progress. Only increased global awareness and cooperation can curb the success of the money-laundering industry."

*Note: Stan "Pampy" Barre' was originally charged with money laundering. Stan "Pampy" Barre' later pleaded guilty to other charges. Let's hope Stan "Pampy" Barre' pay enough in restitution to make up for the original money laundering charges.

The Effects of Money Laundering

"Depending on which international agency you ask, criminals launder anywhere between 500 billion and $1 trillion worldwide every year. The global effect is staggering in social, economic and security terms.

On the socio-cultural end of the spectrum, successfully laundering money means that criminal activity actually does pay off. This success encourages criminals to ontinue their illicit schemes because they get to spend the profit with no repercussions. This means more fraud, more corporate embezzling (which means more workers losing their pensions when the corporation collapses), more drugs on the streets, more drug-related crime, law-enforcement resources stretched beyond their means and a general loss of morale on the part of legitimate business people who don't break the law and don't make nearly the profits that the criminals do.

The economic effects are on a broader scale. Developing countries often bear the brunt of modern money laundering because the governments are still in the process of establishing regulations for their newly privatized financial sectors. This makes them a prime target. In the 1990s, numerous banks in the developing Baltic states ended up with huge, widely rumored deposits of dirty money. Bank patrons proceeded to withdraw their own clean money for fear of losing it if the banks came under investigation and lost their insurance. The banks collapsed as a result. Other major issues facing the world's economies include errors in economic policy resulting from artificially inflated financial sectors. Massive influxes of dirty cash into particular areas of the economy that are desirable to money launderers create false demand, and officials act on this new demand by adjusting economic policy. When the laundering process reaches a certain point or if law-enforcement officials start to show interest, all of that money that will suddenly disappear without any predictable economic cause, and that financial sector falls apart.

Some problems on a more local scale relate to taxation and small-business competition. Laundered money is usually untaxed, meaning the rest of us ultimately have to make up the loss in tax revenue. Also, legitimate small businesses can't compete with money-laundering front businesses that can afford to sell a product for cheaper because their primary purpose is to clean money, not turn a profit. They have so much cash coming in that they might even sell a product or service below cost.

The majority of global investigations focus on two prime money-laundering industries: Drug trafficking and terrorist organizations. The effect of successfully cleaning drug money is clear: More drugs, more crime, more violence. The connection between money laundering and terrorism may be a bit more complex, but it plays a crucial role in the sustainability of terrorist organizations. Most people who financially support terrorist organizations do not simply write a personal check and hand it over to a member of the terrorist group. They send the money in roundabout ways that allow them to fund terrorism while maintaining anonymity. And on the other end, terrorists do not use credit cards and checks to purchase the weapons, plane tickets and civilian assistance they need to carry out a plot. They launder the money so authorities can't trace it back to them and foil their planned attack. Interrupting the laundering process can cut off funding and resources to terrorist groups.

So the next question is: What are authorities doing to prevent money laundering?"

Some Money Laundering Methods

"Here are some of the ways that corrupt individuals launder money:


Structuring deposits
Also known as smurfing, this method entails breaking up large amounts of money into smaller, less-suspicious amounts. In the United States, this smaller amount has to be below $10,000 -- the dollar amount at which U.S. banks have to report the transaction to the government. The money is then deposited into one or more bank accounts either by multiple people (smurfs) or by a single person over an extended period of time.
* Overseas banks
Money launderers often send money through various "offshore accounts" in countries that have bank secrecy laws, meaning that for all intents and purposes, these countries allow anonymous banking. A complex scheme can involve hundreds of bank transfers to and from offshore banks. According to the International Monetary Fund, "major offshore centers" include the Bahamas, Bahrain, the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Antilles, Panama and Singapore.

* Underground/alternative banking
Some countries in Asia have well-established, legal alternative banking systems that allow for undocumented deposits, withdrawals and transfers. These are trust-based systems, often with ancient roots, that leave no paper trail and operate outside of government control. This includes the hawala system in Pakistan and India and the fie chen system in China.

* Shell companies
These are fake companies that exist for no other reason than to launder money. They take in dirty money as "payment" for supposed goods or services but actually provide no goods or services; they simply create the appearance of legitimate transactions through fake invoices and balance sheets.

* Investing in legitimate businesses
Launderers sometimes place dirty money in otherwise legitimate businesses to clean it. They may use large business like brokerage firms or casinos that deal in so much money it's easy for the dirty stuff to blend in, or they may use small, cash-intensive businesses like bars, car washes, strip clubs or check-cashing stores. These businesses may be "front companies" that actually do provide a good or service but whose real purpose is to clean the launderer's money. This method typically works in one of two ways: The launderer can combine his dirty money with the company's clean revenues -- in this case, the company reports higher revenues from its legitimate business than it's really earning; or the launderer can simply hide his dirty money in the company's legitimate bank accounts in the hopes that authorities won't compare the bank balance to the company's financial statements.

Most money-laundering schemes involve some combination of these methods, although the Black Market Peso Exchange is pretty much a one-stop-shopping system once someone smuggles the cash to the peso broker. The variety of tools available to launderers makes this a difficult crime to stop, but authorities do catch the bad guys every now and then."

Basic Definition of Money Laundering

"Money laundering, at its simplest, is the act of making money that comes from Source A look like it comes from Source B. In practice, criminals are trying to disguise the origins of money obtained through illegal activities so it looks like it was obtained from legal sources. Otherwise, they can't use the money because it would connect them to the criminal activity, and law-enforcement officials would seize it.

The most common types of criminals who need to launder money are drug traffickers, embezzlers, corrupt politicians and public officials, mobsters, terrorists and con artists. Drug traffickers are in serious need of good laundering systems because they deal almost exclusively in cash, which causes all sorts of logistics problems. Not only does cash draw the attention of law-enforcement officials, but it's also really heavy. Cocaine that's worth $1 million on the street weighs about 44 pounds (20 kg), while a stash of U.S. dollars worth $1 million weighs about 256 pounds (116 kg)."

*Note: Sometimes money launderers are able to cut deals in order to reduce their sentence. Other times they are able to have the charges dropped all together if they are able to provide information, about someone else, in their illegal activities. A money launderer can be the businessman next door.

Homeowner Holds Burglary Suspect At Gunpoint

"For David Holbrook of Mandeville, arming himself and capturing a thief who recently attempted to burglarize his house not only protected his family and their belongings, but may have finally put away a teenager who has stockpiled criminal charges over the past two years.

The drama began to unfold Aug. 26 at about 5:15 a.m., when Alana Holbrook awoke to find a man outside the doorway of the master bedroom at their home on the 100 block of Cindy Lou Place in the Old Golden Shores neighborhood. After seeing her wake up, the man fled downstairs as she woke her husband, David Holbrook.

As his wife called the police, Holbrook armed himself with a loaded .45-caliber Ruger pistol and began searching for the intruder, later identified by police as Matthew Weaver, 19, who lives just three blocks away at 212 Fountain St.

Holbrook didn't find the suspect inside or outside the house, but discovered the burglar had stolen a laptop computer, a computer game system and money from the purses of his wife and two daughters, ages 12 and 16.

Returning outside, Holbrook spotted the suspect coming from the side yard, heading across the street.

Holbrook ran toward Weaver, gun aimed, and ordered him to the ground. Weaver complied, and Holbrook held him there for several minutes until police arrived.

After arresting him, officers recovered the stolen goods, which had been stashed in the bushes across the street. The suspect also had money stolen from other locations, according to the Mandeville Police Department.

Weaver was taken to the parish jail in Covington and booked with burglary of an inhabited dwelling.

From October 2005 to August 2007, Weaver accumulated 31 criminal charges involving nine separate incidents, court records show. The charges are mostly burglaries and theft, but also include a misdemeanor drug charge and a second-degree battery charge from January 2007.

Weaver is set to go to court Monday for the battery case, and the recent burglary arrest will not affect those proceedings, said Lt. Tommy Breazeale, spokesman for the Mandeville Police Department."


*Note: Arming yourself is another solution to trying to prevent home burglaries. It may also be necessary in order to save your life.

Three Booked In Burglaries On The West Bank

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office has arrested three men in connection with a string of apparently random aggravated burglaries and shootings on the West Bank overnight.

Austin Lowery, 18, of 247 Marmandie St. in River Ridge, Kevin Mayon, 20, of 713 Avenue F in Westwego and Sylvester Parra, 18, of 164 Columbus St. in New Orleans were booked with two counts of aggravated burglary, three counts of attempted murder, two counts of attempted aggravated burglary and one count of aggravated battery in connection with the shooting of three men, the pistol-whipping of another and the burglary or attempted burglary of four residences. All three men are being held in the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center without bond.

*Note: Random burglaries are hard to predict. The best solution would be to establish a neighborhood watch program.

New Orleans Police Are Searching For Teenage Suspect

"New Orleans Police are searching for a teenager accused of robbing an Algiers apartment in July.

An arrest warrant for aggravated burglary has been issued for Robert Hawkins, 19, of New Orleans, who is accused of kicking his way into an apartment in the 3200 block of Memorial Park Drive and shooting and unidentified victim in the stomach before fleeing. The NOPD did not release any information on what was stolen in the burglary, and said Hawkins was developed as a suspect through an investigation."

*Note: It is hard to try to protect yourself from a criminal who kicks your door down. Your best defense is try to exit as quickly as possible.

Sumner, Washington's Property & Burglary Statistics from 2001-2005

Sumner, WA, population 9,298, is located in Washington's Pierce county, about 10.2 miles from Tacoma and 28.2 miles from Seattle.

Through the 90's Sumner's population has grown by about 35%. It is estimated that in the first 5 years of this decade the population of Sumner has grown by about 9%.

Sumner's property crime levels tend to be about the same as Washington's average level. The same data shows violent crime levels in Sumner tend to be about the same as Washington's average level

Property Crimes

Rate Per 100K People
2001 4,653
2002 5,151
2003 4,959
2004 6,329
2005 6,848

Offense 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Burglary 73 83 97 146 145

*NOTE: Sumner, Washington residents will soon be able to breathe a sigh of relief once a Hurricane Evacuee, from New Orleans, is brought to justice for some of his crimes.

Protect Your Home From Burglars By Eliminating Hiding Places

You can eliminate hiding places by:

1. Installing motion detector lights around your home.

2. Making sure that the motion detector lights light all windows and doors.

3. Having good lighting around your garage or driveway.

4. Removing shrubs and bushes from under the windows and next to the doors.

5. Installing an alarm system. Make sure you place decals in the windows.

Although we cannot totally prevent home burglaries, try to make it harder for burglars to devastate your life.

New Orleans' First Inspector General Begins Job With No Office, Staff Or Car

"As inspector general, Cerasoli is charged with investigating waste, fraud and corruption in city government and among those receiving money from the city. He is also expected to propose ways to make local government more efficient and to teach city officials about their ethical responsibilities.

When he was hired, he said he was "very encouraged" by the terms of the ordinance creating the New Orleans inspector general's office.

The ordinance says the inspector general's office will be "operationally independent" of the council, the Ethics Review Board and the mayor's office, meaning none of them can prevent the office from "initiating, carrying out or completing any audit, investigation or review."

The office is promised "access to all records, information, data, reports, plans, projections, matters, contracts, memoranda, correspondence and any other materials" of all city departments, including the council and the mayor's office. It is authorized to subpoena witnesses and records and to require sworn testimony."



We all hope that Mr. Cerasoli can help put an end to political corruption in New Orleans. New Orleans, however, is off to a great start with Stan "Pampy" Barre going to prison soon.

Reducing Your Chances of Being A Victim of a Home Burglary

When a burglar breaks into your home, condominium, or apartment, your feeling of security is permanently shattered. If you are away from home, for more than one day:

1. Tell a friend or a trusted neighbor that you will be away from home for a few days.

2. Have a friend or neighbor put your garbage can out on garbage pick up day.

3. Have your grass cut as usual.

4. Have a neighbor or friend pick up your mail.

5. If your telephone number is listed, have your calls forwarded.

Although there are no guarantees that your home won't be burglarized, understanding how burglars choose their targets can reduce your chances of being their victims.

Try To Protect Yourself from Home Burglaries

In order to protect yourself, from home burglaries, make the burglar believe that you are home all of the time by:

1. Not leaving your newspaper outdoors for an extended period of time.

2. Parking your vehicle, in the garage, and keeping the garage door shut.

3. Using automatic timers on lights, televisions, and radios.

4. Lowering the ringer on your telephone and answering machine.

If You Are In An Abusive Relationship, Get Help

"The National Domestic Violence Hotline answers more than 16,000 calls per month from victims, survivors, friends and family members, law enforcement personnel, domestic violence advocates and the general public. Hotline advocates provide support and assistance to anyone involved in a domestic violence situation, including those in same-sex relationships, male survivors, those with disabilities and immigrant victims of domestic violence. All calls to the National Domestic Violence Hotline are confidential."

Understanding Drug Abuse & Addiction

"Many people view drug abuse and addiction as strictly a social problem. Parents, teens, older adults, and other members of the community tend to characterize people who take drugs as morally weak or as having criminal tendencies. They believe that drug abusers and addicts should be able to stop taking drugs if they are willing to change their behavior.

These myths have not only stereotyped those with drug-related problems, but also their families, their communities, and the health care professionals who work with them. Drug abuse and addiction comprise a public health problem that affects many people and has wide-ranging social consequences. It is NIDA's goal to help the public replace its myths and long-held mistaken beliefs about drug abuse and addiction with scientific evidence that addiction is a chronic, relapsing, and treatable disease.

Addiction does begin with drug abuse when an individual makes a conscious choice to use drugs, but addiction is not just "a lot of drug use." Recent scientific research provides overwhelming evidence that not only do drugs interfere with normal brain functioning creating powerful feelings of pleasure, but they also have long-term effects on brain metabolism and activity. At some point, changes occur in the brain that can turn drug abuse into addiction, a chronic, relapsing illness. Those addicted to drugs suffer from a compulsive drug craving and usage and cannot quit by themselves. Treatment is necessary to end this compulsive behavior."

Recognizing The Signs of Domestic Abuse

"It may not be easy to identify abuse, especially at first. While some relationships are clearly abusive from the outset, abuse often starts subtly and gets worse over time. For example, abuse may begin with occasional hurtful comments, jealousy or controlling behavior. As it gets worse, the abuse may become more frequent, severe or violent. As the cycle of abuse worsens, your safety or the safety of your children may be in danger.

You may be a victim of abuse if you're in a relationship with someone who:

* Controls finances, so you have to ask for money
* Looks at you or acts in ways that scare you
* Acts jealous or possessive, or accuses you of being unfaithful
* Tries to control how you spend your time, who you see or talk to, where you go or what you wear
* Wants you to get permission to make everyday decisions
* Gets angry when drinking alcohol or using drugs
* Scares you by driving recklessly
* Threatens to kill him or herself

You are very likely in an abusive relationship if you have a relationship with someone who does even one of the following:

* Hits, kicks, shoves, slaps, or chokes you or threatens you with violence or a weapon
* Forces you to have sexual intercourse or engage in sexual acts against your will
* Calls you names, insults you or puts you down
* Prevents you from going to work or school
* Stops you from seeing family members and friends
* Hurts, or threatens to hurt you, your children or pets
* Destroys your property
* Controls your access to medicines
* Blames you for his or her violent behavior or tells you that you deserve it
* Says that his or her abusive behavior is no big deal or even denies doing it
* Tries to force you to drop charges
* Tries to prevent you from calling the police or seeking medical care"

If you find yourself in an abusive relationship, seek help.