Each year, corporate fraud costs the US government millions of dollars. In many cases, the fraud would never be discovered if it were not for the courageous acts of employees and others who come forward and report the fraud to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In recognition of the importance of whistleblowers, a recent law passed by Congress includes key provisions to encourage more whistleblowers to report fraud by offering financial incentives to do so. Under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, those with independent knowledge ...

Many homeowners have been facing the very real threat of losing their homes during this recession. Those who purchased homes now find themselves in mortgages for more than their home is worth. As the economy struggles to rebound, home values remain low across the country. Jobs which used to be plentiful now offer a fraction of past wages. Finding money to pay a costly mortgage every month has become a challenge for many families. With so many struggling to make ends meet, the federal government has implemented a mortgage modification program. Borrowers who have lost ...

Twenty-six year-old Joseph Delaney was carrying a load of steel rods at the site of a new baseball stadium in Ramapo, New York when his forklift tipped over and ejected him from the vehicle. Apparently a tire sunk several inches into muddy ground, causing the load, and Delaney's vehicle, to become unstable. He suffered a number of injuries, including bruises to his shoulder, hip and legs. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) launched an investigation into the accident. Delaney's employer, Nikko Construction, has actively participated in the inquiry. ...

In October of 2009, the founder of Galleon Group, billionaire Raj Rajaratnam and five associates were arrested on charges of insider trading. The subsequent investigation has led to 23 arrests and 14 people pleading guilty to various charges. While Rajaratnam faces decades in prison if convicted, he has denied any wrongdoing. His trial is set to begin in January 2011. Prosecutors Using Unconventional Methods to Investigate Insider Trading According to the Associated Press, the Galleon case was the first time that wiretaps were used on an insider trading case. Prosecutors ...

A recent federal lawsuit by a 40-year-old financial worker from Wall Street against the New York Police Department (NYPD) alleges that police officers sodomized a man at his home when they responded to a domestic disturbance. Officers called to his residence after he locked out his girlfriend, burst into his apartment, assaulted him and then attempted to cover up their abuse, he says. The man testified that officers kicked and punched him; his offered as evidence a pair of his jeans with a hole in the seat and retractable baton on which is own DNA was found. A spokesman ...

When a truck crash happens, rarely is the accident merely a fender-bender. Most of these collisions result in major damage to smaller vehicles, as well as serious injuries to drivers of those vehicles. Furthermore, a large number of these crashes are completely preventable and are the result of risks that are well known to the trucking industry. State and federal government officials who are charged with regulating truck safety have not been as proactive as they should have been over the past two decades with regard to addressing these known risks. The result is a lot ...

Two Atlanta based companies; Kevin Buckley Builders and architectural designers Steven Foster Designs announce the completion of a home renovation in Atlanta's Briarcliff community. The two groups worked in partnership to complete the total transformation of a traditional 1960's brick ranch home into a unique Mid-Century Modern inspired masterpiece. The team used cutting edge building and design techniques to create the homes new contemporary look. "Mid-Century Modern homes incorporate simpler elements than a traditional home and maintain a less formal feel," explains ...

Piccadilly Backpackers has just been named the Best Accommodation of the Year 2010 by the British Youth Travel Awards. Piccadilly Backpackers beat the other finalists Generator Hostels and Hatters Hotel to be named the Best Accommodation winner, with the winner being decided by a panel of judges. The British Youth Travel Awards are organised by the British Educational Travel Association (BETA) and are designed to honour the best in the student, youth and educational travel market. Jonathan Allum, Group CEO, said: "I am delighted on behalf of Piccadilly Backpackers ...

Stena Line has announced that its newly launched ferry crossing to Holland will allow travellers to visit the newly opened Canal House hotel in central Amsterdam. Since the completion of Stena Line's North Sea fleet renewal in October 2010 the ferry company has offered travel to the Hook of Holland from southeast England on two plush new supersized Superferries, replete with Swedish beds, free WiFi, wine bar, sun terrace and a la carte restaurant. This month Holland will also see the opening of a chic 23-room hotel along the Keizersgracht canal in Amsterdam's trendy ...

British Airways have launched its very, very big sale, with discounts off First class and all other cabins as well as more than 120 holiday destinations. Customers can celebrate Chinese New Year in Hong Kong and save 15% in economy or 19% in Shanghai. Other destinations Cairo, Dubai, flights to Barbados and Sydney, all of which offer a saving during the sale. Reduced prices also available in business class and the newly daily non-stop flights to Buenos Aires which will be launched in March will also be in the sale. Destinations on offer closer to home include ...

Motorsportsunplugged.com, a website providing articles and videos of interest to NASCAR fans, is pleased to announce that Steve Waid, Senior Editor, has added Tom Higgins and Ben White to his professional staff as associate editors. Under this arrangement, Motorsportsunplugged.com will be provided with regular articles and blogs from writers whose collective credits include authorship of over 30 motorsports related books and thousands of articles for news publications and magazines nationwide. "We think that with our experiences and relationships built over decades, ...

Nationwide eminent domain law firm Biersdorf & Associates announces the launch of its new website, expanded to include even more information, additional resources and interactive functions. Located at http://www.condemnation-law.com, the site was developed as a tool for property owners who are facing the seizure of their property by a government authority through the eminent domain process. "The goal for our new website is simple: provide property owners with as much information on the eminent domain laws in their state as possible," said Dan Biersdorf, lead attorney ...

Small business owners looking for reliable software for preparing W2, 1099 and related tax forms can turn to ezW2 2010 from Halfpricesoft.com. Thousands of users put their trust in ezW2 every year, knowing that Halfpricesoft.com provides unbeatable reliability and customer service. Designed specifically for small businesses and non-profit organizations, ezW2 is software for preparing and printing W2, 1099 and related tax forms. All forms printed by ezW2 are approved by the Social Security Administration and are guaranteed to meet filing specifications. Available ...

HOUSTON – (Jan. 5, 2011) – Zinc ions released at the junction between two neurons (called a synapse) are important signals, but when too much zinc accumulates, cells become dysfunctional or die. Researchers in the Blue Bird Circle Developmental Neurogenetics Laboratory (http://www.thebluebirdcircle.com/Clinic/NeurogeneticsLaboratory.aspx) in the department of neurology at Baylor College of Medicine have discovered that zinc enters cells through specialized protein gates known as ZIP transporters, and removing these ZIP proteins from cells in the hippocampus (an area of ...

TUCSON, Ariz. (January 4, 2011) -- Cumbersome glaucoma tests requiring a visit to the ophthalmologist could soon be history thanks to a home test developed by an engineer at the University of Arizona. A new hand-held instrument involving a system of micro-force sensors, specially designed microchips, and math-based programmed procedures has been designed by researchers at the UA College of Engineering. The easy-to-use probe gently rubs the eyelid and can be used at home, threatening to replace painful eye drops and the need for a sterilized sensor. "You simply close ...

According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute's statistics, the mean annual temperature for the whole of Finland in 2010 was 1.3° C, which is 0.6 degrees below the long-term average. The last equally cold year took place in 1987, when the annual mean temperature was 0.1° C. The annual mean temperatures for 2010 ranged from about 5° C in Southwest Finland to about -3° C in Northern Lapland. The average precipitation for the whole country was about 560 millimetres, which is about 30 millimetres less than normally. The highest annual precipitation was measured in ...

One of Britain's best known seabirds winters on opposite sides of the Atlantic depending on whether its breeding attempt has been successful according to new research published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The findings highlight previously unsuspected links between summer breeding performance and wintering distributions of kittiwakes. The research team was led by Dr Maria Bogdanova from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) in conjunction with colleagues from CEH and the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). The discovery of such patterns ...

A study led by the Smoking Control Unit of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) has confirmed that the anti-tobacco laws in Europe have a direct effect on the reduction in consumption and passive exposure to smoke. This conclusion was reached by relating the Tobacco Eurobarometer and the Tobacco Control Scale (TCS). A new study, published in the magazine Plos One, has confirmed the hypothesis that the greater the restrictions, the lower the consumption and passive exposure to smoke. The study was carried out in the 27 countries of the EU and relates the Eurobarometer ...

Philadelphia, PA, 4 January 2011 - Normally, cortical nerve cells or neurons reside in the brain's gray matter with only a few scattered neurons in the white matter, but some people with schizophrenia have a higher number of neurons in the white matter. Neuronal migration errors may arise in schizophrenia as a consequence of both genetic and environmental factors. The phenomenon of aberrant cellular localization has now been studied in detail in a paper by Yang and colleagues, published in the current issue of Biological Psychiatry. Using a specialized technique that ...

Toronto – Growth is good, right? Not always. But compensation committees still tend to reward CEOs when their companies grow due to investments – even though that has been found to hurt long-term shareholder value – rather than only rewarding growth due to improved profitability, says a paper co-authored by a professor at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. The practice sends CEOs a message to grow at all costs, while hurting chances for companies to further improve shareholder value. Still, corporate boards may not realize what they're doing, ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. — In the first combat-zone study of its kind, a research team led by Michigan State University found that soldiers with a positive outlook in the most traumatic situations were less likely to suffer health problems such as anxiety and depression. The study, which surveyed Army troops fighting in Iraq, could have implications for police officers, firefighters and others who regularly deal with traumatic events such as death. Training these first-responders to think in less catastrophic terms could help them better cope with distressing events and function ...

BOSTON – (January 4, 2011) With life expectancy increasing in Latin America, age-related disease has become a pressing public health concern. Results of an epidemiological study conducted by researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University and the Corporacion Ecuatoriana de Biotecnologia showed that the metabolic syndrome, a condition that increases a person's risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, was prevalent in a low-income urban community in Ecuador and that a poor diet low in micronutrients ...

Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of death in the developed world. While a number of risk factors for atherosclerosis have been defined, scientists continue to study other possible risk factors for this disease. Recent epidemiological and experimental studies link infectious agents with the development of inflammatory atherosclerosis. A hallmark of chronic infection with the oral pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis is the induction of a chronic inflammatory response. P. gingivalis induces a local inflammatory response that results in oral bone destruction, which is manifested ...

When faced with decisions, we often follow our intuition—our self-described "gut feelings"—without understanding why. Our ability to make hunch decisions varies considerably: Intuition can either be a useful ally or it can lead to costly and dangerous mistakes. A new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, finds that the trustworthiness of our intuition is really influenced by what is happening physically in our bodies. "We often talk about intuition coming from the body—following our gut instincts and trusting ...

New Rochelle, NY, January 4, 2011—Lowering the body temperature of patients soon after they have suffered a severe brain injury may reduce neurologic complications and improve outcomes. The safety of therapeutic hypothermia for traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been demonstrated in national studies. According to a Roundtable Discussion of renowned experts in the field, when and how it is administered should depend on the clinical condition of individual patients. The Roundtable was published online ahead of print in the new peer-reviewed journal Therapeutic Hypothermia and ...