11-year-old buys beach front mansions worth a pricey $44,000,000

Even by the standards of a city that celebrates extravagance, it was a spectacular shopping spree: In just two weeks an 11-year-old boy from Azerbaijan became the owner of nine waterfront mansions.
The total price tag: about $44 million -- or roughly 10,000 years' worth of salary for the average citizen of Azerbaijan. But the preteen who owns a big chunk of some of Dubai's priciest real estate seems to be anything but average.
His name, according to Dubai Land Department records, is Heydar Aliyev, which just happens to be the same name as that of the son of Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev. The owner's date of birth, listed in property records, is also the same as that of the president's son.
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Woman’s $1,600 water bill is correct

A Minneapolis woman has received a $1,600 water bill, a bill the city believes is accurate even though it's 20 times the woman's usual bill. Erica Kocur said her bill is generally $70 to $80 per month. She said her "heart just dropped" when she got her latest bill. The city said she must have a running toilet or dripping faucet.
But they billed her for using almost 200,000 gallons of water. That's three times the volume of her entire home. A shower would have to run nonstop for almost two months to use that much water.
The city's director of treasury is LeeAnn Stagg. She said the city believes the bill is accurate, but the city will check Kocur's meter one more time.
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American - 1 - Greedy Bank - 0

Is this the tipping point? Americans have been taken advantage like no one on earth by greedy Banksters and corporations. Like many of them, a man named Terry Hoskins has had troubles with his bank. But his solution to foreclosure might be somewhat unique.
Hoskins said he's been in a struggle with RiverHills Bank over his Clermont County home for nearly a decade, a struggle that was coming to an end as the bank began foreclosure proceedings on his $350,000 home.
"When I see I owe $160,000 on a home valued at $350,000, and someone decides they want to take it – no, I wasn't going to stand for that, so I took it down," Hoskins said.
Hoskins said the Internal Revenue Service placed liens on his carpet store and commercial property on state Route 125 after his brother, a one-time business partner, sued him.
The bank claimed his home as collateral, Hoskins said, and went after both his residential and commercial properties.
"The average homeowner that can't afford an attorney or can fight as long as we have, they don't stand a chance," he said.
Hoskins said he'd gotten a $170,000 offer from someone to pay off the house, but the bank refused, saying they could get more from selling it in foreclosure.
"I'll tear it down before I let you take it," Hoskins told them.
And that's exactly what Hoskins did.
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$2.5 million lottery ticket goes unclaimed

A winning lottery ticket worth $2.5 million purchased in Indianapolis has expired without anyone cashing it in, authorities say.
The Hoosier Lotto ticket -- bought at the Southport Road Meijer store for the drawing Aug. 19, 2009 -- won for somebody, but reached its 180-day deadline for cash-in at 5 p.m. Friday without that somebody coming forth.
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Only worth sixpence, but it cost one man his job

He only misplaced a single letter but it was one “L” of a costly mistake for the general manager of the Chilean mint.
Gregorio Iñiguez and several other employees have reportedly been sacked after they minted a set of 50-peso coins with the name of their nation spelt incorrectly.
The coins were released into the circulation
with C-H-I-I-E stamped on the front where it should read C-H-I-L-E.
The coins have since become collectors' items and the mint says it has no plans to take them out of circulation.
People have reportedly been hoarding the coins in the hope their value rises.
But the mistake has cost the mint's general manager, Gregorio Iniguez, and several other employees, their jobs.
It is not the first embarrassing blunder at the Chilean mint. Last October, someone there sold a rare medal, which should have been housed in the institution's museum, to a coin collector.
A month later, another medal - this one bearing the face of the country's then President Michelle Bachelet - was inadvertently sold on the open market.
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Homeless donate $14.64 for Haiti quake victims

Donations for Haiti have poured in to the American Red Cross of Central Maryland from a range of sources. Nothing, though, has stood out like the coins and crumpled dollar bills that spilled from one envelope.
That gift - $14.64 - came from the pockets of homeless people at a downtown Baltimore shelter.
"We were all weepy-eyed," recalled Red Cross volunteer coordinator Bobbie Jones, who was at the front desk when the donation arrived.
Public relations director Linnea Anderson got teary, too. "Just the thought of those people huddled together in a shelter and seeing a need beyond themselves is enough to give anybody chills," she said. "What a remarkable example of the human spirit."
The Red Cross chapter has raised over $400,000 for earthquake-ravaged Haiti, counting pledges, Anderson said. Many donations have been hand-delivered to its Northwest Baltimore office. Jones said one man took the subway from downtown to give a few dollars and said, "I felt like I had to help." Another man, moved by images of suffering Haitian children, handed $20 to Executive Director Frank Miller.
But the modest donation from the homeless shelter made an especially big impression. It was dropped off Jan. 19 by Tim Herty, a lay pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Timonium. Herty collected the money two days earlier while holding a church service at the city's 350-bed Guilford Avenue shelter.
"Your heart swells," said Linda Boyer, executive director of Jobs, Housing & Recovery Inc., the nonprofit group that runs the shelter for the city. She said there was no way to interview the contributors because no one took down their names.
Herty expressed concern that he may have violated a policy against collecting money from shelter residents. But Boyer said, "I don't look at it as a violation. I think it was a wonderful, warm thing for the people in our shelter to do."
Boyer, who was not at the shelter for the donation, described it as a "totally spontaneous" outgrowth of a discussion Herty had with shelter residents about the earthquake. "He didn't go in thinking, 'Gee, how much money can I get for Haiti?' "
Diane Glauber, president of Baltimore Homeless Services, said she saw no problem with the donation. "If they volunteered on their own free will," she said, "I see no problem with it. It's a beautiful gesture."
Glauber shared the story with Mayor Sheila Dixon, who praised the donation in a statement.
"Their selfless sacrifice should be a lesson of encouragement to the rest of us to also give our money, time and energy to the relief efforts," Dixon said. "If those with so little to give do so, what is our excuse not to?"
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Man Finds $3,100 Hidden In Discarded Picture

A Stuart, Florida man rescued a framed space shuttle photo from a trash bin -- and found a wad of treasure in the process.
Stuart police say Warren Bendix was going to put the photo in a different frame and discovered $3,100 in cash stuffed behind the picture.
He had found the picture while going through the trash near his apartment.
Bendix reported his discovery to police on Saturday. Police say Bendix can claim the money if the owner doesn't turn up.
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Trusted Sites to Donate for Haiti

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American Red Cross

The American Red Cross' primary focus during the initial response of an emergency is feeding, sheltering and supplying any other basic needs.

To donate Go to RedCross.org, hit donate now button at top and then International Response Fund. You also can text `Haiti` to 90999 to donate 10 dollars to the International Response Fund. The money will go directly to relief efforts in Haiti. Or call 1-800-Red-Cross.

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AmeriCares

This nonprofit disaster relief organization delivers medicine, medical supplies and aid to people in crisis around the world.

To donate, call 1-800-486-HELP or go to AmeriCares.org. Donations will go toward medicine and medical supplies and for expenses for providing that medical aid.

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Care

This humanitarian organization's main focus is to fight global poverty, specifically by empowering marginalized women and girls. To donate to the Haiti relief fund effort, go to Care.org or call 1-800-521-CARE. Money will go toward food, water and sanitation, shelter and emergency health response.
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Catholic Relief Services

Catholic Relief Services is an aid agency that works with emergency relief, micro-finance, AIDS/HIV relief, agriculture, water and sanitation, among other projects in countries around the world. To donate, go to crs.org, or call 1-877-HELP-CRS. You also can text RELIEF to 30644. You will receive a text message back with instructions on how to donate. You can send a check to Catholic Relief services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203-7090. Write "Haiti earthquake" in memo area. The money will go toward immediate needs, which includes water, food, hygiene kits, bedding and basic cooking utensils, among other items.

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Direct Relief International

Direct Relief provides medical attention to those in need on an ongoing basis and in emergencies. Monetary donations go toward medical aid, supplies and equipment in Haiti. To donate, go to directrelief.org or call 805-964-4767 and 800-676-1638, or go through Google Checkout.

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Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity provides affordable, safe shelter for low-income families and people in need. Money donated for Haiti relief efforts will go toward recovery and rebuilding. To donate, go to habitat.org or call 1-800-Habitat.

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International Medical Corps

This emergency response agency focuses on health in emergency situations. Monetary donations go toward purchasing medical supplies, medicine and emergency kits and transporting these supplies. 1-800-481-4462 or go to imcworldwide.org

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International Relief Teams

The nonprofit organizes volunteer teams to provide medical and non-medical assistance to victims of disasters and poverty. To donate, go to irteams.org or call 619-284-7979. Checks can be made out to International Relief Teams, 4560 Alvarado Canyon Road, Suite 2G, San Diego, CA 92120-4309. The money will be used for medical supplies, medicine and other relief supplies, and to support volunteers heading to Haiti for relief efforts.

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Medical Teams International
The Christian global health organization sends volunteer medical teams and supplies to those in the midst of disaster or poverty. Monetary donations will go to supporting the medical teams being sent to Haiti and to the cost of shipping the medical supplies donated by corporations. Donate by going to medicalteams.org and clicking on the "Donate Now" button, or call 1-800-959-HEAL (4325) or send a check to Medical Teams International, P.O. Box 10, Portland, OR 97207.

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Doctors Without Borders

The humanitarian organization delivers medical care to people caught in crisis. Donations to its Haiti relief efforts will go toward repairing the obstetrics and trauma hospitals in Haiti that were damaged in the earthquake. They also will go to transporting an additional 70 doctors and medical supplies to the island in an effort to set up makeshift emergency medical response centers. To donate, go to doctorswithoutborders.org or call 1-888-392-0392.

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Mercy Corps

The organization provides humanitarian assistance and economic opportunities in the world's toughest places, specifically those dealing with poverty, conflict and instability. To donate, go to MercyCorps.org. Money will go toward immediate humanitarian needs in Haiti, which may include, food, water and temporary shelter.

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Operation USA

The international relief agency provides funding for reconstruction and development aid to communities that have experienced disasters, disease and poverty. For its Haiti relief efforts, the agency plans to use donations for health care materials, water purification supplies and food supplements. To donate, go to opusa.org or call 1-800-678-7255, or mail a check to Operation USA, 3617 Hayden Ave., Suite A, Culver City, CA 90232.

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Save the Children

The independent organization focuses on children in need in the U.S. and globally through programs for health and nutrition, child protection and education.
To donate, go to savethechildren.org, or call 1-800-728-3843 or 203-221-4030. Donations will go toward purchasing relief items, such as hygiene kits, family kits (pots, pans, food preparation items) and tarps.

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The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army's mission is to provide food, shelter, clothing and spiritual comfort during disasters. To donate money, go to salvationarmyusa.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY. Make sure you designate the donation for "Haiti Earthquake." Money will go to the Salvation Army in Haiti, which will determine the country's immediate needs, including water, food, medicine and transportation.

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Shelterbox

The nonprofit delivers boxes of supplies to families of up to 10 people. The boxes contain a tent and essential equipment to use while individuals are displaced or homeless. To donate, call 941-907-6036 or go to shelterbox.org

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U.S. Fund for UNICEF
The national committee for UNICEF is responsible for the organization's fundraising. UNICEF uses the money for health care, clean water, nutrition, education and emergency relief. To donate, go to Unicefusa.org or 1-800-4-UNICEF.

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World Concern

The organization lifts people out of poverty, beginning with disaster response and ending when families can live sustainable lives. To donate to its relief effort, go to Worldconcern.org or call 1-866-530-5433. You can also mail checks to 19303 Fremont Ave. North, Seattle, WA 98133. Please specify that the check is for "Haiti Disaster Response." Money will go toward water supplies, shelter, blankets, distribution of food and long-term needs, such as job training, education, loans and home construction, among other projects.

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World Food Programme

The food assistance agency's main focus is to fight hunger worldwide. The organization is working to bring food to Haiti. To donate, go to wfp.org.

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Yele Haiti

This organization, founded by Wyclef Jean, creates projects to improve the quality of education, health, environment and community development in Haiti. To donate to to its Haiti relief efforts, go to yele.org or text YELE to 501501 to donate $5.

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Cab driver returns $21,000 to visitor

A New York City cab driver is being praised for returning over $21,000 lost by a visitor from Italy.
Felicia Lettieri, who's 72, left her purse in a Manhattan taxi on Christmas Eve. It contained traveling money for her and six relatives.
Police told them not to get their hopes up about finding it.
The cabbie drove about 50 miles, to a Long Island address he'd found in the purse. No one was home, so he left his phone number, and later returned with the money.
Lettieri's daughter, Maria Rosaria Falonga, told Newsday from Pompei, Italy that the cabbie also left a note.
He told her: "Don't worry, Felicia. ... I'll keep it safe."
The driver, Mukul Asaduzzaman, could not be reached for comment.
He refused a reward.
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Rare U.S. nickel sells for $3.7 million

An extremely rare U.S. nickel that was featured in an episode of TV's "Hawaii Five-O" sold for more than $3.7 million in Florida, the auctioneers said.
Greg Rohan, president of Heritage Auctions, based in Dallas, said the 1913 Liberty Head nickel, one of only five of its kind known to still exist, sold for $3,737,500 Thursday at the Orlando Convention Center.
"It is probably the most famous United States rare coin because it was seen by tens of millions of viewers in an episode of 'Hawaii Five-O,'" Rohan said.
The names of the seller and the winning bidder were not disclosed. However, Rohan said a number of the worlds wealthy are among the previous owners of the coin.
"In the 1940's this coin was in the collection of the notorious King Farouk of Egypt who was deposed in 1952. In December 1973 it was prominently featured in an episode of the TV series, 'Hawaii Five-O,' entitled “The $100,000 Nickel.” Los Angeles Lakers owner, Dr. Jerry Buss, paid $200,000 for the coin in 1978, and it changed hands several times since then, crossing the million dollar mark in 2003. Now it sold for over $3.7 million in spirited bidding," Rohan said.
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'Cavemen' inherit billions

Two penniless brothers who are so poor they live in a cave could be set to inherit a share of a £4 billion fortune.
Zslot and Geza Peladi live in the cave outside Budapest, Hungary, and sell scrap they find on the street for pennies.
Now they and a sister who lives in America are said to be on the verge of inheriting their grandmother's massive fortune after a life of poverty.
They learned of their good fortune after homelessness charity workers in Hungary were contacted by lawyers handling the estate of the brothers' maternal grandmother who died recently in Baden-Wurttenberg, Germany.
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One Trillion Dollars Visualized from www.mint.com

It’s official, trillion is the new billion. No longer is government spending talked about in terms of a mere ten digits. With the recent flurry of government spending, we are going to need another three zeros to make sense of it all. One trillion dollars is a number that few people can comprehend, let alone your standard nine digit calculator. So what does one trillion dollars look like?

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A trillion dollars as the new billion?! That’s just crazy. I can never comprehend a trillion dollars, let alone know what to do with it if I ever have one. Hmmnn…

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Stimulus Checks Mistakenly Sent to 1,700 Inmates

The inspector general's office for the Social Security Administration is looking into the problem as part of its broader audit on stimulus spending. The Social Security Administration acknowledged the $425,000 glitch following a report that nearly two-dozen inmates in Massachusetts had wrongly received the $250 stimulus checks.
A total of 3,900 inmates not receiving benefits were sent a stimulus check and that of those, 2,200 were due the payment because they were out of prison late last year. The other 1,700 were mistakenly sent the checks.
The number was "relatively small" given the fact that 52 million total payments were made, and that most of the mistaken payments have been returned by the correctional institutions. He did not provide specifics for how much of the $425,000 had been returned.

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Being Loaded

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World's most expensive pack of cigarettes?

A man in the United States popped out to his local petrol station to buy a pack of cigarettes - only to find out his card was charged more then $23 quadrillion (£14 quadrillion) - many times the US national debt.
"I thought somebody had bought Europe with my credit card," said Josh Muszynski, from New Hampshire.
He says his appeals to his bank first met with little understanding, though it eventually corrected the error.
It also waived the usual $15 overdraft fee.
"It was all back to normal," Mr Muszynski told his local television station, WMUR. "They reversed the negative balance fee, which was nice."
Debt crisis
His nightmare began when he checked his online bank account a few hours after buying the cigarettes.
When Josh Muszynski checked his bank account online, he didn't expect to find a $23 quadrillion debit.
He thought he would be a couple of hundred dollars in the black. But his overdraft had pushed him into the red - by an amount equivalent to many times the entire US national debt.
"It is a lot of money in the negative," he said. "Something I could never, ever, afford to pay back.
The 17-digit amount on his online bill shocked Mr Muszynski
"My children could not afford it, grandchildren, nothing like that."
In panic, Mr Muszynski rushed back to the petrol station, but they were unable to help. He says he then spent two hours on the phone with the Bank of America.
Eventually, it assured him it would be fixed - and the next morning, it had been.
But no-one has yet explained to Mr Muszynski how such a astonishing error could have been made.
$23 Quadrillion Question Remains Unanswered.

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The U.S. of A shreds 7,000 tons of used currency each year.

Click to Enlarge

Shredded Money

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing is selling a 5 pound bag containing approximately $10,000 worth of shredded US currency notes for $45 each.
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Minature U.S. Coins

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These mini coins are struck from real metal, and are a fun novelty item for kids big & small - or perfect to have on hand when your kids (or a co-worker) are asking to borrow some change again!

The actual mini coins are pictured with a normal state quarter (state quarter not included). You get a MINI cent, nickel, dime, quarter, half dollar, and dollar, all in one set.

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GOLD To GO!

Gold sold from German vending machines

Shoppers in Germany will soon be able to buy gold as easily as bars of chocolate after a firm announced plans to install vending machines selling the precious metal across the country.
TG-Gold-Super-Market aims to introduce the machines at 500 locations including train stations and airports in Germany.
The company, based near Stuttgart, hopes to tap into the increasing interest in buying gold following disillusionment in other investments due to the economic downturn.
Gold prices from the machines – about 30 per cent higher than market prices for the cheapest product – will be updated every few minutes.
Customers using a prototype "Gold to go" machine at Frankfurt Airport on Tuesday had the choice of purchasing a 1g wafer of gold for €30, a 10g bar for €245, or gold coins.
A camera on the machine monitors transactions for money laundering controls.

Saudi princess hides from a £15 million shopping bill

One of the most senior members of Saudi Arabia's royal family, Princess Maha al-Sudairi, is claiming diplomatic immunity in France after running up unpaid shopping bills of more than £15 million including £60,000 on designer lingerie.
She has ignored her furious debtors and locked herself in her £2,500-a-night suite at the George V Hotel in Paris.
When a royal aide was approached about settling the underwear bill he replied: "I'm afraid we can't go around settling bills for the Princess's undergarments."
Princess Maha, whose husband, Prince Nayef, is interior minister and second-in-line to the Saudi throne, is said to have spent millions on designer clothes, jewels and other luxury products in the French capital over the past year. Her weekly dry cleaning bill alone was said to be £30,000.
Every time the Princess and her entourage visited a shop a representative would offer staff an embossed document stating "Payment to Follow".
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Update:
Saudi pays up in Paris

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Man finds $250,000 in street

A man from the U.S.A. found a quarter of a million dollars stuffed into carrier bags in the street - and handed it in.
David Jenks found the money - the equivalent of more than £150,000 - after popping out of his antiques shop one evening in Syracuse, New York state.
"I was walking out to my car for a clean shirt when I saw bags of trash on the side of the road," he said.
When Mr Jenks went to move the bags, he realized they were filled with banknotes.
The bags are believed to have come from a Brinks armored security vehicle.
Brinks managers are trying to determine how the money ended up on the side of the road, police said.
Mr Jenks added: "It's the most amount of money I've ever seen in my life. I'm so glad I was here tonight. I was happy to return the money."
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