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18 Dec 2010 11:14

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Biz: Current score: Who’s still getting screwed by Bernie Madoff?

  • 16k number of people claim to have been affected by the breakdown of Madoff’s ponzi scheme, which left many of the victims destitute
  • 60% of victims may never see any of the money because they put their money into Madoff’s care indirectly, though feeder funds
  • 400 investors were sued for taking more than they were worth from Madoff’s ponzi scheme (though some of them are broke, too) source
  • ยป Not every victim is getting helped: Only around $5.9 billion in losses has been recognized by the trustee so far, which much of the rest of the money owed indirectly by hedge funds that need to pay back the money they withdrew first.

10 Apr 2009 11:16

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World: Italy’s billionaire prime minister offers his homes to quake victims

  • Silvio Berlusconi is Italy’s second-richest man. Victims of the devastating Italiian earthquake, which killed hundreds and left thousands more without homes, will be getting some help from P.M. Silvio Berlusconi. “I will do what I can too, by offering some of my houses,” Berlusconi said at a state funeral for the more than 200 killed. 17,000 survivors are currently living in tents, so it’d be a bit of an upgrade for them. source

03 Apr 2009 07:12

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U.S.: Jury: 9/11-critical professor may get his job back

  • “Little Eichmans” or not, nothing can stop tenure. Ward Churchill, a University of Colorado professor who lost his job after writing some pretty controversial things comparing 9/11 victims to Nazis, won support for his controversial speech in a jury trial that awarded him as little as they could while still ruling in his favor: $1. He should probably just frame that check. (The job’s still up in the air but it’s definitely possible he’ll get it back.) source

11 Jan 2009 12:26

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World: Costa Rica suffers a devestating earthquake toll

  • 30+ are confirmed dead in Thursday’s earthquake, which registered a 6.2 on the Richter Scale. source