When Rodolfo Valladares walked into an Aventura Bank of America, he simply wanted to cash his $100 check. A jumpy bank teller, thinking he looked like a robber, hit a silent alarm.
Police from Aventura and Miami-Dade rushed to the bank, ordered everyone to the floor as they physically detained Valladares, handcuffing him and kicking him in the head, his lawyer said. He was let go when bank employees and police realize they made a mistake.
For his troubles, Valladares soon will be getting a much bigger check.
A Miami-Dade jury has awarded Valladares $3.3 million in damages after ruling that the bank was negligent in triggering the silent alarm, then failing to cancel it when employees realized he was not a robber.
Valladares, 50, a former mortgage company loan officer, still suffers from headaches, blurred vision and post-traumatic stress disorder, said his attorney Russell S. Adler.
Bank of America plans to appeal the verdict, believing their employees acted reasonably.
“We are disappointed,’’ said bank spokesperson Shirley Norton.
The July 3, 2008 incident happened at a time when bank tellers were on high alert because of a warning about a male Hispanic wearing a Miami Heat hat had been robbing banks in the area.
Bank of America’s corporate security had emailed a surveillance photo and a description of the robber.
When Valladares – wearing a Miami Heat cap – walked in, teller Meylin Garcia activated the alarm, though she did not have the photo on hand.
If she had, it would have shown the differences between Valladares and the bank robber, his lawyers said.
The robber in the bulletin was in his 60s and weighed about 145 pounds. Valladares was 46 at the time and weighed more than 200 pounds.
The survey compares the price of hundreds of products and services, including food, rent, and transportation, in 131 cities. The prices are then indexed to New York City, which keeps a score of 100. Zurich knocked off Tokyo by a score of 170 to 166, which indicates that living in those cities is 70% and 66% more expensive than living in NYC, as measured in U.S. dollars. No American cities cracked the top 10. (If you find it hard to believe that so many cities in the world are more expensive than every U.S. metro, keep in mind that real estate prices aren’t factored into the survey.)
Looking deeper down the list, some surprises emerge. New York City fell below Los Angeles into a tie with Chicago. Globetrotters might be surprised to learn that Cleveland finished just above Rio. The three cities at the bottom of the list were Karachi, Pakistan, Mumbai, and Tehran, all of which finished around 50, suggesting that they are half as expensive as New York City. This great graph from The Economist offers a good sampling of large metros:
Apart from cancelling 122 Licences, the SC has confirmed that there has been a loss to the Government despite Kabil Sibal’s assertion to the contrary, the important fact is that the government has netted additional 13,740 crores.
The Customers numbering about 70 Millions may have to switch operators.
Real fall out is that the crime has been confirmed and consequently the perpetrators, hopefully, will be punished.
The Government has been trying to side track the issue by declaring that there was no loss and CAG’s figures were notional.
With Dr.Subramanian Swami breathing down the neck of P.Chidambaram, whose compliance in this scam is a certainty,the case is expected to turn the heat on the Congress and probably set in motion a new alignment at the centre and the next election may well be a water shed in IndiaPolitical History.
“The cancellation of licences held by nine telecom companies will straightaway bring Rs 13,740 crore to the Government apart from the expected bonanza from the spectrum auction.
The clauses 5(G) (xiii) and 6 of telecom licence guidelines empower the Government to confiscate the entry fee, Finance Bank Guarantee (FBG) and Performance Bank Guarantee (PBG) in the event of licence cancellation due to the fault and fraud committed by the telecom operators.
According to Thursday’s judgement given by Supreme Court judges Justices GS Singhvi and AK Ganguly, all the 122 licences were cancelled because they were awarded in “illegal, arbitrary and unconstitutional” ways. “Hence the entire amount paid by them would be deemed to be confiscated,” said a top DoT official.
These nine companies paid Rs 9,013.94 crore as entry fee, which is now non-refundable as the court has held that the companies violated norms. For the licences, these companies paid Rs 3,390 crore as FBG and Rs 1,316 crore as PBG. In total, these operators deposited Rs 13,719.94 when they obtained licence in the controversial 2G spectrum allocation.
“In case of not adhering to licence conditions envisaged in para 5.G, the licence(s) granted to the company shall be deemed as cancelled and the licensor (Department of Telecom) shall have the right to encash the performance/financial bank guarantee(s) and the licensor (Department of Telecom) shall not be liable for loss of any kind,” say the clause 5G(xiii) of the existing Guidelines for Unified Access Services License, which came into force in December 2005. The clause 6 specifically mentions that the entry fee is “non-refundable”.
The SC verdict is in line with the CAG report which found that entire licences were allotted in illegal ways. The CAG report specifically mentioned that out of the 122 licences, 85 licences owned by Swan Telecom, Unitech, Loop, Videocon and STel were totally “ineligible” and based on forged documents.
The confiscated figure of Rs 13,719.94 crore from the cancelled licences will be in addition to the Rs 20 crore in the form of fine these companies will have to pay as per court’s directive. The SC had imposed Rs 5 crore as fine each on three companies for offloading shares to foreign companies and Rs 50 lakh was imposed on four companies for other violations.
“Customers will not be impacted from the cancellation of licences, TRAI Chairman reportedly said..
Nearly 70 million subscribers may have to change their operators as a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling to cancel licences, according to reports.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India reportedly said that there will not be much impact on customers as around 95% subscribers belong to operators which got licences before January 2008.
“Customers will not be impacted from the cancellation of licences, TRAI Chairman reportedly said.
The Supreme Court has given a four-month window to the Government and the operators to implement its orders.
Confusion feel muddy and scary – almost paralyzing. Yet I believe that confusion can be one of the signs of spiritual awakening. What ifconfusion is just your old way of life bumping up against new, more fulfilling possibilities? But to make the move, you’ll have to leave a few things behind. Listening offers up temporary turbulence. Resisting create more confusion. The way out? Stay open to the new, and relinquish your attachments to beliefs that no longer work.
2. You no longer ‘fit’ your life
Why did I choose this career? This partner? What did I ever see in that? Like confusion, feeling disconnected from your current life can be re-framed as one of the signs of spiritual awakening. Like confusion, your soul is calling out for change. The question is: are you listening? Change is scary. No one’s suggesting that you uproot yourself tomorrow. But as you notice what no longer fits, also notice what you’re drawn to, what lifts your heart. Then take action. Rinse and repeat. 🙂
3. You’re rebelling against where you came from
Who says you have to turn into your parents? If you’re questioning the rituals that you were born into, that’s great! Why? Because questioning is one of the signs of spiritual awakening. Because questioning will lead to new activities, rituals and a new dynamic in your relationships – including the possibility for a soulmate relationship if you want one. Be happy – you’re ready to come into your own! Keep the wonderful things your parents taught. Tweak the rest for you.
4. Your life feels ‘blocked’
You’ve been seeking true love forever. Your health problems stump you. It feels as if everything you do is blocked. Sometimes, ‘blockages’ can be one of the signs of spirtual awakening. Sure, your situation might call for more external effort. Or – perhaps it’s a soul sign to turn inward and re-evaluate. What have you been resisting? What options have you ignored? If your decisions are consistently blocked: explore new ones. My hunch? That’s where your soulmate lies.
5. You think you’ve met a soulmate
Your life was moving along tickety boo. Then you meet, and all of a sudden you’re having feelings you’ve never had before. Are you crazy?Should you control it? Or give in with wild abandon? Re-frame! Perhaps this is a sign of spiritual awakening for you. You’ve been set alight. It’s time to ask big questions. Who are you? Are you happy? How do you wish to spend the rest of your life? With your needs buried, unmet? Or in a deeply intimate relationship with life – and potentially – awakening to soul love. Do soulmates exist?
Be honest. It’s been building up for years The small tensions, irritations. You pushed them aside. Then all of a sudden, you’re at your tipping point and you become a flurry of anxiety and compulsion. You quit your job. Have an affair. Buy a motorcycle. The potential pearl is to take your newfound courage, and harness it, like a beautiful wild stallion. Your midlife awakening can be the best thing that ever happened: one of the signs of spiritual awakening… and a brand new way for you to experience life.
7. Your dreams are wildly intense
Sometimes, you wake up and it takes a while to return to reality.Perhaps a dream was prophetic. Perhaps you received a ‘download’ that helps you understand your life, a past life, or gives you a clue about a soulmate. The dream realm is powerful. It’s where we can get in touch with our own and the collective unconscious. When dreams rise up, honour them. Truly, dreams are one of the signs of spiritual awakening.
8. You’ve had moments of psychic clarity
Maybe you don’t even believe in such things! Yet it wasn’t a woo-woo vision – more of a deep knowing. Psychic vision is simply our attunement to the realms which we cannot detect with our five senses, presenting possible and probable outcomes. An increase in psychic sensitivity is one of the signs of spiritual awakening. Embrace it. This vast knowledge is there to guide you… in life and yes – as you seek your soulmate.
9. You want to go ‘Home’
Now I don’t mean going home to spend the weekend with mom and dad. I mean Home in a universal sense. As we’re all spiritual beings having a human experience, sometimes we miss our spiritual Home on the other side. This may also feel like an unexplained longing, or sadness. Our task is to integrate our spirituality on earth, so when we feel this way, it’s an opportunity to connect with our deeper selves. If this resonates for you, read about my experience.
10. Your neck, base of the skull and lower back hurts
Simply, this type of chronic body pain represents the cells of your body waking up to a new vibrational level. Our minds and spirit is more fluid than our bodies… which need support when we awaken. I’ve experienced these symptoms the most when I’ve been detoxing on homeopathy, after which I feel stronger than ever. A homeopathic remedy I personally use which dissolves emotional issues in our cells and (I believe) supports awakening.
11. You’ve experienced a loss
Whether you’ve lost a relationship, a soulmate, a job, or a home, loss rips us open, leaving us raw. When the shock subsides, we are faced with a choice. To sink further into despair – or view the loss as one of the signs of spiritual awakening (not easy, but with reward). If we decide to recover instead of resist, our life will become richer in time… and so will our ability to appreciate life and love in all of its forms.
12. You’ve encountered death
Perhaps you’ve faced your own mortality because of illness. Or that of a loved one. Perhaps you have been engulfed by the waves of grief.Regardless, you know you’ll never be the same. For some, grief marks the end of life. For others (in time), grief is a way in. One of the signs of spiritual awakening. A gateway to a new way. For bursting forth from the resonance of grief, incredible beauty and healing is possible. For Self, for others…down the block and maybe even around the world.
It is horrifying to note that a student has knifed his teacher to death for making adverse notes on his performance in his school diary.
In recent times I notice that the teachers are advised not to scold the children in private or in the class as it would hurt their self-esteem;not to inform parents in a strong language(it is another matter that many a parent do not even look at the diary) ;not to rush through syllabus;give children freedom to study as they want;parents advise teachers not to give home work; allow students to mix freely with the opposite sex;school managements do not stand up for good Teachers for not standing for the parents will affect admissions;students and parents alike regard teaching and Teachers as commodity and consumer laws apply to them.
These are a few of the symptoms of our educational system.
Unless the system is rectified it is not possible to prevent accidents of this nature.
Unfortunately this is not possible in the present society-please read my blog on this subject under Education.
Having said this, let us not get carried away too much as this action by a student is not indicative of all students’ behaviour.
The possible solution is for parents to be more involved with the children’s education and the teaching of moral values by being one of moral character.
Teaching is not a mere Profession, it is a way of Life which needs men of character and sacrifice.
Teachers need to be more of parents than parents themselves.
I have seen a TV Reality Show(Neeya Naana,STAR Vijay), where a Teacher commented on a girl in a very vulgar way.
How does one expect discipline from students when you have teachers consuming liquor and ogling at girl students and lady Teacher eloping with her student?
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CHENNAI: A Class IX student of a Chennai school stabbed his teacher to death in a classroom on Thursday morning. Police quoted the 15-year-old boy (TOI is withholding his identity as he is a minor) as saying that he was under pressure after the teacher repeatedly sent adverse remarks to his parents.
The 41-year-old woman, who taught science and Hindi for classes IX and X, was in a classroom on the first floor, awaiting students for a special class at 11.40am when the boy attacked her. “He walked in with a knife wrapped in paper,” a student told TOI. “He stabbed her first in the neck, then thrice more in the chest and abdomen.”
A police officer said the juvenile offender was worried that he would not be promoted to class X. “He said he was upset that his teacher kept complaining to his father about his underperformance in Hindi. His father had met the teacher last Monday,” the officer said. Investigators said the boy bought the knife from a shop near his house and took it to school on Tuesday and Wednesday too. He was waiting for an opportunity to attack her. “He kept the knife in his bag, waiting for an opportunity. He couldn’t attack the teacher as she was always with some students the last couple of days. On Thursday, she was alone in a classroom when he stabbed her,” the police officer said.
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