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Unfortunately for the madams, the FBI learned about the Circuit, too. Working off a tip from one of Maier’s clients, the Feds gradually pieced together the workings of the network. In two waves of indictments–in New Orleans in April and in Miami three weeks ago–prosecutors moved against Maier and two dozen co-defendants in 13 cities, including New York and Chicago. Maier and her mother, who was also indicted, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in May and will be sentenced in December....

The shop is a monument to the imagination. With the help of its elaborate props, children–and adults–can transform themselves into anything from a cow to Satan. I spot, among other things, a wall of wings for would-be butterflies and fairies and an assortment of hats and wigs that could convert any child into a master of disguise. My kids, 9 and 13, don’t even consider the wings or the wigs....

That’s despite an ongoing restriction that bans the use of drones in the area of Mercedes-Benz Stadium downtown. Officers on Thursday confiscated a half-dozen drones that were flown near the stadium, FBI spokesman Kevin Rowson said Friday at the agency’s Atlanta field office. The cases will be referred to federal prosecutors for possible charges; the drone pilots could face jail time and fines, Rowson said. “If these drones go out of control — if a pilot loses control of one — they can go into a crowd and cause serious injuries,” Rowson said....

West has been saving tough cases for police and prosecutors for more than 15 years–a much-sought-after clutch witness who, by testifying in 71 trials in nine states, has helped send dozens of defendants away. But his performance as an expert witness has long been controversial. Defense lawyers call him a “snake-oil salesman” peddling “junk science” to credulous judges and juries. West has been criticized repeatedly for overstating the value of his findings and for testifying on scientific subjects in which he has little expertise–including bloodstains and wound analysis....

“Sometimes it feels overwhelming, but everything will be OK,” he wrote. “Remember that no matter what, me and your mom got your back. Always and forever. Have fun tonight and speak from the heart and don’t look back. You will do great, no doubt. I love you.” Not long after that text was sent, Shelby’s dad responded to a domestic disturbance call in a parking lot outside an Albertson’s grocery store....

While the scientists rushed to call this an ““obesity gene,’’ it really appears to be more of a ““satiation gene.’’ Scientists think the gene sends a protein messenger to the brain, advising it that the body has stored enough fat. That’s a signal to stop eating. When the message isn’t sent, there’s no natural appetite suppressant – and no end to weight gain. For years, researchers have hypothesized about a biochemical signal that helps keep eyes from becoming bigger than the proverbial stomach....

What is different in the Formula E series as compared to the Formula 1 series? Lets have a look… OVERVIEW As compared to the F1 series, the E series will feature 10 teams. Each team will have 2 drivers and 4 cars. F1 usually employs tracks that are 4-5 km long; in the E series, due to the nature of the cars, the tracks will be 2.5 to 3 km long....

But, hey, maybe I was being unfair to him. Howard Stern IS NOT JUST ANOTHER RANTING LOWLIFE WITH A RADIO SHOW He has a computer now, too! And somebody showed him how to use it, because his new book, “Private Parts,” has more capital letters, boldface and italics than an Italian soccer magazine! In it Stem reveals for the first time in print some of his most intimate feelings, such as his passion for Jessica Hahn and his reaction to his wife’s miscarriage (“Every slob on welfare has kids, why can’t I?...

Congressional staffers now are focusing on the accuracy of a list of Clinton library donors and fundraisers which was turned over to them by the former president’s lawyers a few days ago. A source in the Clinton camp familiar with the library donor list insists: “There’s not going to be anything in the library that’s going to be an issue.” But investigators continue to ask whether there was a correlation between last-minute presidential pardons and financial support for the Clinton library....

“House of Mirth” by Edith Wharton. An astonishment of a book; still so new despite being almost a century old. “Lucky Jim” by Kingsley Amis. Not just funny, but a litmus test of humor by which one can judge (harshly and without quarter) one’s prospective friends. Did they laugh? Fine, they’re in. “The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon.” Aphorisms and observations from a lady of the court of Heian Japan, fully a thousand years ago....

As the 20th century winds down, we humans seem increasingly convinced that serotonin is the key to a good life–and it’s easy to see why. This once obscure neurotransmitter is the secret behind Prozac, the drug that revolutionized the pursuit of happiness 10 years ago this winter. Prozac and its mood-altering cousins all work by boosting serotonin’s activity in the brain. So do Redux and fenfluramine, the blockbuster diet drugs that were pulled off the market this fall due to safety concerns....

Kabaddi is very popular in the states of Bihar, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Punjab. On the world stage, the Indian national team has been the most successful, having won all the World Cups and Asian games so far, in both the men’s and women’s category. The first Asian Kabaddi Championship was held in the year in 1980, and India emerged as the champions of the inaugural edition, having beaten Bangladesh in the finals....

Are they? Two not very terrible events supposedly triggered the upset. First, striking workers won concessions from United Parcel Service. Nervous Wall Streeters saw that labor victory as a harbinger of inflation. Then Coca-Cola and Gillette hinted that quarterly earnings would fall short of expectations, inciting fear that similar deficiencies would pop up at other large corporations. These are setbacks, but hardly substantial enough to fashion a noose for the bull market....

Football experts and fans around the globe were stunned. The fans (read Madridistas) who were on the seventh heaven 10 minutes ago were taken aback. The celebrations were definitely shadowed by the fear that the world may have seen Ronaldo in the Royal White shirt for the last time. The next day newspapers were confused – should they be celebrating the victory or mourning the departure. Many football experts condemned it as a wrong interpretation of his words while many criticised his timing....

These days, perhaps more than any other time in the history of the Jewish state, Janal is a rarity. The Hebrew University bombing last month seemed to confirm every parent’s nightmare about sending a child to the Holy Land: five of the seven people killed were American. But that bombing, for all its horror, likely won’t have much of an impact on the number of American teenagers traveling to the region....

Other people also want to know what happened inside the Scientology compound. In the autopsy report, state medical examiner Dr. Joan Wood concluded that McPherson died from a blood clot brought on by dehydration. Later, on the syndicated television program ““Inside Edition,’’ Wood said, ““This is the most severe case of dehydration I have ever seen,’’ estimating that McPherson may have been ““deprived of food and water’’ for five to 10 days....

What could be the reason as to why the national team keep ‘pressing the panic button’ and refrain from showing nerves of steel in the closing stages of a game? It may not be an easy answer to find surely. It is this ‘late goal syndrome’ that practically dashed India’s campaign in the ongoing 24th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup being played in Ipoh, Malaysia. Barring the opening 2-2 draw against Korea, India could have easily come off with draws against 7th ranked New Zealand and 12th ranked Malaysia, but their defence came apart in the dying moments, putting India’s final-reaching hopes up in smoke....

During his time at the Department of Justice, Joe Biden’s attorney general nominee helped prosecute the men behind the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people, the worst domestic attack to occur in the U.S. Garland also supervised over other high-profile cases including the bombing at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and Ted Kaczynski, a.k.a. the Unabomber. So when he vowed at Monday’s confirmation to make “do everything in the power of the Justice Department” to stop domestic terrorism as attorney general and described the country as facing “a more dangerous period” than it did after Oklahoma because of the January 6 attack on the Capitol, it is worth taking note....