At a recently held press conference in the Max Schemeling Halle in Berlin, Volkswagen’s subsidiary SEAT together with the Columbian pop artist Shakira presented the prize in the fundraising campaign for Shakira’s charity foundation, Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet) a unique SEAT Leon Pies Descalzos.

Shakira said during the press conference, “The support for Pies Descalzos is very welcome. The need for education and proper nutrition for the children in my home country Colombia is very big and I trust that SEAT’s initiative will aid a lot.”

“By supporting Shakira’s charity foundation, we show our social responsibility”, commented Erich Schmitt, SEAT’s president. “We use our massive advertising campaign in all European countries that will be visited by Shakira to incorporate the possibility to donate money to Pies Descalzos.”

A one-of-a-kind car

The Leon Pies Descalzos was built by SEAT in partnership with Shakira. Shakira has helped during the designing process. She acted as the consultant on colors and materials. The standard SEAT LeonCupra was transformed into a completely new car which could be won by one very lucky person chosen in the scheduled fund raising campaign in May. The promotion for the upcoming fund raising event has started after Shakira makes it a part of her first European Tour concert in Hamburg. The fund raising event is going to be promoted in all communication channels through the integrated advertising campaigh that SEAT has launched. The fund raising event will end on May 15 and one lucky winner will take home the Leon Pies Descalzos. The awarding will commence during the Barcelona Motor Show which is scheduled in the beginning of June.

Countries that are welcomed to participate in fund raising event are as follows: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.

Donate 1 Euro and Win a Leon Pies Descalzos

Interested participants in the Bare Feet fundraising event may be able to win the Leon Pies Descalzos by donating money to charity foundation through SEAT’s campaign. Those who would like to donate may either send through SMS via dedicated number in each country and donate 1 Euro or log on to dedicated Shakira/SEAT website-www.catch-the-fever.com- where philanthropists may donate any amount they want through their credit cars.

The Leon Pies Descalzos that SEAT is donating to the fundraising campaign represents a value of 27,300 Euros in its equivalent version on the Spanish market. During the press conference in Berlin, Erich Schmitt handed over a cheque with the same amount to Shakira to give the fundraising a good start.

Leon Pies Descalzos the most powerful road-going SEAT today

The base used for the Leon Pies Descalzos is same as those of the León Cupra. This car has already made its mark in history books by being the Spanish brand’s most powerful road-going car to date. With a 240hp (177kW) the all new Cupra model incorporate all of SEAT’s expertise in creating cars with an overtly sporty attitude.

The modifications in the Leon Pies Descalzos include the exterior color, which comes in a unique lilac metallic color. This color is also present on several details in the interior such as the dashboard and the back of the seats. Its standard 18 inch wheels are painted in black. The logo of Shakira’s charity foundation is incorporated in the seats as well as in several places on the exterior.

The Bare Feet Foundation

Shakira’s Bare Foot Foundation was founded in Columbia. This organization is devoted to finding and providing opprtunities for children in Columbia. This charity foundation takes its root from Barranquilla whihc is a hometown of Shakira on the Caribbean coast of Columbia. The foundation has also expanded reaching other parts of the country. The main objective of the foundationis to improve the education, nutrition as well as the lives of thousands of displaced children who are living dangerous conditions in Columbia.

About Shakira:

Shakira is one of the most successful Columbian young artists to date. She has chosen SEAT, the Spanish automotive brand and subsidiary of Volkswagen, as the main sponsor of her 2007 Shakira “Oral Fixation” European Tour. The tour started recently and scheduled to end on March 18. Shakira will be traveling through more than 10 European countries where concerts will be held on the most well known European cities and venues.

About SEAT

SEAT is part of the major subsidiaries of Europe’s giant automaker, Volkswagen. The German automaker is renowned for its high quality lines of automobiles and top-of-the-line auto parts like its Volkswagen catalytic converter. The acquisition of SEAT together with the rest of other famous brands like Bentley, Skoda, Lamborghini and Audi has helped Volkswagen to become the global force it is today.

It was the Andean Indian cultures of ancient Peru who produced the most accomplished weaving in pre-Columbian America. The technique of Tapestry weaving among these peoples dates back to the beginning of the Christian Era, and was well established by the 6th and 7th century. Tapestry was used to decorate garments and was often integral to the fabric itself. Surprisingly, due to the dry desert climate, a number of these weavings survived in Peruvian coastal burial sites. Examination of these relics reveals some of the most skilled and varied techniques of weaving ever present in any culture.

The study of Spanish chronicles and ancient Peruvian pottery inform us that the weaving was generally done by greatly skilled women. Such was their skill that some of the relics discovered have been found with 150 to 250 weft threads per square inch. Most of the tapestries are polychrome as the use of natural dyes made for a vast range of colors. Strong colours were favored over more subtle graded tones, especially in the Inca period. The designs were often of geometric patterns, or human and animal figures. Plant motifs were uncommon. The viceroyalty of Peru, after the Spanish conquest, imported looms and the practice of tapestry weaving was continued throughout the colonial period.

The Inca and mestizo people developed a surprising blend of Indian traditions and European Influences that is still witnessed today. It is probable that climatic conditions in Central America and Mexico impeded the survival of tapestry relics so it is not certain whether these weaving techniques were present in other pre-Columbian cultures. From Ancient Egypt to the Middle Ages The Tapestries of the Native Egyptian Christians, (Copts) are of particular interest. Produced between the 3rd and 12th century they provided a link between the art of the Middle Ages in Western Europe and the art of the ancient world. In the 4th century the practice and ritual of mummification was abandoned and the dead were buried in their daily clothes (tapestry trimmed) or wrapped in discarded tapestry wall hangings ; as a result many fragments from the 5th to the 7th century have been discovered in the Egyptian burial sites of Antinoe, Saqqarah and Akhmim.

Most of the early Coptic tapestries were woven with native designs often related to the Egyptian funerary cult of Osiris and included the wine amphora and the grape vine or ivy. Because of their relevance to revival in a life after death these motifs were considered appropriate. Other favourite subjects included the lions and the hares, hunter on horseback, mythological creatures, dancing figures and baskets of flowers and fruits. Christian figures and biblical stories are rare. Tapestries were also used for the ornamental decoration of Christian Churches but few of these tapestries survive today. Although a few silk weft tapestries have been preserved the majority of Coptic tapestries were woven with woolen wefts on linen warps. In the 7th and possibly 8th century embroidered borders or margins often supplemented the tapestries ornamentation. The earliest Coptic tapestries were done using the silhouette technique whereby a stunning effect was created by use of a single dark color for the design or motif against a lighter background color. Polychrome tapestries became increasingly common after the 5th century.

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Gold Prospecting

nd drinking age.

Drinking alcohol has been a practice continuing such a long time. Centuries ago, it was only men who were supposed to drink and feast. Women were not expected to drink and have some unconscious fun. But now the times as changed, today both men and women like to drink. It is common to see people taking drinks and alcohol regularly. The drinking age is the minimum age at which a person is legally allowed to consume and purchase alcohol from the leading stores. Today there are many beverages available in the market that contains alcohol in different quantities. Alcohol, when and taken occasionally do not harm as much when you consume it daily.

Alcohol drinking age is different in different countries. It is a common practice in every country and men and women like to drink alcohol to have some fun and frolic during a party or just to give them some rest from the boring and monotonous work routine. In most of the country’s the Drinking age is particularly between 15 to 17 years but in some countries like India the Drinking age that is legally allowed is high as 25 years.

It was long back in here 1984 when a law was passed by the national minimum drinking age act of 1984, where a law was passed wherein people below the age of 21 were not eligible to consume alcohol.

Before the law became active different states had different minimum age for alcohol consumption. Most of the bars and pubs do not allow people below the legal Drinking age to enter, consume and purchase Alcohol and Alcoholic beverages. And in 2007 a total of 14 states and Colombian district banned the underage consumption of alcohol. Most people prefer to consume alcohol the cause it relaxes and Soothes their body and help them to come more the tension and stress off to a business for other things that are important in their life. And it is reasonable to consume alcohol once in a while but people who consume it in a major quantity may have some side effects as excessive alcohol consumption may lead to damage off liver and kidney.

Most of the countries in the world prohibit drinking and driving. It is because when people drink too much they feel unconscious and their reaction time while he is considerably reduced. Their unable to act precisely when and they come across are tree or any human being incidentally. It has been surveyed that out of hundred people who drive after consuming Alcohol 70 meet with an accident. The government off different countries has been looking into the seriousness of the matter and has started penalizing and punishing all those people who drink and drive. It is not recommended to drink and rise if you do not want to get stuck in such an accident.

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Metal Detector Review

by Michael Webster Investigative Reporter

June 2, 2008 6:00 p.m. PST

U.S. Currency confiscated in traffic stop by El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.

Back in January of this year the El Paso Journal reported that an El Paso County sheriff’s deputy pulled over a Freightliner Tractor Trailer on Friday Aug 18, 2008 at I-10 mile marker 45 in the eastern part of EL Paso county. While conducting a search of the trailer he discovered about $1 million in cash.

The sheriff’s dept claims a deputy pulled the tractor-trailer over at about 2:48 p.m. After noticing the vehicle was “weaving in and out of traffic,” sheriff’s spokesman Rick Glancey said. The deputy requested backup after noticing that the driver of the tractor-trailer was acting suspicious. Another deputy with a police dog responded to the scene, and allegedly the dog alerted the deputies to cash inside the rig.

The report then states that while examining the tractor-trailer’s cargo, deputies discovered several bundles of cash. Detectives from the El Paso County Sheriff’s office – Special Operations Division were summoned to the scene. Based on size and weight Detectives estimate a-million dollars in cash was confiscated.

An investigation into the discovery of the undeclared cash continues at this time it is believed. A source close to the investigation reports detectives are believed to be investigating where the large amount of cash came from. They are looking into the possibility that the money could be related to illegal drugs and/or terrorist activity.

To date no new information or even basic details have been released by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department. The El Paso Journal has requested additional info on the matter and there has been no response from the Sheriff’s office. They will not give the media the suspect’s name, age or if he has been charged and if so what the charge or charges are. This clandestine profile the Sheriff has adopted and the lack of cooperation is highly unusual.

The Sheriff’s office did admit by saying,” this is a major case and an ongoing investigation is still underway by the Special Operations Division.  The identity is still being withheld and it is unknown at this time if any charges will be filed against the driver.  It is possible the suspect has secretly been charged and the information withheld from the public which if true that would be in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

An area law enforcement officer has told the El Paso Journal that the investigation is being handled the way that it is because bulk cash smuggling from the United States to Mexico has increased dramatically. According to the feds this is most likely the result of enhanced U.S. anti-money laundering (AML) regulations and law enforcement actions, which have made it more difficult for drug traffickers to launder drug proceeds through many U.S. financial institutions. And many of the Mexican drug cartels are suspected of moving the illegal drug money in varies vehicles including tractor trailers.

It is believed that bulk cash smuggling is now the primary technique used by Mexican Click on or Google: Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) also known as Mexican Drug Cartels (MDC’s). We’ll use DTO’s for this report.

Typically, bulk cash is transported by Mexican DTOs to consolidation points throughout the United States and transported over U.S. Highways to the Southwest Border.

According to the U.S. Border Patrol the consolidation points are often major metropolitan areas, or border cities like El Paso, or larger drug markets such as Dallas,  Atlanta, Charlotte (NC), Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Miami, San Diego, and New York. For example, law enforcement officials in Chicago estimate that between $10 million and $24 million in bulk cash drug proceeds are moved from that city each month, destined for Southwest Border locations. Additionally, law enforcement agencies have made several large bulk currency seizures from passengers traveling from U.S. drug markets dominated by Mexican DTOs to Southwest Border areas on Mexican bus lines. A number of Mexican bus lines operate daily service between Mexico, Southwest Border states, and many of the known bulk cash consolidation points used by Mexican traffickers.

New U.S. Government regulations and law enforcement actions, seems to have made it increasingly difficult for drug traffickers to place illicit proceeds directly into U.S. banks and other financial institutions. Therefore these actions are believed to have resulted in most Mexican Asian and Colombian DTOs avoiding such money laundering methods. Instead, Mexican  Asian and Colombian DTOs transport illicit drug proceeds (cash) from U.S. drug markets to other U.S. locations for consolidation. The proceeds often are transported in bulk to an area near the U.S.-Mexico border and are either smuggled into Mexico at Southwest Border ports of entry (POEs), primarily in South Texas, or remitted electronically to Southwest Border locations, where the transferred cash is then smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Diversification is a vital component of drug money laundering operations in the United States. The majority of DTOs operating in the United States–including launderers working for Mexican, Asian and Colombian DTOs that are responsible for most wholesale-level drug trafficking–rely on multiple methods to move and launder illicit proceeds. Law enforcement investigations initiated since January 2006 indicate that most DTOs use two or more techniques to launder drug proceeds. Even in Southwest Border states, where bulk cash smuggling is the predominant method of moving drug proceeds, most organizations use a variety of drug money laundering techniques, including wire remittances through Money services businesses (MSBs)  which have become a critical component to the ability of DTOs to launder illicit drug proceeds. They also buy and sell businesses and use them as front companies, who export and import into the U.S. They also buy and sell real estate properties, Then structure deposits in traditional bank deposits. They try to structure their deposits in unusually small amounts as a money laundering technique. 

Emerging technology is equipping DTOs with novel money laundering idea’s and techniques. The cash is deposited into Mexican banks and other financial institutions with just a portions of the money electronically wire-transferred to the United States and other Latin American countries for placement into their financial systems. Other countries, such as Panama, Korea, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, is used to facilitate the Black Market Peso Exchange (BMPE) The cash is repatriated to the United States by Mexican financial institutions for reintroduction into the U.S. financial system. Then some of the remaining cash is smuggled in bulk farther south to Guatemala, Panama, Colombia, or other Latin American countries. Some of the cash is also used by the Mexico DTO’s (Mexican drug cartels) for operational expenses.

Money Services Businesses (MSBs) have become a critical component to the ability of DTOs to launder illicit drug proceeds. Many DTOs use U.S.-based MSBs–particularly money transmittal and check-cashing businesses to launder drug proceeds, frequently in conjunction with bulk cash smuggling. The diversity of services offered at many MSBs accommodates launderers’ needs. Mexican DTOs often wire illicit proceeds in structured amounts through MSBs to collection points in Southwest Border states, where the wires are cashed, and most of the money is then smuggled across the border. In some cases, DTOs wire money directly to Mexico. Law enforcement reporting reveals that Mexico is the primary destination for suspicious funds sent through MSBs; however, law enforcement officials also report that significant amounts of money are also sent through MSBs to Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Russia, and various locations in Central America and South America. Money orders purchased at MSBs and U.S. Post Offices are also commonly used by drug traffickers to launder money. A review of OCDETF case initiations indicates that approximately 20 percent of its newly initiated money laundering investigations contain a money order component. Law enforcement officials, especially those from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and DEA and the regulatory community, have noted the continuous movement of money orders to Mexico and other Latin American countries in money laundering schemes. Additionally, open-system prepaid cards, also a product provided by MSBs, are used by drug money launderers. These cards can effectively be used to remit money across borders because card value can be added or withdrawn at automated teller machines (ATMs) worldwide.

Many DTOs exploit traditional depository institutions, sometimes innovatively. Traffickers exploit the services provided by traditional depository institutions to launder significant amounts of illicit drug proceeds, despite provisions in the USA PATRIOT Act  Click on or Google: The Patriot Act And You! that tightened AML programs for such institutions. According to Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) reporting, Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) filings for Bank Secrecy Act (BSA)/Structuring/Money Laundering continue to be high (302,818 filings in 2006) and remain the leading violation type by far of all suspicious activity reported by depository institutions. In addition to structuring, DTOs, primarily Colombian and Mexican, move illicit drug proceeds by depositing money in U.S. bank accounts and then quickly withdrawing the money from ATMs located in other states or countries; they also move these funds by wire transfer. Additionally, DTOs use correspondent, “payable through,” and nested accounts to covertly access the U.S. financial system and move money within the United States and throughout the world.