Woman in Zumba prostitution case has defenders

FILE - In this Oct. 9, 2012 file photo, Alexis Wright, 29, turns towards her attorney Sarah Churchill, left, during her arraignment in Portland, Maine on 109 counts of prostitution, violation of privacy, tax evasion and other charges for allegedly providing sex for money at her Kennebunk fitness studio and office. Some who know Wright say she?s the last person they thought would get caught up in a headline-grabbing scandal. (AP Photo/Joel Page, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 9, 2012 file photo, Alexis Wright, 29, turns towards her attorney Sarah Churchill, left, during her arraignment in Portland, Maine on 109 counts of prostitution, violation of privacy, tax evasion and other charges for allegedly providing sex for money at her Kennebunk fitness studio and office. Some who know Wright say she?s the last person they thought would get caught up in a headline-grabbing scandal. (AP Photo/Joel Page, File)

KENNEBUNK, Maine (AP) ? The dance instructor accused of turning her Zumba studio into a place of prostitution was an honors high school student who attended college and ran dance classes for the local parks and recreation program. She hosted charity events benefiting Toys for Tots and breast cancer research.

That's why some who know Alexis Wright say she's the last person they thought would get caught up in a headline-grabbing scandal.

The prostitution case involving the bubbly fitness instructor and more than 100 accused clients has made international headlines from this seaside town of 10,000 known for its beaches, charming homes and Tom's of Maine toothpaste, as well as the nearby "Summer White House" while President George H.W. Bush was in office.

For local residents, the criminal case has been evolving in slow motion, with police releasing more names of accused clients every two weeks. Fifteen more names were released Friday, bringing the total to 54.

Police said Wright videotaped many of the encounters without her clients' knowledge and kept records suggesting the sex acts generated $150,000 over 18 months. Explicit sex videos also surfaced online.

While she is portrayed as Zumba instructor gone wild, those who know her say that there's another side than the one in the news coverage.

Andrew Scherzer, a longtime friend, said Wright is a great mother to her 7-year-old son and has lived a life full of Hallmark-style moments, with camping and canoeing trips and outings to the Portland Children's Museum and the New England Aquarium.

"If you were an outsider and spent time with her and her kid, the last thing you'd suspect is that she had this side business going on," said Scherzer, who went to high school and reconnected several years ago with the salsa-loving Wright, who attended concerts given by his Afro-Cuban band.

Others feel the same way.

Evelyn Barbour, who met Wright, 29, in the fifth grade and remained friendly through high school, said classmates at Mount Ararat High School were genuinely shocked by the charges.

"I thought she was a really nice person. I never, ever saw her be mean or rude to anyone. She was extremely kind," said Barbour, now a science teacher at the high school.

Wright was an honors student at Mount Ararat, where she played field hockey and participated in the concert band, wind ensemble and chamber singers.

She played clarinet and left a favorable impression on her band director.

"She was really nice kid, a sweet kid. She worked hard. She did what was expected. She blended in with lots of kids. She didn't stand out in any bad ways. She was just a nice, sweet kid," said Allen Graffam, the director.

After high school, Wright took classes at Keene State College and Southern Maine Community College before earning a natural sciences degree in 2010 from the University of Southern Maine's Lewiston-Auburn College.

Around the same time, the single mom was becoming known around Kennebunk for her Zumba classes, first offered in the auditorium of the Town Hall.

She hosted Zumba charity events for earthquake victims in Haiti, the Susan G. Komen foundation for breast cancer and Toys for Tots, among others. Those who attended her fitness classes remembered her as fun and energetic.

But police said there was more than Zumba going on after she opened a dance studio on Main Street, and later rented an office across the street.

Wright, of nearby Wells, has pleaded not guilty to 106 counts including prostitution and invasion of privacy for acts performed in her dance studio and in the rented office. Her business partner, insurance agent Mark Strong Sr., of Thomaston, pleaded not guilty to 59 misdemeanor counts.

Sarah Churchill, Wright's lawyer, said the media have presented a one-sided view of her client. Churchill anticipates more information about Wright's good works will make its way into the public's eye as the case proceeds to trial.

Wright lives in nearby Wells with her husband, whom she married over the summer. Both have declined to comment, as have other family members.

A lawyer who has seen the complete list of Wright's alleged clients says it contains the names of more than 150 men, some of them prominent. The 54 men who have been summoned so far on suspicion of engaging Wright's services include a former mayor, a planning board official and the local high school ice hockey coach. New names released Friday include a former Church of the Nazarene minister, several small-business owners and a South Portland firefighter.

The remaining names will trickle out for weeks to come.

As for Scherzer, he said he'd heard that there were sex videos posted online, but he said he figured what Wright did behind closed doors was her business. He knew her as an attentive mom who always had time and energy for her son. He said her husband is a contractor who has supported Wright throughout the ordeal.

Regardless of what criminal penalties she faces, she's already paying a steep price because she fears losing her son, Scherzer said.

Scherzer said her son was removed two weeks ago from her custody, but Churchill, her attorney, denied Friday that there was a change in status with her son. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services declined to say whether its child welfare agents were involved.

A judge on Wednesday dismissed a complaint from the boy's father ? not her husband ? seeking full custody. The father, Benjamin Hopkins, alleged she posed nude in pictures with the boy, who was partially covered with a sheet.

The judge dismissed the complaint when neither the father nor Wright showed up for a court hearing on the matter, The Portland Press Herald reported.

Scherzer said he worries about his friend. "Under the circumstances, she's doing what she can, which is to not break down and go crazy and give up," he said.

___

Follow David Sharp on Twitter at http://twitter.com/David_Sharp_AP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-11-09-Zumba-Prostitution/id-23f65dffa0e94887ae9c7bf5247bcdcf

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Multinational Companies Face Accusations of Avoiding British ...

Google, Starbucks among firms singled out as cash-strapped governments increase scrutiny on corporate tax payments.

Pressure is mounting on multinationals, notably Google and Starbucks, to justify the amount of tax they are paying in Britain amid accusations that the levels are far too low.

According to figures cited by Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke, Google paid only ?3.4 million (US$5.4 million) in British corporation tax last year on revenues totaling about ?2.5 billion, while Starbucks did not pay a penny on sales worth ?400 million.

Starbucks has confirmed not paying any corporation taxes in Britain for the past three years owing to fees paid to other areas of its business, such as royalty payments for the use of its brand.

This resulted in the company posting a series of losses and not having to pay any corporation tax.

Corporate Tax Issue Gains Momentum

The thorny issue gathered momentum last week at a gathering in Mexico of finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 developed and emerging nations.

British Finance Minister George Osborne and his German counterpart Wolfgang Schaeuble called in a joint statement for "concerted international cooperation to strengthen international standards for corporate tax regimes."

However, Chancellor of the Exchequer Osborne also insisted that those strong standards must not deter large international companies from making vital investments.

Google has come under closer scrutiny in several European nations where cash-strapped governments are increasingly wary of being shortchanged on tax revenue.

According to a newspaper report in France, French tax authorities have made a billion-euro (US$1.3 billion) claim against Google over financial transfers between an Google holding company in Ireland and its French unit.

Source: http://www.industryweek.com/corporate-finance-amp-tax/multinational-companies-face-accusations-avoiding-british-corporate-tax

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Thai Salad Rolls & Peanut Sauce - Humblebee & Me

Let?s be honest? there are days you just want to have peanut sauce for dinner. Well, for me at least. I could just be very odd. But peanut sauce is really delicious.

Last week I wanted peanut sauce for dinner, but I thought I ought to cut it with something, and salad rolls were my first choice. Thai salad rolls are such a beautifully easy (and virtuous) vegetarian meal option. You can clean out your veg drawer with them, and there?s almost no dirty dishes when all is said and done. You don?t even need to turn on the stove. They?re brilliant.

Start with some veggies you like; I tend to choose from carrots, cucumber, bell peppers, and lettuce. Cut them into tiny little strips. You?ll need some rice vermicelli and some rice paper? and then that?s it. Plus the peanut sauce, of course.

The trickiest part of all this is soaking the rice paper. I always use two sheets stacked on top of one another as they are rather delicate, and double-strength is always good when it comes to rice paper (and toilet paper). Don?t use just boiled water. You will scald your fingers (I speak from unfortunate experience here) and the paper will soften so quickly that it will float in and stick to itself, leaving you with some seriously ugly, blobby salad rolls. Just use very hot tap water. You should be able to stick your fingers in it without panicking and dropping your rice papers. Use a wide, shallow bowl so you can angle the papers and immerse a good portion of them at any given time, and then rotate them around until they?re nice and soft.

Thai Salad Rolls & Peanut Sauce

8 rounds rice paper, in pairs

2 small carrots, julienned
3? cucumber, julienned
1/3 red bell pepper, julienned
1 cup lettuce, torn into chunks
1 bunch rice vermicelli, soaked in hot water until soft & rinsed

Soak the rice paper pairs in hot water until soft and pliable. Remove from the water and line one end of the papers with a few strips of each vegetable, some lettuce, and some rice vermicelli. You can fill them as much as you like, really; the rice paper is quite stretchy and will accommodate a lot of filling! Roll up by folding the edges in to seal off the veg, and then rolling up, starting at the end with the veg.

For the peanut sauce

? cup natural peanut butter
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp chili garlic sauce
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
? cup light cream or coconut milk
? tsp ground ginger
? tsp garlic powder
? tsp sesame oil
? cup water

Whisk everything together and serve with the salad rolls!

Source: http://www.humblebeeandme.com/thai-salad-rolls-peanut-sauce/

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27 inmates killed in Sri Lanka prison shootout

Sri Lankan inmates display guns, throw stones and shout slogans from a roof of a prison in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012. Sri Lankan security forces engaged in a gunbattle Friday night with rioting prisoners who appeared to have briefly taken control of at least part of a prison in Colombo. Officials said at least 13 people were wounded in the violence with several fatalities. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Sri Lankan inmates display guns, throw stones and shout slogans from a roof of a prison in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012. Sri Lankan security forces engaged in a gunbattle Friday night with rioting prisoners who appeared to have briefly taken control of at least part of a prison in Colombo. Officials said at least 13 people were wounded in the violence with several fatalities. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Army soldiers and police officers stand guard at the entrance of a prison in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. A shootout between rioting prisoners and security forces at the prison killed 27 inmates, while police said Saturday that they arrested five prisoners who had managed to escape. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Sri Lankan inmates shout from a roof of a prison building as prison guards carry an injured colleague, foreground right, outside a prison in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012. Sri Lankan security forces engaged in a gunbattle Friday night with rioting prisoners who appeared to have briefly taken control of at least part of a prison in Colombo. Officials said at least 13 people were wounded in the violence, with several deaths. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Sri Lankan prison inmates lie on a road after being shot following a escape attempt outside a prison in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Fridayday, Nov. 9, 2012. At least 10 inmates in a Sri Lankan prison were killed in a shootout with security forces and 12 others were wounded Friday, a doctor confirmed. Sri Lankan security forces engaged in a gun battle Friday with rioting prisoners who appeared to have taken control of at least part of the prison in the capital, Colombo. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Sri Lankan inmates shout from a roof of a prison building as prison guards assist an injured colleague, foreground right, outside a prison in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012. Sri Lankan security forces engaged in a gunbattle Friday night with rioting prisoners who appeared to have briefly taken control of at least part of a prison in Colombo. Officials said at least 13 people were wounded in the violence, with several dead. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) ? A shootout between rioting prisoners and security forces at a prison in Sri Lanka's capital killed at least 27 inmates, while police said Saturday that they arrested five prisoners who had managed to escape and were searching for others.

Another 42 people were wounded in the clashes Friday between inmates and army and police commandos that broke out after the rioting prisoners broke into the armory and briefly took control of at least part of the Welikada prison in Colombo. The situation at the prison had returned to normal by Saturday morning.

"The prison is now totally under our control," said Sri Lanka's Commissioner General of Prisons P.W. Kodippili.

Dr. Anil Jasinghe, director of the Colombo National Hospital, said the bodies of 16 inmates were at his hospital.

Kodippili said that security forces had found the bodies of 11 other inmates inside the prison premises and that the total number of deaths stood at 27.

Twenty-three inmates who were injured in the clash were receiving treatment at the hospital, Jasinghe said. Thirteen police officers, four soldiers, a prison guard and a passer-by also were being treated there, most of them with gunshot wounds.

Police spokesman Prishantha Jayakody said authorities recaptured five inmates who had escaped from the prison, which was the site of another riot earlier this year.

Kodippili declined to say how many inmates may have escaped, but he said search operations were under way to find others who may have fled.

Jayakody said the fighting began when police commandos went to the prison to conduct a search and were attacked by inmates hurling stones. He declined to provide more information. Officials often conduct raids for narcotics and communication devices.

An Associated Press photographer saw prisoners waving rifles atop the prison's roof Friday night.

Other prisoners piled into a three-wheeled vehicle and began driving toward a main city road before security forces outside the prison opened fire. The vehicle stopped, and three unmoving bodies could be seen.

Dozens of security officers then entered the prison, and volleys of gunfire rang out. Prisoners could be heard screaming, "Stop shooting!"

Army troops were called in later to help control the situation.

Kodippili said the inmates had broken into the prison's two armories during the riot and taken weapons stored there. The inmates opened fire at police commandos, who shot back.

He said that security forces had so far recovered 76 weapons taken by the prisoners and that six more weapons were still missing.

A clash between inmates and guards at the same prison last January wounded 28 people. Those prisoners were protesting the authorities' move to curtail drug smuggling into the facility.

___

Associated Press photographer Gemunu Amarasinghe contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-11-10-Sri%20Lanka-Prison%20Clash/id-f7c44762777c4225b2c0163c10c080dd

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Will 'Skyfall' Be The Biggest Bond Flick Yet?

Latest Bond flick will undoubtedly dominate the box office, but just how big will its debut be?
By Ryan J. Downey

Daniel Craig in "Skyfall"
Photo: MGM

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1697058/skyfall-bond-movie.jhtml

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15 Tips to Find, Buy, and Rent Real Estate | Oxstones Investment ...

By Brandon Ballenger | Money Talks News???Tue, Nov 6, 2012 1:38 AM EST

Although the real estate market is still full of cheap property and over half a million new homes are being built this year, you still may see more renters than buyers.

And those renters are paying higher rates, CNN said recently: More than 10 million are spending more than half their income on what traditionally costs around 30 percent.

Does that make it a good idea to invest in rental property right now? Maybe, but it?s not exactly easy money.

Money Talks News owner Stacy Johnson owned rentals for more than 20 years, and he emphasizes one point above all else: Screen your renters.

?It?s better to get less rent from a good tenant than more rent from a bad one,? Stacy says. ?Like a spouse, finding a renter is the easy part. It?s getting rid of the bad ones that will cost you a ton of money and aggravation.?

To hear more advice from Stacy, as well as longtime landlord Kenny Hale, watch the video below. Then read on for more?

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While there?s no video or single article that?s going to tell you everything you need to know about buying rental property and learning the landlord ropes, here?s a quick primer with a few basics.

Buying and pricing the property

If your first foray into rental property will be with a single-family house, check out Buying a House? Pick the Right Pros and How to Steal a House ? 4 Steps to Buy an REO. A few additional tips:

1. Look for properties with simple, solid construction . Fancy or specialized construction might mean higher rent, but it also means higher maintenance.
2. Safety is more important than in your own home, since you won?t sue yourself for an accident.
3. Know state and local laws on rental property . Rules differ from state to state. For example, make sure what you call a bedroom legally counts as one in terms of size, that you provide adequate parking, and that the property is properly zoned and up to code.
4. Property prices may be lower in bad neighborhoods, but problems may be higher . Try to find a good, solid working-class neighborhood that has other rental properties.
5. Buy close to where you live ? no farther than you would drive to work. You want to be available when something goes wrong.
6. Join a local landlord association and build a support network. Things will go wrong, and knowing others in the same boat for advice and referrals will be worth its weight in gold.
7. Use online resources like Mr. Landlord and Landlord Protection Agency for advice and forms.
8. When it comes to pricing , check Craigslist and other local prices to see the going rates. And visit competing properties.
9. Make sure your rents will cover all your costs , not just the obvious ones, like the mortgage and utilities. Make an allowance for repairs, maintenance, vacancies, and uncollected rents. Like any business, don?t go into this one without a healthy amount of emergency cash.
10. When possible, let the tenant handle utilities . The fewer expenses you have to deal with, the better.

Finding and dealing with tenants

As mentioned earlier, a good background check is essential ? one bad renter will not only bust your budget, they?ll make your life extremely stressful. Here?s what to do:

1. Check credit . If one of your criteria is to rent only to tenants with good credit ? something Stacy strongly recommends ? mention early and often that you do credit checks. Say it in any ad you run and repeat it when people call.
2. Check ID. Before you actually run a credit or criminal background check, make sure applicants aren?t putting down somebody else?s information. (One popular screening service is the National Tenant Network.)
3. Consider holding an open house. This can be a good way to screen several candidates at once, face to face. You can ask questions about pets, smoking, relationships with previous landlords, or whatever else you think is relevant ? but remember that attitude is just as important as the answers. Look for direct, mature responses that show the applicant came prepared.
4. Don?t skip references. If you ask for references and the applicant doesn?t provide them, or they ?get the number wrong,? don?t let it slide ? especially if everything else seems too good to be true.
5. Wait until the check clears. Don?t hand over the keys until the tenant?s check clears. Sure, if the check bounces, you?ll know that you have not only a bad tenant but a stupid one. But you?ll also have to go through the hassle of getting them off your property.

View this article on MoneyTalksNews.com

Popularity: 1%

Tags: tips on real estate

Source: http://oxstones.com/15-tips-to-find-buy-and-rent-real-estate/

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Finding Out Professional Mobile Mechanic and Auto Repair Solana ...

If your car has got damaged you will definitely want to get it fixed or repaired at the most able and careful hands. You must have good experience and knowledge about the professional auto repair shops in Solana beach in the area without getting misguided by the advertisements. If you're in Solana Beach, you need auto repair Solana beach.

The damages that occur to your vehicle due to any major collision require treatment which is different from what is needed when the car gets slightly damaged from the minor collisions. For proper auto repair service in Solana beach, you must choose a service provider of good reputation. There are plenty of auto repair service providers around the Solana beach area offering exceptional service.

Whether in Solana beach or in Encintas or in Oceanside, you can find different kinds of mobile mechanic and auto repair shops. Every town has plenty of automotive repair shops offering great services in order to meet as well as solve the vehicle problems of people. If you are seeking flawless repair of the auto or vehicle parts then you must look for experienced auto repair or mobile mechanic shops.

To come across the leading service providers, you can check out the search results on Google. For instance, if you are looking for auto repair service in Solana beach, type in auto repair Solana beach on the search box on your preferred search engine in order to check out the top names in the industry.

For mobile mechanic service in Escondido, you must search for mobile mechanic Escondido on Google and get the search results. On the other hand, if you are seeking mobile mechanic Encintas, you can type in mobile mechanic Encintas to find out the top service providers in the Encintas area. Similarly, if you are seeking auto repair service in Oceanside, you should search auto repair Oceanside in order to come across the major service providers in Oceanside.

Apart from the auto body repair, most mechanics even specialize in the customization of different vehicles. For the most reliable and affordable service, you can read out the reviews and customer ratings about the firms. It is quite significant to select a genuine auto repair service provider so that they can understand your problem with ease.

It's a fact that timely repair and sticking to the maintenance schedule can actually prolong the life of a car and can save more money. It can be unnerving if your car is not ready at all times. Hence, you must choose the most reliable and affordable auto body repair service provider or mechanics to reduce your stress level. You can visit the auto repair shop to find out a fast solution to the car damages. There are different auto services that you can do for your vehicle.

Source: http://www.artipot.com/articles/1427267/finding-out-professional-mobile-mechanic-and-auto-repair-solana-beach.htm

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