Rachelle Lefevre

Rachelle Lefevre will be gracing the small screen soon enough in a a new television show called “Off the Map.” Co-starring with her will be Martin Henderson, as well as Mamie Gummer (Meryl Streep’s daughter).

The new show will be produced by Shonda Rhimes. The creators of the series also happen to be the same people behind Grey’s Anatomy, ABC’s enormously successful doctor drama.

For now, all that is known is that Rachelle will star as a “hippie doctor” in the new series. Fans are expressing their excitement for Lefevre in blogs and community message boards all over the web.

Movie goers will remember her from her role as Victoria, a vampire villainess in the first two Twilight movies. Her part was left out of the third installment to the franchise.

Michael Dell

Dell was hit hard today with a $100 million settlement charge, ultimately putting an end to a five year investigation by the SEC. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has been pouring through Dell’s financial records since 2005 upon allegations of inaccurate accounting and reporting practices.

Michael Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell, will also be facing a hefty fine that will have to come out of his own pocket. Dell, the CEO, will have to fork over $4 million due to the SEC uncovering a commercial, yet mostly hidden, relationship between Dell’s company and Intel.

According to the SEC, Dell has not been entirely honest with its customers with regard to their relationship with some of their hardware providers. Some aspects of Dell’s relationship with Intel should have legally been disclosed to the public, thus the computer industry giant will now face the consequences.

Dell set aside the $100 million in June of 2010 in preparation for finally resolving this dispute. That amount plus Michael Dell’s own $4 million ante closes all disputes regarding their history of faulty accounting, financial reporting, and nondisclosure of their ties to Intel.

Social Security Loophole

A particular Social Security loophole, as the Administration would refer to it, is becoming more prominent than ever in elderly Americans’ minds.

As Congress continues to mull the idea of raising the Social Security Retirement age to 70, elderly Americans are working to become more aware of Social Security’s 521 form. This form is especially important to those who started receiving their benefits early (say, at age 64 instead of 70).

Through the usage of this form, Americans who have already been receiving their retirement benefits early are eligible to reapply for higher benefits, thus resulting in a higher standard of living.

Many Americans have been told they cannot reapply for benefits after age 70. This is a fallacy that many insurance companies and the like are notorious for spreading around the elderly population. In fact, citizens can reapply for higher benefits whenever they would like, but maximum benefits may only be earned at age 70.

In order to qualify for higher payments, applicants must repay the gross amount of the benefits they have received in their lifetime. This amount is calculated before the Medicare Part B premiums are taken into consideration.

Eligible Americans can deduct this repayment on their tax returns next year, and no interest will be charged on top of this amount.

American citizens who are affected by this provision are encouraged to take advantage of it as soon as possible. The Social Security Administration is gearing up to eliminate this option as they view it as a sort of “loophole.”

Safe Auto Insurance

Car insurance companies like Safe Auto Insurance are not immune to participating in the commonly accepted practices that a majority of insurance organizations generally adhere to. One of these practices has been challenged in a Detroit, Michigan courtroom recently.

Michigan’s Insurance Commissioner banned the practice of insurance companies basing the rates their customers paid for auto insurance on their respective credit scores. On Thursday, the Michigan Supreme Court in Detroit effectively vetoed the Commissioner’s ban, and legitimized the practice once again.

New reports are showing that an alarming number of drivers are not aware that their car insurance payments are based on their credit scores, and that number appears to be climbing every month.

No matter where a customer may turn for their car insurance, whether it is a local firm, or a nationally recognized firm like Safe Auto Insurance, Geico, or State Farm, their payments are in fact largely affected by their current credit score.

This may come as bad news to many Americans as the country continues to work its way out of a long recessionary period, and credit scores are still trying to find a way to recover. However, drivers looking to get a better feel for the approximate rates they should be paying now are encouraged to seek out free auto insurance quotes from insurance companies like Safe Auto Insurance, Progressive, and Geico.

Al Gore

The investigation into the Sex Scandal involving ex-Vice President Al Gore has many readers wanting to know more information on how this happened, when this happened, and why there has been a lag in reporting the possibility of a crime as heinous as attempted rape. Here is the time line of what is alleged to have occurred when Ex-VP Al Gore took a trip to the city of Portland, Oregon in October 2006.

October 24, 2006, Masseuse Molly Hagerty received a call from the hotel bell man who asked her to come to the Lucia Hotel in downtown Portland, Oregon to give a massage to a VIP. Time to report was 10:30 pm.

Molly Hagerty first reported to Portland Police December 15, 2006 almost 2 months after the alleged assault. Molly Hagerty reported the incident to police and in January, 2007 her attorney contacted Portland Police to explain that Molly Hagerty did not want to participate in the investigation any longer, as she would pursue the case in civil court.

January 6, 2009, Molly Hagerty contacted Portland Police and informed them that she wished to make a second statement regarding her alleged sexual assault in October 2006. Read this new statement to police here.

In this police report Molly Hagerty explained, in her own words, exactly what took place while she was in the Lucia Hotel room with Vice President Al Gore. It is very graphic in nature, and individuals under the age of 13 are not advised to read this material.

In her second report to the Portland Police, Molly Hagerty never revealed in her statement a witness, video (secret) tape, or DNA on her cloths.

Portland Police investigated as much as possible, as they would say, and ultimately closed the case stating there is not enough evidence to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that this alleged sexual assault actually took place on October 24, 2006.

During June/July 2010 the news media interviewed Molly Hagerty’s friend, Donna Burleigh, who was adamant in her statement, “She doesn’t want any money out of this. She wants VP Al Gore to pay for his crime.”

On June 26, 2010 the National Enquirer released a photo of Molly Hagerty. The public has many questions regarding this case; perhaps the future investigation will answer those questions. Then again, perhaps not.