Robert J

Sometimes other things happen to good people. _________________________ TORONTO — A number of Canadian investors cleaned out their on-line brokerage accounts this week and then dumped the proceeds into a group of obscure penny stocks, including one based in Vancouver. There was only one problem: They had no clue they were actually trading. Regulators and police are now scrambling to untangle a complex financial scam that has put a high-tech twist on the boiler rooms of yesteryear. This week, a pair of Canadian brokerages, including BMO InvestorLine, discovered that someone had gained unauthorized access to a handful of client accounts, and then liquidated the portfolios. The money was used to place orders for securities listed on the OTC Bulletin Board and the Nasdaq pink sheets, apparently with the intention of manipulating these stock prices, according to the Investment Dealers Association of Canada. Alex Popovic, vice-president of enforcement at the self-regulatory body, suggested this could be part of an elaborate "pump-and-dump" swindle, in which someone artificially inflates the price of a stock and then "dumps" it for a profit, leaving other investors with next-to-worthless paper. "That's the supposition at this point -- that it is the 'pump' side of a pump-and-dump scheme," Mr. Popovic said. "Or, in the alternative, it could be a money-laundering scheme and it's a way of getting the cash out of the client's account." So far, tens of thousands of dollars have been improperly traded, sources said. BMO reported two cases of improper account access to the IDA, while TD Waterhouse confirmed it is investigating suspicious activity in less than a half-dozen accounts, although it is not clear whether this is part of the same scam. Mr. Popovic said he has notified the RCMP about the problem, as well as provincial securities regulators in Ontario and British Columbia. Authorities are still uncertain as to how the accounts were breached, but said there is no indication that fraudsters had penetrated the security systems at these on-line brokerages. One theory is that investors unwittingly gave up their passwords through what is known as a "phishing" e-mail, a scheme that has become increasingly pervasive in the investment industry. Essentially, fraud artists pose as a representative from a bank or brokerage firm and trick customers into divulging private account information. Other possibilities cited by the IDA were "pirate" websites, which mimic the appearance of a bank's website, or even computer viruses that spy on users by recording their keystrokes. Some experts have estimated there are as many as 150 million phishing e-mails sent over the Internet each day. A study by Visa two years ago, when phishing was still a relatively new phenomenon, suggested as many as 200,000 Canadians may have been victimized by these attacks. The IDA was notified by U.S. authorities last week that a similar operation was afoot south of the border, and that the perpetrators were breaking into on-line trading accounts to buy the same stocks on the over-the-counter market. One of these unnamed securities is based in Vancouver, according to sources. The IDA declined to comment on the specific stocks.

listening now

Today must be the record for double-posts

RT - I agree! The last link I posted is Animal Behaviour from that recording. It's a freaky video.

Greg - try these http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTxm7z7ztlA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge8JquM4k4k

Here is the statement released by Maynard's management. LEGENDARY MUSICIAN MAYNARD FERGUSON DIES Grammy Nominated Trumpeter Known for "Gonna Fly Now" Theme To Movie "ROCKY" was 78 Ojai, CA (August 24, 2006) - Walter "Maynard" Ferguson, one of the most influential musicians and band leaders in the history of Jazz, passed away August 23rd at 9:00 pm Pacific Time at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, California. He was 78 years old. His death was the result of kidney and liver failure brought on by an abdominal infection. Mr. Ferguson's four daughters, Kim, Lisa, Corby, and Wilder were at his side when he passed away after this brief illness. He spoke by phone with his friend and manager Steve Schankman from St. Louis, longtime tour manager Ed Sargent, and friend, and fellow trumpeter Arturo Sandoval. Mr. Ferguson had recently returned home to California from New York after several sold out performances in July at the famed Blue Note Club plus. During this time, Ferguson and his Big Bop Nouveau band also recorded a new album at Bennett Studios in Englewood, New Jersey. Maynard Ferguson, born May 4th 1928 in Montreal, started his career at the age of 13 when he performed as a featured soloist with the Canadian Broadcasting Company Orchestra. He played with some of the great Big Band Leaders of the 1940's including Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Barnett, Jimmy Dorsey and Stan Kenton. In 1945, at age 17, Ferguson became the leader of his own Big Band. The 78-year old musical phenomenon went on to record more than 60 albums, receiving numerous honors and awards including the GRAMMY® nomination for "Gonna Fly Now." In 2005, Ferguson was awarded Canada's highest civilian honor, the "Order of Canada" from the Right Honorable Governor General Adrienne Clarkson. In addition to those accolades, Ferguson has been the recipient of DownBeat Magazine's prestigious "DownBeat" Award. "The Boss," as Ferguson is known, has been performing for packed houses for decades. His recent DVD release, "Live at The Top," captures one of his most memorable performances, a concert held at the Plaza Hotel in Rochester New York in 1975, with Ferguson performing alongside fellow music pioneers Stan Mark, Ernie Garside and Bruce Johnston. Most recently, Ferguson and Big Bop Nouveau Band had been touring the United States. He was preparing for a Fall Tour beginning mid-September in Tokyo, Japan. He had also been invited to play for the King of Thailand's 80th birthday in January. Mr. Ferguson's body will be cremated in his hometown of Ojai, California. Memorial contributions can be made to the Maynard Ferguson Music Scholarship Fund at University of Missouri - St. Louis, which was established by Steve Schankman at Maynard's 75th birthday celebration. Mr. Schankman and the Ferguson family are planning a memorial concert to take place in St. Louis which will feature many of the band's alumni as and friends who Mr. Ferguson performed with during his more than 60-year musical career. Mr. Ferguson's latest, and last, recording will be released later this year as a legacy to the life of Maynard Ferguson.

Sad news indeed. The pride of Verdun, Quebec

the 2nd one has more of Ernesto Hoost

Has anyone pointed out to Jim that we probably need a dedicated Youtube Forum here? It just can't be ignored

I thought they were very funny...did you actually watch them? Sorry, I didn't realise this was going to be a spoof. Great stuff indeed! Yeah, I think I could have lost some folks there...try this too: there's a whole series of them. John Petrucci Psycho Exercises 2 I also avoided it yesterday - thanks for the clarification!

but someone reposted them http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIW_Uf6VCHY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4Sl4rMSn-Y

The Youtube cops got to it! Too much fun was had by all. "This video has been removed due to terms of use violation." JM - I guess the moral is you can't snooze when these links are posted

Whoa - the uploader for the 2 above has a crop more. I've seen him play in Toronto - horn player Bob Erwig with the Climax Jazz Band. He's just posted these in the past few days - virtually no views yet. Blue Monk Kansas City Blues - Jimmy Rushing, Count Basie Check out Webster and Hawkins! Ain't Misbehavin' - Dick Wellstood Louis Bellson drums, Ray Brown bass, Herb Ellis guitar, Oscar Peterson piano with Zoot Sims and Eddy Lockjaw Davis saxes and Clark Terry and Roy Eldridge on trumpet. Man this is rare - live in Toronto ! Blues in Bb

for the Muggsy Spanier/ trad jazz fans St Louis Blues cool slice of jazz dancing from the 50s - you don't see the musicians, but it's Jimmy McPartland on trumpet, Pee Wee Russell clarinet, Jimmy Archey trombone, Willy the Lion Smith piano, Pops Foster bass and George Wettling drums Royal Garden Blues

on page 18 of this thread I posted the Ray Brown/Gene Harris "Summertime" link, but Dan musta missed it

Nice I've also been making a habit of checking out other uploads from posters whose vids I like. Check out what else he's put up! http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=softgaloil

I am in e-marketing for a large corp, and my small team just recorded our first podcast. It is basically a q&a for corporate listeners, no music. However, we had to work with some of the IT people on this, and though we used a good AV person in the firm, our first recording was not the best. It was partly the room ambient noise (and a couple of passing fire trucks), but also the miking. I wasn't present, so I am told these things. They used some tabletop mike (I'll find out which one), so there was some volume issues for the interviewer and the interviewee. Also the vibration from the table they set it on. This can be corrected too. They are considering lapel mikes for the next go, but I'd like to do it right. I know that Blue has that USB Snowball, which is supposed to be good for podcasting, but their own forum shows that the users feel otherwise. We do have a budget for $300 - $500 that I could use to buy one or 2 mikes. We also will re-record the questions after the initial recording, so it is not esentially that the interviewer sounds good on the first take - just the subject. Any suggestions are appreciated.

There's more stuff going on at the Silent Library http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNVeFHFn140 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUkdFRBIFE0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8og_iQrwbQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6lJb_cgBlU

Phew! MG You're lucky. Mine broke down during last week's heat wave. It was 28C in the friggin house! My family and I slept in the basement for 3 days until a repair man could come. Turns out it wasn't the AC, but the blower fan in the furnace. Parts + Labour = $650! (not to mention the extra beer money to cool down)

He's playing at a jazz fest in my small town, for free. I've not attended the Oakville Jazz fest in a few years, as it seems to have lost its direction and programming punch. I think Ted O'Reilley who posts here, and saxophonist Jim Galloway had something to do with it before. In the late 90s I saw for free: Joe Lovano, Jimmy Smith, Monty Alexander and Ramsey Lewis. Anyhow, I'll check out Tony on Saturday for sure. http://www.oakvillejazz.com/2006-schedule.htm

My son and I watched it last night. Hilarious. The slapping machine got me silly. Still, what the heck kind of show was that? And who was the non-Asian contestant - though he could sing a mean Karaoke.

"Why should I pay, when if I apply myself, maybe I could get it for free" ("The Parking Space") My philosophy as well! As for last night, the venue is near some dance clubs by the lake. Parking was $20. A nice 5 minute walk back from Small Street underneath an overpass, netted me some exercise and peace of mind. Even the scalper commended my thriftyness.

Maybe he's still finding his voice.