Wednesday, October 05, 2022

WHITE-WASHING: How Chris Loeffler re-shaped Downtown Mesa - AZ Big Media

TRUTH OUT: “The reason why we were attracted to join was that our partner Bob Worsley had quietly organized the ability to purchase nine buildings at once so we could come in at scale and buy up about 30% of the square footage in Downtown Mesa in one single transaction,” he continues. “That allowed us to renovate all those buildings to a higher standard, which we felt would then lift the standards for everybody else.”

REALITY CHECK

Just coincidentally - and probably not - in the same month and just weeks after facing public anger, conservative Mesa Mormon Millionaire Republican AZ State Senator Bob Worsley was forced to reveal himself as the grand wizard of a rampant real estate speculation scheme who just managed somehow to snap up ten commercial properties on Main Street in a package-deal with a Caliber Private Wealth Fund LLP II.

Above is a map of the original 8 properties (now10) of the commercial properties built from 1910-1954 that were purchased by a syndicate of holding companies formed by private investors on the stretch of both sides of Main Street from Country Club to Center Street.

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Prior to the vote, with former congressman and ASU lobbyist Matt Salmon sitting behind him, Sen. Bob Worsley pleaded with the Council to protect the speculative investments he made in the area based on the ASU scheme

Mesa public safety put at risk for risky investment

"At the February 26 meeting of the Mesa City Council, Sen. Bob Worsley made a rare appearance in an effort to promote a proposal to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement with Arizona State University. The senator’s appearance surprised many Mesa residents who had never before seen their representative show any interest in the City’s business

It is not the city’s business however, that prompted the appearance by the wealthy developer/senator.

In May 2016, Mesa Mayor John Giles announced plans to build a new campus for Arizona State University (ASU) featuring film, media, gaming, virtual reality programs. In November 2016, Mesa voters rejected a sales tax that would have funded the project and public safety.

According to Mesa City Councilman Kevin Thompson, constituents “time and time again” told him that they would support the increase for public safety, but could not support using public money to build ASU a . . ."

CH Mesa Holdings was registered on June 27, 2017 in Delaware. Maricopa County Recorder documents shows that CH Mesa Holdings, LLC, a registered limited liability corporation (File Number: 6458344) filed deeds for the following properties:

APN	Address	Last Deed Date
138-35-015	114 W MAIN ST MESA, AZ 85201	10/03/2017
138-35-016 120	120 W MAIN ST MESA, AZ 85201	10/03/2017
138-36-008A	18 W MAIN ST MESA, AZ 85201	10/30/2017
138-36-012 48	48 W MAIN ST MESA, AZ 85201	07/19/2017
138-42-022 155	155 W MAIN ST MESA, AZ 85201	07/07/2017
138-42-030	137 W MAIN ST MESA, AZ 85201	12/12/2017
138-55-004	202 W MAIN ST MESA, AZ 85201	10/03/2017
138-55-009	206 W MAIN ST MESA, AZ 85201	10/03/2017

All of the above properties show a mailing address of 4320 E Brown Road, STE 110, Mesa, AZ 85205. Lyons Development LLC shares the Brown Road address with CH Mesa Holdings, LLC. According to the Arizona Corporation Commission, as of 2017, Worsley has been registered as a member of Lyons Development LLC.

Lyons Development LLC registered the following entities in 2017:

L21665169	LYONS DEVELOPMENT LLC	MESA 114 W MAIN LLC
L21757686	LYONS DEVELOPMENT LLC	MESA 137 W MAIN LLC
L21853908	LYONS DEVELOPMENT LLC	MESA 48 W MAIN LLC
L21638767	LYONS DEVELOPMENT LLC	MESA 155 W MAIN LLC
L21657535	LYONS DEVELOPMENT LLC	MESA 18 W MAIN LLC

Ranch Communities of America, owner of 29 West Main Street, is listed on Worsley’s financial disclosure statement along with CH Mesa Holdings.

[View Worsley 2018 Financial Disclosure Statement]

CH Mesa Holdings, LLC bought all buildings for sale in downtown Mesa within 1000 ft. of the proposed project; one such property being as close at 237 ft from the site.

Same players different town

On the same day as the Council meeting, Caliber Wealth Development Company, “a real estate investment, development and management firm, and project partner, Habitat Metro,” announced the purchase of eight downtown buildings for $7.5 million on Main Street. In a press release, Caliber claimed that “the nearly 100,000 square-feet of historic urban buildings are important project components to the economic strengthening and downtown transformation efforts of Arizona’s third largest city.”

Caliber Development, a subsidiary of Caliber, will serve as design-general contractor. . ."

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'It takes guts to be an entrepreneur even during the best of times. Chris Loeffler, CEO and co-founder of Caliber, showed he’s got more than his fair share of chutzpah when he told his parents that he planned to quit his job to start a real estate company — in 2009. At the time, he was working as a senior associate in the audit and assurance practice for PwC in Phoenix, but he had always liked the idea of becoming an investor and saw an opportunity to pursue that path.

More than a decade later, Caliber is a thriving business helping shape the ever-expanding Valley. One of the places Caliber has its fingerprints all over is Downtown Mesa. Loeffler says the city had a vision of a vibrant downtown area so Mesa residents wouldn’t have to go to Scottsdale, Tempe or Phoenix for those types of amenities and experiences. Prior to Caliber’s involvement, the buildings in Downtown Mesa had different owners, which meant that they were poaching tenants from one another and pursuing their own individual goals. . .

Since the buildings were in an opportunity zone, it gave Caliber more flexibility to spend years turning the downtown area around instead of being bound to a tight timetable, which Loeffler says was necessary because the buildings were vacant for a while as Caliber figured out the right mix of tenants to create a unique identity and not simply be a carbon copy of what other cities had done.

Loeffler adds that City of Mesa took a novel approach to revitalizing its downtown. Typically, someone like Loeffler will come in, buy some buildings and put together a plan to change the area. Afterwards, the city will step in to invest in infrastructure around the area.

“Instead, the City of Mesa put $100 million into their performing arts center. They transformed Pioneer Park. They brought in [Arizona State University], supported light rail, did all the sidewalks, curb cuts, streetlights — everything was done,” Loeffler says. “That opened the door for us to think about Mesa in ways we probably wouldn’t have, had we not seen that.”

Looking forward, Loeffler notes that there is turbulence in the market, but Arizona will manage it well.

“We have some market forces that are creating a floor for how far things will come down,” he concludes. “With interest rates going up, there should be an expectation that property values are going down. But there’s a floor because there’s so much success going on with attracting businesses — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the Intel expansion, Virgin Galactic — and that’s attracting people from all over the country. If you’re trying to pick a place to invest, I would want to own as much Arizona real estate as I could.”

26 March 2018

Opportunity Funds > Opportunity Zones for Who?

INFORMATION PLEASE: To qualify and be eligible as 'Opportunity Zones' OZ certain criteria are required. They sound nothing like the words vibrant and exciting used by city officials to describe what used-to-be the Central Business District before the 1970's: low income, chronically poor, blighted, neglected and under-developed
PRESS RELEASE

Caliber and Habitat Metro buy eight Arizona buildings for $7.5M

February 26, 2018 By Iris Dorbian

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Caliber – The Wealth Development Company, a real estate investment, development and management firm, and project partner, Habitat Metro, have purchased eight downtown buildings for $7.5 million on Main Street in Mesa, Arizona.
(See other posts on this blog for more details)

Caliber’s $7.625 million purchase consists of eight historic buildings along Main Street between Country Club Drive and Center Street.

Investment in, and re-development plans for, the nearly 100,000 square feet of historic urban buildings are important project components to the economic strengthening and downtown transformation efforts of Arizona’s third largest city.

Caliber Development, a subsidiary of Caliber – The Wealth Development Company, will serve as design-general contractor.
Initial concepts for revitalization include, among others, a rooftop restaurant on The Newberry building. According to Roy Bade, Executive Vice President of Commercial Acquisitions and Development, “Caliber is proud to play a part in this important project for the city of Mesa. We’re currently working on restoration plans with prospective new tenants to renew the energy and excitement of these underutilized historic buildings.”
He added, “The retail and commercial concepts under review including restaurants, office space, and family/entertainment venues will bring vitality and support the influx of residents and visitors to the city’s urban core.”
The eight-building acquisition was purchased with the Caliber Diversified Opportunity Fund II, LP (the “Fund”). The Fund offers accredited investors and registered investment advisors (RIAs) direct access to invest in “middle market” U.S. commercial real estate assets that can deliver attractive risk-adjusted return through a combination of current income and capital appreciation.

(Information from https://www.pehub.com
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Currently, Schrader says there isn’t a whole lot to do in Downtown Mesa. Caliber wants to add options to the area through its redeveloped properties and create a setting where visitors will want to spend an entire day in Downtown Mesa.

“I hope people really fall in love with the community again,” Schrader says. “Mesa has an opportunity to really create a good family setting, somewhere where people will want to raise their kids, will want to spend time and not be so transient anymore.”
Blogger Note: Hmmm... Students are transients

“By luck and by chance and a lot of hard work, this Downtown Mesa is what people want,” Giles says.

“We set this stage now, for creating this environment people want.”

Blogger Note: Right...huh? Just like he 'set the stage' for this bogus charade and privately-funded $500,000++ bogus Public Relations campaign that turned into a major screw-up radically transforming Downtown Mesa into a satellite ASU campus???

Giles says it’s great to see private investment from Caliber that will help further transform the Downtown Mesa area, making it more attractive for future employers and private investment.

Here's the Punchine: Caliber’s developments could also bolster Mesa’s efforts of bringing ASU into Downtown Mesa as well, Giles says.
He says economic developers have to make areas around universities attractive for students, and public investment on things like the light rail and the Mesa Arts Center are one part of that.

“We also need the business community infrastructure to create an environment that’s welcoming and attractive for people,” Giles says.

Caliber will create these attractive environments as it brings the historic vibe back to Downtown Mesa. All eight of the buildings Caliber purchased were built between 1910 and 1954.

The purchased buildings have a lot of character,???

Bade says Caliber is currently working on getting six to eight tenants to move into the buildings, and then another three to six months would be needed for tenant improvements.

“Our goal here is for people to want to stay in downtown,” Bade says. “They don’t want to come here for breakfast or lunch. They want to stay here, live here, make it their home in downtown, versus a place to visit.”

An aerial view shows the buildings that Caliber, The Wealth Development Company purchased and will redevelop in Mesa. They are outlined in red.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Caliber Diversified Opportunity Fund II, LP

Published on Mar 27, 2017
Views: 11, 763

The Caliber Diversified Opportunity Fund II, LP exists to produce income and capital gains that pass through to investors through purchasing assets or land at potentially attractive prices, developing those assets with in-house expertise, and managing each asset to its full potential. The Caliber Diversified Opportunity Fund II, LP allows investors diversify their investment across multiple properties while also allowing access to assets that are much larger than they could purchase individually.
Website: http://caliberdiversified.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaliberCompa...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calibercomp...
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/caliber

Two announcements from Aug 2017

Story image for caliber wealth development from Phoenix Business Journal

Arizona firm launches $100M investment fund

Phoenix Business Journal-Aug 9, 2017

“We are deeply grateful for the continued support of our investors who we work diligently for to provide the best returns,” said Chris Loeffler, co-founder and CEO of Caliber. “Providing our clients with insider-level access to secure commercial investments that offer superior risk-adjusted returns and growth potential is the ...

Story image for caliber wealth development from AZ Big Media

Caliber opens $100 million commercial real estate fund

AZ Big Media-Aug 8, 2017

Caliber – The Wealth Development Company today announced the launch of a $100 Million real estate fund, the Caliber Diversified Opportunity Fund II, LP (the “Fund”). The Fund will invest in “middle market” U.S. commercial real estate assets that can deliver attractive risk-adjusted return through a combination of current ...

Savage Town: Irish Invasion Continues In Adult Animation - Bubbleblabber www.bubbleblabber.com › News 55 minutes ago · Deadline is reporting that Lighthouse Studios (Bob's Burgers) is adapting a graphic novel .

“The graphic novel gives us a gritty backdrop to further develop the story and delve into the plot lines to create a binge-worthy adult animated series that will resonate with audiences around the globe.”

Savage Town is loosely based on real events in Ireland at the turn of the 21st century during a period of economic growth known as the Celtic Tiger, which transformed it from one of Western Europe’s poorer countries into one of its wealthiest. . .“Savage Town is an Irish crime story, but one that is recognised the world over as developing countries adapt to periods of economic boom, and people rush to take advantage of new found prosperity and opportunity,”

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Savage Town: Irish Invasion Continues In Adult Animation - Bubbleblabber

www.bubbleblabber.com › News

55 minutes ago · Deadline is reporting that Lighthouse Studios (Bob's Burgers) is adapting a graphic novel from the likes of Declan Shalvey (Venom), ...

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‘Savage Town’: ‘The Bob’s Burgers Movie’ Co-Animator Lighthouse Studios Developing Crime Drama Series Based On Graphic Novel

EXCLUSIVE: Ireland’s Lighthouse Studios is developing its first original series, Savage Town.

The 2D-animated crime drama is based on a graphic novel co-authored by Marvel comic book artist Declan Shalvey (Injection, All Star Batman, MoonKnight) and Philip Barrett (Matter, Where’s Larry), along with colonist Jordie Bellaire (Injection, Pretty Deadly). Marcus Fleming, who wrote Dominion Creek for Ireland’s TG4 and Netflix UK and political drama The Running Mate, is Head Writer.

Savage Town is loosely based on real events in Ireland at the turn of the 21st century during a period of economic growth known as the Celtic Tiger, which transformed it from one of Western Europe’s poorer countries into one of its wealthiest. It follows one local gangster who sees an opportunity to make a major play to control the city but finds himself trapped between two rival gangs with the same intention.

“Savage Town is an Irish crime story, but one that is recognised the world over as developing countries adapt to periods of economic boom, and people rush to take advantage of new found prosperity and opportunity,” said Shalvey. “Because of the history and sensitivity to this period, it was very important that we collaborated with an Irish studio that understands the local importance of the story, but has the creativity and capabilities to adapt it for audiences around the world. Lighthouse Studios and Marcus Fleming bring the vision we were looking for to further expand upon the world we created in Savage Town.”

Canada’s Mercury Filmworks teamed with Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon to launch Lighthouse Studios in 2017. The Kilkenny-based 2D animation company is best known for work on HBO Max’s Little Ellen, The Cupped Show for Netflix, Amazon’s Bug Diaries and Apple TV+’s El Deafo and is a partner on Bento Box Entertainment’s upcoming feature The Bob’s Merger Movie, alongside Mercury.

“With Savage Town, Declan, Philip and Jordie have created a compelling story that touches on societal themes that are relevant today the world over, including what happens to those that get left behind, the struggles of the working class, discrimination and gang violence,” said Lighthouse Managing Director Claire Finn. “The graphic novel gives us a gritty backdrop to further develop the story and delve into the plot lines to create a binge-worthy adult animated series that will resonate with audiences around the globe.”

The post ‘Savage Town’: ‘The Bob’s Burgers Movie’ Co-Animator Lighthouse Studios Developing Crime Drama Series Based On Graphic Novel appeared first on Deadline.

NOT A SURPRISE U.S. Aims to Turn Taiwan Into Giant Weapons Depot

The post U.S. Aims to Turn Taiwan Into Giant Weapons Depot appeared first on New York Times.

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U.S. Aims to Turn Taiwan Into Giant Weapons Depot

October 5, 2022

WASHINGTON — American officials are intensifying efforts to build a giant stockpile of weapons in Taiwan after studying recent naval and air force exercises by the Chinese military around the island, according to current and former officials.

The exercises showed that China would probably blockade the island as a prelude to any attempted invasion, and Taiwan would have to hold out on its own until the United States or other nations intervened, if they decided to do that, the current and former officials say.

But the effort to transform Taiwan into a weapons depot faces challenges. The United States and its allies have prioritized sending weapons to Ukraine, which is reducing their stockpiles, and arms makers are reluctant to open new production lines without a steady stream of long-term orders.

And it is unclear how China might respond if the United States accelerates shipments of weapons to Taiwan, a democratic, self-governing island that Beijing claims is Chinese territory.

President Biden said last month that the United States is “not encouraging” Taiwan’s independence, adding, “That’s their decision.” Since 1979, Washington has had a policy of reassuring Beijing that it does not support independence. But China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, said in a speech at the Asia Society last month that the United States was undermining that position “by repeated official exchanges and arms sales, including many offensive weapons.”

The People’s Liberation Army of China carried out exercises in August with naval ships and fighter jets in zones close to Taiwan. It also fired ballistic missiles into the waters off Taiwan’s coast, four of which went over the island, according to Japan.

The Chinese military acted after Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House, visited Taiwan. But even before that, U.S. and Taiwanese officials had been more closely examining the potential for an invasion because Russia’s assault on Ukraine had made the possibility seem more real, though Chinese leaders have not explicitly stated a timeline for establishing rule over Taiwan.

The United States would not be able to resupply Taiwan as easily as Ukraine because of the lack of ground routes from neighboring countries. The goal now, officials say, is to ensure that Taiwan has enough arms to defend itself until help arrives. Mr. Biden said last month that U.S. troops would defend Taiwan if China were to carry out an “unprecedented attack” on the island — the fourth time he has stated that commitment and a shift from a preference for “strategic ambiguity” on Taiwan among U.S. presidents.

“Stockpiling in Taiwan is a very active point of discussion,” said Jacob Stokes, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security who advised Mr. Biden on Asia policy when he was vice president. “And if you have it, how do you harden it and how do you disperse it so Chinese missiles can’t destroy it?”

“The view is we need to lengthen the amount of time Taiwan can hold out on its own,” he added. “That’s how you avoid China picking the low-hanging fruit of its ‘fait accompli’ strategy — that they’ve won the day before we’ve gotten there, that is assuming we intervene.”

U.S. officials increasingly emphasize Taiwan’s need for smaller, mobile weapons that can be lethal against Chinese warships and jets while being able to evade attacks, which is central to so-called asymmetric warfare.

“Shoot-and-scoot” types of armaments are popular with the Ukrainian military, which has used shoulder-fired Javelin and NLAW antitank guided missiles and Stinger antiaircraft missiles effectively against Russian forces. Recently, the Ukrainians have pummeled Russian troops with mobile American-made rocket launchers known as HIMARS.

To transform Taiwan into a “porcupine,” an entity bristling with armaments that would be costly to attack, American officials have been trying to steer Taiwanese counterparts toward ordering more of those weapons and fewer systems for a conventional ground war like M1 Abrams tanks.

Pentagon and State Department officials have also been speaking regularly about these issues since March with American arms companies, including at an industry conference on Taiwan this week in Richmond, Va. Jedidiah Royal, a Defense Department official, said in a speech there on Monday that the Pentagon was helping Taiwan build out systems for “an island defense against an aggressor with conventional overmatch.”

The Biden administration announced on Sept. 2 that it had approved its sixth weapons package for Taiwan — a $1.1 billion sale that includes 60 Harpoon coastal antiship missiles.

In a recent article, James Timbie, a former State Department official, and James O. Ellis Jr., a retired U.S. Navy admiral, said Taiwan needs “a large number of small things” for distributed defense, and that some of Taiwan’s recent purchases from the United States, including Harpoon and Stinger missiles, fit that bill. Taiwan also produces its own deterrent weapons, including minelayer ships, air defense missile systems and antiship cruise missiles.

They said Taiwan needs to shift resources away from “expensive, high-profile conventional systems” that China can easily destroy in an initial attack, though some of those systems, notably F-16 jets, are useful for countering ongoing Chinese fighter jet and ship activities in “gray zone” airspace and waters. The authors also wrote that “the effective defense of Taiwan” will require stockpiling ammunition, fuel and other supplies, as well as strategic reserves of energy and food.

Officials in the administration of Tsai Ing-wen, the president of Taiwan, say they recognize the need to stockpile smaller weapons but point out that there are significant lags between orders and shipments.

“I think we’re moving in a high degree of consensus in terms of our priorities on the asymmetric strategy, but the speed does have to be accelerated,” Bi-khim Hsiao, the de facto Taiwanese ambassador in Washington, said in an interview.

Some American lawmakers have called for faster and more robust deliveries. Some senior senators are trying to push through the proposed Taiwan Policy Act, which would provide $6.5 billion in security assistance to Taiwan over the next four years and mandate treating the island as if it were a “major non-NATO ally.”

But Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, said in an interview that weapons makers want to see predictability in orders before committing to building up production. Arms directors from the United States and more than 40 other nations met last week in Brussels to discuss long-term supply and production issues.

If China decides to establish a naval blockade around Taiwan, American officials would probably study which avenue of resupplying Taiwan — by sea or by air — would offer the least likelihood of bringing Chinese and American ships, aircraft and submarines into direct conflict.

One proposition would involve sending U.S. cargo planes with supplies from bases in Japan and Guam to Taiwan’s east coast. That way, any Chinese fighters trying to shoot them down would have to fly over Taiwan and risk being downed by Taiwanese warplanes.

“The sheer amount of materiel that would likely be needed in case of war is formidable, and getting them through would be difficult, though may be doable,” said Eric Wertheim, a defense consultant and author of “The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World.” “The question is: How much risk is China and the White House willing to take in terms of enforcing or breaking through a blockade, respectively, and can it be sustained?”

China has probably studied the strategic failure of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he said, and the United States should continue to send the kinds of arms to Taiwan that will make either an amphibious invasion or an attack with long-range weapons much more difficult for China.

“The Chinese naval officers I’ve spoken to in years past have said they fear the humiliation that would result from any kind of failure, and this of course has the effect of them being less likely to take action if there is an increased risk of failure,” Mr. Wertheim said. “In essence, the success the Ukrainians are having is a message to the Chinese.”

Officials in the Biden administration are trying to gauge what moves would deter China without actually provoking greater military action.

Jessica Chen Weiss, a professor of government at Cornell University who worked on China policy this past year in the State Department, wrote on Twitter that Mr. Biden’s recent remarks committing U.S. troops to defending Taiwan were “dangerous.” She said in an interview that pursuing the porcupine strategy enhances deterrence but that taking what she deems symbolic steps does not.

“The U.S. has to make clear that the U.S. doesn’t have a strategic interest in having Taiwan being permanently separated from mainland China,” she said.

But other former U.S. officials praise Mr. Biden’s forceful statements, saying greater “strategic clarity” bolsters deterrence.

“President Biden has said now four times that we would defend Taiwan, but each time he says it someone walks it back,” said Harry B. Harris Jr., a retired admiral who served as commander of U.S. Pacific Command and ambassador to South Korea. “And I think that makes us as a nation look weak because who’s running this show? I mean, is it the president or is it his advisers?

“So maybe we should take him at his word,” Admiral Harris added. “Maybe he is serious about defending Taiwan.”

EVERYTHING

U.S. Aims to Turn Taiwan Into Giant Weapons Depot - The New York Times

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U.S. Aims to Turn Taiwan Into Giant Weapons Depot; Officials say Taiwan needs to become a “porcupine” with enough weapons to hold out if the Chinese military blockades and invades it

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U.S. Aims to Turn Taiwan Into Giant Weapons Depot - The New York Daily Paper

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4 hours ago · News. U.S. Aims to Turn Taiwan Into Giant Weapons Depot – The New York Times. By. Trish San. -. October 5, 2022.

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DISCOVERY: 2,000-year-old statue of Hercules

Larger than life size, the statue depicts Hercules barren with a youthful body, the ministry said in a press release. The club was found in fragments, and a lion was hanging from the statue's outstretched left hand attesting to the identity of Hercules. On the earl's crest he wears a wreath of vine leaves which is held at the back by a band which ends at the shoulders.

Updated: OCTOBER 4, 2022 16:29

Researchers believe that the statue was adorned in a building dating to the late Byzantine period in the 8th or 9th century AD for buildings during the Byzantine period.

A Roman statue of the Greek mythological hero Hercules was unearthed in northern Greece, according to a report from Heritage Daily.

The discovery occurred in the ancient city of Philippi, which was located north of the present-day city of Kavala. The statue itself was found during excavations conducted by researchers from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Heracles, the son of Zeus, is most commonly known by his Roman name, Hercules, the son of Jupiter. In mythology he was known for his immense physical strength and was considered to be a champion for the weak.

The city of Philippi was named when King Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, conquered the region in 356 BC. The city was also part of the Byzantine Empire but was likely abandoned after the Ottoman conquest.

What was the statue used for?

Researchers believe that the statue was adorned in a building dating to the late Byzantine period in the 8th or 9th century AD, as Roman statues have often been used to adorn buildings until the late Byzantine period, according to the Greek Culture Ministry.

The 2,000-year-old statue of Hercules discovered.. (credit: Greek Ministry of Sport and Culture)

The statue is said to be from the second century AD, placing it to be nearly 2,000 years old.

ABORTION RIGHTS: Key Issue Here in Arizona

Please Note: CBS News reporter covering the intersection between politics and tech. The post Abortion rights key in Arizona governor’s race appeared first on CBS News.

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Since a judge in Pima County judge ruled that Arizona can enforce a near-total ban on abortions, abortion access has become a key issue in the tight race between Republican Kari Lake and Democrat Katie Hobbs to be the state’s next governor.

A new CBS News Battleground Tracker poll of likely Arizona voters shows Hobbs and Lake tied at 49% with less than five weeks until Election Day. Six in 10 registered voters in Arizona say abortion should be legal in the state in most cases.

In September, a judge removed a decades-old injunction that blocked enforcement of a law that’s been in place since 1901, over a decade before Arizona became a state. That law makes it illegal for anyone to provide an abortion surgically or with drugs and is punishable by two to five years in prison.

The ruling, weeks before the midterm elections on Nov. 8, is energizing Democratic voters and some independent-leaning Republicans in the state, whose support could be crucial particularly in the race. . .

According to a Suffolk University / Arizona Republic poll, abortion is a significant motivation for women voters in Arizona. More than seven in 10 Democratic women ranked the issue as their top priority this year, compared to 49% of independent women and 37% of Republican women said the same.

The close gubernatorial race is drawing attention from national GOP figures as well. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, of Texas, is holding rallies with Kari Lake and Republican nominee for Senate Blake Masters on Tuesday and Wednesday in the state.

✓... Abortion is also a key issue driving the Arizona Senate race. According to the new CBS News poll, Democratic incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly leads GOP nominee Blake Masters 51% to 48%.

Like Democratic candidates elsewhere in the country, Kelly enjoys a wide lead among voters who say abortion is very important. More than seven in 10 likely Arizona voters who say abortion is very important in their vote for senator prefer Kelly over Masters. . .

✓

A day after the judge’s ruling, Hobbs held a press conference promising to “use every tool at my disposal to restore abortion rights in Arizona.” That led to her campaign’s best fundraising week of cycle with over $1.2 million in grassroots donations fueled by reproductive rights advocates.

Lake’s campaign has continued to focus on immigration, education and the economy, but the Republican nominee was asked about the abortion ruling in an appearnce on Fox News recently.

“I’m pro-life. I’ve never backed away from that and never will,” Lake said. “The Democrats have tried to politicize the issue in such a disturbing way,” she added.

On her campaign website, Lake says “we must also support people who choose to act responsibly when they are not ready to have a child, and that means making all common forms of birth control available over-the-counter and providing assistance to those who are financially unable to pay for their own birth control.”

✓✓ Two recent polls showed Hobbs leading Lake by one point with less than six weeks before Election Day. Both polls indicated abortion rights as one of the top issues for voters.

DOUBLE ENTENDRES: Cyber Language Words & Acronyms

Welcome to the not-lost-in-transmissals inside Cyberland:

1 "Pig Butchering" Pig Butchering is a relatively new social engineering scam where fraudsters contact people (the "Pigs") on social media and build trust by engaging in long-term communication, establishing the idea of a fabricated friendship or romantic partnership. Sometimes, the scammers impersonate real friends of the target.

DNS -- DNS, or the Domain Name System, translates human readable domain names (for example, www.amazon.com) to machine readable IP addresses (for example, 192.0. 2.44).

EXAMPLE 1

FBI

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warns of a rise in 'Pig Butchering' cryptocurrency scams used to steal ever-increasing amounts of crypto from unsuspecting investors.

The warning was issued as a Private Industry Notification from the FBI Miami Field Office in coordination with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) yesterday to raise awareness among cryptocurrency investors who are increasingly being targeted by these types of scams.

Pig Butchering is a relatively new social engineering scam where fraudsters contact people (the "Pigs") on social media and build trust by engaging in long-term communication, establishing the idea of a fabricated friendship or romantic partnership. Sometimes, the scammers impersonate real friends of the target. . .

At some point, the fraudsters propose that the victim invests in cryptocurrency on phony platforms that aren't linked to an actual cryptocurrency exchange or market.

Victims visiting these fake investment dashboards see massive returns, thinking their investment is already generating profit. The fake investment returns prime the target for the next stage of the scam, which is to press them to invest ever-increasing amounts and not withdraw anything.

At some point, the victim attempts to cash out on their investments, which is when they are told that they need to pay income taxes first, additional processing fees, international transaction costs, etc.

Eventually, the fraudster stops communication and shuts down the fake crypto exchange, or the victim gives up after realizing they have been scammed. Unfortunately, this can be months into the scam with the victim already giving huge amounts of funds to the fraudsters ranging from thousands to millions of dollars.

"Many victims report being directed to make wire transfers to overseas accounts or purchase large amounts of prepaid cards," explains the FBI notice.

"The use of cryptocurrency and cryptocurrency ATMs is also an emerging method of payment. Individual losses related to these schemes ranged from tens of thousands to millions of dollars."

Forbes recently reported on a 52-year-old man from San Francisco who lost $1 million to a Pig Butchering scam after being contacted by fraudsters pretending to be an old colleague.

Spot the scams early

Due to the rising growth of these types of scams and the significant financial losses victims can suffer, it's crucial to recognize them as early as possible.

The FBI has listed the following characteristics of "Pig Butchering" that people should consider as red flags:

You are contacted by a long-lost contact or a stranger on social media.
The URL of the investment platform doesn't match the official website of a popular cryptocurrency market/exchange but is very similar (typo-squatting).
The investment app you have downloaded generates warnings of being "untrusted" when launched on Windows, or your anti-virus marks it as potentially dangerous.
The investment opportunity sounds too good to be true.

People who suspect they may have been victims of "Pig Butchering" are urged to report it to the crime complaint center at ic3.gov, including as many details as possible, to help law enforcement track down the scammers."

EXAMPLE www.bleepingcomputer.com

Russian retail chain 'DNS' confirms hack after data leaked online

October 3, 2022
02:35 PM

Bill Toulas is a technology writer and infosec news reporter with over a decade of experience working on various online publications. An open source advocate and Linux enthusiast, is currently finding pleasure in following hacks, malware campaigns, and data breach incidents, as well as by exploring the intricate ways through which tech is swiftly transforming our lives.

✓ "Russian retail chain 'DNS' (Digital Network System) disclosed yesterday that they suffered a data breach that exposed the personal information of customers and employees.

DNS is Russia's second-largest computer and home appliance store chain, with 2,000 branches and 35,000 employees.

According to the scant details provided in the announcement, a group of hackers residing outside the Russian Federation exploited a security gap in the company's IT systems and accessed customer and employee details.

"We have already found gaps in the protection of our information infrastructure and are working to strengthen information security in the company," says the DNS announcement.

While the firm has not provided details on what information was compromised, it clarified that the hackers didn't steal user passwords and payment card data, as that data isn't stored on their systems.

DNS data leaked on hacker forum

DNS' disclosure of a security breach comes hours after a threat actor began leaking the company's data on a hacking forum, allegedly stolen by a hacking group known as 'NLB Team.'

The data was allegedly stolen on September 19 and contains full names, usernames, email addresses, and phone numbers of DNS customers and employees for 16 million people.

**Leaking of DNS' data on hacker forum**
*Source: BleepingComputer*

According to SimilarWeb data, DNS-shop.ru receives approximately 81.3 million visits per month, being in the top 30 most visited sites in the country, so the alleged number of impacted individuals seems plausible.

Neither the volume of the stolen data nor the type of the information has been officially confirmed.

It is worth noting that the same person leaking DNS' data had previously offered databases belonging to other Russian organizations, "Cherlock.ru," a legal information portal, and "CDEK.market," a consumer goods e-commerce platform.

Russian sites facing “insider” threats

The attack against DNS is allegedly the work of pro-Ukrainian hackers, but new reports have surfaced over the weekend that put a new threat in the frame for Russian sites.

Kyiv Post reports that hackers affiliated with the so-called "National Republican Army" (NRA), an organization uniting dissidents seeking to overthrow Putin, are launching attacks against key Russian firms.

Their first high-profile victim is allegedly "Unisoftware," a software development firm that works closely with the Russian government, the Central Bank, and the federal tax service.

Reportedly, the attack involved the deployment of a ransomware strain to cause damage, while the group also shared some screenshots with the publication as evidence of their access.

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What was the statue used for?

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FBI warns of "Pig Butchering" cryptocurrency investment schemes

Spot the scams early

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DNS data leaked on hacker forum

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