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Alfredo Garcia, a paraplegic who has been in a wheelchair since 1996, is a serial plaintiff. The 41-year-old illegal immigrant and convicted felon makes a living suing small businesses in Southern California for allegedly violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and its California equivalent.

His days are spent going from business to business looking for violations like a bathroom mirror or a paper-towel dispenser that's too high.

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In a 2009 sworn deposition, Garcia admitted to violating his probation by snorting cocaine and smoking pot. He also admitted that he's not a U.S. citizen, doesn't have a green card and bought two Social Security cards off the street.

"We knew this was just legal extortion," said attorney Arthur Barens.

Barens took that deposition while representing El Ceviche Loco. During a break, Garcia asked to use the restroom at Barens' office.

"He came in and used the men's room, but the real purpose of it was to measure our sink and the toilet height and height of the safety rails for the handicapped just to determine if he could find a violation," said Barens.

Garcia then filed a lawsuit against the attorney as well, but later dropped the case.

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DES MOINES, Iowa — Rumeal Robinson, who led Michigan to the NCAA men's basketball championship in 1989 and later played in the NBA, was convicted in federal court Wednesday of borrowing more than $700,000 for a sham business deal and then spending the money on a condominium, expensive furniture and cars.

A jury found Robinson guilty of 11 counts, including bank bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and making a false statement to a financial institution. He faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine on each count. A date for sentencing hasn't been set.

Among a lengthy list of accusations by prosecutors was one accusing Robinson of scheming to sell his mother's home in Cambridge, Mass., without her knowledge.

A telephone message left for Robinson's attorney, J. Keith Rigg of Des Moines, wasn't immediately returned.

Robinson grew up in Cambridge and was a star at Michigan best known for sinking two free throws that helped the Wolverines beat Seton Hall in the 1989 national title game. He was drafted 10th overall by Atlanta in 1990 and went on to play six seasons in the NBA with the Hawks, Nets, Hornets, Trail Blazers, Suns and Lakers.

Federal prosecutors say Robinson schemed between 2004 and 2005 to borrow the money from Community State Bank in the Des Moines suburb of Ankeny. He had the help of Brian Williams, a loan officer at the bank who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud before Robinson's trial began.

Prosecutors said Williams signed off on an initial $377,000 loan to Robinson for his business, Megaladon Development Inc., which was supposedly pursuing a development deal in Jamaica. Instead, Robinson bought a condo, plasma TVs and designer furniture, prosecutors said.

They said Robinson put the condo in the name of his girlfriend, listing her as his company's marketing director though she actually worked in a strip club.

Williams later approved an $80,000 loan for Robinson, which was supposed to be used for business but again was spent on personal items, including cars, clothes and more furniture, prosecutors said.

When Williams' lending authority at the bank ran out, he and Robinson circumvented the $500,000 limit by having the mother-in-law of Robinson's business partner, Jorge Rodriguez, sign documents for a $150,000 loan that was wired directly to Robinson's company.

Prosecutors said the woman was told she was signing the documents to invest in Robinson's company, but he spent $44,000 to buy or lease 10 vehicles, including three Mercedes, two BMWs and five motorcycles. He also spent $3,000 at strip clubs, bought a dog for $1,000 and spent $28,000 on house-related payments, prosecutors said.

They said Robinson later obtained three more loans from the Ankeny Bank totaling more than $111,000 in the name of his girlfriend.

When it became obvious the Jamaica deal would fail, Robinson and Williams became involved in an energy project with a company called Fairway Energy. Williams loaned $495,000 to the company in exchange for a promise of a payment of that same amount to Williams. Another $101,000 loan was made by Williams in connection with the energy company.

Prosecutors also said Robinson arranged for the sale of his mother's house in Cambridge. His business partner became the owner of the house in 2004 because Robinson persuaded his mother to use equity in the house for the Jamaica project, and the sale of the house occurred in 2006 without his mother's knowledge.

U.S. Attorney Nicholas Klinefeldt said Robinson paid off Williams to obtain the loans, lied on court documents and took advantage of people for their credit scores. Klinefeldt said he used the Jamaica project as an excuse to ask people for money when in reality "he planned to use it for his own lavish lifestyle."

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McDonald's burgers are certainly cheap and fast, but you still might wonder why billions have been consumed when you see the results of our recent survey of 28,000 online subscribers who rated burgers at 18 fast-food restaurants.

Among the standouts were In-N-Out Burger and Five Guys Burgers and Fries. The biggest loser: McDonald's. Burger King and Wendy's fared better than McDonald's but far worse than the highest-rated chains.

In-N-Out Burger, which touts its fresh ground chuck, has 247 restaurants in California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. Five Guys had 640 restaurants in 42 states. And McDonald's? 14,000 restaurants. We sent a reporter (not a trained taster, but he has eaten his share of burgers) to make an informal comparison of the fare at Five Guys and McDonald's. Here's what he found:


Five Guys

Five Guys The regular hamburger, two 3.3-ounce griddled patties, was served well done on a lightly browned sesame-seed bun. You can order any of 15 free toppings (the usual, plus options such as grilled mushrooms and jalapeno peppers). Bacon and cheese cost extra. The patties had a bit of searing along the edges, a chewy texture (the chopped meat was fairly coarse), and a beefy flavor. They reminded our reporter of minute steak. The meat was juicy but left an oily taste in his mouth. The bun was soft and spongy.

McDonald's

The basic burger was one 3.5-ounce patty with pickle slices, bits of chopped raw onion, and a dab of ketchup and mustard, served on a lightly browned bun. The meat tasted mild and more greasy than beefy. It was easier to bite through than the Five Guys patty and was uniformly round and brownish-gray. The major flavor came from the toppings. The bun was airy and bland.

Bottom Line

The Five Guys burger was bigger and beefier but costs about $5, compared with $1 for McDonald's. (Five Guys sells a one-patty Little Hamburger for about $3.50.) And the meat is made to order, not in advance, so we waited 5 to 10 minutes.

Close Up

Our reporter couldn't get his hands on an In-N-Out burger, but readers gave it high marks. "It always seems as though the burger was made moments before," one said, "as opposed to sitting under a heat lamp." The basic burger costs about $2.


We asked 28,000 readers who bought any burger on their last visit to the restaurants below: On a scale of 1 to 10, from least delicious burger you've ever had to most, how would you rate that burger's taste? Differences of fewer than 0.5 points aren't meaningful.

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NEW YORK – CNN says Piers Morgan of "America's Got Talent" will replace Larry King on the network's prime-time lineup in January.

Morgan, a veteran journalist who hosts a popular interview program in Britain, will do a similar show for CNN. His selection as King's replacement had been widely expected for the past few months.

CNN President Jon Klein says Morgan is "able to look at all aspects of the news with style and humor with an occasional good laugh in the process."

The struggling news network will debut another prime-time show with former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer and columnist Kathleen Parker in October.

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In Budget Travel's fifth-annual celebration of hometown escapes across the USA, we're spotlighting 10 places that somehow pack in more personality than cities triple their size. How? It all comes down to the people..............




Bandon, Ore.
Pop. 3,295
A farm-to-table hub on Oregon's rugged coast

Bandon is the rare small town that qualifies as a full-blown foodie destination, thanks to a long growing season and chefs who get their hands dirty. Take Jeremy Buck, who relocated here from Florence, Italy, and opened Alloro Wine Bar & Restaurant near the aging canneries lining Old Town harbor. Buck's signature dish is ravioli filled with chanterelles he forages himself. Diners are equally devoted; locals know to come by 7:30 a.m. for the quiches at 2 Loons Cafe. Even the drugstore has a food focus: The wine selection at Tiffany's includes a 2004 Ca' del Baio Barbaresco Pora, only five cases of which were ever sold in the U.S. As for where to stay? The Bandon Inn, where the morning's cranberry bread is, natch, all local.

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Comments may be filed using the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) orby filing paper copies.30 Comments filed through the ECFS can be sent as an electronic file via theInternet to http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/. Generally, only one copy of an electronic submission must befiled. If multiple docket or rulemaking numbers appear in the caption of the proceeding, commentersmust transmit one electronic copy of the comments to each docket or rulemaking number referenced inthe caption. In completing the transmittal screen, commenters should include their full name, U.S. PostalService mailing address, and the applicable docket or rulemaking numbers. Parties may also submit anelectronic comment by Internet e-mail. To get filing instructions for e-mail comments, commentersshould send an e-mail to ecfs@fcc.gov, and should include the following words in the body of themessage, “get form.” A sample form and directions will be sent in reply. Parties who choose to file bypaper must file an original and four copies of each filing. If more than one docket or rulemaking numberappears in the caption of this proceeding, commenters must submit two additional copies for eachadditional docket or rulemaking number

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