Would you like to buy a house for one dollar?

If someone came up to you on the street and asked you that question, you would probably respond by saying that it sounds too good to be true. But this is actually happening in economically-depressed cities all over America. Of course there are a number of reasons why you might want to think twice before buying any of these homes, and I will get into those reasons in just a little bit. First, however, it is worth noting that many of the cities where these "free houses" are available were once some of the most prosperous cities in the entire country. In fact, the city of Detroit once had the highest per capita income in the entire nation. But as millions of good jobs have been shipped overseas, these once prosperous communities have degenerated into rotting, decaying hellholes. Now homes that once housed thriving middle class families cannot even be given away. This is happening all over America, and what we are witnessing right now is only just the beginning.

The photo that I have posted was sent to me by a reader just the other day. It is a photo of a house in Yakima, Washington that is apparently being given away for free. At one time it was probably quite a lovely home, but now nobody seems to want it...

This piqued my curiosity, so I started doing some research and I discovered that homes all over the nation are being sold off for a dollar or less. The following are just a few examples...

-Buffalo, New York: "The Urban Homestead Program that is offered by the City of Buffalo enables qualified buyers to purchase a home that has been deemed 'homestead eligible' for $1.00 and there are plenty of properties left. There are three main requirements when purchasing a homestead property; the owner must fix all code violations within 18 months, have immediate access to at least $5000, and live there for at least three years. You also have to cover the closing costs of the purchase."

A disgruntled former Mormon has convinced an English court to file two summonses to appear against Thomas S. Monson, the current president of the Mormon Church.

Tom Phillips based his complaint on the Fraud Act of 2006, a British law that outlaws making a profit off of false representations. According to Phillips, this is precisely what the Mormon Church does - it uses statements it knows to be factually untrue in order to secure tithes from members of the Church.

The facts in question, court records show, are tenets of the Mormon faith, including that Joseph Smith translated The Book of Mormon from ancient gold plates, that Native Americans are descendants of a family of Israelites, and that death didn't exist on this planet until 6,000 years ago.

"These are not statements of mere 'beliefs' or opinions or theories," Phillips wrote. "They are made as actual facts and their truthfulness can be objectively tested with evidence."

Want to pick up a pack of cigarettes with your prescription refill? A major U.S. pharmacy chain is breaking that habit.

CVS Caremark announced Wednesday it will stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products at its CVS/pharmacy stores by October 1.

The retailer said the move makes CVS/pharmacy the first chain of national pharmacies to take tobacco products off the shelves.

"Ending the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products at CVS/pharmacy is the right thing for us to do for our customers and our company to help people on their path to better health," Larry J. Merlo, president and CEO of CVS Caremark, said in a statement. "Put simply, the sale of tobacco products is inconsistent with our purpose."

CVS Caremark is the largest pharmacy in the United States based on total prescription revenue, according to the company. It operates more than 7,600 CVS/pharmacy stores nationwide in addition to more than 800 MinuteClinics, which are medical clinics within the pharmacy locations.

Health-oriented organizations and President Barack Obama praised the move.

Strip searches seem to be on the rise in this country. They don't even have to suspect that you're hiding something "criminal" like a gun or drugs. If you have a suspended registration, or you're a trucker driving in the left lane, that's all some police need to perform a strip search on you in public in the middle of the day for all the other drivers to see.

A naked man possessing what authorities described as superhuman-like strength died Tuesday night after he assaulted a retired police officer, bit another man on the face and was then shot during a confrontation with deputies near Delray Beach, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said.

It was not immediately clear whether the man died from gunshot wounds or from a medical condition, Bradshaw said. Neither the names of the deceased man nor the assault victims were released late Tuesday.

The scene unfolded at about 8:30 p.m. on South Military Trail, north of Lake Ida Road and near The Colony at Delray Beach community. The man, who was not wearing any clothing, was walking north on Military Trail when, for reasons unknown, he assaulted a 66-year-old retired New York City police officer, Bradshaw said.

The retired officer was rushed to Delray Medical Center with serious injuries. The naked man, described as being about 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, then continued north on Military toward the entrance to the Colony where began chasing a man and the man's 10-year-old son. At some point, the man began fighting with an 18-year-old man and he started biting the 18-year-old on the face, Bradshaw said.

Thirty-two carriages containing liquefied gas derailed in the Kirov Region, Central Russia, with a dozen bursting into flames. More than 700 local residents and workers from a nearby factory were evacuated from the fire zone.

The 72-car train derailed on Wednesday morning due to an outbreak of fire as a result of an overhead system failure. Eleven other carriages caught fire as a result.

The fire was localized after nearly six hours of firefighting. However, it spread to 30 garages near the railway line, and one warehouse was also engulfed. No deaths or injuries were reported, the Emergencies Ministry confirmed.

The accident caused serious problems with transport connections in the region. Arrivals were delayed and several train itineraries were changed. Railway traffic on the way from Balezino to Kotelnich has been halted.

The Emergencies Ministry has dismissed fears of ecological problems in the region resulting from the accident. The liquefied gas leakage has not reached nearby Vyatka River, said the head of regional department of EMERCOM, an organization engaged in humanitarian and rescue activity.

Sochi is ready for its Olympic debut. When the world tunes in to watch the 2014 Winter Games, it will see futuristic, state-of-the-art stadiums nestled next to the Black Sea, breathtaking views from world-class ski resorts in the snow-capped Caucasus mountains, and a sprawling new Olympic Park framed by subtropical palm trees.

It has been an epic seven-year adventure to prepare for the Games, which organ-isers hope will formally introduce the "new " to global audiences as a modern, dynamic country.

The is all the more remarkable as none of the facilities existed a few years ago. When the Sochi bid was selected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2007, there was much grumbling that its defeated rivals Pyeongchang in South Korea and Salzburg in Austria were more worthy choices. Both could point to existing facilities ideal for Games events.

Woody Allen's twenty-eight year old daughter, Dylan Farrow, has just written a powerful statement outlining the sexual abuse she says she endured by her father, Woody Allen, when she was seven years old. The famous director strongly denies the allegations, and claims that Dylan's mother, Mia Farrow, is responsible for the false claims.[1] A friend and filmmaker colleague has written a strong opinion piece defending Woody Allen.

Woody Allen is presumed innocent. However, having represented many child sexual abuse victims for decades, I find Dylan's story is highly credible. Here's why.

1. She is not seeking anything from Woody Allen. She is not suing him. No criminal case is pending. (Nor could there be, due to the statute of limitations.) She is not selling a book or movie or anything else. Her sole motivation appears to be to tell her story. When sexual abuse victims grow up and get healthy, telling is a crucial, life-affirming step. Secrecy is toxic. Telling is liberating. It takes the shame off the victim's shoulders and places it squarely where it belongs: on the perpetrator.

The Food and Drug Administration is using ads that depict yellow teeth and wrinkled skin to show the nation's at-risk youth the costs associated with cigarette smoking.

The federal agency said Tuesday it is launching a $115 million multimedia education campaign called "The Real Cost" that's aimed at stopping teenagers from smoking and encouraging them to quit.

Advertisements will run in more than 200 markets throughout the U.S. for at least one year beginning Feb. 11. The campaign will include ads on TV stations such as MTV and print spots in magazines like Teen Vogue. It also will use social media.

Prices for foods rose 5.3% in Armenia in January 2014, compared with December 2013, mainly due to ten-to-41-percent price hikes in vegetable and fruit markets, the National Statistical Service of Armenia reports.

Prices for vegetables and potatoes went 9.3% up in Jan 2014, compared with the same month a year before, and leapt 41.6%, compared with December 2013.

Fruit prices added 0.2% in January 2014, compared with Jan 2013, and jumped 10.6%, compared with Dec 2013.

According to the statistical report, as a whole, fruits, vegetables and potatoes became 30.2% more expensive in January 2014 than they were in the same month a year earlier.