Rep. Christopher Lee of New York abruptly resigned with only a vague explanation of regret after a gossip website reported that the married congressman had sent a shirtless photo of himself to a woman whose Craigslist ad he answered. (Feb. 10)
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It looks like HTC just got the go-ahead for a 4G smartphone from that great predictor of market preparedness, the FCC — and all signs point to Thunderbolt . PG05100, as it’s so lovingly referred to, operates on Verizon’s 700MHz LTE as well as its CDMA / EVDO bands, and is set up for SVDO and SVLTE (or simultaneous CDMA voice and LTE data) — definitely in keeping with Verizon’s plans . Unsurprisingly, HTC’s slapped the usual confidentiality request on this one, asking that any telling photos remain under wraps until March 31st. Considering what we’ve heard about a delayed Valentine’s Day debut , could this mean an April Fools’ launch for Verizon’s first 4G LTE smartphone? Our heart tells us to doubt it, but if PG05100 turns out to be the real deal, Thunderbolt should hit the US sometime soon. Not soon enough , mind you, but you catch the drift. [Thanks, Shane ] HTC Thunderbolt makes FCC appearance? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 16:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …JP Morgan Chase says ‘Oops, we’re sorry’ for kicking military families out of their homes
February 10, 2011 No CommentI was watching the TODAY Show Wednesday and they had another segment on their breaking news on JP Morgan Chase fleecing homes from active members of the Armed Forces. The segment featured a soldier who is fighting in Iraq and at the same time was arguing with JPMC and getting the runaround. And still she lost her house. Now they say they’ll take care of it. It’s sickening and against the law. This above video was the initial report that got the ball rolling and exposed these cowards. NBC News: JP Morgan & Chase Co.’s admission that it overcharged thousands of American servicemen has triggered investigations by a congressional committee and a federal prosecutor. As first reported last week by NBC News, the bank admits mistakenly overcharging 4,000 military families for their mortgages, and improperly foreclosing on 14 of them. The actions — which the bank says it deeply regrets — appear to violate the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, a law designed to protect military families from added financial stress while troops are in harm’s way. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, says his committee has begun an investigation. “ The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act has been in place for decades and I cannot believe that one of the nation’s largest financial institutions appears to be disregarding the protections offered by that law,” he said. “If the allegations are true, this amounts to widespread abuse of our nation’s heroes and their families.” A hearing is planned in early February. Legal sources tell NBC News that the U.S. attorney for South Carolina, William N. Nettles, also has begun looking into the matter.,, read on Here’s a little more from KPBS: The Stars and Stripes reports that Chase flouted the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, a law that prohibits banks from charging more than 6% mortgage interest when troops are on active duty. The SCRA also makes it a no-no to foreclose on service members while they’re on active duty. Only, Chase ignored this pesky fact, and ended up foreclosing on 14 families. To make it up to everybody: JPMorgan Chase & Co. is repaying more than $2 million to about 4,000 military families who were overcharged for their mortgages. JPMorgan Chase said those 14 properties have been or will be returned to the owners.
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A Belgium senator is proposing that women in that country withhold sex until a new government is formed. The country is struggling to get a government going, with some looking for ways to goad politicians into moving quicker. (Feb. 10)
Continue reading …The same section of the brain may process both sexual and violent urges, a new study suggests. In experiments on mice, scientists discovered a tiny cluster of cells in the hypothalamus that flared to life both while the mice were fighting and while they were having sex, Scientific American explains….
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The citizens of Fort Wayne, Indiana really do love their former Mayor Harry Baals, and they’re about to have the most awesomely named public facility in the history of all time. [video link] Thanks Luke… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Boing Boing Discovery Date : 10/02/2011 20:37 Number of articles : 4
Continue reading …Today’s lesson in what not to post on the Internet: A Philadelphia high school teacher is suspended and might lose her job after blogging about how lousy her students are, reports phillyBurbs.com . Sample: “They are rude, disengaged, lazy whiners. They curse, discuss drugs, talk back, argue for grades, complain…
Continue reading …The price of performance art: A professor at NYU has pulled out the camera implanted in the back of his head because his body rejected it, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education . The contraption—designed to snap a photo every minute for this website —also caused Iraqi-born Wafaa Bilial constant…
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Tank, who’s nominated for a Grammy this year with Chris Brown, talks about his latest CD ‘Now or Never.’ He also recalls the phone call his label got from the Recording Academy, who praised his cover of Bonnie Raitt’s ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me.’ (Feb. 10)
Continue reading …Bailouts A Thing Of The Past? Not Hardly. AIG Gets A $2B Extra, Thanks To The Taxpayers
February 10, 2011 No CommentBailouts a thing of the past, huh? More presents for AIG! Via Yves at Naked Capitalism: First from Bloomberg, “ AIG Has $4.1 Billion Charge on Insufficient Reserves “: American International Group Inc. said higher-than-forecast claims costs cut fourth-quarter profit by $4.1 billion, and $2 billion previously designated to repay its bailout will be used to bolster the property-casualty unit. The insurer reached an agreement with the U.S. Treasury Department permitting the company to keep $2 billion of proceeds from the sale of Star Life Insurance Co. and Edison Life Insurance Co., New York-based AIG said today in a statement. Funds will be used by Chartis for losses tied to coverage including workers’ compensation and asbestos liability. The troubling part is “keep”. Unless the Treasury got some form of consideration back from AIG, this sure looks like a gift. We see similar ambiguous language at the Journal : American International Group Inc. said it will book a $4.1 billion charge when it reports results for the fourth quarter, as it adds to reserves at its Chartis property and casualty insurance unit…. AIG also said Wednesday that it signed a letter of agreement with the U.S. Treasury to retain $2 billion of the proceeds from the sale of AIG Star Life Insurance Co. and AIG Edison Life Insurance Co. to support Chartis’ capital. Now with AIG, a mere two billion must look like mere rounding error, but again, pray tell exactly how this reversal of the TARP payback is being accounted for? We’ve had so much sleight of hand with AIG that nothing would surprise me. And with the Congressional Oversight Panel about to go out of business, any pushback is almost certain to be limited .
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