Day: February 18, 2009

Rebecca Traister on Bristol Palin’s televised interview

~ FmH ~ 3 Comments
Location of Willow, Alaska

‘All over the news on Tuesday were clips of 18-year-old new mother Bristol Palin stuttering awkwardly in an interview with Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren and saying what many Americans already know all too well: that the idea of teenage abstinence is unrealistic.

But more than just sound bites, Van Susteren’s interview with Bristol (and her “surprise-guest” mom) was a vivid reminder of how, sadly, this unremarkable high schooler got dragged into the spotlight by a Republican ticket anxious to paper over its party’s family-values inconsistencies with the addition of a just-folks clan led by an Alaskan governor determined to use her family as an illustration of her policies. It was also an embodiment of all that was frustrating and tone-deaf about those policies, and about the governor’s candidacy for the vice-presidency.’ via Salon Life.

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Homeowners’ rallying cry: Show Me the note

~ FmH ~ 1 Comment

Stave off your foreclosure by asking the bank to produce the original mortgage note. Often, it can no longer be found.

‘During the real estate frenzy of the past decade, mortgages were sold and resold, bundled into securities and peddled to investors. In many cases, the original note signed by the homeowner was lost, stored away in a distant warehouse or destroyed.

Persuading a judge to compel production of hard-to-find or nonexistent documents can, at the very least, delay foreclosure, buying the homeowner some time and turning up the pressure on the lender to renegotiate the mortgage.’ via The Associated Press.

First liquid water spotted on Mars?

~ FmH
An artist's rendition of the Phoenix Mars prob...

‘NASA’s Phoenix lander may have captured the first images of liquid water on Mars – droplets that apparently splashed onto the spacecraft’s leg during landing, according to some members of the Phoenix team.

The controversial observation could be explained by the mission’s previous discovery of perchlorate salts in the soil, since the salts can keep water liquid at sub-zero temperatures. Researchers say this antifreeze effect makes it possible for liquid water to be widespread just below the surface of Mars, but point out that even if it is there, it may be too salty to support life as we know it.New Scientist.

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Aides Say No Pardon for Libby Irked Cheney

~ FmH
Lewis "Scooter" Libby

“Dick Cheney spent his final days as vice president making a furious last-ditch effort to secure a pardon for his onetime chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby Jr., leaving him at odds with former President George W. Bush on a matter of personal loyalty as the two moved on to private life, according to several former officials.” via NYTimes.

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