Friday, January 16, 2009

Freddie, Fannie Force Borrowers to Waive Legal Rights.     When the government announced in November that it would use mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to streamline loan modifications for possibly hundreds of thousands of borrowers, officials billed the idea as a fast-track program to fight foreclosures. What no one mentioned is that homeowners would have to sign away their rights to sue, if they wanted to get those loans modified. read more [Truthout - All Articles] 10:06:08 AM    comment []

The Most Ridiculous Speech of All. President Bush walks away from the podium after addressing the nation for the last time. (Photo: Reuters)     I don't think there's a punch-line scheduled, is there? - Monty Python read more [Truthout - All Articles] 10:04:28 AM    comment []

Teens' Self- Portraits Spur Kid-Porn Charge. Pennsylvania teens are in trouble over child-porn photos of themselves. Three girls who took the pictures, and three boys who got them via cell phone, have been charged, Pittsburgh's WPXI-TV reports. A student was caught with one of the phones in school in October, prompting a police investigation. But the charges violate the spirit of state child-pornography laws, says an attorney. [All Stories from Newser] 9:54:26 AM    comment []

Israelâo[dot accent]s Chemical Warfare?. Following previous indictments by aid agencies, a video has surfaced in the aftermath of Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip that shows images “consistent with the use of white phosphorus shells”—i.e. chemical weaponry. The Israeli military has denied use of the chemical agent, which can sometimes burn skin to the bone. The Guardian: Video showing injuries consistent with the use of white phosporus shells has been filmed inside hospitals treating Palestinian wounded in Gaza City. Contact with the shell remnants causes severe burns, sometimes burning the skin to the bone, consistent with descriptions by Ahmed Almi, an Egyptian doctor at the al-Nasser hospital in Khan Younis. Almi said the entire body of one victim was burned within an hour. It was the first time he had seen the effects of what he called a “chemical weapon”. The Israeli military has denied using white phosphorus during the assault on Gaza, but aid agencies say they have no doubt it has been used. Read more READ THE WHOLE ITEM Related Entries January 16, 2009 Christian Appy on ‘Mekong Diaries’ January 15, 2009 Who’s in Charge—Obama, the Pentagon or Israel? January 15, 2009 Hamas Official Killed, U.N. Compound Hit in Gaza January 15, 2009 Getting the Story on Gaza January 15, 2009 Obama Will End ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ [Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines] 9:46:47 AM    comment []

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