U.S. News

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Bullied Michigan Teen Gets Her Revenge

Bullied Michigan Teen Gets Her Revenge, After being the victim of a cruel prank, Whitney Kropp gets the last laugh at her homecoming. Whitney Kropp: Bullied Michigan Teen Shines at Homecoming Game, For bullied high school sophomore Whitney Kropp, looking good was the best revenge.

Earlier this month, the West Branch, Mich., teen said she thought about killing herself after some classmates told her she was nominated to homecoming court as a joke.

On Friday, Kropp had the last laugh. Local businesses rallied around the teen, donating her dress, shoes, jewelry, hair styling and makeup. The 16-year-old was escorted by her father and grandfather to the field, where she confidently took her place in the Ogemaw Heights High School homecoming court.

Troubled Mich. Lottery Winner Found Dead

Troubled Mich. Lottery Winner Found Dead, A woman who pleaded no contest to welfare fraud after winning $1 million died in her home. Michigan $1 Million Lotto Winner Who Was Charged With Welfare Fraud Found Dead, A woman who admitted to receiving food stamps after winning $1 million on a Michigan state lotto game show was found dead today. The circumstances surrounding Amanda Clayton's death were not immediately released by police, but ABC News' Detroit affiliate WXYZ-TV reported that sources within the police department said they suspect the woman died of an overdose. An autopsy is pending on Clayton's body, which was found at a home in Ecorse, Mich., police said. Clayton, who became a millionaire after her big win last September, caused outrage earlier this year when it was revealed she was continuing to get $200 in monthly food aid from the state. According to the attorney general's office, Clayton failed to report her winnings and employment while receiving $5,475 in food and medical assistance. "It's simply common sense that million dollar lottery winners forfeit their right to public assistance," Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said in a statement. "We will continue to work with local, state and federal authorities to uphold state laws intended to ensure wise stewardship of taxpayer dollars."

Friday, September 7, 2012

Prince Harry's Party Girl In Jail

Prince Harry's Party Girl In Jail, Well, at least he didn't get her pregnant ... right? Right? The San Diego beautician who says she frolicked naked with Prince Harry is in jail for writing bad checks. Prince Harry's Party Girl In Jail

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Windows 8 Consumer Preview

Windows 8 Consumer Preview, Those of you who couldn't be in Barcelona, Spain for yesterday's Windows 8 Consumer Preview demo can now catch all the action through a series of online videos. The event at the Mobile World Congress wasn't webcast live, so Microsoft has posted several videos on its Newsroom page showing off all the major highlights. Most of the videos can be viewed online or downloaded in a few different formats, though the Broadcast links provide the highest quality.

Hougang By-election

Hougang By-election, At the Workers' Party press conference last month to announce Mr Yaw Shin Leong's expulsion were (from left) Mr Gerald Giam, Mr Low Thia Khiang, Ms Sylvia Lim and Mr Pritam Singh. The Constitution makes clear that a by-election to fill a vacant seat is not optional, said party leaders Mr Low and Ms Lim on Wednesday The Workers' Party (WP) has asked the Government to call a by-election in Hougang 'as soon as practicable' because it is compulsory by law to hold one, it said.

The Devil Inside

The Devil Inside, The Devil Inside is a wannabe 'exorcist meets Paranormal Activity'. Unfortunately, it doesn't come close to either as far as being scary is concerned. It actually amuses you with its amateur filmmaking, cliched story, theatrical performances and poor production value. A woman is 'suspected' to be possessed after she kills 3 priests who were conducting exorcism on her. Given her mental instabilities, she is transferred to a mental hospital in Italy. Few years after the incident, the woman's daughter Isabella travels to Italy to find out what happened to her mother. Once in Italy, two ordained exorcists allow Isabella to be a part of their many illegal exorcisms before they conduct it on her mother.

Fannie Mae 4.6 Billion Aid

Fannie Mae 4.6 Billion Aid, The government-controlled mortgage finance firm earlier Wednesday posted a loss of $2.4 billion for the quarter ended December 31. That pushed Fannie Mae's loss for 2011 to $16.9 billion from $14.0 billion a year earlier, the company said. Fannie Mae's pre-2009 book of loans and declining home prices continues to make it difficult for the firm to turn a profit. "We think that we have reserved for and recognized substantially all of the credit losses associated with the legacy book," said Susan McFarland, executive vice president and chief financial officer in an interview. The government seized Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which together back roughly half of all outstanding U.S. mortgages, in September 2008 as losses from failing home loans threatened the agencies' solvency. Fannie Mae has borrowed more than $116 billion from the government and paid almost $20 billion in the form of dividends. "We're very focused on returning to profitability so we don't have to draw (from Treasury) to cover operating losses," said McFarland. Freddie Mac, which hasn't yet reported fourth-quarter results, has received more than $71 billion in government aid and paid back about $15 billion as of the third quarter. Fannie Mae's credit-related expenses were $5.5 billion in the fourth quarter, compared with $4.3 billion a year earlier and $4.9 billion in the third quarter. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac don't lend to consumers. Rather, they buy and insure mortgages from banks to allow lenders to make more loans. In the fourth quarter, the firm's provision for credit losses and foreclosed-property expenses rose to $4.7 billion from $4.5 billion in the third quarter. Its provision for loan losses narrowed to $18.7 billion from $23.6 billion a year ago.