DC Comics to reboot superheroes at issue Number 1

DC Comics announced that it promises to restart all of its hero figures. Every comic will restart with issue No. 1 starting in Sept. DC owns such iconic characters as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and The Flash.

New creative team

There are 70 years of storylines being left behind by DC’s new innovative team, Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, leaving a clean slate to work with. Costumes and plotlines will be modernized. There will even be new origins for the plotlines. According to Lee, this will “make characters more identifiable and accessible to comic fans new and old.”

How the heroes fight

There have been DC and Marvel Comics for years. DC has always come in second place. About 40 percent of the comic book market goes to Marvel. Walt Disney Business owns Marvel. DC, owned by Time Warner, garners 27 percent. The plan is to change things for DC. DC will hopefully start to take up more of the industry.

The Justice League

The new DC saga begins Aug. 31 with a new start for the Justice League. ”The Brave and the Bold” magazine is where the Justice League debuted in February 1960. It involves Aquaman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Batman and Superman.

There will be 13 new titles released every week in September while 52 titles are likely to reboot altogether. Since there are 52 alternate Earths which “exist” in the “multiverse” at the business, fifty two has become a magical quantity at DC.

Which industry to work with

Rebooting the “Justice League” will mean new strategy. A new market needs to be used. A same day digital release for the rebooted titles in an app will take place with DC. DC’s blog states that “making DC Comics the first of the two major American publishers to release all of its superhero comic book titles digitally the same day as in print.” This comes after a similar move by Archie Comics, which pioneered the strategy.

Information from

National Post

arts.nationalpost.com/2011/05/31/dc-reboots-entire-line-of-comic-books/

MSNBC

today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43232629

Titans Tower

titanstower.com/monitor/?p=3118

KKK prevents Westboro Baptists during demonstration at Arlington on Memorial Day

Two notorious hate organizations got in the way of Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, states CNN. Hours before President Obama was set to speak before the Tomb of the Unknowns, participants in the Westboro Baptist Church and Ku Klux Klan locked horns. Astonishingly, no violence or arrests occurred.

How the KKK feels about the anti-gay protests from Westboro

The angry demonstrations against homosexuality and the United States Military from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., have gotten a lot of attention. Under the direction of Pastor Phelps and his daughter Abigail, church members parade outside military funerals, sporting anti-gay signs that condemn the souls of dead soldiers to hell.

There is one group of 10 individuals that were at Arlington that didn't like these sentiments though. The 10 people supposedly represented the Knights of the Southern Cross, also known as the Ku Klux Klan. In an area near where the Westboro Baptists were assembled, KKK members dispersed American flags, waved a banner that read "POW-MIA" and did their best to drown out the vitriol of the Westboro Baptists.

Imperial Wizard Dennis LaBonte was at the demonstration. He said the Phelps message of anti-troops was being protested there.

“It’s the soldier that fought and died and gave them that right to free speech,” said LaBonte.

Not scripture based

Abigail Phelps told CNN the Westboro Baptists acknowledge no moral authority in the KKK, as in her church’s view, the Bible makes no references to white power or white supremacy. LaBonte and other suggest the Ku Klux Klan is only there to look after the white race. It is not about being racist or hateful. The Westboro Baptists still believe that homosexuality and the United States military complex are evils.

Not really free freedom

As long as the Westboro Baptists stay a certain distance from military funerals, they’re allowed to protest under the First Amendment protection, according to a United States Supreme Court ruling. Much the same is true of the Ku Klux Klan and their white power demonstrations. So long as violence or direct violations of the law aren’t involved, such organizations can protest as often as they like.

Articles cited

Arlington National Cemetery

arlingtoncemetery.mil/

CNN

cnn.com/2011/US/05/30/arlington.cemetery.protesters/index.html

New York Daily News

nydn.us/mK3Aku

Home prices go down as foreclosure rates soar

House prices are still falling in the U.S. And foreclosure rates are increasing. Those buying for a home should find this good news. However, those looking to sell a home might want to give it some more time.

FHFA report shows distinct drop

The home-price index fell faster than it has since 2008 in the first quarter according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Prices have fallen 2.5 percent in the last quarter, which is a drop of 5.5 percent from last year. The report, however, covers only homes purchased with mortgages provided by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. It doesn’t record cash only sales. They are out entirely.

Several think it is from the foreclosures

FHFA acting director Edward DeMarco said, “In many local real estate markets, particularly those hit hard by this cycle, foreclosures and other distressed properties are still a key factor in recorded and anticipated future sales and may be delaying price stability or recovery.” RealtyTrac states that foreclosure home prices are dropping. There was a 1.89 percent drop from the last quarter to an average sale price of $168,321. That is a 1.46 percent drop in price from this time last year. And because foreclosures lower the value of other homes in their neighborhood, they affect the rest of the index as well.

Foreclosure third parties

”While foreclosure sales continue to account for an unusually high percentage of all residential home sales, sales volume is well off the peak we saw in the first quarter of 2009, when nearly 350,000 foreclosure properties were sold to third parties,” said CEO of RealtyTrac, James Saccacio. During the first quarter, 158,434 homes in various stages of foreclosure were sold to third parties during the first quarter, which is a go down of 16 percent from the previous quarter and 36 percent from a year ago.

Foreclosures in states are different from one another

Foreclosure rates depend on the state. Some have more while others have less. It was at 41 percent in both Ohio and Illinois. California and Arizona had foreclosure rates of 45 percent. In Nevada, foreclosures were 53 percent of the market.

Frauds with foreclosure common

There have been more foreclosure scams recently. Homeowners end up with nothing in these scams that have upfront fees for foreclosure prevention. Mortgage reduction plan negotiations can’t have upfront fees anymore with a requirement made in Feb. with the Federal Trade Commission.

Citations

Wall Street Journal

blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2011/05/25/home-prices-fall-at-fastest-pace-since-late-2008/?mod=google_news_blog

DS News

dsnews.com/articles/home-prices-post-biggest-drop-in-two-years-as-foreclosures-depress-market-2011-05-26

DS News

dsnews.com/articles/home-prices-post-biggest-drop-in-two-years-as-foreclosures-depress-market-2011-05-26

Daily Finance

dailyfinance.com/2011/05/27/foreclosure-prices-fall-again-how-your-state-stacks-up/

Debt reduction and debt consolidation cons still uncontrolled post-recession

You can hardly start up the Television or radio anymore without seeing some sort of advert for a debt relief or debt consolidation business. Though many of these companies are perfectly ethical and do what they promise, there are a lot of them that are frauds. There are still plenty of debt reduction companies that are actively trying to stay away from complying with the regulation.

Federal Trade Commission regulations disregarded

To be able to stop fake debt settlement and debt settlement businesses from stealing, the Federal Trade Commission started up many new rules. This was over half a year ago. Debt servicing companies, according to KNDU, an NBC affiliate in Washington state, are prohibited from asking for an advance fee, have to make specific information accessible up front and can’t misrepresent themselves in any way. Exactly how much money a person can save and what the fees are in the service have to be explained upfront. There are still some businesses not following this law. This can be a problem.

Settlement for large company made

WalletPop states the states of Washington and New York did a sting with Freedom Debt Relief and found out it didn’t follow debt services’ laws. Customers in those states were misled by the California firm. In both cases, the company settled. It settled for $2 million in payments in consumers. The company is dealing with a class action lawsuit right now. It also made similar settlements with four other states. The Federal Trade Commission, according to the Wall Street Journal, recently won large settlements against two debt management businesses illegally “robocalling” consumers with automated phone messages. Advanced Management Services NW and Dynamic Financial Group were found to have robocalled consumers and told those who responded they could reduce debt for a hefty upfront fee. If it didn’t work, Advanced Management Services said it would refund money although the companies both would keep the cash and tell customers that they need to p! ay their bills on time to cut back debt.

Too great to be true

With debt settlement corporations, “if it looks too good to be true, it most likely is” works really well. The Federal Deposit Insurance Business and Federal Trade Commission both warn that any company guaranteeing to remove negative items from credit states or a settlement for “pennies on the dollar” is most likely a scam. Until after there is many kind of debt reduction, debt settlement corporations aren’t legally allowed to ask for any money. Just go ahead and check for a nonprofit debt counselor instead. There are many of them that can help you do a debt reduction plan for free. Before going to any for-profit debt reduction services, try a not-for-profit credit counselor first, the CFIC suggests. Discover financial advisers by going to the National Foundation for credit Counseling.

Citations

Walletpop

walletpop.com/2011/03/08/freedom-debt-relief-agrees-to-pay-back-consumers-after-accusatio/

KNDUO/p>

kndo.com/story/14696586/how-new-federal-debt-relief-rules-protect-consumers

Wall Street Journal

online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110526-711657.html

FDIC

fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/news/cnfall10/debtoverload.html

FTC

ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/moneymatters/dealing-with-debt-relief-services.shtml

NFCC

nfcc.org/

Signing a bill with an autopen causes debate

Obama recently finalized a controversial bill. The bill renewed certain things of the Patriot Act which were going to end. It went to the president for approval, though Obama is currently visiting Europe. The president’s signature is creating controversy, as he authorized an autopen signature, which is a machine that produces an exact copy of a persons’ signature.

Government surveillance allowed again

Unless a new bill was created and passed by Congress and signed by the president, some Patriot Act provisions would have expired. The Christian Science Monitor states that even though the surveillance procedures that are controversial were about to expire, the president signed the bill anyway to keep them going. The government can still use the internet, wiretaps and business records whenever they want without permission. Senator Rand Paul did rally against the bill though, without any luck. CNN states that the president used a robotic pen. This was also very controversial.

How the autopen works

As the president is currently in France, and the signature was needed urgently, the document had to be finalized using an autopen. An autopen is a mechanical machine that reproduces a person’s signature. The difference between an autopen and genuine signature is almost extremely hard to tell. The machines, according to MSNBC, vary in complexity from simply tracing a template to far more mechanically complex machines. In the U.S., there are only two companies that sell the machines. One of the owners, Bob Olding, was interviewed briefly. ABC spoke with Damillic Corp., owner Olding who said the technology hasn’t changed much since the 1930s when it came out. He also stresses that Damillic goes out of its way to properly vet its consumers and make sure that his products are being used ethically.

Legality problems

The Constitution says the president has to sign a bill; the text reads “he shall sign it.” As long as a signature is directed to be attached to a document, it is valid, according to the Department of Justice. The Justice Department at first looked to the use of an autopen for precisely this reason in 2005 and informed then President Bush that as long as he indicated his consent to the signature, an auto signature was legally valid. V.P. Quayle admits that he used an autopen in 1992 while Donald Rumsfeld used one in 2004. This was for the letters he sent to families of troops killed. Thomas Jefferson built a signature and letter duplication machine, or polygraph, in the 19th century. Government officials, astronauts and business executives all have used autopens in the past.

Articles cited

Christian Science Monitor

csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2011/0527/Patriot-Act-three-controversial-provisions-that-Congress-voted-to-keep

CNN

whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/27/rise-of-the-machines-autopen-puts-bill-into-law/?hpt=T2

MSNBC

firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/05/27/6731197-the-great-presidential-autopen-hullabaloo

ABC

blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/05/robama-is-it-ok-for-a-president-to-autopen-a-bill-into-law.html

Damillic Inc

realsig.com/index.htm

Personal loans for for-profit school expenses may be a waste

Private, for-profit schools aren’t all created equal, and scholars should be persistent about any they may be considering. School often has to be funded with some unsecured loans of some sort. Private for-profit schools have higher loan default rates and clash with the authorities regularly. Some schools are great institutions and well worth considering. However, prospective scholars should check any out thoroughly before matriculating.

Indictment for Trump

CNN states the New York Lawyer General is investigating five companies which were for-profit universities. The small, for-profit university Donald Trump started a few years back, the former Trump University, is one of the schools involved. After the New York Department of Education said that this was not a real school, it was renamed the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative. The four some other industries are, according to the New York Times, the Career Education Corporation, Corinthian Colleges, Bridgepoint Education and Lincoln Educational Services. The corporations and schools are being investigated although there aren’t yet any charges filed.

School and state fight

Many for-profit universities have been getting the shaft from state and federal governments lately. Former scholars are not very happy about this. Donald Trump is currently being sued in California by students of the now Trump Entrepreneur Initiative because they say they were misled. Reuters states that Corinthian’s colleges in California, Florida, Georgia and Massachusetts are also under investigation. The Boston Globe states the Massachusetts Attorney General will investigate the Apollo group as well which is known as the Kaplan Career Institute, operated by the Washington Post company, and University of Phoenix. The stability of smaller private colleges is generally not strong either. They are quite unstable really. Students in Spokane, Washington were left with thousands in personel loans and no degree when Alpine College shut down.

Difficult to afford and extremely hard to pay for

Students have trouble deciding which school to go to. Typically, cost is a significant thing to consider. For-profit, private colleges could be incredibly costly. Reuters states that 15.2 percent of students who went to a for-profit university defaulted on student loans within a year in 2009, which is twice the 7.3 percent of students who defaulted after going to a public school. The rate was much lower for private, not-for-profit schools. That rate was only at 4.3 percent. Also, for-profit school scholars make up half of loan defaults. That’s a pretty high rate. Several people have accused for-profit universities of fraudulent advertising and of not preparing students well enough for the job industry, thus making it harder for them to meet their loan obligations. Schools may not be able to get federal loans for students if they have a default rate over 35 percent if the Department of Education gets its way.

Citations

CNN

money.cnn.com/2011/05/20/news/companies/trump_university/index.htm

New York Times

nytimes.com/2011/05/20/nyregion/trumps-for-profit-school-said-to-be-under-investigation.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=education

Reuters

reuters.com/article/2011/05/20/education-forprofit-idUSN2028820820110520

Reuters

reuters.com/article/2011/05/20/us-education-idUSTRE74J55O20110520

MSNBC

msnbc.msn.com/id/43130397″>MSNBC

Boston Globe

http://articles.boston.com/2011-05-17/business/29552871_1_college-access-success-college-students-schools”

Great Britain sees a rise in cash advances

The amount of cash advances has increased considerably in Great Britain over the last month or so. The number of loans has grown sharply since the Financial institution Holiday at the beginning of May. The demand has increased by about 58 percent from what it was in this same period last month.

Increase in price continues

Many think that Great Britain’s economy could be predicted based on the boost in cash advances. According to Moneysupermarket.com, which is a product comparison site, the weekly expenditures for a working class family in Great Britain have risen by an alarming 54 pounds (close to $87) a week over the last six-month period.

Stagnant wages

There has been a huge struggle for working individuals since wages have been stagnant. At the same time, costs have been increasing quite a bit. About 8.5 million households would have a lot of problems without their primary source of income according to a Scottish Widows report. Financial stability is something only 25 percent of individuals would be confident with if this income were lost. At least there is that.

The Customer Protection Report from Scottish Widows also reported that almost half of the country’s families with children are reliant upon two salaries.

Measure the economy in installment loans

Moneysupermarket.com’s head of loans and debt Time Moss claims, “These products act as a barometer, giving a unique insight to the state of the nation’s finances.” Moss continues, “It’s no surprise to see the demand for payday loans rise so sharply in the current climate.”

Paying for cash advances or overdrafts

Getting an overdraft fee penalty is typically worse than these loans. This is what Moss explains despite their critics.

Decisions should be weighed carefully

When taking out a cash advance, make sure you are very careful and think about the decision. Installment loans can be costly if they aren’t paid back on time, and payday advance terms generally only last a few weeks.

Articles cited

My Finances

myfinances.co.uk/loans-and-credit/2011/05/17/payday-loans-rise-in-popularity-after-bank-holiday-spending

Payday Bank

paydaybank.co.uk/news/

Yorkshire Post

yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/business-news/demand_for_payday_loans_on_the_rise_1_3403086