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The Huffington Post | Full News Feed         Thomas Levet Celebration Injury: Golfer To Miss British Open Due To Broken Shin (VIDEO) July 6, 2011 at 10:50 AM   INVERNESS, Scotland — Thomas Levet's exuberant celebration after winning his home tournament in France last weekend has cost him a place in the British Open. Levet withdrew Wednesday from the year's third major after being ruled out for six weeks with a broken shin. He broke the bone when jumping into a lake to celebrate his victory at the French Open on Sunday. His spot will go to Robert Garrigus of the United States. Read More... More on Golf         UK Phone Hacking Targets More Slain Schoolgirls July 6, 2011 at 10:50 AM   LONDON — Britain's tabloid phone hacking scandal dominated the airways Wednesday as it swelled to allegedly involve more missing schoolgirls and the families of London terror victims. Lawmakers held an emergency debate, companies hastily pulled their ads and the prime minister demanded two new inquiries. News International, the British linchpin of Rupert Murdoch's global News Corp. media empire, was under intense pressure due to its News of the World tabloid, which has admitted hacking into the phones of celebrities but now stands accused of possibly interfering with police investigations into missing girls who were found murdered. Read More...         Mitt Romney Fundraising Efforts Net $18.25 Million While Newt Gingrich Campaign Remains In Debt July 6, 2011 at 10:50 AM   Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign is reporting that it raised $18.25 million over the course of the past three months. "Voters are responding to Mitt Romney's message that President Obama's policies have failed and that we need new leadership in Washington," said Romney National Finance Chairman Spencer Zwick in a statement. "Our fundraising for the second quarter represents the strong support Mitt Romney has across the country." The Romney campaign offered the following rundown on the numbers: Read More... More on Newt Gingrich         Study Finds UK Locals Fail To Use Sunscreen, Rely On Clouds For Protection July 6, 2011 at 10:50 AM   Britons are failing to armor up before going outside to fight that old nemesis, the sun. A study by the North West Cancer Research Fund revealed that while 96 percent of UK citizens wear sunscreen when abroad, only 65 percent of them lather it on when vacationing at home. Read More... More on United Kingdom         Lenny Kravitz Dishes On Zoe Stealing His Boas, Wearing Skimpy Clothes July 6, 2011 at 10:38 AM   Details caught up with rocker Lenny Kravitz, who talked about not being black or white enough, that time Duke Ellington sang "Happy Birthday" to him and his supposed vow of celibacy until marriage. Oh, and his style -- he talked about that, too. DETAILS: Your personal style has definitely evolved over the years. Do those old outfits make you cringe now? Read More... More on Celebrity Style         Cory Maye Freed After 10 Years In Prison: The Back Story July 6, 2011 at 10:26 AM   MONTICELLO, Miss. -- It's Friday, July 1, 2011, a little past 8:15 a.m. when I arrive at the Lawrence County, Mississippi, courthouse. As I walk toward the building, I run into Dorothy Maye, the mother of Cory Maye. She's beaming. "I thought you'd be wearing a smile today, Miss Dorothy," I say. She gives me a quick but firm embrace. She scolded me years ago when I tried to shake her hand. "I don't shake," she said. "I hug." Later that day, she expects to hear Judge Prentiss Howell tell the courtroom that after 9 and a half years in prison -- including two on death row and another three in Parchman Penitentiary's notoriously violent Unit 32 -- her son will soon be coming home. Cory Maye, now 30, was convicted in 2004 of shooting and killing Prentiss, Mississippi, police officer Ron Jones, Jr. during a botched drug raid on Maye's home on the day after Christmas in 2001. Maye says he was asleep as the raid began at 12:30 a.m. and had no idea the men breaking into his home were police. The police say they announced themselves. Maye had no prior criminal record, and police found all of a marijuana roach in his apartment, which under other circumstances would garner a $100 fine. Read More... More on Death Penalty         U.S. Warns Terrorists Considering Surgically Implanting Bombs In Humans July 6, 2011 at 10:26 AM   WASHINGTON — The U.S. government has warned domestic and international airlines that some terrorists are considering surgically implanting explosives into humans to carry out attacks, The Associated Press has learned. There is no intelligence pointing to a specific plot, but the U.S. shared its concerns last week with executives at domestic and international carriers. Read More... More on Terrorism         Wombat The Size Of A Rhinoceros, Diprotodon, Found In Australia July 6, 2011 at 10:26 AM   Scientists in Australia have uncovered an ancient wombat the size of a rhinoceros, The Telegraph reports. "It was the biggest of them all – the biggest marsupial that ever lived on any continent," Professor Sue Hand, a paleontologist at the University of New South Wales, told Australian Geographic. The plant-eating diprotodon, a relative of the modern wombat, roamed Australia 2.5 million years ago and became extinct around 55,000 years ago. The fossil of the car-sized creature found in Australia is the most complete skeleton of its kind, AFP reports. According to the Daily Mail, the giant wombat weighs around three tons and stretches up to 14 feet long. Read More... More on Animals         The Best Places To Be A Vegan Prisoner July 6, 2011 at 10:26 AM   Jails aren't exactly known for their fine cuisine, but at least if you are a vegan and arrested in San Francisco, you can rest easy knowing that vegan meals will be provided. In California, the law requires that vegetarian or kosher meals are served to those that observe diets for religious reasons. However, vegan meals are more of a courtesy than a mandate. In the mid-1990s, 40 members of PETA were arrested after demonstrating outside of Neiman Marcus. They requested vegan meals and ever since, vegan meals have been provided. In other parts of the country, vegan prisoners are not always so lucky. There have been several documented instances of denying requests of vegan prisonerss (see here and here). Read More...         All Google+ Profiles Will Be Made Public By July 31 July 6, 2011 at 10:26 AM   Want to keep your Google profile between you and your friends? Too bad. Google+ profiles will not be allowed to remain private, with users required to make at least their full name and gender public in order to use the site. Google wrote on its public profiles page of the upcoming change: Read More... More on Online Privacy         Steve Jobs Biography Renamed: 'iSteve' Becomes 'Steve Jobs July 6, 2011 at 10:10 AM   Walter Isaacson's forthcoming authorized biography of Apple CEO Steve Jobs has a new title. The book, set for release in March 2012, initially appeared on Amazon.com with the title "iSteve: The Book of Jobs." It has since been renamed and is now listed simply as "Steve Jobs: A Biography." According to Fortune, Read More...         Jessica Alba Shows Baby Bump, Talks 'Dark Angel' In Latina Magazine (PHOTO) July 6, 2011 at 10:10 AM   While most stars with child work hard to hide their baby bumps, Jessica Alba proudly flaunts her newest accessory on the cover of Latina Magazine -- and looks outstanding while doing so. The "Sin City" and "Spy Kids 4" star talks about motherhood, bump accentuation and her career in the new issue, giving some pointers to her fellow actresses about how to handle their growing passengers. Having already had one child (daughter Honor) and announcing in February that her second one is on the way, she's an expert. "If you are sporting a pregnant belly, it's better to show it than to hide it," she tells the magazine. "If you look in the mirror and you look really wide and frumpy, then you're going to appear really wide and frumpy. The more figure-forming your clothes, even though you have more curves, the better. I like long, thin sweaters that kind of hide my hips and my booty, so there's not a huge emphasis on how big they're getting." Read More... More on Jessica Alba         U.S. Warns Terrorists Considering Surgically Implanting Bombs In Humans July 6, 2011 at 10:10 AM   WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government is warning airlines that some terrorists are considering surgically implanting explosives into humans to carry out attacks. There is no intelligence pointing to a specific plot, but the U.S. has shared this information with executives at domestic and international carriers. Read More... More on Terrorism         'Eloise'-Themed Tricycle Garage Opens At The Plaza July 6, 2011 at 10:10 AM   MANHATTAN -- The Plaza Hotel is offering guests yet another way to experience the beloved Eloise children's books during their visit to the Big Apple. Beginning this month, guests of the hotel can rent Eloise-themed bicycles, tricycles and scooters from the their real-life "Tricycle Garage" and use the vehicles to tour Central Park and other nearby landmarks, a company statement announced. Read More...         Military Suicide Condolence Letters: White House Lifts Ban July 6, 2011 at 10:10 AM   The White House says that families of service members who commit suicide while deployed abroad are now getting condolence letters from the president just like families of troops who die in other ways. The White House has been reviewing the policy since 2009, lobbied by some military families. A White House official said Tuesday that the change was made this week. The official spoke anonymously to discuss policy deliberations. "The president feels strongly that we need to destigmatize the mental health costs of war to prevent these tragic deaths, and changing this policy is part of that process," a senior White House official said in a statement. Read More... More on Iraq         Sean Penn Takes His Ripped Bod And New Lady, Stacey Koplin, To The Beach (PHOTOS) July 6, 2011 at 10:01 AM   This weekend, Sean Penn took to the beach in Malibu, showing off his fit physic and his fetching new lady, Stacey Koplin. Bauer-Griffin snapped photos of the new pair walking along the surf together. Penn and Koplin looked relaxed and comfortable on the sandy shore. Penn later showed off a very toned chest and the two ended the day with a jet-ski ride. For more photos of Penn and Koplin's beachside stroll, click over to Bauer-Griffin. Read More... More on Scarlett Johansson         Mayor Bloomberg Blasts Perp Walks Weeks After Defending Them July 6, 2011 at 9:54 AM   MANHATTAN -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg flip-flopped on perp walks Tuesday, blasting the practice as "outrageous" two months after saying he had no problem with them. Bloomberg's sudden change came to light as he was discussing the crumbling case against former IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, where the French politician was subjected to a humiliating gantlet of press photographers who snapped pictures of him in handcuffs. "I've always thought that the perp walks were outrageous," the mayor told reporters in Brooklyn Tuesday, marking a drastic reversal in his position on the NYPD's long-standing tradition of walking high-profile suspects in handcuffs in front of reporters and cameras. Read More... More on Michael Bloomberg         Twitter's Valuation May Soar To $7 Billion: Report July 6, 2011 at 9:54 AM   A little bird is chirping dollar signs: Social messaging service Twitter could be valued at as high as $7 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. Back in December, Twitter was valued at close to $3.7 billion, after a $200 million financing round led by venture firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers. Now, Twitter is in talks to raise a new round of financing for hundreds of millions of dollars, that will nearly double the site's valuation. The WSJ reports that the investors involved in this round are not known. Read More... More on Twitter         Brenda 'Sue' Fulton, Openly Gay Veteran, Named To West Point Advisory Board July 6, 2011 at 9:54 AM   President Barack Obama has named Brenda S. "Sue" Fulton to the Board of Visitors of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, making her the first openly gay or lesbian person to serve there. Fulton is an army veteran who graduated from West Point in 1980, part of the first class to include women. She is the executive director and co-founder of Knights Out, an organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered West Point graduates and their supporters, and a founding member of OutServe, which represents actively-serving LGBT military personnel who cannot reveal their sexual identity. "I would hope it would symbolize to all people gay and straight that anti-gay bias in the military is a thing of the past," Fulton told the Wall Street Journal about her new appointment. "I would hope it would tell them that if you're willing to serve your country and you're qualified, other factors don't matter," she said. "I see my role as in some sense helping West point send that message -- that we respect all people equally. That's part of our values, that's part of our code." Read More... More on Don't Ask Don't Tell         Twitter's Valuation May Soar To $7 Billion: Report July 6, 2011 at 9:38 AM   A little bird is chirping dollar signs: Social messaging service Twitter could be valued at as high as $7 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. Back in December, Twitter was valued at close to $3.7 billion, after a $200 million financing round led by venture firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers. Now, Twitter is in talks to raise a new round of financing for hundreds of millions of dollars, that will nearly double the site's valuation. The WSJ reports that the investors involved in this round are not known. Read More... More on Twitter         Porta-Potty Blocks Traffic On Tri-State Tollway July 6, 2011 at 9:38 AM   July 6, 2011 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Some early-morning drivers experienced slight delays northbound on the Tri-State Tollway Wednesday after a 'porta-potty' fell off of a truck and blocked at least one lane. Read More...         Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel Back Together: Report July 6, 2011 at 9:33 AM   Just as he's reaching back into the past with his recent adventure in the wild void that is MySpace, it seems Justin Timberlake is rekindling another old flame. Of course, any comparisons between a social network and the gorgeous, accomplished Jessica Biel end right there. Us Weekly is reporting that the pair, having broken up in March, are quietly reconciling. "They have been talking the whole time and decided to give it another shot. Jessica really wanted to get back together with him and Justin realized single life is not what it's cracked up to be," a source told the magazine. Indeed, the pair was seen over the holiday weekend together in the Toronto, with Lainey Gossip reporting multiple sightings of the potentially on-again couple. Read More...         How Small Businesses Could Squelch The Recovery: TIME July 6, 2011 at 9:33 AM   Forget gold futures. For many economists, small business lending is the safest gauge of the economic recovery's strength. Too bad it's headed in the wrong direction. Read More... More on Small Business         7 Sites You Should Be Wasting Time On Right Now (PICTURES) July 6, 2011 at 9:33 AM   If you're still a little sunburned from the fourth and looking for some fun sites to help take the edge off of this shortened work week, don't worry, cause we're here with our Wednesday batch of fresh distractions. Go ahead and ignore the dust storms and the crazy court cases and click around for a while. And once you're done be sure to vote for your favorites and let us know if you come across any awesome time-wasters that you think we should feature. Read More... More on Music         Dogfish Head Strawberry Beer Brewing Documented In 'Cinemagraphs' July 6, 2011 at 9:33 AM   Sam Calagione, the founder and president of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, clearly enjoys adventurous brewing. But less exotic crafting has its appeal, too, as Kevin Burg and Jamie Beck's "cinemagraphs" -- photographs with movement on a loop -- make clear. Read More... More on Beer         Rockies Fall To Atlanta Braves Without Heavy-Hitters Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez July 6, 2011 at 9:33 AM   ATLANTA — The short-handed Colorado Rockies, held to only singles as they played without two of their top hitters, couldn't afford to give up a three-run double – especially to the opposing starting pitcher. Freddie Freeman's third homer in two games gave Atlanta the early lead, Derek Lowe hit a three-run double and the Braves beat Colorado 5-3 on Tuesday night. Read More... More on Denver News         New Gender-Neutral Forms For NYC Marriage Licenses July 6, 2011 at 9:33 AM   NEW YORK — Same-sex couples can start applying for marriage licenses in New York City using online forms that now feature gender-neutral terminology. The Office of the City Clerk made new forms available on its website Tuesday. Read More... More on Marriage         Phoenix Dust Storm: Arizona Hit With Monstrous 'Haboob' (PHOTOS/VIDEO) July 6, 2011 at 9:33 AM   A monstrous dust storm roared through Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday night, delaying flights and causing power outages for thousands of people. The AP reports that the massive dust cloud, also known as a "haboob," was around 5,000 feet when it arrived in Phoenix, but radar data reveals that it reached heights anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 feet high prior. The storm appeared to be around 50 miles wide in some areas, KSAZ-TV reported. The dust storm originated in Tucson, and was a part of Arizona's monsoon season. According to CNN, the dust storm prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to issue a ground stop on flights at Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport for about an hour and 15 minutes. At it's peak, the storm left 10,000 customers without power, Jenna Shaver of the Arizona Public Service told CNN. Read More... More on Extreme Weather         Researcher Uses Light To Grow Bigger Crawfish July 6, 2011 at 9:33 AM   NEW ORLEANS -- A Louisiana researcher looking into ways to produce more and bigger crawfish in the same space said she's had success with lighting the ponds at night and believes her work could pave the way for expanding crawfish farming in cooler areas. Crawfish is one of the nation's biggest aquaculture crops, with the number of pounds harvested second only to catfish in most years. While Louisiana produces almost all of the fresh – not frozen – crawfish eaten in this country, there are farms at least as far north as the Carolinas and Virginia. Crawfish also are raised in Europe and Australia. Read More...         Chicago Fireworks Videos: July 4th Celebrations From Air And Land July 6, 2011 at 9:33 AM   We all know that fireworks are illegal in Chicago. So technically, these videos never happened. That being said, three of our favorite local blogs found three distinct and amazing videos of homemade July 4th fireworks extravaganzas around the city. Now that most of us have recovered from the long weekend's festivities, we figured we'd take one last look at the explosive, straight-from-Indiana beauty that we set off to celebrate our freedom. The first clip is via WBEZ: a beautiful shot of dusk on the 4th, just before 9 p.m., taken from a private plane flying over the South Side: Read More... More on Video         Weighing Morocco's New Constitution July 6, 2011 at 9:04 AM   2011 has been a year of unprecedented political tumult in Morocco. As neighboring North African regimes collapsed under the weight of popular pressure, demonstrators have convened in Moroccan cities as well, naming their uprising after the day of their largest initial gathering, February 20, and calling for greater democracy. Read More...         Jetstar Bans Disabled Child From Boarding With Stroller July 6, 2011 at 9:04 AM   Australian discount airline Jetstar is taking heat for not allowing a child with Down syndrome to board a plane with his stroller. Two-year-old Theo Scott, who has has Down syndrome and suffers from a rare condition known as non-neurogenic neurogenic bladder, was traveling with his family Friday from Wellington to Auckland, New Zealand, The Dominion Post reports. Read More... More on Airlines         Walter Shimoon Pleads Guilty To Leaking iPad Secrets For Money July 6, 2011 at 9:04 AM   NEW YORK (Basil Katz) - A former senior director at Flextronics International pleaded guilty on Tuesday, telling a U.S. judge he was paid $200 an hour by an expert network firm to spill inside information to hedge funds. Walter Shimoon, 39, was the latest out of more than a dozen accused in a broad insider trading probe to plead guilty in Manhattan federal court to working illegally while consulting for Primary Global Research (PGR). Read More... More on Apple         112th Congress: Fast Pace In House Leads To Lawmaker Mistakes, Confusion On Votes July 6, 2011 at 9:04 AM   The rapid-fire succession of floor votes in the House this year has triggered lawmaker confusion and mistakes. Read More... More on Michele Bachmann         6 Yoga Poses for Depression and Anxiety July 6, 2011 at 9:04 AM   Yoga -- the ancient Indian word for the union of mind and body -- is more than a fitness regimen. Despite its current avatar, yoga is really about calming the mind through a combination of breathing and physical poses. The names of the various asanas or poses are in themselves indications of the purpose they are supposed to fulfill: warrior pose for confidence and strength, wind-releasing pose for stomach problems and so on. Combinations of poses can also be used for specific conditions: slow stretching poses for better sleep or a specific set of asanas for pregnancy. This slideshow describes six yoga poses recommended by Virayoga's Elena Brower that lend themselves to the alleviation of anxiety and depression -- from the warm, comforting embrace of the child pose to the relaxing stretch of the cat pose. Read More... More on Healthy Living Spirit         Diet Guru Dukan Loses Libel Case Against Rival July 6, 2011 at 9:04 AM   PARIS -- French nutritionist Pierre Dukan, whose protein-rich diets are popular from Hollywood to Paris, lost in court Tuesday against a rival he accused of libel – and was fined himself. Dukan had filed a legal complaint against another diet doctor, Jean-Michel Cohen, who criticized Dukan's method in a magazine. Read More... More on Diet         LZ Compliments: Lake Zurich Teen Tries Positive Social Media July 6, 2011 at 9:04 AM   There's a soon-to-be sophomore at Lake Zurich High School who is trying to change the way her fellow students communicate with each other on the Internet. She started a page on Formspring on which middle school and high school students can anonymously compliment other students. Remaining anonymous herself, the student approves all compliments before they are posted to the site. Since it began this past spring, LZ Compliments has amassed more than 2,600 comments. While some focus on external attributes with students saying other students are "so pretty" or "gorgeous," others focus on students' personalities or integrity. Read More... More on Social Media         Watch Facebook's 'Awesome' Announcement LIVE Here: Skype Video Chat Coming? July 6, 2011 at 8:48 AM   As promised, Facebook will make an "awesome" announcement today, July 6, at 10 a.m. PST (1 p.m. EST, 6 p.m. GMT) at the company's headquarters in Paolo Alto, California. It's rumored that Facebook will announce a partnership with Skype that will integrate video chat directly into the Facebook platform. Group chats are also rumored to be on the docket, though some speculate that Facebook may take today to unveil a new mobile platform. If you didn't receive an invitation to attend the event, Facebook provides a live stream at its Facebook Live channel. Read More... More on Video         Reporters Change An Insular Jewish World July 6, 2011 at 8:48 AM   JERUSALEM — In the insular world of ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel, the fact that the news is being reported is itself important news. A decade ago, brawling between two ultra-Orthodox factions over real estate in Jerusalem would almost certainly not have been reported in the community's media. Neither would a bitter debate over ethnic segregation in a girls' school, or an incident in which a member of a Hasidic sect in New York attacked and badly burned a community dissident. Read More...         'The Myth of the American Sleepover' Trailer: David Robert Mitchell Film First Look (VIDEO) July 6, 2011 at 8:48 AM   High school never truly ends, its lessons and laugh, taunts and first times living forever in memories. Those years are a shared (sometimes unfortunately so) experience, so many hands holding on to the electric fence at once, and so movies that touched hearts during that shared adolescence quickly become beloved classics -- and those that can cater to both the emotions of those that can most directly relate, and the viewer looking back at that time, well, those are the stories that stick. FIrst time director David Robert Mitchell, who to this point has only completed two short films, looks to capture both that present pain and yearning reminiscence in his debut feature, "The Myth of the American Sleepover." A sort of mini-"Love Actually" story, it follows a number of interconnected story lines about teenagers doing their best to grasp on to the last days of the summer -- and make it count for something heavier than pool parties. "Sleepover" stars a largely unknown cast that is already gaining special critical notice: aside from being a nice metaphor for the sense of invisibility during high school, the group won the Special Jury Prize for Best Ensemble Cast at the 2010 South By Southwest competition. Read More...         European Union Cracks Down On Mobile Roaming Charges To Spur Competition July 6, 2011 at 8:48 AM   (AP) BRUSSELS — The European Union is introducing new rules that would make it cheaper to use mobile and smartphones abroad. The proposals from the EU's executive Commission Wednesday seek to spur competition among providers and put new caps on roaming charges. For the first time, the EU is slapping caps on the price individuals have to pay for going online from a smartphone or tablet computer when moving from one country to another. The EU is made up of 27 countries. Read More... More on iPad         Stacey Dash In Runway Magazine Looking Amazing, Talking Workout (PHOTOS) July 6, 2011 at 8:41 AM   Stacey Dash stars alongside Lisa Ray in VH1′s popular drama series "Single Ladies." The sexy 40+ starlet reinvigorated her acting career in Val, a hopeful 'I love, love' kind of girl. Stacey is featured in Runway Magazine where she discusses staying in shape, upcoming projects and her fashion sense. Read More...         Kate Moss Covers British Vogue For First Post-Wedding Spread (PHOTOS) July 6, 2011 at 8:41 AM   Kate Moss, er, Mrs. Jamie Hince, covers the August issue of British Vogue. To play wifey, the glossy dressed her up in '40s-inspired frocks topped off with a glossy red pout and a chignon. What else is inside, aside from more Kate? Jemima Khan's essay on overcoming her fear of flying, Arizona Muse in midi-length skirts and a profile on Burberry's Christopher Bailey. Take a sneak peek at the newlywed's spread. And for more, head over to Vogue.co.uk. Read More... More on Models         Nine-Year-Old Boy Shot In Head In Chicago's Roseland Neighborhood July 6, 2011 at 8:41 AM   CHICAGO — Police in Chicago are investigating after a 9-year-old boy was shot in the head in the city's Roseland neighborhood. Authorities say the shooting happened outside at about 3:20 a.m. Wednesday. Read More...         Minnesota Government Shutdown 2011: Budget Talks Continue Amid Shutdown July 6, 2011 at 8:41 AM   ST. PAUL, Minn. — The small police department in the central Minnesota town of Hutchinson has seen three patrol officers leave in recent weeks, but the chief can't hire replacements because of the state government shutdown. The possibility of a long closure is raising the stakes for people and groups across Minnesota that rely on state money or programs, even those tangentially affected like Hutchinson police. New hires need a state license, but that office is closed, so specialized investigators are being pulled to work patrol shifts, said Chief Daniel Hatten. Read More... More on Mark Dayton         U.S. Banks Finally Increasing Lending In Good Sign For Investors July 6, 2011 at 8:41 AM   Major U.S. banks appear to be finally opening the lending spigot. Second-quarter earnings reports due this month are likely to reveal a slight reversal of the long-term shrinkage in bank loan books, one of several positive signs for investors, bank analysts said. Read More... More on Citibank         PlayStation Network Down For Maintenance: July 2011 July 6, 2011 at 8:25 AM   Sony's PlayStation Network went down briefly on Tuesday, but it was apparently just for maintenance. According to PlayStation Universe, the work was conducted between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. PT (8 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET). "Sony hasn't warned users about this scheduled maintenance; probably because it'll only last for an hour or so," PU wrote at the time, adding, "[I]t seems that they have this under control. Keep Calm and Carry On." Read More...         China Considers Allowing U.S. Regulators To Probe Mainland Firms July 6, 2011 at 8:25 AM   NEW YORK (Clare Baldwin and Nanette Byrnes) - U.S. regulators, reeling from a series of scandals over U.S.-listed Chinese companies, will head to Beijing to discuss launching audit inspections while regulators in Canada announced a probe of foreign issuers. Read More...         Roger Clemens Trial Begins With Jury Selection (VIDEO) July 6, 2011 at 8:25 AM   WASHINGTON — Roger Clemens, one of the most imposing and accomplished pitchers in baseball history, is going on trial Wednesday to fight allegations that he used drugs to enhance his power on the mound. Like other players who have been indicted in baseball's steroids era, Clemens has not been charged with drug crimes but instead is accused of lying about drug use. Clemens told a House committee under oath in 2008 that he never used performance-enhancing drugs during a standout 23-season career in which he won a record seven Cy Young Awards as his league's top pitcher. The federal court trial of U.S. vs. William R. Clemens begins by narrowing a pool of 125 Washington residents to a panel of 12 jurors and four alternates. The first 50 prospective jurors are to appear Wednesday, and U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton hopes to have the panel selected by early next week. The trial is expected to last four to six weeks. Read More... More on MLB         Dalai Lama Birthday Rallies Banned By Nepal Bans Tibetan Rallies On July 6, 2011 at 8:09 AM   KATMANDU, Nepal — Nepalese authorities prevented exiled Tibetans from celebrating their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's birthday on Wednesday over concerns that gatherings would turn anti-Chinese. Hundreds of riot police blocked the Tibetans from entering a school on the northern edge of Katmandu where the celebrations were planned. Read More... More on Tibet             This email was sent to venturepoliticalcapital@gmail.com. Delivered by Feed My Inbox PO Box 682532 Franklin, TN 37068 Account Login Unsubscribe Here