Terrifying landing on Mars scheduled for Monday morning

The seven minutes of terror will begin very early Monday morning. According to Boston Herald:

Touchdown was set for 10:31 p.m. PDT. NASA warned that spotty communication during landing could delay confirmation for several hours or even days.
Here's more on this daunting technological feat:

Continue ReadingTerrifying landing on Mars scheduled for Monday morning

Missouri Supreme Court gives Missouri voters the option to slap a 36% cap on payday loans

On Tuesday of this past week (July 31, 2012), the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that a ballot initiative capping the interest rate of small loans at 36% (including payday loans) will appear on the Missouri general ballot this coming November. This court decision is terrific news for the many poor, working-poor and struggling middle class people who have been victimized by predatory lenders throughout Missouri. I have previously discussed this hotly contested payday loan court case here. The payday loan industry had attacked this ballot initiative on numerous technical grounds, including constitutional issues, but in its July 31, 2012 decision, the Missouri Supreme Court shot down all of the arguments of the industry, holding that the payday initiative will go on the Missouri ballot in November. Here's the entire opinion of the Court. [More . . . ]

Continue ReadingMissouri Supreme Court gives Missouri voters the option to slap a 36% cap on payday loans