As well as beefing up its navy, the Middle East nation is reportedly preparing craft that can be used in suicide attacks. However, the commander of U.S. naval forces says Iran can be prevented from blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically vital route that is used to transport one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.

In recent weeks, Iran has threatened to block the Strait and disrupt shipping in the Gulf, and even launch attacks on U.S. forces in the region should sanctions shut down its oil trade. Iran’s renewed focus on bulking up its navy would suggest it’s preparing for a possible confrontation. U.S. Vice Admiral Mark Fox told Reuters:

“They have increased the number of submarines … they increased the number of fast attack craft. Some of the small boats have been outfitted with a large warhead that could be used as a suicide explosive device. The Iranians have a large mine inventory. We have watched with interest their development of long range rockets and short, medium and long range ballistic missiles and of course … the development of their nuclear program.”

Smaller enemy craft have caused problems for the U.S. Navy in the past. In 1996, al-Qaeda suicide bombers attacked the destroyer U.S.S. Cole and killed 17 sailors on board. While the U.S. Navy is undoubtedly more powerful and more well-equipped than its Iranian equivalent, the prospect of facing small, fast vessels remains a concern to the U.S. However, Fox insists the navy is prepared for an attack at any time:

“We are very vigilant, we have built a wide range of options to give the president and we are ready… What if it happened tonight? We are ready today.”

The European Union enforced an embargo on Iranian oil last month. That begins on July 1, by which time Iran’s response may well be easier to predict.

Iran Preparing Suicide Bomb Boats, Claims U.S. Navy is a post from: The Inquisitr

Russian officials at the countries Foreign Ministry have proposed a plan to suspend all adoptions of children to United States citizens following complaints about the welfare of children brought to the United States.

The last time the country had an adoption stop towards the U.S. was in 2010 after a mom in Tennessee simply put her 7-year-old son on a plane back to Russia for acting out. Pinned to the boys pocket was a letter explaining why he was sent back to his homeland. In that letter mother Torry Hansen wrote:

“This child is mentally unstable” and “He is violent and has severe psychopathic issues/behaviors. I was lied to and misled by the Russian orphanage workers and director regarding his mental stability and other issues.”

That stoppage was short lived but led to various discussions about the state of the countries adoption policies and the U.S. ability to monitor those adoptions as needed.

That case is scheduled for a May hearing in which the Russian adoption agency is asking that Hansen pay for the child’s care.

A suspension of Russian children coming into the United States would deal a severe blow to the countries adoption agencies, in the last 20 years more than 50,000 children have been adopted by U.S. parents.

Do you think the actions of a few crazy U.S. citizens should lead to the complete closure of Russian adoptions in the country?

Russia Ready To Stop Exporting Children To United States is a post from: The Inquisitr

The US Postal Service is in bad shape, the company wasn’t even able to make a profit after a huge surge in gift shipments occurred over the holiday season.

Officials on Thursday announced that the agency lost $3.3 billion in the holiday quarter, $3 billion worse then the losses the mail service reported in the same period of 2010.

At the current rate the United States Postal Service will run out of money by October 2012 as traditional mail delivery continues to decline. USPS executives claim a 6% drop off in traditional sales for the first fiscal quarter ended Dec. 31.

In a statement regarding the company’s losses the postmaster general said:

“Technology continues to have a major impact on how our customers use the mail.”

USPS hopes to reclaim a profitable structure by growing out of the daily mail delivery sector with more focus on shipping services, however the company is still battling with large pension plan payments, six day delivery and over-staffing which has pushed down profit potential. If USPS had not been forced to pay $5.5 billion towards future retiree health benefits on an annual basis last year it would have only lost $200 million. The postal service is the only agency required to make those government mandated pension plan payments.

Do you think USPS needs to be completely overhauled in order to succeed, including moving employees to traditional 401(k) retirement plans?

USPS Books $3.3 Billion Loss During Holiday Shopping Quarter is a post from: The Inquisitr

In light of the ongoing violence in Syria and stymied diplomatic efforts, the U.S. closed down its embassy in Syria on Monday, pulling all of its staff out of the country.

“The United States has suspended operations of our embassy in Damascus as of February 6. Ambassador (Robert) Ford and all American personnel have now departed the country,” a State Department statement said.

“The recent surge in violence, including bombings in Damascus on December 23 and January 6, has raised serious concerns that our embassy is not sufficiently protected from armed attack,” the statement reads. “We, along with several other diplomatic missions, conveyed our security concerns to the Syrian government but the regime failed to respond adequately.”

Russia and China recently vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that condemned Bashar al-Assad’s government, sparking outrage from the international community. In an interview with NBC, President Barack Obama said that a negotiated solution is still possible.

“It is important to resolve this without recourse to outside military intervention and I think that’s possible,” he said in an NBC interview.

“My sense is you are seeing more and more people inside of Syria recognising that they need to turn a chapter and the Assad regime is feeling the noose tightening around them. This is not a matter of if but when.”

U.S. closes embassy in Syria is a post from: The Inquisitr

The term African American is being shunned by segments of the African American community. The reason? many Black Americans who were born in the United States simply don’t hold any historical relevance to their families home in Africa.

The term “African American” grew in popularity in 1988 when Jesse Jackson made his run for the US Presidency but the term has come under fire recently. In one case a student sued his medical school after he was suspended because as a white person born in Africa he wanted his teacher to call him African American. In fact many more white born Africans have moved to the United States in recent years.  In fact popular musician Dave Matthews is technically an “African American.”

One black business owner in Miami tells the Associated Press that the term simply doesn’t fit American born black residents who have never been to Africa:

“Africa was a long time ago. Are we always going to be tethered to Africa? Spiritually, I’m American. When the war starts, I’m fighting for America.”

That entrepreneur started  the Facebook page “Don’t call me African American” which has already received over 800 likes.

In the meantime while 1 in 10 black people in America are born over seas they still find the term to be shrouded in “political correctness” rather then a term of cultural upbringing from a specific region of the world.

Do you think it’s time that we finally got rid of the term “African American” given the fact that a majority of black people are now born as U.S. citizens?

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

The Term ‘African American’ Losing Favor Among Black Communities is a post from: The Inquisitr

Newt Gingrich was talking on a radio show on Monday when he was asked by the radio show host who he would most like to play him should a movie about his life ever be told,  the GOP presidential hopefuls answer? Brad Pitt.

Gingrinch responded quickly to the question with:

“Brad Pitt … why not?”

At least in the modesty department Gingrich was able to admit that they look nothing alike:

“He’s thinner, he’s better looking, he’s younger. But … why not go for Brad Pitt? You gotta relax and just, you know, let your imagination soar.”

It’s funny because the moment I thought about who would play Newt Gingrich I thought Andy Richter would be my number one guess and after looking around the web it turns out quite a few other writers gave the same answer.  Perhaps Conan O’Brien could play Mitt Romney. In the meantime I’m not sure if that thought is mean to Gingrich or Richter.

I’m sure at this point with Mitt Romney soaring ahead in the polls and winning Florida that Newt Gingrich would even be willing to settle for Brad Pitt’s endorsement.

Are you surprised by Newt Gingrich’s answer?

Here’s a shot of a younger Andy Richter (they have almost the same haircut but parted opposite one another):

Newt Gingrich Says Brad Pitt Should Play Him If A Movie Is Ever Made is a post from: The Inquisitr

Chrysler on Wednesday revealed Q4 2011 and Detroits smallest automaker posted earnings of $225 million on revenue of $15.1 billion, 41 percent higher then the year prior. That amount also equals the first profitable quarter the company has had since a government bailout and subsequent bankruptcy saved Chrysler 2009.

That total also gave Chrysler a net income of $183 million in 2011 compared to a loss of $652 million in 2010. Annual revenue also increased in 2011 with the auto manufacturer taking in a whopping $55 billion.

Chrysler’s increasing success comes on the backs of the company’s Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles. Worldwide sales of cars and trucks for those brands increased by 22 percent, allowing for sales of 1.85 million vehicles in 2011 while Chrysler increased it’s share of the US market from 9.2 percent in 2010 to 10.5 percent in 2011.

Chrysler’s turnaround also comes despite a big charge taken by the company to pay outstanding debt to the United States and Canada. Without that charge the company would have earned $734 million.

Speaking of the company’s turn around at the hands of new owner Fiat, company CEO Sergio Marchionne noted:

“The house is in good order. Now we greet a new year of high expectations with our heads down, forging ahead and focusing on executing the goals we’ve set for ourselves as a company.”

In the meantime the governmental bailout could play well into the hands of the Obama administration during an election year, the administration was quick to hail Chrysler as proof that the government’s decision to offer auto bailouts was a success. In fact since the bailout Chrysler has added 9,400 jobs to now employee 57,000 people with plans expected for 1,600 new workers to join the company’s Belvidere, IL plant where they will build the new Dart.

By choosign to build the Dart in the United States the Obama Administration handed another 5 percent ownership stake back to Fiat.

Do you think Chrysler has done a good job in turning around operations in a very short period of time?

Chrysler Posts $225 Million Profit In Q4 2011, First Profitable Year Since 2009 Bailout is a post from: The Inquisitr

Freddie Mac in 2010 and 2011 bet against the very homeowners they are suppose to be working for. An investigation recently revealed that the company has spent billions of dollars to invest in security packages that provide the company with heaps of cash when homeowners are unable to refinance their properties.

The problem stems from the fact that Freddie Mac is also responsible for regulating refinance requests, which in turn has allowed the company to deny refinance packages to homeowners, thus leading to a huge conflict of interest.

Speaking to NPR one exeacutive at a firm that trades in mortgage-backed securities said:

“We were actually shocked they did this,” and  ”It seemed so out of line with their mission, out of line with what Congress wanted them to do.”

An ex-bond trader adds:

“Freddie Mac prevented households from being able to take advantage of today’s mortgage rates—and then bet on it.”

What makes the company’s bets even more ridiculous is that they could very well be wiped out if a mass refinancing program being pushed by President Obama makes it’s way into law. Under that plan which is said to put billions of dollars back in consumer’s pockets Freddie Mac would be forced to allow for refinancing at today’s lower rates which in turn would wipe out billions of dollars they have spent on their scam.

In a laughable response to the situation Freddie Mac representatives says they keep investment heads “walled off” from mortage regulators.

Do you think Freddie Mac is once again gambling with the U.S. economy over a few billion dollars?

Freddie Mac Spending Billions In the Hopes That Homeowners Fail To Make Payments is a post from: The Inquisitr

During the last several weeks GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich has spent a majority of time bashing Mitt Romney for his ties to Wall Street special interests and his low federal tax payments but now Gingrich says he is willing to back Romney should he win the GOP primary.

Speaking on Good Morning America this morning Gingrich says of Romney:

“I think re-electing Obama is a disaster and I’ll certainly endorse the Republican nominee.”

Even as he offered his support should that time come he essentially called Romney just another Obama:

“But I think that Mitt Romney will have a very, very hard time differentiating himself [from Obama].”

The news that Gingrich would back Mitt Romney comes just days ahead of the Florida primary and at a time when he is shown to be trailing Romney in pretty much every single political poll collected in the state.

While Gingrich said he would throw his support behind Romney he also added:

 ”We nominated a moderate in 1996, he got beaten badly. We nominated a moderate in 2008, he got beaten badly. I know that the establishment would love to nominate Romney and they want to make him electable so they can beat [Obama] in the fall. But I think the record of ’96 and 2008 is you better have a conservative who can draw a really wide gap.”

Essentially Gingrich was quick to show his support for keeping the GOP united while at the same time still offering enough of a reason for his base to continue their support of his efforts.

Do you think Newt Gingrich’s comment coming at this juncture in the GOP primary shows the realization of defeat in his camp or sound judgement based on a real possibility?

Newt Gingrich Says He Would Be Willing To Endorse Mitt Romney is a post from: The Inquisitr

An online image of several young Arizona men with a President Obama T-Shirts covered in bullet holes has led to an official problem by the United States Secret Service.

In the photo seven young men are shown holding guns while one of the boys holding the shirt that shows Obama’s face and the world “hope.”

The photo was discovered after it was posted to the personal Facebook page of an Arizona police officer last week but was taken down on Thursday.

According to a Secret Service representative:

“We’re aware of it, and we’re conducting the appropriate follow-up steps.”

In the meantime Peoria, Arizona police have joined in the investigation to find ”any possible policy violations on the part of our employee.”

The photo also appeared on the Facebook page of one high school student who appeared in the photo and that students school district has also decided to open an investigation of their own.

A spokesman for the Secret Service noted:

“Individuals certainly have a right to free speech, but we certainly have a right to speak to individuals to see what their intent is.”

The Secret Service routinely investigates internet threats made against politicians and the agency has an Internet Threat Desk to field such cases.

Do you think a probe should be opened into this type of activity or does the Secret Service have more important things to do then go after a bunch of young Republicans in Arizona?

Secret Service Probes Obama “Bullet Holes” T-Shirt Picture is a post from: The Inquisitr

Officials at the United Nations offices in New York City were shocked recently when 35.5 pounds of cocaine was accidentally shipped to their office by Mexican drug traffickers who failed to properly fill out shipping labels for their counterfeit UN bag packages.

With a street value of nearly $2 million the cocaine was concealed inside fake UN bags which were sent to the organizations New York headquarters after the carrier DHL saw the UN logo at their Cincinnati, Ohio center while the packages contained no actual shipping address or return to sender information.

 Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne of the New York Police Department told Yahoo News:

“It is my understanding that because there was no addressee, the DHL just thought well that’s the UN symbol so we should ship it on to UN headquarters and let them figure out who it was supposed to go to.”

The moment the bags arrived at the UN security staff recognize them as “obvious fakes” and inspected them on January 16. Inside the bags contained 14 hard cover books which had been hollowed out to make space for the cocaine.

In the meantime officials said the bags looked nothing like official UN carrier bags but instead were made out of flour sacks or something of that nature.

The drugs have been confiscated but with no return address it’s likely the culprits will get away with their crime, although I would suspect that someone within the cartel has been killed given their inability to place a simple shipping label on an illegal $2 million package.

35 Pounds Worth Of Cocaine Accidentally Shipped To United Nations In New York City is a post from: The Inquisitr

Twenty years ago the U.S. Armed Forces were asked by the Philippines government to exit the area and now leaders from that country are in talks with President Obama to expand back into the island nations territory.

Talks have become necessary in the area as China has become a military superpower that has been more included of late to lay claim to disputed territories, most notably the power rich area of the South China Sea.

If an agreement is reached the U.S. may operate several Navy ships in the area while deploying troops on a rotational basis with frequent joint exercises. Rather that occupying U.S. run bases the troops would essentially be guests at foreign bases.

A senior official involved in the talks said of the US Troop request:

“We can point to other countries: Australia, Japan, Singapore,” and “We’re not the only one doing this, and for good reason. We all want to see a peaceful and stable region. Nobody wants to have to face China or confront China.”

The officials comments come just after Australia and Japan requested U.S. troop increases to slow what they believe is an aggressive Chinese military initiative bent on outward growth beyond the countries own borders.

While some countries have asked the United States for help the Obama Administration has also been putting out feelers to other Southeast Asian countries including Thailand and Vietnam. If those deals are accepted the U.S. presence in Asia could dramatically increase.

Returning to the Philippines wouldn’t be something new for the United States, currently 600 Special Operations troops work in the country to advice local forces about al-Qaeda activities.

In the meantime officials in the Philippines say there may goal is to strengthen maritime defenses for the countries 7,107 island, especially near the South China Sea as the Chinese continue to control that area. Government officials would like US ships and surveillance aircraft to monitor the region.

The U.S. has a lot at stake in the the region along the Philippines where the world’s busiest trade routes from from the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca.

Negotiations are still in their infancy however both governments have stated on numerous occasions that they would like to broker a deal that would allow U.S. troops to re-enter the area without creating a “cold war atmosphere” in which U.S. stations are resurrected and outward tensions rise.

Do you think the U.S. building up a strong presence in the Philippines, Australia, Guam, Japan and other surrounding areas will send a strong message to China as the country continues to stake claim over new areas?

Philippines Asks US Forces To Return After 20 Year Exile is a post from: The Inquisitr

GOP Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney released his tax returns following the first of two GOP debates in Florida and as suspected his tax rate is lower than that of many poor and middle class Americans.

In 2011 Mitt Romney collected $20.9 million in income and in 2010 that number was higher at $21.7 million, however because all of those profits were paid in dividends and interest from investments Romney wasn’t charged any wages. That mean his estimated tax payment of $3.2 million in 2011 is just 15.4% while his $3 million payment in 2010 was just 13.9%, that would be a lower tax bracket them a poverty earning American making $15,000 in the same time period.

The Romney family did manage to be slightly more generous with their money when it came to charities, giving away $7 million of which $4.1 million was paid to the Mormon church.

During the Florida debate Romney repeated that his tax bill is “entirely legal and fair” while adding “I’m proud of the fact that I pay a lot of taxes.”

In actuality he paid far less in taxes then even Newt Gingrich who’s recently tax return shows almost $1 million paid on just over $3 million earned (more than 30% paid).

Joking during the debate about Romney’s tax payments Newt Gingrich said he would love to bring Americans’ tax rate “down” to Romney’s level. At the same time Mitt Romney points out that Gingrich supports a 0% tax on capital gains which would have left Romney paying “no taxes”

It should be noted that Mitt Romney only released his 550 pages of tax documents for his three family trusts and his foundation after coming under fire regarding his $250 million fortune.

With such a small percentage of his gross earnings afforded to taxes it’s likely the trouncing he felt in South Carolina will continue if he doesn’t come up with a better stance then being “proud” about his “legal payments” when many American’s and even some of the countries most wealthy citizens are asking for higher taxes on the rich.

In the meantime Romney has attempted to shift the focus away from his low tax bracket by noting that Newt Gingrich’s consulting firm accepted $1.8 million from Freddie Mac ahead of the 2008 housing collapse. Gingrich has repeatedly claims that none of that money was used for lobbying purposes. One thing is for certain, at least Newt paid more than 30% of those earnings into taxes, Romney would have pocketed an extra $200,000 had he been the one consulting the company.

In the meantime I just wish I can one day collect $20 million and claim it as non-wages. Are you appalled with Mitt Romney’s low tax bracket on millions of dollars earned?

Mitt Romney Tax Return Released: He Pays In A Lower Tax Bracket Than Poor People is a post from: The Inquisitr

10 years ago the United States began its invasion of Afghanistan and now according to a recent United Nations (UN) report the country is experiencing the highest number of political asylum requests of the last decade.

According to the report more than 30,000 Afghans applied for political asylum from January 2011 through November 2011, that’s a 25% increase over the same period in 2010.

One 20-year-old Afghan resident who was attempting to flee into Europe from Iran told the Associated Press:

“I don’t think anything will improve in three or five years, so it’s better to leave now,” while adding, “If foreign troops leave, the situation will only get worse, not better.”

In the meantime it’s believed that numbers may be far higher because of the $1 billion per year human smuggling business that has emerged in Afghanistan and Pakistan. For a few hundred dollars citizens of Afghanistan can enter Iran or Pakistan, while $25,000 will earn them false papers and a flight to various countries including Sweden and England. The number of illegal refugees is hard to determine since they often sink into the underground economy and become nearly impossible to track.

In that same UN report numbers show that less refugees are returning to the country on a yearly basis and Afghan officials worry that those numbers will continue to deteriorate as American and NATO troops hand security of the country over to the Afghan army and police in 2014.

Are you surprised to learn that citizens in terrorist friendly countries are attempting to flee for better living conditions in various other parts of the world?

Afghanistan Losing An Increasing Number Of Citizens To Asylum is a post from: The Inquisitr

As if finishing in third-place behind Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich wasn’t bad enough for GOP Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum he also had to deal with a glitter bombing incident during the South Carolina primary.

The glitter bombing occurred on Saturday night as protesters crashed the South Carolina primary party last night while chanting:

“Rick, Rick, Rick, bigot, bigot, bigot.”

After Santorum gave his typical right-wing conservative speech where he hailed family values various members from gay-rights groups and Occupy Charleston burst into the room chanting “Except when you’re gay!”

Here’s the video of the glitter bombing:

According to the Summerville Patch no one was arrested, but police were required to use force in removing approximately 20 protesters from the Citadel where the party took place.

In speaking about the groups motives one protester said it was “the people of South Carolina taking a stand against” bigotry.

This isn’t the first time Rick Santorum has been glitter bombed, the same type of protesting also occurred in Iowa where a man amusing chanted “stop the hate, taste the rainbow” as he tossed glitter at Santorum. Here’s the Iowa video:

Santorum has also been confronted by various other groups over his anti-gay agenda, including one incident in which he was approached by a transgendered voter, however no glitter was thrown during that confrontation.

What do you think about glitter bombing protests, are they effective in raising awareness or a childish attempt at making Rick Santorum look like a rainbow?

Rick Santorum Glitter Bombed In South Carolina [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

In 2010 Arizona voters passed the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act but it wasn’t until this week that an Arizona judge finally ordered that the state license dispensaries and allow them to open starting by late Summer 2012.

The state will likely give out license agreements using a massive lottery system that will establish which growers can legally sell medical marijuana in the state.

It was U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton who paved the way for this decision earlier in the month when she threw out a lawsuit from Gov. Jan Brewer and Attorney General Tom Horne who both attempted to block the Arizona medical marijuana dispensary program from moving forward.

In their case Brewer and Horne argued that the program would open state employees up to possible federal charges, an argument that was ultimately rejected by Bolton. In her rejection the judge pointed to 16 other states where similar programs had been enacted without a single state employee being arrested.

With the case officially thrown out of court the Arizona Department of Health Services has been ordered to immediately start the dispensary application process.

The rejection of a state level lawsuit comes at a time when many other parts of the United States are dealing with how to control medical marijuana sales as the Federal government continues to come down hard on sellers of medical pot. States want the federal government to stay out of their voters decisions while the feds continue to claim absolutely control over dispensaries by citing federal laws against the sales of marijuana.

Do you think medical marijuana sales should be decided upon at the state level?

Judge Orders Arizona To Allow Marijuana Sales is a post from: The Inquisitr

I pay just under $60 per month for internet service, compared to some users in other parts of the country that price would be fair for 12Mbps download speed, unfortunately my ISP provider (Mediacom – http://mediacomcc.com) could possibly be one of the worst providers for internet service in the United States.

Let me explain, over the last several months I have called/tweeted the company (they are better help on Twitter then over the phone) on at least two dozen occasions, typically around Midnight to report outages. Unfortunately the company finds midnight to be a relatively “off-peak” time and often shuts down its network to make changes. Strangely enough during “off-peak” hours when I try to call the company I’m often met with the message “our lines are full please call back later.”

When the network isn’t completely shot to hell my average download speed ranges from .87Mbps to just over 5.3mbps. When I do get a hold of a customer service rep on the phone or through @MediacomSupport (Twitter), I am told “we are aware of the issue and are working on it” a message that has rang false for the last 6 months.

In the good old days of DSL and even traditional landline phones if I wasn’t happy with the service I could simply choose a different provider. As many of you may recall when Ma Bell was split apart the telephone lines running to homes were easily accessible to other providers, if you were for example sick of Verizon home phone service you could pick up AT&T or Fairpoint or any number of other providers in your area. Unfortunately for cable users that isn’t the case for cable service, that’s because cable companies own the lines that run to your home and therefore own your business. In my little town of 2800 people (we are 14 miles from a larger set of twin cities) our only choice is Mediacom or the much slower and expensive DSL service provided by Fairpoint Communications.

Yet there are no laws in my state (or others that I am aware of) that would allow me to simply call another company (Comcast is located 14 miles away) and switch to their service.

The problem is that cable companies have traditionally been franchises or “leased” by local government or utilities commissions, this has typically meant that you have one provider in your area (this fact has begun to change in larger cities and suburbs). Sure you can change to a satellite provider however broadband internet is not yet a reality with satellite systems.

What that essentially means is that local governments can create “mini-monopolies” in which one cable provider is given free reign over the network. You may have noticed on your cable bill a “franchise fee” that part of your bill is going directly into the city’s bank account. Essentially your local government is reaping the benefits regardless of what provider they allow. There is a federal guideline created by the FCC that states a local cable company is subject to “effective competition” in the area, however with the advent of satellite providers it’s easy to call something “effective competition” even when it doesn’t offer basic tenants of that competition including high speed internet.

In fact the FCC on its own website states:

If you are not satisfied with your cable rates, look for alternative multichannel video programming services that may be available in your area, such as competitive cable services, satellite television services and open video system services.

Furthering the dilemma is the fact that the FCC does very little in the way of regulating “customer service” in fact in the FCC’s cable television regulations they specifically state:

The FCC has developed general guidelines for customer service that deal with, for example, how quickly a cable operator must answer its phone or respond to requests for service, and how a cable bill should be written. It is up to your local franchising authority to enforce the guidelines in your community. Therefore, complaints about customer service and billing disputes should be directed to your local franchising authority. (this guidelines dates back to 1994 and can be found here: http://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Cable/News_Releases/nrcb4009.txt)

Essentially your local franchising authority is responsible for your satisfaction with your cable provider. This is often why cable rate increasing, basic cable pricing and other issues are heard during city council meetings.

Unfortunately because the cable provider is not necessarily answering directly to the FCC on all issues regarding the operation of its network and because cities are often ill-equipped to deal with complaints customers in areas with only one cable network franchise are for better lack of a word screwed.

From a business standpoint running cable/fiber optic is not cheap and franchise owners have long argue that they can only recuperate their expenses for service lines by controlling territories, however the company’s have done a fine job of dealing with expenses by charging for everything from DVR and HDDVR boxes to early termination fees. In fact after more than 12 months of incorrect billing in which Mediacom was charging me for options that were listed on my contract as free I was only able to remove my cable TV service (I now use Netflix and Hulu Plus) after paying half the early termination fee, they decided to eat the other part out of “respect for my situation” which is ironic because they created the situation.

When all is said and done I was overcharged by Mediacom by more than $100 because of the services incompetence, I was forced to pay half the termination fee to end cable service even though they fully acknowledged the issues were related to problems on their service and I was left with cable service that under delivers by 60% of it’s promised 12Mbps download speeds.

My anger over Mediacom has quelled in recent weeks as I near the decision to contact a representative willing to go after the company for failing to meet their advertised speeds. Whether my journey ends with the start of a class action lawsuit or other measures being taken against the company, what I do know however is that increased competition in my area would have saved Mediacom and myself over 100 hours of phone calls, troubleshooting and other issues if I could have simply said goodbye to a worthless service provider and picked up Comcast (by all means not perfect either) which is just 14 miles away from my tiny little town on the outskirts of a much bigger city.

Have you had similar issues with your ISP/Cable Provider? Share your comments below and feel free to reach out in frustration through my Twitter handle: @Techobsessed.

[Op-Ed] When Your ISP Fails You And There Are No Other Choices is a post from: The Inquisitr

Just minutes before the televised Republican presidential debate began on Thursday night GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich released his tax returns, showing that he paid $994,708 in federal taxes in 2010.

The tax return shows that Gingrich paid those taxes on an earned income of $3.1 million, making his effective tax rate 31.6 percent of his adjusted income.

The move comes less than a week after Mitt Romney revealed that he only pays 15 percent of his annual income into the tax system. Romney is estimated to be worth more than $250 million compared to Newt Gingrich’s $6.5 million personal worth, part of which is earned from his Gingrich Productions company which produces his various books and films and claimed $500,000 in annual sales in 2010.

Newt also provided to charity, donating 2.6 percent of his income in 2010 for a total of $81,133 in cash and checks. While nearly $100,000 in charitable donations may sound like a decent chunk of his money the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University says the average charitable donations made by a household earning over $2 million per year is $259,692.

The tax issue is likely to be a pushing point for Newt Gingrich moving forward as many American feel that the super-rich in America pay too little in taxes and use loopholes to pay in the same tax bracket as some of American’s poorest citizens.

Do you believe that Newt Gingrich’s plan to release his 2010 tax return will work in his favor or do American’s want a proven business leader running the country during an extended period of economic failure?

Newt Gingrich Paid Nearly $1 Million In Taxes During 2010 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Mental disease has been on the increase in the United States over the last several decades or at least the diagnosis of such disorders and now a study performed by the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health has found that 20% of US adults suffer from some sort of mental illness while 5% suffer from “serious mental disorder.”

In more troubling news the group says less than half of those people suffering from mental illness get treatment while 60% of those with serious disorders fail to receive treatment.

The large scale study included randomly selecting 68,5000 people living in homes, dorms and shelters and interviewing them to determine their level of mental illness.

According to the Washington Post the following findings from the 2010 survey were extracted:

• Women, young adults, the unemployed, and those with low incomes were the most likely to suffer from mental illness.
• When it comes to mental health care, 40% of those who expressed an ‘”unmet need” said they could not afford to pay for it.
• Drug and alcohol abuse were not considered mental disorders for the purposes of this survey, but such abuse is more than twice as common in mental illness sufferers.
• About 4% of US adults consider suicide each year.

Mental disorders ranged everywhere from depression and anxiety disorders to schizophrenia and other diseases that affect adults throughout the United States.

Do you know anyone who has suffered from a mental disorder but has refused to get help from a professional? Share your own stories in our comment section.

Mental United States: Study Finds 5% Of American Have ‘Serious’ Mental Disorders is a post from: The Inquisitr

When the white nose fungus began to emerge in 2006 Fish and Wildlife Service workers knew there was reason for concern as the fungus quickly swept through the general bat population and now those experts estimate that upwards of 6.7 million bats have died since that time.

The problem extends into Canada as well, placing the bat populations in both countries at even greater risk of dwindling and eventually becoming extinct.

The fungus is also not selective, affecting various types of bats including the little brown bat, northern long-eared bat and the tri-colored bat, all of which have witnessed gigantic population declines.

One researcher at Bat Conservation International in Austin told the Washington Post  of the situation:

“We’re watching a potential extinction event on the order of what we experienced with bison and passenger pigeons for this group of mammals,” adding, “It could be catastrophic.”

Researchers have shown a glimmer of hope for the bat population, in some of the hardest hit areas unaffected pockets of bats have been revealed, leading to hope that perhaps some of the population has been able to fight off the fungus and survive.

In the meantime a dying off of bats would mean higher food and paper-product prices, especially in areas where bats typically fend off thriving insect colonies.

Research into the fungus and the severity of the situation continues at this time.

Would you prefer to have no bats left and lots of insects or vice versa?

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

White Nose Fungus Continues To Wipe Out Bat Populations In United States is a post from: The Inquisitr