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Sloopydrew says Sony sent him a new terms of service email with some harrowing declarations about the company’s rights to screw with your gadgets as it sees fit — sort of a retroactive justification for taking away the ability to install another operating system on the PS3 hard drive.

He writes:

In the new Terms of Service released yesterday (and announced in an email that I was sent today), Sony has added stealth updates that may take away any and all functionality of the PS3 and/or PSP with no recourse against Sony from the customer. From the new User “Agreement”:

“From time to time, it may become necessary for SCEA to provide certain content to you to ensure that Sony Online Services and content offered through Sony Online Services, your PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system or other SCEA-authorized hardware is functioning properly in accordance with SCEA guidelines.

“Some content may be provided automatically without notice when you sign in. Such content may include automatic updates or upgrades which may change your current operating system, cause a loss of data or content or cause a loss of functionalities or utilities.”

If you don’t like it? Go f*ck yourself, says Sony. From the email Sony sent me an hour ago:

“If you do not agree with the new Terms of Service and User Agreement or Privacy Policy, please contact Customer Service to terminate your PlayStation(R) Network account(s) and do not visit PlayStation(R) Network or our websites.”

Wow.

Is everyone excited about this joyous new announcement?

It’s Friday and we know what that means boys and girls. Time for another look at the week in Mobile Tech Manor. This is one of those weeks that it’s hard to believe it’s almost over already. It seems as if yesterday was Monday, which is a good thing. I have long lamented the fact that I have cell phones on all four major U.S. carriers, especially the part where I pay for them. I recently dropped one of the four (T-Mobile) and this week I dropped Verizon. It’s the first time in a decade I have no Verizon service, and it feels a bit strange. When I wasn’t dropping carriers I was testing a bunch of apps for the iPad and have been impressed with how fast developers are updating their apps to improve them and add features. Come on in and let’s gab about the week.

Big Red Down

I didn’t just drop my Verizon cell phone, I also dropped the data line I’ve had for years. It was attached to the MiFi but since I signed up with Sprint and bought the Overdrive I didn’t need Verizon any longer. This move will save me a nice chunk of change each month and I’m happy I did it. I now have a voice line and the data line on Sprint, along with the iPhone line on AT&T.

This has me down to just two smartphones, the iPhone 3G and the Palm Pre. I’m still quite happy with both of them truth be told, even with all of the fine phones on the market. I’ll say one thing, I am so anxious to get my hands on the Sprint EVO to give it a test, so if you’re listening Sprint… Seriously, the EVO has all of the hardware greatness of the HD2 I tested a while back but adds 4G on top of it. How can a geek resist that? Summer can’t get here fast enough (release date for the EVO).

iPad Update(s)

My past experience with many tablet computers made it clear to me that I would find the iPad useful. The slim, light form factor coupled with a mobile OS that is made from the ground up to be a tablet OS would make for a useful device; I said that more than once prior to the launch of the iPad. Even so, I am surprised how much I am using the iPad. I find I use it more every day.

It’s not just the newness of the device, it has more to do with how useful the iPad is becoming the more I use it. I wondered how limited I would find the device for real tasks; I shouldn’t have wondered as I am finding it more than adequate to do just about everything I do with a computer of any kind. I find I grab it and just do things, which sounds a bit trite but it’s the truth. I don’t think about doing things — I just do them.

There are many things that I am growing to prefer doing on the iPad over other devices. I attribute that to both the comfort factor and the enjoyment I get from doing them on the iPad. Using the iPad is as simple as picking up a magazine and leafing through it. It has become a window into the world, but one I can interact with effortlessly. It’s hard for folks who’ve never used an iPad for any length of time to understand.

I’ve been impressed with how often iPad app developers are updating their apps. I check two or three times a day for updates, and usually find one. Apps are getting fixes and new features that are sometimes impressive. Many apps get simple updates that turn out to provide major usage benefits. This was the case with an update to SugarSync.

I use SugarSync to keep my files in sync across multiple computers, and to provide access to those files on the iPad using the free app. It worked well, but got much better after the update this week. The developers added a way to open spreadsheet, documents and presentations directly in Numbers, Pages and Keynote on the iPad. I just tap a document in the SugarSync app and then hit a button to open it for editing. It’s easy, useful and clean. The edited file has to be emailed to the SugarSync account to get updated in the cloud but it’s not a big deal. Hopefully, they’ll add a “sync up” function in a future update to eliminate this extra step.

I am constantly trying new apps for the iPad. Here’s a list of my most-used apps (right now):

• Twitterific
• NewsRack
• Kindle for iPad
• Tweetdeck
• WordPress
• Remember the Milk (iPhone version)
• iWorks (Pages, Numbers, Keynote)
• LogMeIn Ignition
• SugarSync
• Speed Test (iPhone version)

I am starting to test Dragon Dictation, and already see it can be a useful way to get text into the iPad via speech. I need to spend some time with it to get good at using it, and to determine the best practices for speaking text into various programs.

LogMeIn Ignition is working so well on the iPad that I find myself doing more and more with it. I can be controlling another computer in just seconds, so I am jumping on to do single tasks when I need to without putting it off. It is so powerful, and turns the iPad into a full Windows PC or Mac. It is the killer app for the iPad for me, without question. I keep getting asked how bad the lag is when controlling another computer, and truthfully there is almost no lag whatsoever. I guess I need to shoot a short video showing how well this works so others can understand this.

I admit I’ve gotten hooked on The Pinball HD, a fantastic game on the iPad. The sound and graphics are top-notch, and the way the game fluidly changes the viewing angle during the action is very well done. It is so addictive that I have to restrict myself to playing it when I have free time.

I’ve also started playing Red Alert: Command and Conquer and it’s pretty fun. The control interface is easy for most things but a little clunky for others, but otherwise it’s fun.

I have deliberately avoided getting Scrabble for the iPad. I love Scrabble and am sure I will waste far too much time playing it once I get it for the iPad. I’m sure I’ll break down and get it at some point but I’ve been strong enough so far.

Cool Stuff on the Web

I don’t always find stuff on the web that is cool enough to share, but this week I found two videos that must be watched. The first video was recorded during a baseball game between Florida Atlantic and Western Kentucky. There was an extended rain delay and the players for both schools got bored and then creative. The four minute video showing how these guys relieved the boredom is priceless.

I took my iPad over to my Mom’s house right after I got it, and was impressed that when I handed it to her she started using it right away. She had previously refused to even touch a computer, but the simple slate form didn’t intimidate her and she used it as soon as she grabbed it. The second cool video this week was recorded when an iPad was handed to 99 year-old Virginia. It was also her first time to ever touch a computer, and to watch her happily using the iPad is pure joy. She even writes limericks using her iPad. Great stuff.

e-Book of the Week

The e-book I am reading this week is the newest Stephen King novel, Under the Dome. It’s a great story told as only King can tell it. A mysterious force field-like dome suddenly appears over a small town in Maine, cutting it off from the rest of the world as no one can enter or leave through the translucent dome. I can barely wait to see where this story goes. It’s a testament to how much I like Stephen King’s work — it’s the most expensive e-book I’ve ever bought ($17).

Wrap-up

That’s the week as it happened in Mobile Tech Manor. I hope you enjoyed sharing it with me and if you have any questions about anything you’ve read here just leave a comment. I enjoy hearing from you.

Google has traditionally spent very little on advertising. Surprising perhaps for an advertising company, but Google has mostly relied on word-of-mouth and, more recently, on plugging its newer products in its more popular ones. In the early days, Google Chrome was promoted on YouTube with a link and an invitation to ‘try a new browser.’ That thinkin… (read more)

From Green Right Now Reports

U.S. sales of organic products continued to grow during 2009 despite the distressed state of the economy, the Organic Trade Association announced yesterday. Organic product sales in 2009 grew by 5.3 percent overall, to reach $26.6 billion. Of that figure, $24.8 billion represented organic food and the remaining $1.8 billion were sales of organic non-foods, according to the OTA’s 2010 Organic Industry Survey.

Organic fruits and vegetables, which represent 38 percent of total organic food sales, grew the most to reach nearly $9.5 billion in sales in 2009, up 11.4 percent from 2008 sales. The OTA said organic fruits and vegetables now represent 11.4 percent of all U.S. fruit and vegetable sales.

Since the approval of the final National Organic Program rule published in 2000, sales of organic fruits and vegetables have grown from $2.55 billion, which is approximately 3 percent of all fruit and vegetable sales, to the nearly $9.5 billion level and 11.4 percent penetration level. Meanwhile, during that time, organic food sales have grown from $6.1 billion to $24.8 billion in 2009, jumping from 1.2 percent of all U.S. food sales to 3.7 percent.

“These findings are indicative that even in tough times, consumers understand the benefits that organic products offer and will make other cuts before they give up products they value,” Christine Bushway, the OTA’s executive director, said in a statement.

The mass market channel had the lion’s share of organic food sales in 2009, with 54 percent of organic sold through mainstream grocers, club stores and retailers. Natural retailers were next, with 38 percent of total organic food sales. Although still representing a small percentage of sales, farmers’ markets, co-ops and CSA (community-supported agriculture) operations gained interest as consumers increasingly look for locally and regionally produced organic foods.

In the organic non-food sector, organic supplements led, with $634 million in sales, representing 35 percent of total organic non-food sales, Organic supplement sales were 12 percent higher than in 2008. Organic fiber (linen and clothing) totaled $521 million in sales, up 10.4 percent, while personal care products, at $459 million, were up 3.7 percent from 2008 sales.

Materials: Tullsta, old chair base

Description: The back legs on the Tullsta chair quickly began to weaken and threatened to break if someone sat down too quickly.  We had an old rocking chair from the 70’s; orange, worn and ugly. But I was very lucky because it had an excellent base which was easily mounted to the bottom of the Tullsta with eight lag bolts.  Then, it was just a question of moving the spider further back to achieve perfect balance.

~ Colin

Greek media reported that the Greek government would formally ask for a bailout from the IMF and Europe. Greek 10-year bonds rallied, with its yield dropping below 8%.

Then Greece’s prime minster George Papandreou started talking.

AP:

“The moment has come,” Papandreou said, speaking from the remote Aegean island of Kastelorizo.

…

“We inherited a ship that was ready to sink. A country bereft of prestige and credibility, which had even lost the respect of its friends and partners,” said Papandreou, who came to power in October elections.

…

However, he said, “markets did not respond. Either because they did not believe in the will of the EU or because some decided to continue speculating. And today, the situation in the markets threatens to deconstruct, not only the sacrifices of the Greek people, but also the smooth course of the economy itself.”

Now Greek bonds are routing again, with the yield back to 8.19%. Ouch, Mr. Papandreou’s words don’t come cheap.

(Chart via Bloomberg)

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“Awful” is the word Australian actor Alex O’Loughlin uses to describes his awkward sex scene with Jennifer Lopez in their new romantic The Back-Up Plan, Sydney’s Daily Telegraph reported on Friday.

“Really, it’s awful and anyone who thinks filming sex scenes is hot would be wrong,” O’Loughlin, 34, told reporters during the New York red carpet premiere for the film on Wednesday night. In fact, Alex was so uncomfortable pretending to share his bed with The Artist Formerly Known as J. Lo, he’s sworn off sex scenes — declaring that he would “be happy to never do another one again.”

In the film, Jennifer plays an unmarried woman named Zoe who is desperate for a child and is artificially inseminated through a sperm bank. Still unaware of her pregnancy, she meets Stan (O’Loughlin), and the two start dating.

Will you be watching Jennifer Lopez’s new comedy this weekend or do you have your own back-up plan?

Burning Oil Rig Sinks in Gulf
An oil platform that burned for more than day after a massive explosion sank into the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Eleven workers remain missing.

Early Morning Swim: Rachel Maddow and Rick Perlstein Discuss GOP’s Southern Strategy
And the backlash against Michael Steele begins.

And the backlash against Michael Steele begins.

A GOP aide involved in the 2010 election effort emails angrily: “Why the hell is Steele, chairman of the RNC (!!), talking about a southern strategy from decades past when today’s GOP can win 50 seats in the House and 10 in the Senate this cycle in districts north/south/east/west?”

Oops.

?

Jealous much?
Michael Steele discovers political parties are supposed to raise more money than they spend, is offended.

Michael Steele, a high-living and exquisitely inadvertent quote machine is the best RNC Chair a Democrat ever had. Two days ago he managed to admit what is well-known but never spoken by a Republican, that the Party of Lincoln’s strategy the last two generations has been to become the Party of Jefferson Davis.

After a series of reports of lavish spending, from bondage-clubs and single-malt office supplies to keeping the Hawaiian tourism economy afloat, he had the kindness to send me this email yesterday:

Barack Obama is crisscrossing the country shaking down his fat-cat pals for campaign cash:

* Boston, April 1: $2.5 million.
* Miami, April 15: $2.5 million.
* Los Angeles, April 19: $3.5 million.

These are the latest stops on his whirlwind fundraising tour.

Yes, Michael Steele has discovered that politicians, especially powerful ones, have the incredible ability to RAISE cash, not just spend it. This is something even Sarah Palin knows — incredibly well. And when Sarah Palin is wiser to the ways of the world than you, well, you are the best RNC Chair a Democrat ever had.

?

Late Late Night FDL: Addams Family Masochism Tango
Scenes from The Addams Family movie set to The Masochism Tango peformed by Tom Lerher becomes The Addams Family Masochism Tango.

Scenes from The Addams Family movie set to The Masochism Tango peformed by Tom Lerher becomes The Addams Family Masochism Tango.

What’s on your mind?

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Obama Pitches Financial Reform to Wall Street Execs
President Obama spoke before a group of fat cats—or rather, “titans of industry,” as he called them—from Wall Street on Thursday at Cooper Union in New York City, the same site where he’d delivered his pre-bailout, pre-presidential speech on the economy two years ago, in an attempt to recruit them to support his cause of reforming the financial industry. Good luck with that one, Mr. President.  —KA Read the text of Obama’s speech here. USA Today: “I’m sure that some of these lobbyists work for you and they’re doing what they are being paid to do,” Obama told invited guests—“titans of industry,” he called them—during a speech at Cooper Union in New York City. Even so, Obama argued that new regulations on the financial industry would help businesses, customers, and the U.S. economy as a whole. “We need to enact a set of updated, common-sense rules to ensure accountability on Wall Street and to protect consumers in our financial system,” he said. Read more

President Obama spoke before a group of fat cats—or rather, “titans of industry,” as he called them—from Wall Street on Thursday at Cooper Union in New York City, the same site where he’d delivered his pre-bailout, pre-presidential speech on the economy two years ago, in an attempt to recruit them to support his cause of reforming the financial industry. Good luck with that one, Mr. President.? —KA

Read the text of Obama’s speech here.

USA Today:

“I’m sure that some of these lobbyists work for you and they’re doing what they are being paid to do,” Obama told invited guests—“titans of industry,” he called them—during a speech at Cooper Union in New York City.

Even so, Obama argued that new regulations on the financial industry would help businesses, customers, and the U.S. economy as a whole. “We need to enact a set of updated, common-sense rules to ensure accountability on Wall Street and to protect consumers in our financial system,” he said.

Read more

Related Entries

• April 22, 2010 The Day the Earth Stood Still
• April 13, 2010 Son of a Breach

Dos noticias casi simultáneas que apuntan hacia los modelos a los que tiende el vídeo en internet: Youtube comienza con su modalidad de alquiler y Hulu anuncia modelo de suscripción. Ambos movimientos ya habían sido anticipados: el alquiler de películas en Youtube (de momento sólo funciona en Estados Unidos, nada de contenido disponible para IP / cuentas españolas) y Hulu de pago (al final propone un esquema de 10 dólares al mes como tarifa plana).

Aunque las cifras de ingresos / beneficios de Youtube han sido muy discutidas, lo que parece cada vez más claro es que la fórmula de que el vídeo en internet sea gratis y mate varias ventanas de explotación no sea directamente viable para quienes producen contenido “premium”. Si la apuesta de Youtube es más bien tímida – poco contenido, escasemente promocionado – lo de Hulu apunta a experimento como señala Gonzalo, toda vez que el análisis de las cifras que hacen en AtD: los productores van a tener que decidir si su apuesta online exige mantener los márgenes que tenían en la televisión por cable y siguen subiendo su apuesta de pago por visión.

Se acaban de filtrar a la red dos imágenes sobre el nuevo deportivo Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa Zagato. Este modelo verá la luz para rendir homenaje a todos los años que Alfa Romeo ha estado presente en la competición del motor.

Será presentado de forma oficial el próximo 23 de Abril en un evento llamado Villa d’Este. En cuanto al diseño, tiene claras características de deportivo actual aunque mezcla algunas líneas de un vehículo clásico.

Sobre la motorización no se saba nada a ciencia cierta aunque se rumorea que podría hacer uso de un motor V8. También cabe destacar que contará con un chasis de carbono monocasco y aluminio para aumentar la resistencia y aligerar su peso.

Related posts:

1. Alfa Romeo Giulietta, imágenes oficiales
2. Alfa Romeo Giulietta, precios disponibles
3. Alfa Romeo 147 SS Moving, edición especial

Goldman Sachs, we can be sure, will vigorously contest the civil suit brought against it by the United States Security and Exchange Commission (SEC). But, regardless of the eventual outcome, the case has far-reaching implications for the financial reform legislation that the US Congress is now considering.

Whether or not Goldman is guilty, the transaction in question clearly had no social benefit. It involved a complex synthetic security that was derived from existing mortgage-backed securities by cloning them into imaginary units that mimicked the originals. This synthetic collateralized debt obligation (CDO) did not finance the ownership of any additional homes or allocate capital more efficiently; it merely swelled the volume of mortgage-backed securities that lost value when the housing bubble burst. The primary purpose of the transaction was to generate fees and commissions.

Read the rest at Project Syndicate –>

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Steve Clemons: Has Chuck Schumer EVER Criticized Israel or its Leadership in the Way He Just Unloaded on Obama?
Senator Chuck Schumer may have just lost any shot at succeeding Harry Reid as Senate Majority Leader if the Nevada Senator stumbles in the…

Janice Bryant Howroyd: Literacy: The Ladder Up and Across The Bridge To Our Futures
Last night, I listened to Morgan Freeman say, on American Idol’s “Idol Gives Back”, “Literacy is the ladder out, but we must be fit enough…

Jill Richardson: US Senate, Bill Gates Give Planet a Middle Finger for Earth Day
Mother Nature does not work like a market: simply put, the world cannot shift to diets based on grain-fed meat.

Obama Administration Explores New ‘Fast Strike’ Missiles
WASHINGTON — In coming years, President Obama will decide whether to deploy a new class of weapons capable of reaching any corner of the earth…

With a grain of salt: Right-wing media claim government is coming for your shaker

Following reports that the FDA is considering regulating the amount of salt in processed foods, media conservatives have falsely claimed that the Obama administration is “seizing our salt shakers.” In fact, the FDA review has nothing to do with consumers’ use of table salt and instead invovles examining warnings about high sodium content in processed foods and restaurant meals, the sources of 77 percent of sodium intake.

Right wing invokes fear that big government is coming for your salt shaker

Rush: “We can now thank the regime for seizing our salt shakers.” During the April 20 edition of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh commented: “We can now thank the regime for seizing our salt shakers.” Limbaugh added that “they’re going to take away our salt shakers, and we’re supposed to thank the regime for seasoning our food.”

Martha MacCallum: “Can’t we make our own decision about whether or not we salt our food?” Announcing a Fox News online poll on the potential regulations, co-host Bill Hemmer said on the on the April 20 edition of Fox News’ America’s Newsroom: “Do you think the government should regulate the ingredients in the food we eat?” Co-host Martha MacCallum asked: “Can’t we make our own decision about whether or not we want to salt our food?”

Fox & Friends: “Food police” are “taking salt away from you.” During the April 22 edition of Fox & Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade teased an upcoming segment by stating, “Coming up straight ahead, all this talk about the government taking salt away from you because it’s so bad for you, but aren’t there good things about salt?” Later, senior managing editor of FoxNewsHealth.com Dr. Manny Alvarez said, “I hate the government getting involved and telling me what to eat.” Co-host Steve Doocy replied: “Food police!”

Jane Skinner: “Will the government take the spice out of life and the thrill out of cooking?” During the April 20 edition of Fox News’ Happening Now, co-host Jane Skinner asserted: “The FDA is making a major push to limit how much salt you eat. Will the government take the spice out of life and the thrill out of cooking?”

Bolling: “Hide the salt and pepper.” Teasing an upcoming segment on the April 20 Fox Business’ Happy Hour, co-host Eric Bolling stated: “Hide the salt and pepper. The government is about to shake up — Get it? — your eating habbits.”

FDA reviewing warnings of high sodium levels in processed and prepared food, not regulating salt shakers

FDA is “not currently working on regulations nor has it made a decision to regulate sodium content.” In an April 20 press release, the FDA stated: “A story in today’s Washington Post leaves a mistaken impression that the FDA has begun the process of regulating the amount of sodium in foods. The FDA is not currently working on regulations nor has it made a decision to regulate sodium content in foods at this time.” The release further stated that the agency plans to review a recent Institute of Medicine report on the dangers of excessive sodium intake in processed and prepared foods and plans “to work with other federal agencies, public health and consumer groups, and the food industry to support the reduction of sodium levels in the food supply.” [FDA, 4/20/10]

Institute of Medicine warns of “sodium in foods across the board by manufacturers and restaurants” where “the vast majority of people’s sodium intake comes from.” An April 20 brief from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies called for “a coordinated effort to reduce sodium in foods across the board by manufacturers and restaurants [emphasis added] — that is, create a level playing field for the food industry.” The brief stated:

As its primary strategy for sodium reduction, the committee recommends that the FDA set mandatory national standards for the sodium content in foods — not banning outright the addition of salt to foods but beginning the process of reducing excess sodium in processed foods and menu items to a safer level.

The report brief stated that the majority of salt in food is “added as it is being processed or prepared by the food industry.” An accompanying press release stated, “[T]he vast majority of people’s sodium intake comes from salt that companies put in prepared meals and processed foods.”

CDC: “Most sodium comes from processed and restaurant food.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states: “Most of the sodium we eat comes from packaged, processed, store-bought, and restaurants foods. Only a small amount comes from salt added during cooking and from being added at the table, and most Americans have already exceeded their daily limit of sodium before cooking or adding salt at the table.”

An accompanying chart explains that 77 percent of Americans’ salt intake comes from processed and restaurant foods; only 6 percent is added at the table:

Yale University’s Dr. David Katz: “The issue is not what you do with your salt shaker.” Appearing on the April 20 edition of Fox Business’ Happy Hour, Yale University’s Dr. David Katz explained that “the FDA is not actively regulating anything” but that “[t]he industry has not fixed this problem on its own so the Institute of Medicine, which looks out for our health, is encouraging the federal authorities to do something about it.” Katz also commented, “The issue is not what you do with your salt shaker,” and added: “We often have these discussions about federal regulation as if the choice is between Big Brother telling you what to do or you making your own well-informed choice. So the question is, how informed are you now? Do you know that most commercial breakfast cereals are saltier than your diet should be on average?” Katz concluded: “It’s not a choice between you taking personal responsibility because you don’t have complete information.”

Center for Science in the Public Interest praised report. In an April 20 release, the Center for Science in the Public Interest stated:

Legislators and public health groups today praised a long-awaited report from the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine that calls for urgent, government action to reduce salt in packaged and restaurant foods.

“Limiting salt in packaged and restaurant foods is perhaps the single most important thing that the Food and Drug Administration could do to save hundreds of thousands of lives and save billions of dollars in health-care expenses,” said Center for Science in the Public Interest executive director Michael F. Jacobson. “The FDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture should quickly implement the Institute of Medicine’s recommendations, starting with mandatory limits on salt, which could be phased in gradually over time.” [Center for Science in the Public Interest, 4/20/10]

Fox previously suggested NY salt reduction initiative was mandatory

Fox misrepresents NY voluntary initiative as a government mandate. Following the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s January announcement of a National Salt Reduction Initiative (NSRI), Fox News anchors and personalities misrepresented the initiative as mandatory, despite the health department stating: “Targets are voluntary, not mandatory, so they cannot force products off the market.”

Ensign’s PAC Has Not Raised A Single Dollar This Year
Sen. John Ensign’s PAC has taken in a grand total of $0 so far this year, according to FEC records examined by TPMmuckraker

Stanford Lobbyist, Bush Admin. Medicare Bamboozler Host Kasich Fundraiser
One host of today’s fundraiser for John Kasich was a senior executive and top lobbyist for alleged Ponzi schemer Allen Stanford, while another is a former Bush administration official who threatened to fire a subordinate if he revealed to Congress the true cost of a major bill.

see more Political Pictures

Republican Takeover of Senate Unlikely
Nate Silver’s latest forecast shows Republicans will gain a net of four Senate seats in this fall’s elections, a figure unchanged since last month.

The Republicans now have only a 6% chance of an outright takeover of the Senate.

Maryland Rematch Will Be Close
A new Rasmussen survey in Maryland shows Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) edging former Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R) in their repeat race for governor, 47% to 44%.

Hoyer Sees Big Democratic Losses
When asked about a recent Cook Political Report analysis that showed Democrats likely to lose 30 to 40 House seats in the midterm elections, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) did not disagree, reports Washington Whispers.

Said Hoyer: “It’s an accurate view of what the polls reflect right now. Yes. I have great respect for Charlie Cook.”

Republicans need to pick up 40 seats to take control of the House.