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Sprint tried rolling out a website upgrade/overhaul on the weekend, but have suffered outages since Sunday because of it. The main site appears to be up and running again, but the “My Sprint”, “Support”, and “Community” sections still appear to be broken.

Sprint have said that they are allowing some traffic through, and monitoring stability for those that are allowed in.
In the mean time, if you need to access their account services, Sprint suggest either dialling (for free)

• *4 to get account balance information
• *3 to make an automated payment
• *2 to call customer care

Or, for account information, try using their Facebook or iGoogle widgets.

You can get updates about the site availability from their Twitter account.

Shortly after her 17-month-old son drowned in the bathtub of her Westlake District home April 1, Nancy Jacinto told Los Angeles police investigators that she had only left the bathroom for seconds and returned to find the boy floating face down in the water.

Jacinto, a 19-year-old mother of three, said she had left to get a towel to dry off Jacob James Gaona and his 2-year-old brother. [Updated at 11:08 a.m.: In an earlier version of this post, Jacob Gaona’s last name was spelled incorrectly.]

But evidence at the home and the autopsy were inconsistent with the woman’s account, police detectives said.

Then, as investigators with the departments juvenile division were preparing to interview Jacinto, she made a startling admission, said LAPD Capt. Fabian Lizarraga

She said that while she was bathing the children, she had "needed to catch her breath. She was stressed out," Lizarraga said. "She dozed off a little bit, and when she woke up, she realized what was going on and went to check on the kids."

Rather than seconds, Jacinto was away from the bathroom for at least 12 minutes, police say.

Prosecutors have charged her with child endangerment and murder. Jacinto has pleaded not guilty.

The LAPD previously visited Jacinto’s home in January after her 3-year-old daughter came to school with a burn mark on her cheek, Lizzaraga said. The little girl initially indicated her mother had done it, and officers were sent to the home to interview the child.

Police prepared an injury report, Lizarraga said, but there was no evidence that pointed to abuse.

The explanation given to police was that the girl had grabbed a spoon used to stir eggs that were boiling. According to the interviews, the spoon was still hot when the girl grabbed the utensil and held it briefly against her face. According to the report, her face was burned, but the skin was not broken.

The case was reviewed, and on March 1, police notified the Los Angeles County of Department of Children and Family Services about the incident. An appointment to visit the residence was made, but police said it was not clear whether social workers visited the family before the death of 17-month-old Jacob.

— Andrew Blankstein

The great fragmentation debate continues. The latest numbers show 2.1 gaining momentum but it’s still only the third most used version behind 1.6 and 1.5. These numbers are due to the fact that the popular Droid has recently been updated to Android 2.1.

More 2.1 updates are on the way, 2.1 should be on the majority of Android phones by the end of the summer. Froyo is supposed to address the fragmentation issue but it may further fragment the market. Phones sold from Google will surely receive the update months before the rest of the devices. It’s rumored to be released sometime in June or July. If that’s the case, it may be winter or even next year before we see it on every other phone.

[via android developers blog]

Nebraska became the first state in the nation to enact restrictions on abortion based on the concept of fetal pain, the New York Times reports.

The new law, signed on Tuesday, bans abortions after 20 weeks’ gestation, a point at which some argue the fetus feels pain. Previously the state forbade abortion based on the ability of the fetus to live outside the womb, which is considered to begin no earlier than at 22 weeks, according to the Times. Abortions after 20 weeks are now permitted only in an emergency or when the mother’s life or physical health are at serious risk.

Fetal pain is a highly controversial topic that has implications for the increasingly intricate surgical procedures performed on fetuses in utero as well as abortion. A JAMA review published in 2005 concluded that while evidence “regarding the capacity for fetal pain is limited,” it’s “unlikely before the third trimester.” Other researchers, however, studying responses during fetal surgery, say they’ve observed flinching or physiological changes like an increase in stress hormones in fetuses even at 18 weeks’ gestation.

The focus on fetal pain may open a new front in the abortion wars. “If some of these other anti-abortion bills have been chipping away at Roe v. Wade, this takes an ax to it,” Nancy Northrup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, told the NYT.

Image: iStockphoto

An attorney for Octomom Nadya Suleman told The Associated Press Wednesday that the controversial Octuplets Mom will appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show next week to discuss how she is raising her 14 children.

Suleman, who made a disturbing appearance on ABC’s The View in February, last made headlines in March, when she reportedly starved off foreclosure after defaulting on a balloon payment on her Southern California home.

South Korean manufacturer (erm, of handsets, not South Koreans) Pantech announced the Sirius, its third Android device. Reportedly "in talks" to bring the phone to Verizon and/or AT&T, the Sirius sports a 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen, Adobe Flash, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 5MP camrea, 500MB of storage memory WiFi and Android 2.1, all tucked into a neat little 11.5mm-thick case. Do note that "in talks" doesn’t mean the phone’s actually coming to Verizon or AT&T, so we’ll all just have to sit back and be patient. [Yonhap News via Unwired View]

[JURIST] Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum announced Tuesday that Georgia will join 18 other states in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the recently enacted health care bill. The lawsuit was originally filed last month in the US District Court for the Northern District of Florida. McCollum issued a statement welcoming Georgia to the judicial efforts, reiterating the states’ belief that the health care bill is unconstitutional, and stating plans to take the suit to the Supreme Court if necessary:
We welcome Georgia to our efforts to protect the constitutional rights of our citizens as well as the sovereignty of our states. The federal government cannot mandate that all citizens buy qualifying health care coverage or be forced to pay a tax penalty – this is unconstitutional. We will aggressively pursue this lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary to prevent this unprecedented expansion of federal powers, impact upon state sovereignty, and encroachment on our freedom. The 18 other states involved in the suit are Florida, Texas, South Carolina, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Washington, Colorado, Michigan, Utah, Alabama, South Dakota, Idaho, Indiana, North Dakota, Mississippi, Nevada, and Arizona.Georgia joins the suit after Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced last week that Indiana, North Dakota, Mississippi, Nevada and Arizona would be joining the suit. Among the allegations in the complaint are violations of Article I and the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution as well as the commerce clause. Last month, Idaho Governor CL Otter signed a bill barring the federal mandate to purchase health insurance. Virginia Governor Bob McDonald has indicated that he will sign a similar bill recently passed by the Virginia legislature. Also in March, President Barack Obama signed the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act into law, which addressed concerns raised by the original bill, including provisions to help uninsured Americans pay for coverage, concerns over the effects to Medicare, and lowering the penalty for not buying insurance.

The original Boston Tea Party in 1773 was a protest about taxation without representation.
Today’s rally on the Boston Common, says Christen Varley, President of the Greater Boston Tea Party, is about “Taxation with bad representation.”

The Holliston, Massachusetts mother says the Greater Boston group boasts five chapters with 1,800 local members and more are joining everyday. Varley says today’s event on the city’s historic common, once used as a camp by British troops, could draw up to 10,000 people.

“It’s almost like a vaudeville type show,” said Varley.

There will be patriotic music, food and speakers. Sarah Palin, the former Alaska Governor and Fox News contributor, is headlining the event and is slated to speak at 10:40am.

“This is about reaching as many people as possible,” Varley said. She says the movement is a battle against big government and too many taxes. In the midst of a struggling economy she’s critical of elected officials she believes are not doing enough. “We elected these guys and gals and they’re not doing what we elected them to do.”

While Tea Party support and advertising is credited with helping Scott Brown secure the U.S. Senate seat once held by Ted Kennedy, the newly minted senator will not be attending.

Senator Brown officially claims to be busy with his new job on Capitol Hill but political strategists say he must be wary of appearing too closely affiliated with groups that could damage his 2012 re-election bid.

Many of those attending today’s rally are not miffed by his absence. They say he still has a lot to prove to Massachusetts’ voters and understand if he doesn’t want to rock the boat.

“Seeing as he’s the first Republican in decades I see how he would not want to tip his hat to a polarizing figure,” said Will Grapentine of Bristol, Rhode Island. “I came because until recently with Scott Brown’s election New England has not been ready for a sea-change and to have a big figure like Sarah Palin here, that gives it legitimacy. It gives credence to how New England is ready for a new ways of thinking in government.”

The nationwide Tea Party Express tour wraps up tomorrow in Washington, D.C. with a Tax Day Tea Party rally from 7p.m. to 9:30p.m. at the Washington monument.

A roundup of economic news from around the Web.

Taxes: David Leonhardt looks into the statement that 47% of Americans pay no income tax. “The 47 percent number is not wrong. The stimulus programs of the last two years — the first one signed by President George W. Bush, the second and larger one by President Obama — have increased the number of households that receive enough of a tax credit to wipe out their federal income tax liability. But the modifiers here — federal and income — are important. Income taxes aren’t the only kind of federal taxes that people pay. There are also payroll taxes and capital gains taxes, among others. And, of course, people pay state and local taxes, too. Even if the discussion is restricted to federal taxes (for which the statistics are better), a vast majority of households end up paying federal taxes. Congressional Budget Office data suggests that, at most, about 10 percent of all households pay no net federal taxes. The number 10 is obviously a lot smaller than 47. The reason is that poor families generally pay more in payroll taxes than they receive through benefits like the Earned Income Tax Credit. It’s not just poor families for whom the payroll tax is a big deal, either. About three-quarters of all American households pay more in payroll taxes, which go toward Medicare and Social Security, than in income taxes.”

Government Debt: Antonio Fatás looks at what needs to be done to get government debt under control.”So can we hope for a nice, painless, expansionary fiscal consolidation over the next decades? Not obvious. There are several reasons why those experiences might not be easily replicated this time: – In some countries, government spending levels have come down relative to where they were in the 80s or 90s. It is not easy to produce a significant decrease in government spending without affecting some basic services provided by the government. More so in the US where government spending is low relative to other (European) advanced economies. – Some of the expansionary fiscal consolidations benefited from falling interest rates. As an example, Belgium reduced government debt by close to 40 percentage points in between 1996 and 2006 but most if not all of the decrease was linked to falling interest rates on government debt. Currently, there is no room for interest rates to go down. If any, they might go up. – This time, the consolidation needs to take care of the past (the accumulated level of debt) and the future (the fact that projected deficits given current policies will be very large). The adjustment is larger than what was needed in some of those previous expansion.”

Regional Fed Banks: Heidi Moore looks at the dangers of marginalizing the regional Fed banks. “In the end, however, the regional presidents are likely to lose their power to the FDIC or the central Fed, which is evolving into a political entity replete with the savvy maneuverer Ben Bernanke at its helm. “I feel sorry for the bank presidents,” said Chris Whalen, co-founder of consulting firm Institutional Risk Analytics. “They are in a traditional sense raising the right issues, but we’ve gone so beyond that in the Fed’s capture by both banks and Congress that the whole thing’s politicized now.” The only power the regional presidents have is to bang some drums. But even that could make a difference to debate—in an era when secretive bailouts can be designed by a few power brokers with access to the money of millions of taxpayers.”

Compiled by Phil Izzo

Armed with grants provided by state agencies, a group of social service organizations will renovate around 30 Fort Wayne foreclosed homes that have been abandoned by their former owners and convert them into apartments.

The project, which has an estimated cost of $2.5 million, will be financed by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority’s grant worth $1.7 million and by funds from the Neighborhood Stabilization program which totals $800,000.

The tax delinquent residences which now belong to the county will be made into apartments and will be offered to low income families and homeless people. According to the project’s official developer, Genesis Outreach, around 50 families who have no homes of their own have already submitted their applications.

The project is expected to be completed in a year’s time. However, organizations behind the project have stated that the program goes beyond providing homes to people who do not have the capacity to purchase even foreclosed homes for sale in Indiana that are offered at low prices.

The families who will live in the renovated Fort Wayne foreclosed homes will be given help to hone their skills and earn their own living. Aside from house ownership training, the residents will also receive job skills training and assistance in other aspects of healthy and proper living.

Although the apartments will not be the same as foreclosed homes for sale in Indiana, they will not be for free either. Genesis Outreach officials revealed that the apartments will be rented, but the amount of rent will depend on the income of the families who will live in the units.

To mitigate the expenses that will be required for the project, federal subsidies from housing agencies will also be used. The abandoned structures will be remodeled to fit the needs of families and individual residents who will live in the buildings.

Several state and private agencies are collaborating with the developers of the project, including Vincent Village, Women’s Bureau, the Indiana Housing Consultants and the Interfaith Hospitality Network.

Local housing officials have stated that the renovation of the Fort Wayne foreclosed homes is just the start of a state-wide program that aims to develop supportive home and permanent housing structures for Indiana families.

Find more foreclosure listings in Fort Wayne, IN:

• Home Auctions in Fort Wayne
• Foreclosure Investing in Fort Wayne

Filed under: Safety, Technology, BMW

When it comes to the side of the road, let’s just say you’re not looking to get more familiar with it. Being stuck there is bad enough; being stuck there in a luxury car might be considered even worse. BMW wants to take a some of that edge off by making it easier to get help, introducing a personalized smartphone app for its BMW Roadside Assistance.

If Ultimate Service was included with your new or pre-owned BMW, then you can take advantage of it, or those who adopted too early can purchase an annual subscription. It works on iPhones, BlackBerries and Android phones – sorry, Palm and WinMo – and expedites requests for any BMW registered in the U.S. since 1975. Follow the jump for the press release, and look what you can do with your smartphone in the gallery of photos below.

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading BMW introduces smartphone app for roadside assistance

BMW introduces smartphone app for roadside assistance originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With all the potential doom and gloom surrounding Palm right now, it’s always nice to be able to say that there is some good news to be had. And if anything qualifies as good news, it’s apps, right? Of course it is. And while we’re not ones to say “the more the better” when it comes to apps (though we will to sales numbers, profits, and the like), right now we’ll take what we can get. Though quality never hurts. The new app drop for yesterday didn’t have anything particularly amazing, though at least it wasn’t overflowing with less-than-desirables. It’s all listed for you, after ye olde break.

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Sea turtles are getting killed in the millions from large-scale fisheries. See how this happens, potential solutions to the problem, and what you can do below.

A new report published in the journal Conservation Letters shows the results of the first global assessment of turtle “bycatch” by longline, gillnet and trawl fisheries. Basically, bycatch is when these fisheries accidentally catch animals they don’t intend to catch. Unfortunately, the news is not good for millions of sea turtles, with six out of seven marine turtle species listed as “Vulnerable”, “Endangered”, or “Critically Endangered” on the IUCN Red List largely as a result of this.

(more…)

The boisterous cast of Jersey Shore has been turned away from almost hotspot in South Beach Miami. Hell, even Rapids Water Park recently snubbed the opportunity to have Snooki, The Situation, and the rest of the crew film on location. While the cast’s well-earned reputation for drinking, brawling, and fist-pumping has been cited as the main factor in Miami’s unofficial ban against The Shore, according to Page2Live.com, a bizarre release form that gives the Jersey Shore cast complete power over the businesses they frequent is the real reason South Florida clubs and restaurants are showing the guidos the door.

It’s the contract MTV producers want businesses to sign that is turning them off in droves, says the site. The legally-binding document, which protects the network against lawsuits, warns business owners to prepare for “public ridicule, humiliation or condemnation” once the cast shows up for shooting.

“Your actions and the actions of others displayed in the Project may be disparaging, embarrassing or of an otherwise unfavorable nature and may expose you, your business, your friends, your co-workers and/or your family to public ridicule, humiliation or condemnation,” the contract reads, reports Page2Live. “We can do what we want and you agree not to sue us,” it continues. “For dramatic purposes, (producers) may make certain misrepresentations to you and others. The Project may lead to emotional strains and pressures on you, your business, your friends, your co-workers and family…”

What does all that legal mumbo jumbo mean? In layman’s terms, the Jersey Shore cast can do whatever they want at your establishment — including but not limited to berating customers, cursing you out, tearing up furniture, standing on DJ turntables, and attacking animals and small children — and there’s not a thing you can do about it.

“Basically, the contract gives them the right to do whatever they want, including breaking things, trashing the place, and there’s nothing we could do. That’s too much of a risk,” says a rep for Rapids in Riviera Beach.

Clubs on South Beach quickly turned down the contract immediately, and MTV recently announced that the second half of Jersey Shore Season 2 will be filmed in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, where the group shared a beachfront home during the show’s record-breaking first season.

The second season of Jersey Shore premieres in July.

“Hey. You. Come over here.” A scraggly female voice rang out from the bushes.

I looked over at the gypsy, half hidden by the shrubbery.

“Why?” I asked. The last time I did what a gypsy said I almost lost a kidney, so this time I wanted to be careful.

“I have something to tell you. Something the world will want to hear.”

Intrigued, I moved toward her. She raised her ancient arm, revealing her globular cliché (a crystal ball). I found the slight glow enticing. I peered deep.

And all was revealed.

Through the fog I could see a man in a black turtle neck. A calendar on the wall behind him clearly read June 22 2010. He was holding what looked to be an updated iPhone.

Ok. So this didn’t really happen. What really happened isn’t as interesting, but far more believable: Apple have booked a room at the Yerba Buena Center for Arts in San Francisco for June 22nd. Apple aficionados will know that Apple have announced the last three iPhones every June at the nearby Moscone Center.

It’s pretty much a sure bet that the fourth generation iPhone will be announced on June 22nd, 2010. It has been written.

It doesn’t matter how old we get, we’ll still be left wanting a little taste of something sweet at the end of a meal. Although there’s still some joy in occasional Snack Pack, we truly love homemade treats instead. Our 10 favorites are compact in nature and travel exceptionally well!

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When Santa is off season, he makes and races amazing snowmobiles from scrap in the Russian steppes, while his little slaves build toys during the day and get drunk at night. And yes, Santa’s beard is fake. [English Russia] More »

We could probably do this for days and days….but we won’t. Here’s another, though;