What the week’s big mortgage moves mean for consumers

This week brought three big developments to the nation’s beleaguered mortgage landscape. For consumers, the complex moves have been mostly mystifying, but experts say they all aim at turning the page.“There is a strong desire to put behind us all this period of time — the aftermath of the darkest period in American finance. All these things [announced this week] are intended...

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Baby Bones Found Scattered in Ancient Italian Village

SEATTLE — The death of an infant may not have been an occasion for mourning in ancient Italy, according to archaeologists who have found baby bones scattered on the floor of a workshop dating to the seventh century B.C.The grisly finds consist of bone fragments uncovered over years of excavation at Poggio Civitate, a settlement about 15 miles (25 kilometers) from the city of Siena in what is now Tuscany....

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They Dated Golden Globes Edition Part 2

Remember them?Angelina Jolie, Matt Damon and Jake Gyllenhaal have a tendency to mix it up as far as dates go at the Golden Globes. With the 70th annual ceremony almost upon us, we're looking back at these celebs and their various plus-ones as they arrived to the star-studded event over the years.Related: They Dated?! Golden Globes Edition - Part 1 Jolie has had the privilege of walking the Golden...

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SAC pulls plug on Chi. shop

Hedge fund SAC Capital said yesterday it is closing down its Chicago office and laying off staff from the four portfolio teams that work there.The Stamford, Conn.-based firm has $14 billion in assets with offices worldwide, including in New York, Hong Kong, London and Boston.The company, which has recently drawn fresh scrutiny in the US government’s ongoing...

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Wisdom from the mouths of babes

The other day, a friend of mine email me the following letter from a 7-year-old second-grader, Abigal Lily Alder, at Heron Heights Elementary in Broward County, and I want to share it with you, my dear Neighbors in Religion readers:The title: "AUTISM SPEAKS to Me!" "If I could help somebody it would be my brother, Grant, who has autism. People with autism like Grant sometimes...

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‘Liquipod’ takes smartphone waterproofing on the road

Amid a sea of Ultra-HD TVs, smart washing machines and various other gadgets, waterproofing expert Liquipel took to CES 2013 to make two announcements. The firm, which adds an interior and exterior waterproof nanocoating to cell phones, revealed a new and improved waterproofing material that is even more effective than its first-generation solution. Liquipel also unveiled its new “Liquipod,”...

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The Big Winners of the People's Choice Awards

Host Kaley Cuoco kicked off the People's Choice Awards with a big bang on Wednesday night live from Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, where Katy Perry and Robert Downey Jr. walked away with multiple trophies.RELATED: People's Choice to Honor Bullock as HumanitarianPrior to handing out awards, Cuoco began the show with a taped segment that featured a LL Cool J, Katniss Everdeen (aka Jennifer Lawrence) and characters...

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Seabrook Sent Off

One more corrupt New York pol has a confirmed reservation at a federal lockup. Ex-City Councilman Larry Seabrook (D-Bronx) was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison and ordered to pay $619,715 in restitution. He’s to report March 8. Frankly, he should consider himself lucky. Last summer, the former powerbroker was found guilty of nine corruption counts;...

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Florida company provides electrical power for the world

More than 4,000 miles from its home base in Doral, Energy International is helping keep the lights on and the power grid humming in Gibraltar, the British territory on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.Energy International, a global provider of power plants and energy solutions, sent a temporary plant that will provide power for at least the next two years while a...

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Miami police to buyback guns — no questions asked

In efforts to reduce gun violence, Miami police will hold its first 2013 gun buyback operation of the year. Beginning on Jan. 19, anyone can drop off any firearm at designated locations and receive a gift certificate with no questions asked. “We are urging the public to join us in the efforts to reduce gun violence and make a difference,” the police department said in a news...

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