Devry University under fire by Dick Durbin

Illinois Democrat Sen. Richard Durbin warned Wednesday that the world of higher education could experience its own version of the subprime mortgage crisis if Congress does not take steps to regulate federal loans given to students at for-profit universities.

“The goal seems to be to bring in as many students as possible — regardless of their ability to succeed or graduate — load them up with loans, and leave taxpayers on the hook if students default,” Durbin said.
Durbin, the majority whip, told an audience at the National Press Club that he wants to partner with Sen. Tom Harkin, Iowa Democrat, to craft regulatory legislation to introduce late this year or early next year.

When asked whether he thinks he can win support among his colleagues, Durbin said, “We’ll see.”
“It’s not going to be easy,” Durbin said. “There’s a lot of federal money involved here, and they have bought all the lobbyists in town, which is their constitutional right.”
“Just as with the subprime mortgage crisis, private companies rake in the profits, and taxpayers bear nearly all the risks,” Durbin said. “What makes this doubly frustrating is that we’ve been through this before.”
According to the Department of Education, students at for-profit colleges make up only 7 percent of the people receiving higher education, but 44 percent of those defaulting on federal student loans, Durbin said.
Tuition at for-profit schools is about five times the price of community colleges, and about twice as much as public four-year colleges, according to a report from the College Board.

For-profit universities such as the University of Phoenix and DeVry University received $4.3 billion in Pell grants and $19.6 billion in Stafford loans, according to a Senate report that came out last week.
Durbin and Harkin have asked the Government Accountability Office to assess how effective for-profit schools are.
The Department of Education is pursuing regulations that would require for-profit schools to disclose graduates’ success rates.
“There are many good trade schools and for-profit colleges, and they serve a vital purpose,” Durbin said. “But there are also a lot of bad for-profit schools that are raking in huge amounts of federal dollars while leaving students poorly trained and over their heads in debt.”

From The White House

WASHINGTON, D.C. — United States President Barack Obama will take the oath of office twice – once on Sunday and once on Monday – to satisfy both the US constitution as well as the public need to witness it.
He will be formally sworn into office on Sunday in keeping with the dictates of the constitution, which mandates the previous presidential term ends at noon on January 20. That ceremony will take place at a small gathering at the White House.
But by tradition, if January 20 falls on a Sunday, the public swearing in on the steps of the Capitol is delayed to another day of the week – in this case, until Monday.
It will be the seventh time in history that the public inauguration has been delayed due to a Sunday end-of-term.
And for Obama, it will be the second time he will have been sworn in twice, the first time owing to a glitch in the public event on January 20, 2009 when Chief Justice John Roberts switched around some of the words and used a ''to'' instead of an ''of'' at one point. To ensure there would be no question that the swearing in was done correctly, Obama was sworn in a second time the following day.
The tradition of no public ceremony on a Sunday dates back to 1821, the first time the inauguration fell on a Sunday.
Then-president James Monroe decided after consulting with the Supreme Court to postpone the public ceremony until the next day because ''courts and other public institutions were not open on Sunday.''
Technically, that meant the country had no legal president for a day - as happened again in 1849, when president Zachary Taylor delayed the public affair for a day. That case gave rise to a myth about the top-ranked senator, David Rice Atchison, who was declared by many - including a recently opened museum in his home state of Kansas and his own tombstone - to have been president for a day by default.
Atchison himself never made that claim, telling a St Louis, Missouri, newspaper that he was never sworn as president and in fact had slept away the day, March 4, 1849, on which the previous president's term had expired.
''There had been three or four busy nights finishing up the work of the Senate, and I slept most of that Sunday,'' Atchison is quoted as having said.
Since then, four other presidents - Rutherford B Hayes (1877); Woodrow Wilson (1917); Dwight D Eisenhower (1957); and Ronald Reagan (1985) - have delayed the public ceremony to a Monday.
But all four took the precautionary measure of a private swearing in on the actual date their terms ended, as will Obama on Sunday.
US presidents also have a tradition of swearing in on a Bible.
On Sunday, Obama will lay his hand on the family Bible of his wife Michelle's grandmother, the inaugural committee said.
On Monday, he will use two Bibles stacked together: a black King James Bible that slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr carried on his travels and a burgundy velvet Bible used by president Abraham Lincoln at his first inauguration.
The choices reflect not only the historic significance of the country's first black president beginning his second term, but also the fact that January 21 is a national holiday commemorating King.
The January 20 inaugural date was established by the 20th Amendment to the constitution, which until 1933 specified March 4 as the end of term. The move shortened the lame-duck nature of the government after November elections.

Facebook Losses Federal Law Suite

NOTICE OF PENDING CLASS ACTION AND NOTICE OF PROPOSED SETTLEMENT ANGEL FRALEY V. FACEBOOK, INC. You are receiving this e-mail because you may have been featured in a "Sponsored Story" on Facebook prior to December 3, 2012. A federal court authorized this Notice. This is not a solicitation from a lawyer. Why did I get this notice? This Notice relates to a proposed settlement ("Settlement") of a class action lawsuit ("Action") filed against Facebook relating to a particular Facebook feature called "Sponsored Stories." According to available records, you may be a "Class Member." What is the Action about? The Action claims that Facebook unlawfully used the names, profile pictures, photographs, likenesses, and identities of Facebook users in the United States to advertise or sell products and services through Sponsored Stories without obtaining those users' consent. Facebook denies any wrongdoing and any liability whatsoever. No court or other entity has made any judgment or other determination of any liability. What is a Sponsored Story? Sponsored Stories are a form of advertising that typically contains posts which appeared on facebook.com about or from a Facebook user or entity that a business, organization, or individual has paid to promote so there is a better chance that the posts will be seen by the user or entity's chosen audience. Sponsored Stories may be displayed, for example, when a Facebook user interacts with the Facebook service (including sub-domains, international versions, widgets, plug-ins, platform applications or games, and mobile applications) in certain ways, such as by clicking on the Facebook "Like" button on a business's, organization's, or individual's Facebook page. Sponsored Stories typically include a display of a Facebook user's Facebook name (i.e., the name the user has associated with his or her Facebook account) and/or profile picture (if the user has uploaded one) with a statement describing the user's interaction with the Facebook service, such as "John Smith likes UNICEF," "John Smith played Farmville," or "John Smith shared a link." What relief does the Settlement provide? Facebook will pay $20 million into a fund that can be used, in part, to pay claims of Class Members (including Minor Class Members) who appeared in a Sponsored Story. Each participating Class Member who submits a valid and timely claim form may be eligible to receive up to $10. The amount, if any, paid to each claimant depends upon the number of claims made and other factors detailed in the Settlement. No one knows in advance how much each claimant will receive, or whether any money will be paid directly to claimants. If the number of claims made renders it economically infeasible to pay money to persons who make a timely and valid claim, payment will be made to the not-for-profit organizations identified on the Settlement website at www.fraleyfacebooksettlement.com (if clicking on the link does not work, copy and paste the website address into a web browser). These organizations are involved in educational outreach that teaches adults and children how to use social media technologies safely, or are involved in research of social media, with a focus on critical thinking around advertising and commercialization, and particularly with protecting the interests of children. In addition to monetary relief, Facebook will (a) revise its terms of service (known as the "Statement of Rights and Responsibilities" or "SRR") to more fully explain the instances in which users agree to the display of their names and profile pictures in connection with Sponsored Stories; (b) create an easily accessible mechanism that enables users to view, on a going-forward basis, the subset of their interactions and other content on Facebook that have been displayed in Sponsored Stories (if any); (c) develop settings that will allow users to prevent particular items or categories of content or information related to them from being displayed in future Sponsored Stories; (d) revise its SRR to confirm that minors represent that their parent or legal guardian consents to the use of the minor's name and profile picture in connection with commercial, sponsored, or related content; (e) provide parents and legal guardians with additional information about how advertising works on Facebook in its Family Safety Center and provide parents and legal guardians with additional tools to control whether their children's names and profile pictures are displayed in connection with Sponsored Stories; and (f) add a control in minor users' profiles that enables each minor user to indicate that his or her parents are not Facebook users and, where a minor user indicates that his or her parents are not on Facebook, Facebook will make the minor ineligible to appear in Sponsored Stories until he or she reaches the age of 18, until the minor changes his or her setting to indicate that his or her parents are on Facebook, or until a confirmed parental relationship with the minor user is established. YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS AND OPTIONS IN THIS SETTLEMENT SUBMIT A CLAIM FORM This is the only way to be eligible to receive a payment, if the Court orders payment to Class Members. Deadline: May 2, 2013 EXCLUDE YOURSELF This is the only option that allows you to retain the ability to file your own lawsuit about the legal claims in this case. Deadline: May 2, 2013 OBJECT Write to the Court about why you object to (i.e., don't like) the Settlement and think it shouldn't be approved. Deadline: May 2, 2013 GO TO THE "FAIRNESS HEARING" The Court will hold a "Fairness Hearing" to consider the Settlement, the request for attorneys' fees and expenses of the lawyers who brought the Action ("Class Counsel"), and the class representatives' request for service awards for bringing the Action. You may, but are not required to, speak at the Fairness Hearing about any Objection you filed. If you intend to speak at the Fairness Hearing, you must follow the procedures stated on the Settlement website to notify the Court and parties of your intent when you serve your Objection. Hearing Date: June 28, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. DO NOTHING You will not receive a payment, even if the Court orders payment to Class Members. You will also be giving up your right to bring your own lawsuit related to the claims in the Action. You may be eligible to receive the non-monetary benefits of the Settlement, if the Settlement is finally approved. No deadline Your Class Member Number: 454098110 To Parents and Guardians of Children on Facebook: The Settlement also involves the claims of minors featured in Sponsored Stories on Facebook. Please see the Settlement website for more information. More information? For more information about the Settlement and how to take the actions described above, please visit www.fraleyfacebooksettlement.com (if clicking on the link does not work, copy and paste the website address into a web browser) or write to the Settlement Administrator at Fraley v. Facebook, Inc., Settlement, c/o GCG, P.O. Box 35009, Seattle, WA 98124-1009, or GCG@fraleyfacebooksettlement.com. You may also contact Class Counsel, Robert S. Arns of the Arns Law Firm, by calling 1-888-214-5125 or by emailing fb.settlement@arnslaw.com.

Dumas High goes on lock down

Student causes Dumas High School on lock down after he brought a gun to school. Chicago Police caught the offender and recovered the weapon from him. But the school is still on lock down. Stay tuned for further details.

Obama Hypocrite

Our current president took an oath of office and that fucking coward shit ball gives an executive order against the 2nd Amendment . But in 2008 stand and took this oath  if you click on the video you will hear this man take the oat and I quote Preserve protect and defend the constitution of the United States so help him God but this Hypocrite did not do that.

So how is it Congress has not moved forward on Articles of Impeachment. Is our congress a bunch of spineless pussies or is it America who lost the back bone and decided to take it in the ass. If we all allow him or any president to rewrite one article then they are going to want to do 2 than 3 than 4 and by the time you know it we will be under government control. Let me ask you this who is going to protect your kids if you think the police your wrong they are few from many but this ass hole has this and I know you've seen them on the internet. Or better yet family as you can see his family is protected but not yours. you think his protection or him really care about you and your family think again, the sad thing about is he isn't the only one who is protected. here are some photos of the mayor of Chicago and the Governor of Illinois they have protection but again you don't. I noticed it's only the blacks crying about the gun violence you know why cause they breed animals and savages. Which makes it hard for the rest of the black community to live in. But it is the gangs and drug dealers but the government wont impose laws on them. So I say if you have a gun carry it if your life is threatened use it if the police arrest you let them cause you'll be rich and able to retire. Click to see the first family go to school

Subway has been ripping people off an inch a second since they first opened

What's in an inch? Apparently, enough missing meat, cheese and tomatoes to cause an uproar.
Subway, the world's largest fast food chain with 38,000 locations, is facing widespread criticism after a man who appears to be from Australia posted a photo on the company's Facebook page of one of its footlong sandwiches next to a tape measure that shows the sub is just 11 inches.
More than 100,000 people have "liked" or commented on the photo, which had the caption "Subway pls respond." Lookalike pictures popped up elsewhere on Facebook. And The New York Post conducted its own investigation that found that four out of seven footlong sandwiches that it measured were shy of the 12 inches that makes a foot.
The original photo was no longer visible by Thursday afternoon on Subway's Facebook page, which has 19.8 million fans. A spokesman for Subway, which is based in Milford, Conn., said Subway did not remove it.
Subway also said that the length of its sandwiches may vary slightly when its bread, which is baked at each Subway location, is not made to the chain's exact specifications.
"We are reinforcing our policies and procedures in an effort to ensure our offerings are always consistent no matter which Subway restaurant you visit," read an e-mailed statement.
The Subway photo - and the backlash - illustrates a challenge companies face with the growth of social media sites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Before, someone in a far flung local in Australia would not be able to cause such a stir. But the power of social media means that negative posts about a company can spread from around the world in seconds.
"People look for the gap between what companies say and what they give, and when they find the gap - be it a mile or an inch - they can now raise a flag and say, 'Hey look at this,' I caught you," said Allen Adamson, managing director of branding firm Landor Associates in New York.
Subway has always offered footlong sandwiches since it opened in 1965. A customer can order any sandwich as a footlong. The chain introduced a $5 footlong promotion in 2008 as the U.S. fell into the recession, and has continued offering the popular option throughout the recovery.
An attempt to contact someone with the same name and country as the person who posted the photo of the footlong sandwich on Subway's Facebook page was not returned on Thursday.
But comments by other Facebook users about the photo ran the gamut from outrage to indifference to amusement. One commenter urged people to "chill out." Another one said she was switching to Quiznos. And one man posted a photo of his foot in a sock next to a Subway sandwich to show it was shorter than a "foot."
"I've never seen so many people in an uproar over an inch. Wow," read one Facebook post. "Let's all head to McDonald's and weigh a Quarter Pounder," suggested another poster.
The Subway footlong photo is just the latest in a string of public relations headaches for that were caused by a negative photo or event about a company going viral.
Last year, a Burger King employee tweeted with a picture of someone standing in sneakers on two tubs of uncovered lettuce. Domino's Pizza employees posted a video on YouTube of workers defacing a pizza in 2009. And a KitchenAid employee last year made a disparaging remark about President Obama using the official KitchenAid Twitter account.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

From the NRA: Obama & Biden need to be removed

President Obama's agenda to reduce gun violence will be unveiled today at the White House, but the National Rifle Association is not waiting to react, preempting Mr. Obama's announcement with a hard-hitting ad that blasts the president as an "elitist hypocrite."
"Are the president's kids more important than yours?" the ad asks. "Then why is he skeptical about putting armed security in our schools when his kids are protected by armed guards at their schools?"
In the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., the NRA proposed stationing an armed guard in every school in America to prevent school shootings, but the president has expressed his aversion to the proposal.
In a bit of a non-sequitur, the NRA's ad links the president's resistance to their proposal to his call for the wealthy to pay more taxes.
"Mr. Obama demands the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes, but he's just another elitist hypocrite when it comes to a fair share of security."
The result, according to the NRA? "Protection for their kids and gun-free zones for ours."
CBS News Political Director John Dickerson noted today on "CBS This Morning," the ad is "about hypocrisy, not safety," pushing emotional buttons unrelated to gun policy to stir up broader opposition to Mr. Obama's proposals.

• Dickerson: Gun control fight getting personal
• What are Obama's gun control proposals?

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney condemned the NRA's ad as "repugnant and cowardly," telling CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett, "Most Americans agree that a president's children should not be used as pawns in a political fight. But to go so far as to make the safety of the President's children the subject of an attack ad is repugnant and cowardly."
And Mr. Obama's former press secretary and senior adviser, Robert Gibbs, also minced no words in reaction, calling the ad "disgusting on many levels" on MSNBC.
"It's also just stupid," said Gibbs. "This reminds me of an ad that somebody made at about 2 o'clock in the morning after one too many drinks, and no one stopped it in the morning."
The ad is reportedly airing on the Sportsman Channel, and the NRA has not ruled out buying air time on other networks.