A Part of History!

When I fail, I fail big!

Washington Mutual, the giant lender that came to symbolize the excesses of the mortgage boom, was seized by federal regulators on Thursday night, in what is by far the largest bank failure in American history.

I suspect my grandchildren will tell cautionary tales to their kids about "Grandpa Mark and the Crazy Bank" as a dire warning not to invest in financial services.

The AP gets a bit fiesty

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Less than a week after balking at the Alaska Legislature's investigation into her alleged abuse of power, Gov. Sarah Palin on Monday indicated she will cooperate with a separate probe run by people she can fire.


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Sunspot Cycle 24

After a bit of a drought, it looks like the Sun is coming alive again.

A new sunspot is emerging in the sun's northern hemisphere. After several months of almost-relentlessly blank suns, "this is like a breath of fresh plasma," says photographer Pete Lawrence who sends this picture from Selsey, UK. The magnetic polarity of the emerging spot identifies it as a member of new Sunspot Cycle 24.