NEW YORK, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Fixed mortgage rates increased for the third week in a row, with the average conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate now 6.41 percent. According to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey of large lenders, the average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.4 discount and origination points.

Mortgage rates were mixed this week, with fixed rates moving to the highest levels since mid-October while adjustable rates pulled back.

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McCain is CRAZY, thinking the American people are going to vote for him, unless they are voting for "Party" and not the candidate.

Hilary is probably the only one with any knowledge of what really goes on in D.C.

Phishing coders hook clueless crooks

Cheapskate fraudsters hoping to run phishing scams for peanuts have themselves been hoodwinked. Security watchers have spotted a free phishing kit containing a hidden backdoor that siphons off stolen credentials from the fraudsters who use the technology.

Arkansas Valley Ground Zero For Invasive Tamarisk

Unlike native cottonwood trees, the plants also spread to upland areas.Some stands of trees near John Martin Reservoir are up to 1.5 miles wide.The Tamarisk Coalition estimates water losses in the watershed from tamarisk, above and beyond what native vegetation would use, is 76,600 acre-feet per year, or about the same amount needed by Aurora each year.If the problem is not addressed, future water losses from "infilling" (no expansion from existing infested areas) alone are estimated to be 198,000 acre-feet per year, or enough for Pueblo, Colorado Springs and Aurora combined.The mapping and survey project estimated it would take $70 million to completely eradicate and restore the watershed."This goal is a daunting undertaking in itself for a watershed to accomplish," Van Pelt said. "The solution may lie in developing partnerships to achieve this gargantuan goal."There are several efforts in place to control tamarisk, including the statewide Tamarisk Coalition, which provides education and outreach on the threat.Pending state legislation proposes a Colorado Water Conservation Board grant program to provide $4 million over the next four years to cost share with federal, local and private funds for tamarisk restoration projects.Federal legislation was passed in October 2006 to assist in rectifying the tamarisk problem.In the Arkansas watershed, several groups have formed, including: Bent County Tamarisk Working Partners, Conservation Partners Conquer Tamarisk, Tackling Tamarisk on the Purgatoire, Upper Arkansas Regional Weed Management Cooperative, Bent's Fort Project and local landowner groups.The Southeastern district and Bent County have assembled a collaboration of partners to fund and develop the Arkansas River Watershed Invasive Plants Plan for the watershed.

Annapolis Hypocrisy Hides Occupied Palestine Reality

It shows the road to peace isn't through Annapolis nor can it be achieved without a willing partner or with the legitimate Palestinian government excluded. Talks are futile as long Israel spurns peace, violates international law, attacks Palestinian civilians, seizes their land, destroys their homes, restricts their movements, conducts targeted assassinations, denies them essential services, and holds Gaza under a medieval siege in the world's largest open-air prison while blaming the victims. Unreported is that the West Bank is also under siege that's been tightened in recent weeks on targeted communities. Palestinian civilians are severely impeded especially in their movement in and out of Jerusalem. Other communities affected include Nablus, Tulkarm, Bethlehem, Jenin, Hebron and Ramallah.

The starting gun sounds for the .ASIA domain landrush

Domain registrars are getting ready for what they hope is a high-demand, frantic "landrush" of domain registrations, beginning today as .asia moves toward becoming the Internet's second regional top-level domain.

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Visa plans IPO aimed at raising over $18 bln

Visa Inc, the world's biggest electronic payment processing company, announced on Monday that it was planning an initial public offering (IPO) in the United States, saying it hoped to raise over 18 billion dollars.

The company has hired a group of well-known investment banks to support its IPO, including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.

Porkbusters Oust Green Over Flake Flap

Porkbusters has ejected Rep. Bill Greene from its mailing list for passing over group favorite Rep. Jeff Flake for a seat on the Appropriations Committee in favor of Rep. Joe Bonner.

Bonner may talk a good game when it comes to earmark reform. However, his record is abysmal. The three-term Republican scored just 2% on the Club for Growth's 2007 RePORK Card, meaning he voted for just one of the 50 anti-pork amendments offered by conservatives.

USA Technologies eSuds(TM) Extends Its Reach Abroad

MALVERN, Pa. & RIPPONDEN, England - (Business Wire) USA Technologies (USAT: NASDAQ) reported that JLA, the leading supplier of commercial laundry equipment in the United Kingdom, has begun distributing the eSuds solution to universities and colleges through its Circuit subsidiary. Circuit’s first installation of eSuds is operating at the University of York in Heslington, York, UK.

JLA is Europe’s biggest independent distributor of commercial laundry equipment and supplies to a wide range of markets including hospitals, nursing homes, hotels, armed forces bases and prisons.