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May 22, 2012 | | BOMBSHELL In the wake of a disastrous stock offering comes what looks like an enormous scandal for the social-media giant. It's time for us to finally wake up and see how awful Facebook truly is, says The Daily Beast’s Dan Lyons. RAISE THE ROOF Renting is apparently overrated. Sales of U.S. homes rose in April for the first time in three months in a clear sign that the housing market is stabilizing. The jump in sales is attributed to employment gains (115,000 jobs in the month of April alone) and record-low mortgage rates, which are spurring buyer confidence and in turn eliminating what was once a major weakness in the U.S. economy. However, the recovery will be gradual as foreclosure reductions are just now beginning to take root. There are also signs that home prices may stabilize. POSTHUMOUS
Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno will get a state pension of $13.4 million for his 61-year career at the state’s flagship university. Paterno resigned in disgrace in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal just months before his death in January. His family said in a statement that Paterno’s widow, Sue, will receive an initial payment of $10 million, and the rest will be paid in the future. They will also donate $1.5 million to Penn State–related charities. SCARY A US Airways flight from Paris to Charlotte, N.C., was diverted to Bangor, Maine, due to a “security issue,” the airline confirmed Tuesday. Flight 787 was reportedly re-routed after a female passenger told the crew she had a surgically implanted device. The plane, carrying 188 passengers, was escorted by a military aircraft to Bangor. "out of abundance of caution" a federal official said. There was no immediate indication that the device was a bomb, though the woman was arrested and taken in for questioning, Rep. Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said. CREEPY Ronald Reagan’s foundation said Monday that a German company’s plan to auction a vial of the late president’s blood is a “craven act,” and they pledged to use “every legal means” to prevent the sale. PFC Auctions, a company based in Britain, announced Sunday that it will sell a vial of the blood obtained from George Washington Hospital in Washington, D.C., after Reagan was shot in 1981. PFC’s website said the latest online bid for the vial stood at £6,270, or $9,910. The seller said he or she had contacted the Reagan Library months ago but had been told that his family would like the vial given to them. The seller said in a statement that “I was a real fan of Reaganomics and felt that President Reagan himself would rather see me sell it rather than donating it.” | | 
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