Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama is now offering legally married gay couples spousal coverage, in compliance with a federal rule requiring insurance companies to treat all married couples equally, regardless of their sexual orientations.A spokesperson for the largest insurer in the Heart of Dixie said that the company started offering same-sex spousal coverage for…
T-Mobile Announces ‘Data Stash’ Plan for Unused Mobile Internet
Remember how important rollover minutes were in the days before unlimited calling plans? T-Mobile announced Dec. 16 that it will launch a similar program for data. “It’s your data,” T-Mobile CEO John Legere said in a webcast. “What you don’t use, you don’t lose.” “Data Stash,” as the initiative is called, will allow users to…
Texas State Senate Chamber Gets $500,000 Carpet Restoration
The State Senate Chamber will look a little different this January when its members reconvene, after installation of new carpet to the tune of $500,000. According to the Houston Chronicle, officials from the State Preservation Board say that the carpet came all the way from Dewbury, England.The hefty price and the distance that the carpet came…
BuildDirect’s New Funding Will Help Improve the Home Improvement Industry
Vancouver based technology company BuildDirect has big plans. It wants to create a simpler home improvement industry with its Home Marketplace, a community-based tech platform that creates a one-stop solution connecting homeowners and subcontractors with product manufacturers, designers, trades and shippers. Even more impressive is the fact that it may actually achieve that goal, now…
New Search Feature Released by Facebook on Apple Mobile Devices, Android Feature Update To Follow
It’s been two years since Facebook launched its Graph Search as a powerful search feature accessible only on desktop versions of the website, but it seems that Facebook execs have finally realized just how much the company could suffer if it continues to develop its desktop features while leaving its mobile-friendly features behind.The Graph Search,…
Boy-Band Bankruptcy: How Dwindling Fame and Poor Investments Left These Boy Bands Broke
Rapper Notorious B.I.G. hit the nail on the head when he wrote “Mo Money Mo Problems.” The late 90s and early 2000s were the height of boy-band mania, allowing these pop music groups to amass wealth seemingly overnight. However, while the music industry can be quite lucrative once you’ve “made it,” the industry giveth and…
Restaurant Voluntarily Relinquishes Michelin Star
To have a Michelin star is to be a big deal. A really big deal. When the New York city restaurant of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay lost its Michelin stars, he cried, and said losing them was like losing a girlfriend.Why, then, would any self-respecting restaurant want to voluntarily give up its Michelin star?According to Julio Biosca,…
Latest and Largest Hack Aims to Game the Stock Market
The last few months have sparked a national awareness of cybersecurity — or rather, the lack of it. From the celebrity nude leaks in September of this year, to seemingly rampant credit card hacks targeted at major retailers, people are becoming more and more aware that the internet is not the safest place for information….
Property Management Firm Gives Arizona Neighborhood New Life
For years, Maricopa Meadows was an eyesore: the grass was brown, poor drainage drew clouds of mosquitos, and the housing crash had caused a number of foreclosed, empty homes. The homeowners who remained worried that sulfates in the soil would wreck havoc on their foundations, while the local homeowners association lacked money to make any…
Minnesota Moves Forward With Medical Marijuana Legislation
On Monday, Dec. 1, the Minnesota Department of Health made a key step on its journey toward medical marijuana legalization by announcing the two companies that will manufacture the state’s medical marijuana supply. Department of Health officials finally chose Minnesota Medical Solutions and LeafLine Labs to take on the role — the companies will be…