SAC founder Steven Cohen's ex-wife gets another chance at fraud lawsuit?

Reuters ? ? ? 5 hrs.

An appeals court has revived a lawsuit by the former wife of SAC Capital Advisors hedge fund founder Steven A. Cohen, who accused the billionaire of hiding $5.5 million from her during their divorce proceedings.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said a lower court erred in dismissing fraud-based claims by Patricia Cohen, who had sued her ex-husband in 2009.

The appeals court also revived claims of racketeering and breach of fiduciary duty, while upholding the dismissal of an unjust enrichment claim.

"I'm delighted," Howard Foster, a lawyer for Patricia Cohen, said on Wednesday. "It looks like the court agreed with us on all the major issues."

SAC tried to downplay the decision.

"This is a procedural ruling and not a ruling on the merits," spokesman Jonathan Gasthalter said. "As we have said from the outset, these decades-old allegations by Mr. Cohen's former spouse were patently false and entirely without merit. We will continue to defend against them vigorously."

Wednesday's decision marks another legal setback for Cohen, whose hedge fund has been embroiled in a broad federal investigation of insider trading. On Friday, prosecutors charged Michael Steinberg, a veteran SAC portfolio manager at the firm, with insider trading.

Last month, the firm reached settlements totaling nearly $616 million with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, without admitting or denying wrongdoing.

The case is Cohen v. Cohen et al, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 11-1390.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653351/s/2a4bde3c/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0Csac0Efounder0Esteven0Ecohens0Eex0Ewife0Egets0Eanother0Echance0Efraud0E1C91960A68/story01.htm

i robot the big c the visitor king of kings

Michelle Obama challenges kids with lunch contest

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Children from across the nation will rub elbows with Michelle Obama and dine off fine china in the East Room of the White House this summer as part of a contest to promote healthy eating.

The first lady is asking children ages 8 to 12 and their parents to create nutritious lunch recipes that represent each of the food groups for "The Healthy Lunchtime Challenge."

Winners will travel to Washington to sample some of the original dishes at the second White House kids' "state dinner" luncheon this summer.

The deadline to submit recipes is May 12. Last year's challenge received more than 1,200 entries.

The contest, created by Epicurious.com, is a partnership among the food website, Mrs. Obama and the departments of Education and Agriculture.

___

Online:

http://www.recipechallenge.epicurious.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/michelle-obama-challenges-kids-lunch-contest-130033234.html

rpi dst friends with kids pacific standard time northern mariana islands summer time coolio

How a neurotransmitter acts to coordinate a compound movement through two different receptors in C. elegans

Apr. 2, 2013 ? New research by scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School shows at the single cell level how an external stimulus sets off a molecular chain reaction in the transparent roundworm C. elegans, a process in which a single neurotransmitter coordinates and times two separate actions. These findings shed new light on how neurons translate sensory input into actions and may one day pave the way to understanding how misfiring neurons contribute to motor symptoms in neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease.

Details of the study were published online by PLOS Biology.

"We've known the broad outline of how a behavior circuit works-a stimulus starts a neuronal cascade, which ultimately activates a muscle cell-for decades," said Mark Alkema, PhD, assistant professor of neurobiology. "The details about how this process works, however, such as which neurotransmitters act through which receptors in which neurons have remained a mystery for even the simplest of behaviors.

"This research provides an answer to the simple question of how the worm turns around and the broader question of how a behavioral sequence is produced on a sub-cellular level. In time, understanding voluntary movement in humans will require answering the same questions about the timing and location of neurons and neurotransmitters-only in the infinitely more complex variety of circuits in the human nervous system," said Dr. Alkema.

Roundworms move by alternately relaxing and contracting ventral and dorsal muscles along both sides of its body. As the animal moves forward, it uses its head to probe for possible threats. A gentle touch to the head of the worm initiates an escape response resulting in the animal ceasing head movements and quickly moving backwards. This initial reaction is closely followed by a deep ventral turn allowing it to move away in the opposite direction.

Earlier studies have shown that tyramine, a monoamine neurotransmitter akin to noradrenaline in humans, is involved in the C. elegans escape response. Specifically, C. elegans have a pair of tyraminergic motor neurons that are essential for coordinating the initial suppression of head movement and the backing response. These neurons release tyramine, which works through a fast-acting ion channel called LGC-55 to inhibit forward movement and relax the neck muscles. How the animal coordinates this movement with the subsequent deep turn that allows it to complete the change in direction and move away from the threat, however, was unknown. In this study, the authors provide evidence that links this initial phase of the escape response to the later stages in which the worm makes a sharp turn and navigates away from the danger.

When C. elegans are placed on a surface containing a high concentration of tyramine they become immobilized. Alkema and colleagues found that this paralysis could be overcome by mutating the C. elegans gene responsible for encoding the G-protein coupled receptor SER-2. Additionally, they found that the SER-2 receptor was active in a set of 13 neurons residing along the ventral nerve cord. The synapses of these neurons were connected to corresponding ventral muscles cells along one side of the worm's body.

Further experiments revealed that the same monoamine neurotransmitter-tyramine-responsible for the initial phase of the escape response was also responsible for activating the slow-acting G-protein coupled receptor SER-2. Activation of this receptor inhibited release of the neurotransmitter GABA and facilitated contraction of the ventral muscles, allowing the animal to complete its turn and resume movement in the opposite direction.

"This study shows how tyramine works through separate receptors to produce a complex behavior requiring the temporal coordination of independent motor programs," said Alkema. "Acting through the fast-acting ionotropic receptor LGC-55, the animal completes the initial movement by ceasing head movement and backing away. At the same time, the slow-acting SER-2 receptor is also being activated by tyramine to complete the turn and facilitate movement in the opposite direction.

"It is the different receptors that allow for the coordination of these actions by the same neurotransmitter," said Alkema. "This indicates that tyramine, much like adrenergic signaling in mammals, coordinates different aspects of the flight response. It's possible that temporally coordinated activation of ionotropic and metabotropic receptors may be a common signaling motif employed across organisms to orchestrate behavioral responses and is something we will be pursing further."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Massachusetts Medical School, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal References:

1. Jamie L. Donnelly, Christopher M. Clark, Andrew M. Leifer, Jennifer K. Pirri, Marian Haburcak, Michael M. Francis, Aravinthan D. T. Samuel, Mark J. Alkema. Monoaminergic Orchestration of Motor Programs in a Complex C. elegans Behavior. PLoS Biology, 2013; 11 (4): e1001529 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001529
2. Richard Robinson. How the Worm Turns, in Molecular Detail. PLoS Biology, 2013; 11 (4): e1001526 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001526

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/DiYDz4ju1C4/130402182642.htm

windows 8 preview leap year moratorium dwts season 14 cast leap day michigan primary results olympia snowe

Winter Snow Travel Insurance: Protecting Your Winter Holiday |

LEEDS, UNITED KINGDOM?(Marketwired ? April 2, 2013) - Asda Money reveals research that has shown that more people are expected to take a winter sports holiday in 2013¹, meaning more Brits than ever will be hitting the slopes for some winter fun.

While the combination of snow, clear skies and the occasional apr?s ski draws UK holidaymakers to popular ski resorts in countries such as Austria, France and Switzerland time and again, safety considerations are also important when heading off to a break in the snow.

As an example a recent campaign by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) encouraged skiers to ensure they are physically prepared for the demands of a winter sports holiday, after research shows that 39%² of winter sports fans have injured themselves at least once.

Further findings showed that the most common injuries (73%) were those that occurred as a result of a fall, with significant injuries such as leg breaks or muscle tears accounting for more than half (59%) of those incurred on the slopes².

With these figures in mind Asda Money looks at how securing the right travel insurance can offer you peace of mind, and allow you to fully enjoy your winter sports holiday.

Benefits of travel insurance

Travel insurance is always a good idea for any kind of holiday, including those based around winter sports activity, helping to meet the cost of medical expenses and hospital stays should you incur injuries while on your winter snow holiday.

The best travel insurance policies are the ones that provide the right level of cover for your needs within your budget. Most ski insurance policies will cover the costs of any medical treatment required, as well as things such as on-piste rescue and the cost of an air ambulance.

Ski insurance may also provide cover for items specifically linked to ski holidays, such as the loss of ski passes or reimbursement of equipment hire costs, ski lesson fees and lift passes should you suffer an injury. Some policies may allow you to claim back the cost of a ski pass should you be unable to ski due to a lack of snow.

A comprehensive package of cover may not be the cheapest when it comes to checking out price comparisons, but if you ever found yourself facing a bill for an air ambulance to take you off a mountainside you might well regret having shaved off a few pounds buying policy that does not provide an adequate level of cover.

Notes to editors

1. http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/holidays/article-2253665/Brits-planning-longer-expensive-adventurous-holidays-2013-value-money-paramount.html

2. ABTA research http://www.abta.com/resources/news/view/538 all remaining stats from this link

About Asda Travel Insurance

• Cover from ?4*
• Unlimited medical expenses
• 20% online discount
• Kids and grandkids go free**
• Single Trip or Annual Holiday Insurance
• A choice of 3 cover levels
• Worldwide or European Travel Insurance

* All pricing examples based on travellers being 18-36 at the time of purchase with no medical conditions. Based on an individual Value European 2 day policy bought online. Price includes 20% online discount.

** Terms and conditions apply. Children are covered when they travel with their parents, grandparents or legal guardians only.

Asda Money is a trading name of Asda Financial Services Limited. Asda Financial Services Ltd is an Introducer Appointed Representative of ACE European Group Ltd. This means that Asda Travel Insurance policies are sold, administered and underwritten by ACE European Group Ltd who is Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), reference number FRN 202803. Full details can be found on the FSA?s Register by visiting www.fsa.gov.uk/register/home.do or by contacting the FSA on 0845 606 1234.

Source: http://www.bullquake.com/winter-snow-travel-insurance-protecting-your-winter-holiday/

Foo Canoodle Isaac path Tropical Storm Isaac path Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Isaac Path Isaac Hurricane

Dana White says Alexander Gustafsson still fighting on Saturday?s UFC on Fuel card

Reports made the rounds on Sunday that this weekend's bout between Gegard Mousasi and Alexander Gustafsson was off. News outlets from Sweden said Gustaffson suffered a cut on his face that would take weeks to heal, and doctors wouldn't clear him. But the UFC disagrees.

UFC president Dana White told MMA Fighting that the bout is still on. Mousasi-Gustafsson is set for the main event for Saturday's card in Stockholm.

"The [Swedish Mixed Martial Arts Federation] has not said he can't fight, and he wants to fight," White texted to reporter Ariel Helwani.

Gustafsson is from Sweden and is popular in his home country. Besides wanting to fight in front of his home crowd, Gustafsson has another incentive to want the fight with Mousasi to happen. He's riding a six-fight win streak, with his last win coming over former UFC light heavyweight champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. A win over Mousasi could put Gustafsson on the top of the pile of 205 lbers looking for a shot at the title. He even has plans to push for a title shot after the fight.

"My biggest concern right now is Mousasi," Gustafsson said in early March. "That's my biggest focus. It's the only thing I think of right now. I don't really think about [being No. 1] that much. I'm going to grab the mic from whoever has it after the fight and I'm going to challenge the champ after this fight, so let's see what happens."

But a facial laceration could thwart his plans. The fight is on, but it should be an interesting week as we watch if the fight still happens on Saturday.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-president-dana-white-says-alexander-gustafsson-still-141308060--mma.html

mario williams unlv sam young ramon sessions portland trail blazers blagojevich new mexico state

GOP's Kirk backs gay marriage: "Life comes down to who you love and who loves you back" (Washington Bureau)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/296280418?client_source=feed&format=rss

Xbox 720 HTC One NICOLAUS COPERNICUS kurt cobain Las Vegas shooting Jerry Buss Chris Bosh wife

Streams stressed by pharmaceutical pollution

Monday, April 1, 2013

Pharmaceuticals commonly found in the environment are disrupting streams, with unknown impacts on aquatic life and water quality. So reports a new Ecological Applications paper, which highlights the ecological cost of pharmaceutical waste and the need for more research into environmental impacts.

Lead author Dr. Emma Rosi-Marshall, a scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, comments: "Pharmaceutical pollution is now detected in waters throughout the world. Causes include aging infrastructure, sewage overflows, and agricultural runoff. Even when waste water makes it to sewage treatment facilities, they aren't equipped to remove pharmaceuticals. As a result, our streams and rivers are exposed to a cocktail of synthetic compounds, from stimulants and antibiotics to analgesics and antihistamines."

With colleagues from Indiana University and Loyola University Chicago, Rosi-Marshall looked at how six common pharmaceuticals influenced similar-sized streams in New York, Maryland, and Indiana. Caffeine, the antibiotic ciprofloxacin, the antidiabetic metformin, two antihistimines used to treat heartburn (cimetidine and ranitidine), and one antihistamine used to treat allergies (diphenhydramine) were investigated, both alone and in combinations, using pharmaceutical-diffusing substrates.

Rosi-Marshall explains, "We focused on the response of biofilms ? which most people know as the slippery coating on stream rocks ? because they're vital to stream health. They might not look like much to the naked eye, but biofilms are complex communities composed of algae, fungi, and bacteria all living and working together. In streams, biofilms contribute to water quality by recycling nutrients and organic matter. They're also a major food source for invertebrates that, in turn, feed larger animals like fish."

Healthy streams are slippery streams. And it turns out that antihistamines dry more than our noses. The most striking result of the study was diphenhydramine's effects on algal production and microbial respiration. Exposure caused biofilms to experience up to a 99% decrease in photosynthesis, as well as significant drops in respiration. Diphenhydramine also caused a change in the bacterial species present in the biofilms, including an increase in a bacterial group known to degrade toxic compounds and a reduction in a group that digests compounds produced by plants and algae.

Results suggest that this antihistamine is disrupting the ecology of these sensitive biofilm communities. Rosi-Marshall notes, "We know that diphenhydramine is commonly found in the environment. And its effect on biofilms could have repercussions for animals in stream food webs, like insects and fish. We need additional studies looking at the concentrations that cause ecosystem disruption, and how they react with other stressors, such as excess nutrients."

The other pharmaceuticals investigated also had a measurable effect on biofilm respiration, both alone and in combinations. More work is needed to understand how drug mixtures, which most natural streams experience, impact freshwater systems.

Society's dependence on pharmaceuticals is not likely to wane. Nor is its need for clean, fresh water. This study adds another piece of evidence to the case calling for innovations in the way we manage waste water. Currently, only a fraction of the world's waste water is treated, and the infrastructure in many developed nations is aging.

###

Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies: http://www.ecostudies.org

Thanks to Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 39 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127538/Streams_stressed_by_pharmaceutical_pollution

oscar winners 2012 billy crystal oscars 2012 angelina jolie oscars chardon high school christopher plummer viola davis school shooting in ohio

PFT: Flynn-to-Raiders trade nearly finalized

Getty Images

The play of Ravens OLB Terrell Suggs and Bengals CB Leon Hall after Achilles injuries gives?Dolphins CB Brett Grimes hope.

Will the Jets?add another back?in the draft?

A look at what prospects are being linked to the Bills in various mock drafts.

There are some fine candidates now eligible for the Patriots? Hall of Fame.

The Ravens? Super Bowl win doesn?t figure to hurt their ability to build their brand.

The Bengals have brought back the majority?of their unrestricted free agents.

The Browns? uniform-changing process?is a 24-month project.

Former Steelers S Will Allen reportedly made some interesting comments about the difference between the approach of the offense and defense in Pittsburgh.

Texans DE J.J. Watt will throw out the first pitch?in Sunday?s Rangers-Astros game.

The Colts have had a solid offseason, but there?s work left to be done.

One take on how Jaguars QB Blaine Gabbert improved last season.

Two plays involving the Titans ? one good, one not-so-good ? are still alive in a vote for the greatest in history.

The official website of the Chiefs took a closer look at Florida State DE Bjoern Werner.

A take on the beginning and (seeming) end?of the Carson Palmer era in Oakland.

The Chargers are pledging $250,000 in nutritional- and athletic-related grants.

What secondary players would be good fit for the Broncos?

A look at where some of the Eagles? free agents have landed.

The Cowboys were adept at scoring points near the end of halves and games last season.

Redskins QB Robert Griffin III apparently met?President Barack Obama on Saturday.

A take on the risk Giants WR Victor Cruz?could be taking if he doesn?t strike a longer-term deal this offseason.

The University of Illinois football team?will play?at Soldier Field, home of the Bears, for the first time in 19 years.

Do the Packers and Brett Favre still need more time apart before mending fences?

The Lions have an intriguing?new safety tandem.

Former Vikings defensive lineman Alan Page has written a?rather unique children?s book.

Former Falcons player Antoine Harris has been impressed with Mike Smith from the start.

Add Saints head coach Sean Payton?to the list of those amazed?by LeBron James.

Can Derek Landri supply some interior pressure?for the Buccaneers?

A WR prospect is working out?for the Panthers.

A take on how the Rams are building their roster.

The expansion Seahawks found a gem in the 1976 allocation draft.

Former Cardinals assistant Deshea Townsend is now Mississippi State?s DBs coach.

How will the 49ers use all of those draft picks?

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/31/flynn-trade-is-expected-to-be-finalized-soon/related

slainte the quiet man yellow cab dropkick murphys guernsey colcannon dystonia

Ice Cube Innovation Is Just a Bear-pig-ipede Away

If you've never spilled an ice cube tray full of water or accidentally dumped a dozen cubes on the floor, I hope you have the medal you deserve. For the rest of us, a clever, covered ice cube tray like this could be a cool solution. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/XsEG2dAkHuQ/ice-cube-innovation-is-just-a-bear+pig+ipede-away

el debarge portland weather clintonville battlestar galactica blood and chrome my morning jacket roger goodell psychosis

Texas district attorney, wife found dead at home

File- This Jan. 31, 2013 file photo shows David Byrnes, Sheriff of Kaufman County, right, bowing his head as Mike McLelland, District Attorney of Kaufman County answers questions at a news conference at the Kaufman Law Enforcement Center in Kaufman, Texas. McLelland and his wife where found dead in their home Saturday March 30, 2013. Authorities are investigating. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, David Woo, File )

File- This Jan. 31, 2013 file photo shows David Byrnes, Sheriff of Kaufman County, right, bowing his head as Mike McLelland, District Attorney of Kaufman County answers questions at a news conference at the Kaufman Law Enforcement Center in Kaufman, Texas. McLelland and his wife where found dead in their home Saturday March 30, 2013. Authorities are investigating. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, David Woo, File )

In this Saturday, March 30, 2013 photo, authorities work in the middle of Blarney Stone Way where Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and wife Cynthia McLelland were found dead in their home in Forney, Texas. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Ian C. Bates) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; AP MEMBERS ONLY

This undated photo taken from the Kaufman County, Texas, website shows Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland. McLelland and his wife were found killed in their house, Saturday, March 30, 2013, two months after one of his assistants was gunned down near their office, authorities said. (AP Photo/Kaufman County)

In this Saturday, March 30, 2013 photo, caution tape surrounds the home of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and wife Cynthia McLelland who were found dead in their home near Forney, Texas. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Ian C. Bates) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; AP MEMBERS ONLY

In this Saturday, March 30, 2013 photo, police block off Blarney Stone Road in Forney, Texas, where Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and wife Cynthia McLelland were found dead in their home near Forney, Texas. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Ian C. Bates) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; AP MEMBERS ONLY

KAUFMAN, Texas (AP) ? Two months after an assistant prosecutor was gunned down, the bodies of a north Texas prosecutor and his wife were found in their home, authorities said.

Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were found killed in their home on Saturday, Kaufman County sheriff's Lt. Justin Lewis said.

"Everybody's a little on edge and a little shocked," Forney Mayor Darren Rovell told The Associated Press on Sunday. "It appears this was not a random act."

Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse was shot to death in a parking lot a block from his office on Jan. 31. No arrests have been made in his death.

Lewis declined to say how the couple died or whether authorities believe their deaths are linked to Hasse's. Police, FBI agents, Texas Rangers and deputies were all part of the investigation.

Rovell said what's so shocking is that the attack occurred at the district attorney's home, an unincorporated area just outside Forney, which has 15,000 residents within the city limits and about 40,000 in the area. Kaufman County is 33 miles southeast of Dallas.

Kaufman Police Chief Chris Aulbaugh told The Dallas Morning News that the McLellands had been shot in their home, and although investigators didn't know if their deaths were related to Hasse's killing, they couldn't discount it.

"It was a shock with Mark Hasse, and now you can just imagine the double shock and until we know what happened, I really can't confirm that it's related but you always have to assume until it's proven otherwise," Aulbaugh told the newspaper.

Sam Rosander, who lives in the same unincorporated area of Kaufman County as the McLellands, told the AP on Saturday that sheriff's deputies were parked in the district attorney's driveway for about a month after Hasse was killed.

Aulbaugh said recently that the FBI was checking to see if Hasse's killing could be related to the March 19 killing of Colorado Department of Corrections head Tom Clements, who was gunned down after answering the doorbell at his home.

Evan Spencer Ebel, a former Colorado inmate and white supremacist who authorities believe killed Clements and a pizza deliveryman two days earlier, was killed in a March 21 shootout with Texas deputies about 100 miles from Kaufman.

Hasse was chief of the organized crime unit when he was an assistant prosecutor in Dallas County in the 1980s, and he handled similar cases in Kaufman County.

"Anything anybody can think of, we're looking through," McLelland said after Hasse's death.

McLelland graduated from the University of Texas before a 23-year career in the Army, according to the website for the district attorney's office. He later earned his law degree from the Texas Wesleyan School of Law.

He and his wife have two daughters and three sons. One son is a police officer in Dallas.

McLelland and his wife had moved into the home within the past few years ago, Rozell said.

"Real friendly, became part of our community quickly," Rozell said. "They were a really pleasant happy couple."

___

Associated Press writer Michael Graczyk in Houston contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-31-US-District-Attorney-Dead-Texas/id-56790d85ed574e29b1481df3b22143bd

breaking bad food network star British Open 2012 bane Aurora Colorado Rajesh Khanna friday the 13th

HBO Talks 'Game Of Thrones' Piracy

EW.com:

How does HBO feel about having the most pirated show on TV?

Read the whole story at EW.com

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/31/hbo-talks-game-of-thrones_n_2988654.html

tyler perry whitney houston r kelly r. kelly macular degeneration whitney houston funeral judi dench bobby brown leaves funeral

Your Afternoon Cry: Photographer Hauntingly Documents Late ...

If you only read one wrenching, touching, tearjerker of a story today, please make it this one.

Five months after New Yorkers Angelo and Jen Merendino were married, Jen was diagnosed with breast cancer. As the next four years of treatment and medications passed, which left then-39-year-old Jen fatigued, in a walker, staying for long stints in the hospital.

With each challenge we grew closer. Words became less important. One night Jen had just been admitted to the hospital, her pain was out of control. She grabbed my arm, her eyes watering, "You have to look in my eyes, that's the only way I can handle this pain." We loved each other with every bit of our souls.

Jen taught me to love, to listen, to give and to believe in others and myself. I've never been as happy as I was during this time.

Angelo, a photographer, began to document her (and their) trials with intimate, powerful shots initially meant for their friends and family. The result is a chronological series of photographs of Jen throughout the course of her illness: laughing, sleeping, grimacing with pain, pushing the painkiller drip, putting on makeup, swimming in the ocean.

My photographs show this daily life. They humanize the face of cancer, on the face of my wife. They show the challenge, difficulty, fear, sadness and loneliness that we faced, that Jennifer faced, as she battled this disease. Most important of all, they show our Love. These photographs do not define us, but they are us.

Jen passed away a year and a half ago of Stage IV breast cancer. If you're not already crying, this blog post about an alert Jen set on Angelo's phone for the 22nd of every month, just a short time before she passed away ("Jennifer thinks Angelo is hot!"), should do you in. Fucking devastating.

The Battle We Didn't Choose [My Wife's Fight With Breast Cancer]

Source: http://jezebel.com/5993000/your-afternoon-cry-photographer-hauntingly-documents-late-wifes-battle-with-breast-cancer

mega millions Cyber Monday Deals 2012 Sasha McHale Boy Meets World elizabeth taylor cam newton FedEx

Bathroom Decorating | Grand Eren Contre Home Improvement Site

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://granderencontre.com/bathroom-decorating.html

tiny houses maya angelou joan of arc tony robbins bon iver abraham lincoln vampire hunter their eyes were watching god

Eat Drink Better | Oklahoma Governor Signs Bill to Allow Horse ...

On Friday, Oklahoma governor Mary Fallin signed a bill to allow horse slaughter within the state.

House Bill 1999 prohibits the sale of horse meat for human consumption, but allows for the opening of horse slaughtering facilities in the state of Oklahoma. Forty-six other states already have laws allowing horse slaughter. Only Texas, California, and Illinois still have laws against horse slaughtering.

Horses in the U.S. are nearly always kept as pets, although there are some that work. Because they are not raised for meat, there are few limitations on the drugs that are given to the horses during their lives, even up to the moment of their deaths. Many of those drugs are dangerous for humans, rendering horse meat unfit for human consumption.

Currently, horses are purchased in the U.S. and shipped abroad for slaughtering. Supporters of horse slaughter in the U.S. claim that aging and unwanted horses will be abused if there are no slaughterhouses. In the statement from the governor?s office, Gov. Fallin said:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has also noted that over 166,000 horses were sent to Canada and Mexico for processing just in 2012. These animals traveled long distances, in potentially inhumane circumstances, only to meet their end in foreign processing plants that do not face the same level of regulation or scrutiny that American plants would.

Simply making the slaughter of horses legal in the state doesn?t mean a slaughterhouses will open there any time soon. USDA meat inspectors have to be on the premises for slaughter to be legal. With the recent sequester, the beef industry has lost 8% of their inspection days. I doubt they will want to share the limited inspectors with an industry that isn?t even popular here in the U.S.

Neglected horse photo Patricia Evans, Utah State University

Source: http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2013/03/30/oklahoma-governor-signs-bill-to-allow-horse-slaughter/

toulouse france ny jets ny jets the situation tim tebow jets katy perry part of me video photoshop cs6 beta

Giant panda artificially inseminated at U.S. National Zoo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Veterinarians at the National Zoo artificially inseminated the zoo's female giant panda Mei Xiang on Saturday after natural breeding failed to occur, zoo keepers said.

Mei Xiang was put under general anesthesia and inseminated with a combination of fresh semen and frozen semen collected from the zoo's male giant panda Tian Tian. The scientists said they planned a second insemination later on Saturday.

Veterinarians detected a rise in hormone levels on Tuesday, indicating Mei Xiang was ready to breed but said "no competent breeding" between the panda pair had occurred.

"We are hopeful that our breeding efforts will be successful this year, and we're encouraged by all the behaviors and hormonal data we've seen so far," said Dave Wildt, head of the Center for Species Survival at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

Scientists will continue to monitor Mei Xiang's hormone levels in the coming months and conduct ultrasounds to determine whether she is pregnant. A pregnancy lasts between 95 and 160 days, they said.

Mei Xiang has given birth to two cubs. One died a week after its birth last year. The other was born in 2005 and is now at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong.

(Reporting by Jane Sutton; editing by Jackie Frank)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/giant-panda-artificially-inseminated-u-national-zoo-173415545.html

bob costas bowl projections Jovan Belcher Charlie Batch Miguel Calero Bret Bielema blake shelton

EPA Finds Sweet Spot to Release Controversial Gas Rule

After facing election-year delays, the Obama administration on Friday announced a controversial rule that requires cleaner gasoline.

The environmental regulation, which seeks to reduce toxic air pollution by requiring lower levels of sulfur in gasoline, had all but disappeared from the regulatory process for most of last year as President Obama sought reelection: He didn?t want to be perceived as imposing regulations that could raise prices at the pump--one of the most potent political risks a campaign can face.

The administration finally found a political sweet spot to release the rule. It?s the Friday before Easter weekend, a time when few people are paying attention to the news. Gasoline prices have fallen over the last few weeks. A month ago, the average was $3.79 per gallon, according to AAA. Today it is $3.64. And perhaps most important, the administration is releasing the rule before the 2014 midterm election season (where 20 Democratic seats are up) gets under way.

Congressional Republicans and industry groups are blasting Obama for the rule nonetheless.

?With $4 dollar a gallon gas the norm in many parts of the country, we cannot afford policies that knowingly raises gas prices,? House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., said in a statement.

Industry groups such as the American Petroleum Institute have charged that the rule could increase gas prices about 25 cents per gallon. The Environmental Protection Agency maintains that the increase will be no more than 1 cent.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/epa-finds-sweet-spot-release-controversial-gas-rule-122857363--politics.html

Yahoo Fantasy Football Nick Foles Auguste Rodin Breaking Amish Indianapolis explosion jay cutler applebees

For gay rights activists, partial victory more likely than sweeping

U.S. Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments in a case that could overturn the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) for a second day on Wednesday. Potential swing vote, Justice?Anthony Kennedy warned the law may infringe on states' rights to define marriage.?

By Lawrence Hurley,?Reuters, David Ingram,?Reuters / March 27, 2013

Solicitor General Donald Virrilli (R) argues in front of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts (L) and Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy about the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Justices indicated interest in striking down the law denying federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples.

REUTERS/Art Lien/Handout

Enlarge

The?U.S. Supreme Court?seemed to be leaning on Wednesday toward striking down a law that denies federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples in a move that would reflect a shift in Americans' attitudes about gay marriage.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

In a second day of oral arguments on same-sex marriage, a majority of the court raised serious concerns with the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, enacted in 1996 under President Bill Clinton.

Arguments over the last two days on the DOMA?case and a separate one challenging?California's ban on gay marriage marked the high court's first foray into a delicate and divisive political, religious and social issue in the?United States?as polls indicate growing public support for same-sex marriage.

In theory, the cases have the potential for the court to take a significant step toward endorsing gay marriage as it gains support in some parts of the country. Based on the arguments, however, a partial victory for gay rights activists seems more likely than the sweeping declaration of same-sex marriage rights they had hoped for.

As demonstrators rallied outside the?Supreme Court building?for a second day, Justice?Anthony Kennedy, a potential swing vote, showed a willingness to invalidate DOMA, which denies married same-sex couples access to federal benefits by defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

He warned of a "real risk" that the law infringes on the traditional role of the states in defining marriage.

A conservative, Kennedy is viewed as a key vote on this issue in part because he has twice authored decisions in the past that were viewed as favorable to gay rights.

In contrast to the ambivalent approach they displayed on Tuesday in arguments about?California's Proposition 8 gay marriage ban, the nine justices seemed willing to address the substantive issue in the DOMA?case, while also eyeing procedural questions.

The court is not expected to rule on the two cases until the end of June. If the justices were to strike down DOMA, legally married gay couples would be winners because they would have improved access to federal benefits, such as tax deductions.

Justices gave a strong indication they might resolve the Proposition 8 case on procedural grounds, but even that would be viewed as a win for gay rights activists as same-sex marriages in?California?would likely resume.

What appears highly unlikely is a sweeping declaration of a right for gay people to marry, a possible option only in the?California?case.

Overall, a majority of the justices made it clear that, while they might not impede the recent movement among some states toward gay marriage, they were not willing to pave the way either.

Nine states now recognize gay marriage, while 30 states have constitutional amendments banning it and others are in-between.

On several occasions over the two days, the justices' own remarks illustrated how quickly attitudes have changed in favor of gay marriage.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/DgiD59VDbNk/For-gay-rights-activists-partial-victory-more-likely-than-sweeping

cbs news Jenni Rivera Adam Lanza Facebook the hobbit mick jagger Newton Shooting Newtown Shooting

Obese airline passengers should pay extra, economist says

(Reuters) - Airlines should charge obese passengers more, a Norwegian economist has suggested, arguing that "pay as you weigh" pricing would bring health, financial and environmental dividends.

Bharat Bhatta, an associate professor at Sogn og Fjordane University College, said that airlines should follow other transport sectors and charge by space and weight.

"To the degree that passengers lose weight and therefore reduce fares, the savings that result are net benefits to the passengers," Bhatta wrote this week in the Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management.

"As a plane of a given make and model can accommodate more lightweight passengers, it may also reward airlines" and reduce the use of environmentally costly fuel.

Bhatta put together three models for what he called "pay as you weigh airline pricing."

The first would charge passengers according to how much they and their baggage weighed. It would set a rate for pounds (kg) per passenger so that someone weighing 130 pounds (59 kg) would pay half the fare of 260-pound (118-kg) person.

A second model would use a fixed base rate, with an extra charge for heavier passengers to cover the extra costs. Under this option, every passenger would have a different fare.

Bhatta's preferred option was the third, where the same fare would be charged if a passenger was of average weight. A discount or extra charge would be used if the passenger was above or below a certain limit.

That would lead to three kinds of fares - high, average and low, Bhatta said.

Airlines have grappled for years with how to deal with larger passengers as waistlines have steadily expanded. Such carriers as Air France and Southwest Airlines allow overweight passengers to buy extra seats and get a refund on them.

Asked about charging heavier passengers extra, Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz said: "We have our own policies in place and don't anticipate changing those."

United Air Lines Inc requires passengers who cannot fit comfortably into a single seat to buy another one. A spokeswoman said the carrier would not discuss "future pricing."

About two-thirds of U.S. adults are obese or overweight.

In a 2010 online survey for the travel website Skyscanner (www.skyscanner.net), 76 percent of travelers said airlines should charge overweight passengers more if they needed an extra seat.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson; editing by Andrew Hay)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obese-airline-passengers-pay-extra-economist-says-221406056--finance.html

Valerie Harper White Smoke Barcelona Kwame Kilpatrick New pope 2013 good morning america earthquake california

Deep freeze: Home sales to barely budge this spring

Diana Olick , CNBC.com ? ? ? 7 hrs.

The U.S. housing market will see no surge at the start of spring, as fewer buyers signed contracts to purchase existing homes in February. An industry index of so-called pending home sales fell 0.4 percent from January but is up 8.4 percent from February of 2012.

While the number of for-sale listings increased more than the seasonal norm, realtors still say a lack of supply is keeping many potential buyers from desired deals. Pending home sales are a one to two month forward indicator of closed sales.

"Only new home construction can genuinely help relieve the inventory shortage, and housing starts need to rise at least 50 percent from current levels," said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors in a release. "Most local home builders are small businesses and simply don't have access to capital on Wall Street. Clearer regulatory rules, applied to construction loans for smaller community banks and credit unions, could bring many small-sized builders back into the market."

Sales of newly built homes fell nearly five percent in February, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Inventories did rise, but only slightly, as the nation's home builders struggle with labor and land shortages, as well as higher costs for materials.

Pending home sales fell 2.5 percent month-to-month in the Northeast, rose 0.4 percent in the Midwest, fell 0.3 percent in the South and rose 0.1 percent in the West, according to the Realtors.

"The volume of home sales appears to be leveling off with the constrained inventory conditions, and the leveling of the index means little change is likely in the pace of sales over the next couple months," Yun added.

A better sign for March, after two weeks of declines, mortgage applications to purchase a home jumped 7 percent during the past week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. This as interest rates fell slightly, due to concerns over the banking crisis in Cyprus.

"The rebound in mortgage applications is a small piece of a brighter housing outlook," says Bob Walters, chief economist for Quicken Loans. "Interest rates are still at record lows despite their upward trend, and consumers are taking advantage of record home affordability. Look for more buyers to enter the market this spring and a more robust housing recovery to occur."

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653351/s/2a0e46eb/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0Ceconomywatch0Cdeep0Efreeze0Ehome0Esales0Ebarely0Ebudge0Espring0E2B910A4579/story01.htm

evan mathis staff sgt. robert bales jason russell norfolk state st patrick s day parade duke invisible children

UK scientists develop safer foot-and-mouth vaccine

By Ben Hirschler

LONDON | Wed Mar 27, 2013 9:35pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - British scientists have developed a new vaccine against foot-and-mouth disease that is safer and easier to manufacture, an advance they believe should greatly increase production capacity and reduce costs.

The technology behind the livestock product might also be applied to make improved human vaccines to protect against similar viruses, including polio.

The new vaccine does not require live virus in its production - an important consideration as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is extremely infectious and vaccine facilities handling virus samples are difficult to secure.

"It spreads like wild fire," said David Stuart, a professor of biology at the University of Oxford, who led the research.

A 2007 outbreak of FMD in southeast England, for example, was traced to a nearby vaccine site. The same facility, ironically, is home to some of the researchers behind the new vaccine.

In contrast to standard FMD livestock vaccines, the new product is made from synthetic empty protein shells containing no infectious viral genome, scientists reported in the journal PLOS Pathogens on Wednesday.

This means the vaccine can be produced without expensive biosecurity and does not need to be kept refrigerated.

"One of the big advantages is that since it is not derived from live virus, the production facility requires no special containment," Stuart said.

"One could imagine local plants being set up in large parts of the world where foot and mouth is endemic and where it still remains a huge problem."

Worldwide, between 3 billion and 4 billion doses of FMD vaccine are administered every year but there are shortages in many parts of Asia and Africa were the disease is a serious problem.

Current standard vaccines are based on 50-year-old technology, although U.S. biotech company GenVec last year won U.S. approval for a new one.

The purely synthetic British vaccine has so far been tested in small-scale cattle trials and found to be effective.

Stuart said the research team from the universities of Oxford and Reading and two state-funded bodies - Diamond Light Source and the Pirbright Institute - would now conduct larger tests while discussing the vaccine's commercial development.

"We are talking to a potential commercial partner," Stuart told Reuters, adding that it would probably take around six years to bring the new vaccine to market. He said it was too early to give an indication of how much the vaccine would cost.

He declined to name the company involved but said it was not Merial, the animal health division of Sanofi that shares Pirbright's site in southeast England.

Stuart and his colleagues were able to produce empty protein shells to imitate the protein coat that surrounds the FMD virus using Diamond's X-ray system to visualize images a billion times smaller than a pinhead.

The same approach could in future be used to make empty shell vaccines against related viruses such as polio and hand-foot-and-mouth, a human disease that mainly affects infants and children, the researchers said.

(Editing by Keiron Henderson)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/scienceNews/~3/axRtswNhW4w/story01.htm

the raven zerg rush david wilson playstation all stars battle royale kim zolciak kim zolciak travis pastrana

Better-educated parents feed children fewer fats and less sugar

Mar. 27, 2013 ? The level of education of parents has an influence on the frequency with which their children eat foods linked to obesity. The children of parents with low and medium levels of education eat fewer vegetables and fruit and more processed products and sweet drinks.

An international group of experts from eight European countries have analysed the relation between parents' levels of education and the frequency with which their children eat food linked to overweight.

The Identification and prevention of dietary- and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants (IDEFICS) study includes data from 14,426 children aged between two and nine from eight European countries: Italy, Estonia, Cyprus, Belgium, Sweden, Hungary, Germany and Spain.

The results published in the journal Public Health Nutrition confirm that parents with a lower level of education feed their children food rich in sugars and fats more often than those parents with a higher level of education, who feed their children more products of a higher nutritional quality, including vegetables, fruit, pasta, rice and wholemeal bread.

"The greatest differences among families with different levels of education are observed in the consumption of fruit, vegetables and sweet drinks," explains Juan Miguel Fern?ndez Alvira, the author of the work and researcher from the University of Zaragoza to SINC.

For the authors, this implies a greater risk of developing overweight and obesity in children from less advantaged socio-cultural groups. "The programmes for the prevention of childhood obesity through the promotion of healthy eating habits should specifically tackle less advantaged social and economic groups, in order to minimise inequalities in health," concludes Fern?ndez Alvira.

Childhood nutrition

Childhood, from two to fourteen years old, is a growth period during which the requirements for energy and nutrients increase. Nevertheless, the World Health Organisation warns of the importance of monitoring the diet of the youngest members of society, as almost 40 million children under the age of five suffered from overweight in 2010.

In fact, recommendations for children over two do not differ greatly from those for adults. Their diet should include cereals, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, lean meats, fish, poultry, eggs and nuts.

Dieticians and nutritionists recommend that parents offer children a wide variety of foods and avoid using food as a method to award or punish behaviour. Experts believe that this age group can decide how much to eat, provided the food is always healthy and nutritious.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Plataforma SINC, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Juan Miguel Fern?ndez-Alvira, Theodora Mouratidou, Karin Bammann, Antje Hebestreit, Gianvincenzo Barba, Sabina Sieri, Lucia Reisch, Gabriele Eiben, Charalampos Hadjigeorgiou, Eva Kovacs, Inge Huybrechts, Luis A Moreno. Parental education and frequency of food consumption in European children: the IDEFICS study. Public Health Nutrition, 2012; 16 (03): 487 DOI: 10.1017/S136898001200290X

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/iB5hZbA7BQU/130327092742.htm

First Row Sports American flag Happy 4th of July 4th Of July Desserts fireworks fireworks 4th of July

Google Play Movies & TV adds in-content 'Info Card' search

Update brings Google Play Moves & TV to India as well!

Google has just updated its Play Movies & TV app to include what it calls "Info Card" search, giving you information about the movie you're watching when you pause. Similar to what Amazon offers on its Kindle Fire tablets, Info Cards give you contextual information about the movie when you pause it, listing the actors in the scene, related movies and the soundtrack playing at the time. The cards are of course in the new "Google Now" card style, overlaid on the movie along the right side and look like what you'd get if you performed a Google search on the actor from a device.

Info Cards are available for only certain movies -- and certainly a limited selection -- that have an Info Cards "badge" on them, so be on the lookout next time you're renting or buying something from Google Play. Also included in this update is Play Movies & TV content for India, which is again a huge deal.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/7ePsdbpjsBY/story01.htm

nfl draft grades devils dodgers rachel maddow gia la riots new jersey devils

Is Michael Bloomberg the Right Person to Lead the Gun-Control Fight?

During the last major push for gun-control legislation, Jim Brady, the former White House press secretary who was shot during an assassination attempt on President Reagan, led the charge. Today, it?s New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who might have a tougher time connecting with voters across the country.

While Gabrielle Giffords, the former representative who was shot in Tucson two years ago, has been one of the leading voices in the current debate, her group, Americans for Responsible Solutions, has lacked the funding and high profile to match the National Rifle Association?s reach.

Enter Bloomberg and the gun-control group he cofounded, Mayors Against Illegal Guns. He has pledged millions of dollars in an effort to sway public opinion toward stricter gun laws. The aim is to boost momentum for a Senate bill that would require background checks on all gun purchases and impose harsher penalties on illegal gun trafficking. This week, the group launched a 13-state, $12 million ad blitz aimed at putting a spotlight on the issue in the states while senators are back home for a recess. Congress returns to Washington next month.

But the criticism for this new effort goes beyond just the policy. NRA head Wayne LaPierre took to the Sunday talk shows to criticize the man behind the ads.

Bloomberg "can?t spend enough of his $27 billion to try to impose his will on the American public,? LaPierre said on NBC?s Meet the Press. ?They don?t want him in their restaurants, they don?t want him in their homes, they don?t want him telling what food to eat. They sure don?t want him telling what self-defense firearms to own. He can?t buy America.?

Fresh off a court setback in his controversial ban on large soda drinks in New York City, a move that has been mocked by conservatives, a bruised Bloomberg might not be the best person to carry the mantel for gun-control advocates. The blunt-spoken billionaire mayor may be popular in Washington and New York, but that popularity might not extend to other areas of the country.

?He has zero effectiveness, he has none,? said one Republican strategist who asked to remain anonymous because of his ties to Bloomberg. ?It?s a twofer: He?s a big-city mayor?and not just any big-city mayor, New York?and you have the nanny-in-chief of America.... He is so antagonistic that he?s probably displacing Dianne Feinstein amongst NRA loyalists.?

Billionaires financing initiatives aren?t new to the national political scene. From the Koch brothers to Sheldon Adelson, billionaires have been able to wield influence among voters for years. But that doesn?t mean their actions are popular.

?It?s always potentially impactful when a person threatens to spend $12 million, but I?ve noticed that Americans seem to be a bit resistant to these billionaires who think they can buy whatever they want, think they can purchase the direction of America to suit their own needs,? said Curt Anderson, a Republican strategist in Washington.

Mark Glaze, executive director of the mayors' coalition, Bloomberg?s group, said personality should not be relevant to the debate. The argument should not be about the mayor but about gun violence in the United States.

?If the NRA wants to make this about Mike Bloomberg, that?s their right,? Glaze said. ?If they want to talk about politics and tactics, that?s their business. But it seems like a waste of the moment.?

While a better-funded Giffords or possibly a former law-enforcement official might have more success connecting with voters across the country, Thomas Mann, a congressional scholar at the Brookings Institution, believes voters will react to the policies and not the man pushing them.

?In the end, these activities will occur without everything being seen as Bloomberg,? Mann said. ?In any case, it?s less trying to pressure a member of Congress to change his vote than it is making it easier for someone who?d like to vote this way to do so.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/michael-bloomberg-person-lead-gun-control-fight-162710662--politics.html

food network good friday f/a 18 f 18 crash virginia tenebrae the lake house petrino arkansas