George P. Bush runs for Texas office

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) ? George Prescott Bush filed the official paperwork Tuesday to run for Texas land commissioner next year, hoping to use a little-known but powerful post to continue his family's political dynasty in one of the country's most-conservative states.

Bush spokesman Trey Newton told The Associated Press that Bush spoke with current Land Commissioner Jerry Paterson before formally declaring his candidacy Tuesday. Paterson has already announced he's leaving the post to run for lieutenant governor.

An attorney and consultant from Fort Worth and Spanish-speaker, Bush is considered a rising star among conservative Hispanics. In November, Bush filed with the Texas Ethics Commission ensuring he would seek statewide office in 2014 but did not say which one, touching off rumors he might run for attorney general or even governor.

The land commissioner administers state-owned lands and mineral resources, and is a post that can be a stepping stone to higher office in Texas. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst was land commissioner before winning his current job.

A Democrat has not won statewide office in Texas since 1994, but Hispanics accounted for two-thirds of Texas' population growth over the last decade and now make up 35 percent of its population. They tend to vote overwhelmingly Democratic.

Bush is the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and his wife, Columba, who was born in Mexico. His uncle is George W. Bush and his grandfather is George H.W. Bush.

George P. Bush has been active in politics for years. Last summer, he was promoted to deputy finance chairman of the Texas Republican Party.

Bush grew up in Florida but met his wife Amanda while attending law school at the University of Texas. He later became a partner in a real estate investment company and has since started Fort Worth-based St. Augustine Partners, a business consulting firm.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apnewsbreak-george-p-bush-runs-texas-office-193913242.html

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New income tax plan emerging in Kansas House | Wichita Eagle

TOPEKA, Kan. ? A powerful Republican lawmaker said Monday he has a proposal to reduce Kansas' personal income taxes that would also allow the state sales tax to drop as scheduled, avoiding the GOP governor's plan to stabilize the state budget by maintaining the current sales tax rate.

Rep. Richard Carlson, chairman of the House Taxation Committee, wants to allow the income tax rate to drop annually but only if state revenues grow by at least 2 percent each year. Gov. Sam Brownback's proposal calls for cutting income tax rates by a specific amount every year regardless of how much money the state is bringing in.

Carlson said his plan also would allow Kansas' sales tax to drop as scheduled, starting in July, as promised three years ago when lawmakers temporarily hiked the sales tax to help fill a budget gap. The governor's plan would keep the sales tax where it is - but Carlson said he doubts the House would approve canceling the decrease.

"We feel there's going to be difficulty in passing the extension of the sales tax," said Carlson, who shared details of his plan with The Associated Press on Monday, a day before he planned to present the plan to his committee.

Carlson also is proposing that the state divert $370 million from highway projects over the next two years if legislators can't trim spending enough elsewhere in the budget.

Both his and the governor's plans follow the massive income tax cuts that were enacted last year to stimulate the state economy but are now projected to create a budget shortfall for the fiscal year that begins in July. Carlson, of St. Marys, said he tried to craft a plan that could pass the House, where GOP leaders have been cool to canceling the sales tax decrease.

The governor also wants to eliminate two popular income tax deductions for homeowners to prevent budget problems. Carlson said he'd like to phase out all individual income tax deductions as tax rates dropped, rather than targeting specific breaks.

Brownback's goal is to position the state to phase out personal income taxes. Last year, the state reduced individual income tax rates, cutting the top one to 4.9 percent from 6.45 percent, and exempted the owners of 191,000 partnerships, sole proprietorships and other businesses from income taxes. However, the reductions created a projected budget shortfall for the next fiscal year.

Both the budget gap and the desire for additional income tax cuts led Brownback to propose keeping the sales tax at its current 6.3 percent rate, rather than letting it drop to 5.7 percent in July. Also, he wants to eliminate income tax deductions for homeowners' property taxes and the interest on their mortgages.

The Senate is expected to debate tax legislation this week. Its Assessment and Taxation Committee approved a bill containing the governor's plan, except for his proposal to scrap the property tax deduction.

Sen. Les Donovan, a Wichita Republican and chairman of his chamber's tax committee, said the emergence of a new plan in the House is a positive sign. The final version of any tax legislation is likely to be drafted by negotiators for the two chambers.

"At least we have something - a target," Donovan said.

But Rep. Tom Sawyer of Wichita, the ranking Democrat on the House tax committee, wasn't impressed with Carlson's plan. Like other critics of last year's cuts, he argues that they favored the state's wealthiest residents over its poorest ones, and he said Carlson's proposal does nothing to correct the problem.

Also, he said, continued reductions in personal income taxes will handcuff the state's efforts to finance public schools and force local districts to boost property taxes at a time when local levies already have been rising.

"We've got a property tax problem in Kansas, not an income tax problem," Sawyer said.

---

Online:

Kansas Legislature: http://www.kslegislature.org

Source: http://www.kansas.com/2013/03/11/2711790/apnewsbreak-new-kan-income-tax.html

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Stocks edge lower after seven straight gains

NEW YORK (AP) ? Stock indexes edged lower on Wall Street Tuesday following a seven-day rally.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 25 points, or 0.2 percent, at 14,421 as of 2:25 p.m. EDT. It wavered between small gains and losses for most of the morning.

The Standard & Poor's 500 was down six points, or 0.4 percent, at 1,550. The Nasdaq composite dropped 16 points, or 0.5 percent, to 3,236.

The stock market has surged this year as investors became encouraged by a recovery in the housing market and a pickup in hiring. Strong corporate earnings and continuing economic stimulus from the Federal Reserve are also supporting demand for stocks.

The Dow has gained 10.1 percent so far in 2013, and last week it surpassed its previous all-time high of 14,164.53. The S&P 500 has risen 8.7 percent this year and is 1 percentage point away from its record close of 1,565.15 set in October 2007.

Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital, was among those saying investors should expect a pause in the market's advance.

"Nothing goes up forever," Cardillo said. "We will be headed for a correction somewhere along the line."

Merck was the biggest gainer on the Dow, advancing $1.37, or 3.1 percent, to $45.03 after the drugmaker said a data safety monitoring board recommended that a study of its cholesterol drug Vytorin should continue.

David Bianco, chief U.S. equity strategist at Deutsche Bank, said the S&P 500 index will likely maintain its momentum in the coming weeks and surpass its all-time high. Strong first-quarter corporate earnings reports could also push the market higher.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the market has a typical five percent pullback in the summer," said Bianco. "But I think we go higher before that happens."

The last significant pullback for stocks started before the Presidential elections in November, when the Dow fell 8 percent between Oct. 5 and Nov. 15 on concern that a divided government wouldn't be able to reach a budget deal to stop the U.S. going over the "fiscal cliff" of sweeping tax hikes and deep spending cuts.

Markets were mixed in Europe. Italy easily sold ?7.75 billion ($10 billion) in 12-month bonds, though at slightly higher interest rates. It was the first test of market sentiment since Fitch downgraded the country's credit rating on Friday due to political uncertainty there.

The Dow's biggest wobble this year came on Feb. 25, when it lost 1.6 percent after inconclusive results from Italian elections pushed the country toward political gridlock, threatening its ability to follow through on unpopular budget cuts demanded by its European neighbors. That gave investors a flashback to last spring, when a flare-up in Europe's debt crisis sent markets spiraling lower in the U.S. and Europe.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which moves inversely to its price, fell to 2.03 percent from 2.06 percent.

Among stocks making big moves:

? Yum Brands Inc. rose 94 cents to $68.79 after the owner of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell announced a smaller-than-expected drop in its sales in China for the months of January and February following a food scare over its chicken suppliers.

? VeriFone Systems gained $1.12 to $21.58 after the company, a leading maker of terminals for electronic payments, said late Monday that its CEO is stepping down after recent stumbles cut the company's stock price nearly in half.

? Costco rose $1.60 to $104 after reporting that its fiscal second-quarter net income climbed 39 percent. The discount retailer pulled in more money from membership fees, its sales improved and it also recorded a large tax benefit. Even without the tax benefit the results were better than analysts had expected.

? Cabela's soared $6.26, or 12 percent, to $60.14 after the fishing, hunting and outdoors retailer said that it expects first-quarter profit will come in above market expectations.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stocks-edge-lower-seven-straight-gains-183352541--finance.html

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Internet porn means birds 'n' bees talk comes earlier, says expert

Internet

Helen A.S. Popkin NBCNews.com

22 minutes ago

Featurepics.com

A boy works on a laptop.

A father recently sat down to have "the talk" with his 10-year-old son. After he got through the basics on the birds and the bees, the boy asked, "Why do men wear masks when they're having sex?"

Though the father said he had parental controls engaged on his iPad, the son managed to find a fetish site depicting men in masks.

As the anecdote told by sex educator Cindy Gallop so plainly illustrates, kids look at porn. Kids look at porn on the Internet. And yes, let's go further: Your kids look at porn on the Internet. Gross? Probably, yes. But it's reality.

Keeping your kids from Internet porn is practically impossible, experts agree. Whether kids under 18 deliberately searched out sexually explicit sites, or stumbled upon them accidentally, approximately 40 percent see Internet porn every year, the study found. And yes, all that exposure does leave a mark: "Although research is scarce, investigators see links between young people who access Web porn and unhealthy attitudes toward sex," the American Psychological Association noted in 2007.

But parents don't have to be powerless. Explaining to your kids that difference between pornography and what goes on between consenting adults in real life is key, say some sex educators. You won't want to do it. Your kid won't want to hear it. And unfortunately, because of the Internet, that conversation has to come sooner rather than later. But it may make all the difference to kids when they're grown.

"This is not because 8-year-olds go looking for porn, it's a function of what they're shown on someone's cellphone on the playground, what happens when they go out to the neighbor's house," said Gallop, a fervent proponent of reality-based sex education. Preparing kids for a healthy sex life as adults was part of her message Saturday at "The Future of Porn" talk at South by Southwest Interactive in Austin.

Gallop is CEO and founder of Make Love Not Porn, a website dedicated to correcting sexual misconceptions picked up by viewers of professional for-profit pornography. The Internet venture does this, in part, by curating videos of "real sex" uploaded to the platform by "real people" ? not "porn stars." (Obviously, the video portion of the website is for adults only.) But as Gallop emphasized, the misconceptions picked up through pornography can start at a very young age.

"It doesn't matter what parental controls you put in place, kids live their lives in other places ... or an 8-year-old does something really cute and innocent. They discover a new naughty word and they Google it." Next thing you know, Gallop pointed out, that curious boy or girl is one or two clicks away from something he or she is too young to understand.

The exposure may result in relationships that lack scope and communication. "Too many young people start their sexual careers attempting to duplicate porn, not realizing that this model lacks so much," noted sex educator and author Dr. Marty Klein recently wrote in the Huffington Post.

"With valuable face-to-face communication increasingly replaced by brief digital syllables ... young adults' ability to simply talk about what goes on in bed ... is lagging further and further behind the needs of their sexual encounters ? whether hookup or more intimate."

Kids don't want to hear a lot of things. They don't want to hear that they shouldn't drive too fast or date the mean hot person or eat fast food all the time. But if the Internet is going to put your kids in the path of a virtual tsunami of porn, the least you can do is warn them about it.

Helen A.S. Popkin goes blah blah blah about the Internet. Tell her to get a real job on Twitterand/or Facebook.

Source: http://www.today.com/tech/internet-porn-means-birds-n-bees-talk-comes-earlier-says-1C8793602

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NYC pension funds seeking ouster of 2 HP directors

NEW YORK (AP) ? A group of New York City pension funds is joining the effort to oust the longest-serving members on Hewlett-Packard's board of directors for their roles in a series of costly decisions that have battered the company's stock.

The brewing rebellion is aimed at HP directors John Hammergren and G. Kennedy Thompson, two of the 11 directors seeking to be re-elected at the company's March 20 annual meeting.

Two influential advisory firms, Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis & Co., are helping to mount the opposition. In separate reports issued earlier this week, both firms recommended that HP shareholders vote against Hammergren and Thompson. The CtW Investment Group also has been urging pension funds that own HP stock to oust those two directors.

In a statement released Friday, New York City Comptroller John Liu said he has concluded Hammergren and Thompson bear responsibility for approving several soured acquisitions that saddled the world's largest personal computer maker with more than $17 billion in losses during the past year.

Liu also criticized them for participating in a "hasty" decision to hire former software executive Leo Apotheker in 2010. The board fired Apotheker less than a year later and replaced him with Hewlett-Packard Co.'s current CEO, Meg Whitman, who is also trying to win re-election to the board.

The New York City pension funds opposing the two HP directors collectively own 5.5 million shares of the company's stock. That's a stake of less than 0.3 percent, but their rebuke of Hammergren and Thompson could lead other frustrated HP shareholders to turn against them.

HP's board said Friday that it "fully supports" the re-election of all its directors.

Revenue at HP, which is based in Palo Alto, Calif., has been sinking amid a slump in PC sales driven by a growing preference for smartphones and tablet computers. To compound that problem the company has absorbed staggering write-offs to account for the diminished value three major acquisitions ? technology consulting service EDS, device maker Palm and business software maker Autonomy. The biggest headache has been Autonomy, which HP alleges had been embroiled in financial chicanery that drove up its acquisition price.

The turmoil has sapped HP's stock, which closed Friday at $21. That's 55 percent below its price in August 2010 before HP's board parted ways with then-CEO Mark Hurd in a dispute over his expense reports and his relationship with a company contractor. The downturn has wiped out $50 billion in shareholder wealth and raised questions about the future prospects of a Silicon Valley pioneer.

Hammergren, 53, and Thompson, 62, are prime targets for shareholder ire because they have been on HP's board the longest. Hammergren, the CEO of pharmaceutical drug distributor McKesson Corp., has been on the board since 2005 and Thompson, former CEO of the troubled bank Wachovia Corp., joined in 2006.

All the other HP directors joined the board within the past four years.

Hammergren chairs the finance and investment committee on HP's board and Thompson chairs the audit committee.

Institutional Shareholder Services also is recommending HP shareholders vote against the re-election of Marc Andreessen, a venture capitalist best known as the co-founder of Web browser pioneer Netscape Communications. Glass Lewis also opposes the re-election of Rajiv Gupta, whose tenure on HP's board ranks third behind those of Hammergren's and Kennedy's.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-03-08-US-Hewlett-Packard-Shareholder-Revolt/id-6ada1f500f9a4ab9933aaaaace2af83a

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Touchpal Brings Swipe-to-Type and Predictive Text to Windows 8 Tablets

Windows 8 (RT/Pro Tablets Only): If you're using a Windows tablet without an physical keyboard, you know that the default keyboard works, but hunting and pecking can be a little slow. TouchPal, a great alternative keyboard for Android and iOS, now has a Windows 8 version that brings swipe-to-type, predictive text, and tap-to-correct error correction to Windows tablets.

The video above?despite its approach to the default keyboard (which works just fine, honestly)?shows you what Touchpal for Windows 8 looks like. You can pull the keyboard apart to get a two-sided version perfect for using both thumbs on both sides of the tablet, or you can keep the keyboard together and draw from letter to letter to spell out words. Just like any other swipe-to-type keyboard, the app fills in the word you meant, and shows you other possibilities to choose from in the toolbar above the keypad.

TouchPal for Windows 8 is free and available now. Hit the link below to try it out.

TouchPal

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/zlp86CjbxyQ/touchpal-brings-swipe+to+type-and-predictive-text-to-windows-8-tablets

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Let's play at Burlington's newest recreation facility!

?

Burlington?s newest recreation facility in Alton was designed to fit the needs of the elite sport community located in the greater Toronto area. It is equipped with amenities to support the regional and provincial tournament play of its primary target groups: basketball, volleyball, badminton and disabled sports. The 212,795 square-foot building is a shared facility between the Halton District School Board, the Burlington Public Library and the City of Burlington, and it features a three-storey public high school, a public library and a recreation facility.

The high school, with expected yearly attendance of 1,500 students, is equipped with four 38-foot-high competitive-sized gymnasiums, a 200-seat auditorium, art rooms, a lit artificial sports field and an eight-lane running track. The library is a one-floor, 11,840 square-foot space serving both the students of the high school and the community. The facility boasts four 40-foot-high competitive-size gymnasiums, change rooms, a concession area, two multi-purpose rooms, a small exclusive use space, an administrative area, a meeting room and a sport square designed for award ceremonies.? The centre will be like no other; in fact, it is the only facility with eight competition-sized double gyms west of Toronto in the Greater Toronto Area.

Norton Park is located opposite to Tim Dobbie Drive, directly facing the Recreation Facility in Alton and it features two artificial turf sports fields, a water feature, an outdoor multi-use sports court, a playground, a skate park, an open air pavilion and washroom facilities, all together contributing to the campus atmosphere of the Alton community.

For more information on the facility, visit www.burlington.ca/alton

Find More Articles Tagged: Burlington Recreation

Source: http://haltonsportsxpress.ca/2013/03/08/lets-play-at-burlingtons-newest-recreation-facility/

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305 Fitness - Cardio Dance Class NYC | Spa Week Daily

The latest fitness craze to sweep the country is, without a doubt, dance cardio. From early inspiration (that would be your mom?s ?80s aerobics classes) to the first ?trendy? incarnations (like the method made famous by Gwyneth Paltrow?s trainer, Tracy Anderson), the movement has evolved into classes like 305 Fitness.

305 Fitness is not a workout studio; it?s the name of the company, and the classes are held at dance studios and other private spaces in several major cities. In New York, that?s Stepping Out Studios in Chelsea, where you?d usually expect to find a lot of salsa-ing and Foxtrotting going on. But after the 6:30 p.m. ballroom dance class at Stepping Out Studios wrapped up, a very different crowd was waiting to fill up the room last Thursday. Including me.

The ballroom dance students, in their proper dance shoes and tights, filtered out into the waiting room, where young girls (and one guy) in sweats, cut-off t-shirts, and a sprinkling of Lululemon were waiting for 305 Fitness to start. The teacher, 305 Fitness founder Sadie Kurzban, was carrying a set of fluorescent disco lights. The DJ (yes, classes have a live DJ) was armed with a playlist of Pitbull, Swedish House Mafia, and Timbaland.

Courtesy of 305 Fitness

I wasn?t quite sure what to expect when Kurzban sauntered in to face her impressive crowd. At first glance, Kurzban is petite, young, very fit, and very self-assured. She ripped off her shirt within the first 5 minutes of class, dropped a few F-bombs that caught me off-guard, and even made a point of saying that everyone should get wild. Like, real wild. Like, Girls Gone Wild-style wild. I wasn?t too sure what that meant, but knew that my shirt was staying on.

The class began with everyone playing follow-the-leader to Kurzban?s minimally-cued moves. Step touch? Grapevine? Lunges? I knew these moves. The class continued with non-stop choreography, and Kurzban took it to a deliberately sexier and sassier place with a lot of air-humping, fist-pumping, and Zumba-like sections.

At first, I was worried Kurzban could be annoying. Kind of like the girl in your college lit class who always talks about feminism. Or the girl who runs on the treadmill for half an hour at 10.0 in tiny booty shorts in the middle of the gym. And she kind of embodies both; a graduate of Brown?s class of 2012, Kurzban is ?obsessed with running? and used to teach Zumba back in Providence. But after completing the class, I can say this: I?m not annoyed at her at all. In fact, I can?t wait to go back.

If you live in New York City or Providence, like dancing, and are looking for a fun way to burn extra calories, take a class. It will be fun, I promise. In fact, you might even see me there.

Source: http://www.spaweekblog.com/2013/03/08/cardio-dance-party-305-fitness/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cardio-dance-party-305-fitness

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Glamourous News

Glamourous News

Kate Moss to be Playboy’s 60th Anniversary Cover Girl??[The Frisky] Kim Kardashian Gets a Miscarriage Scare?[HollyWire] Kylie Jenner Hooking Up with Jaden Smith??[Right Celebrity] Chelsea Handler Unleashes Her Dislike for Angelina Jolie?[The Celebrity Cafe] Justin Bieber Walks Around With a Gas Mask?[The Blemish] Naomi Watts’ Nearly Flashes Her Goody?[The Huffington Post] Selena Gomez Gets Sexy ...

Glamourous News Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/03/glamourous-news/

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Kurt/Yukki's Comments - Musical Family Tree

We may have been talking about this work:

http://paullaffoley.net/paullaffoley/wp-content/uploads/Laffoley-Geochromechane-The-Time-Machine-From-Earth.jpg

Although I have a recollection of a pyramid in the work. It was acrylic and letraset on board, I think, and about 3.5 feet square.

The show was at a gallery here called COCA and would have been around 1991-1993.

Source: http://www.musicalfamilytree.net/xn/detail/2000984%3AComment%3A207436?xg_source=activity

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Bin Laden spokesman pleads not guilty in NYC

This image made available by Al-Jazeera shows Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, Osama bin Laden's son-in-law and spokesman. Abu Ghaith has been captured by the United States, officials said Thursday, March 7, 2013, in what a senior congressman called a "very significant victory" in the fight against al-Qaida. (AP Photo/Al-Jazeera)

This image made available by Al-Jazeera shows Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, Osama bin Laden's son-in-law and spokesman. Abu Ghaith has been captured by the United States, officials said Thursday, March 7, 2013, in what a senior congressman called a "very significant victory" in the fight against al-Qaida. (AP Photo/Al-Jazeera)

A Homeland Security vehicle sits in front of a federal court in New York on March 8, 2013, where Sulaiman Abu Ghaithwhere, a senior al-Qaida leader and son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, pleaded not guilty to plotting against Americans in his role as the terror network's top spokesman. The case marks a legal victory for the Obama administration, which has long sought to charge senior al-Qaida suspects in U.S. federal courts instead of holding them at the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Charging foreign terror suspects in federal courts was a top pledge by President Barack Obama shortly after he took office in 2009, aimed, in part, to close Guantanamo Bay. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)

NEW YORK (AP) ? A senior al-Qaida leader and son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, captured in Jordan a week ago, pleaded not guilty Friday in a heavily secured New York courtroom to plotting against Americans before and immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks in his role as the terror network's top spokesman.

Bearded and balding, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith was escorted into the largest courtroom at the federal courthouse in Manhattan, where he entered the plea through a lawyer to one count of conspiracy to kill Americans in a case that marks a legal victory for President Barack Obama's administration.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. Cronan revealed that Abu Ghaith gave an "extensive post-arrest statement" that totaled 22 pages after he was arrested overseas the night of Feb. 28 and arrived in the U.S. March 1. The prosecutor said nothing about the contents of Abu Ghaith's statement.

A law enforcement official with knowledge of the case said Abu Ghaith initially agreed to be interviewed without an attorney at the FBI office in lower Manhattan immediately after his arrival. Later in the day, he requested an attorney and was interviewed with an attorney present. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about the case.

Nearly a dozen deputy U.S. marshals guarded the ceremonial courtroom as about 80 spectators, mostly journalists, lawyers and court employees, watched the 15-minute proceeding before U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, a no-nonsense judge who promised to set a trial date when Abu Ghaith returns to court on April 8.

Black cuffs that bound his hands behind him were taken off Abu Ghaith after he sat next to his court-appointed federal defender, Philip Weinstein. His prison blue uniform covered a brown shirt. The judge told him he could remain seated.

Kaplan read him the charges he faced, including passages describing how Abu Ghaith appeared with bin Laden and current al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri the day after the Sept. 11 attacks and said a "great army is gathering against you" as he called on the "nation of Islam" to battle against Jews, Christians and Americans.

Then, the judge said, Abu Ghaith shortly afterward warned in a speech that "the storms shall not stop ? especially the airplanes storm" and advised Muslims, children and al-Qaida allies to stay out of planes and high-rise buildings.

Kaplan advised Abu Ghaith: "This is not a trial." He then read him his rights.

Through an interpreter, Kaplan asked whether Abu Ghaith understood his rights. Abu Ghaith nodded and said, "Yes, I do." Asked whether he had money to hire an attorney, Abu Ghaith shook his head and said no. He nodded and said yes when asked whether he had signed an affidavit describing his financial situation.

Bail was not requested, and none was set. Prosecutors said a trial would last about three weeks. After the proceeding, Abu Ghaith's lawyer declined comment.

The Obama administration has long sought to charge senior al-Qaida suspects in American federal courts instead of military tribunals at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But it runs counter to demands by Republicans in Congress who do not want high-threat terror suspects brought into the United States.

Abu Ghaith was born in Kuwait and was bin Laden's son-in-law. The Department of Justice said he was the spokesman for al-Qaida, working alongside bin Laden and al-Zawahri, since at least May 2001. Abu Ghaith is a former mosque preacher and teacher.

In one video, he was sitting with bin Laden in front of a rock face in Afghanistan. Kuwait stripped him of his citizenship after Sept. 11.

In 2002, under pressure as the U.S. military and CIA searched for bin Laden, Abu Ghaith was smuggled into Iran from Afghanistan, prosecutors said.

Abu Ghaith's trial will mark one of the first prosecutions of senior al-Qaida leaders on U.S. soil. Charging foreign terror suspects in American federal courts was a top pledge by Obama shortly after he took office in 2009, aimed, in part, to close Guantanamo Bay.

Republicans have fought the White House to keep Guantanamo open. Several GOP lawmakers on Thursday said Abu Ghaith should be considered an enemy combatant and sent to Guantanamo.

Generally, Guantanamo detainees have fewer legal rights and due process than they would have in a court in America but could potentially yield more information to prevent future threats.

___

Associated Press writers Lara Jakes in Washington and Jamal Halaby in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-08-Bin%20Laden%20Spokesman/id-c6a74a0510f143f99c616cc2f7862f05

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Facebook brings a more personal touch to News Feed

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, March 7, 2013. Zuckerberg on Thursday unveiled a new look for the social network's News Feed, the place where its 1 billion users congregate to see what's happening with their friends, family and favorite businesses.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, March 7, 2013. Zuckerberg on Thursday unveiled a new look for the social network's News Feed, the place where its 1 billion users congregate to see what's happening with their friends, family and favorite businesses.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, March 7, 2013. Zuckerberg on Thursday unveiled a new look for the social network's News Feed, the place where its 1 billion users congregate to see what's happening with their friends, family and favorite businesses.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, March 7, 2013. Zuckerberg on Thursday unveiled a new look for the social network's News Feed, the place where its 1 billion users congregate to see what's happening with their friends, family and favorite businesses.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, March 7, 2013. Zuckerberg on Thursday unveiled a new look for the social network's News Feed, the place where its 1 billion users congregate to see what's happening with their friends, family and favorite businesses. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, March 7, 2013. Zuckerberg on Thursday unveiled a new look for the social network's News Feed, the place where its 1 billion users congregate to see what's happening with their friends, family and favorite businesses.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) ? Facebook has redesigned the main attraction of its social network to address complaints that its website has turned into a jumble of monotonous musings and random photos.

In an attempt to breathe new life into Facebook's News Feed, the company will introduce new controls that allow people to sort streams of photos and other material into organized sections.

With the makeover unveiled Thursday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg hopes to turn the News Feed into something more like a newspaper tailored to the particular interests of each of the social network's more than 1 billion worldwide users.

Although Zuckerberg didn't say it, the overhaul also appears to be aimed at carving out more space to show larger and more dynamic ads within the News Feed as Facebook seeks to boost its revenue and stock price.

Previous tweaks to the News Feed have triggered howls of protest among Facebook's users. Hoping to minimize the grousing this time around, Facebook intends to roll out the changes in phases. It will probably be six months to a year before everyone who accesses Facebook on a personal computer sees the revamped News Feed, the company said. The facelift is likely to be more jarring for those who only visit Facebook on a PC because it incorporates some features already deployed in the social network's mobile applications for smartphones and tablet computers.

"They needed to freshen things up," said Brian Blau, research director of consumer technologies for Gartner Inc. "This should bring a lot of cooler things" into the News Feed.

The new features will enable users to choose to see streams of content that may feature nothing but photos or posts from their closest friends, family members or favorite businesses. Or they can just peruse content about music, or sports, as if they were grabbing a section of a newspaper. Other newspaper-like changes will include lists of events that users' social circles have flagged for the upcoming weekend and other summaries meant to resemble a table of contents.

By adding more personal touches, Facebook is acknowledging that the computer-generated formulas that it has been using to determine the content shown to each user have become less effective as the social circles within its network have widened to include a more diverse array of information.

"This gives people more power to dig deeper into the topics they care about," Zuckerberg said while discussing the makeover at Facebook's Menlo Park, Calif. headquarters.

Facebook still intends to rely on algorithms to select some material to feature on the main part of the News Feed, much like newspaper editors determine what goes on the front page.

More space on the News Feed's front page and other sections space will be devoted to pictures and video in recognition of how dominant those visual elements have become on Facebook as smartphones and tablet computers equipped with high-quality cameras have made it easier to share snapshots and clips.

About 50 percent of the posts on News Feed include a photo or video now, up from 25 percent in late 2011, Zuckerberg said.

Bigger pictures also will give advertisers a larger canvass to make their marketing pitches. Facebook is hoping marketers will seize the opportunity to develop more creative ways to entice and intrigue customers so advertising can become a more acceptable fixture on the social network.

More than anything else, the changes are meant to make Facebook a more fun place to hang out. If it doesn't keep evolving, the site risks becoming an Internet has-been like other once trendy social networks such as Friendster and MySpace.

"This is all about keeping people engaged," Blau said.

Although Facebook's website remains one of the Internet's top destinations, there have been early signs that the social network is losing some of its pizazz, particularly among younger Web surfers who are starting to spend more time on other fraternizing hubs such as Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram, a photo-sharing site that Facebook bought for $521 million last summer.

A phenomenon, known as "Facebook Fatigue," was recently documented in a report from Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project. The study found that about 61 percent of Facebook users had taken a hiatus for reasons that range from boredom to too much irrelevant information to Lent.

That's a worrisome trend for Facebook because the company needs to ensure that its audience keeps coming back so it can learn more about their interests and, ultimately, sell more of the advertising that brings in most of the company's revenue.

"I don't think it had turned into a crisis, but Facebook was probably seeing some internal data that was telling them they needed to do something," said Greg Sterling, a senior analyst for Opus Research.

Facebook has been struggling to find the right balance between keeping its fun-loving audience happy and selling enough ads to please investors who want the company to accelerate its revenue growth.

Wall Street seems to think the redesigned News Feed might be a step in the right direction. Facebook's stock gained $1.13, or 4.1 percent, to close Thursday at $28.58. The shares remain 25 percent below the $38 that they fetched in Facebook's initial public offering last May.

The mobile-friendly redesign of News Feed underscores the company's intensifying focus on smartphones and tablet computers as more of its users rely on those devices to interact on the social network.

About 23 percent, or $306 million, of Facebook's advertising revenue came from the mobile market during the final three months of last year.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-07-Facebook-Event/id-ea1948b61ceb415b9ba08cfc634ad032

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Steven Smith, Usman Khawaja in contention for Test spot ? Cricket ...

Steven Smith, Usman Khawaja in contention for Test spot ? Cricket News Update

Australian Head Coach, Mickey Arthur, has hinted at the possibility of including either Steven Smith or Usman Khawaja for the team?s upcoming Test battle against India.

The tourists have so far failed to make an impact as a unit, trailing the hosts by a 2-0 margin following the conclusion of the Hyderabad clash, where they suffered an overwhelming innings defeat.

Their problems are largely associated with dealing the spin threat of the Indian bowlers, who have so far done the bulk of damage. Ravichandran Ashwin has been the tormentor in chief, having claimed 18 wickets at an impressive 16.77 which includes three-five wicket hauls. He has been ably supported by Ravindra Jadeja, who is the second-highest wicket taker with 11 scalps to his name.

The Aussies have largely relied on the prowess of their skipper Michael Clarke as far the batting workload is concerned, who sits joint-top with his counterpart Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the top run scorer of the series (268).

With Clarke declaring his intent to come as first change in the batting order, it has opened room for the likes of Khawaja and Smith to stake a claim in the Test side. Both have not featured in the international Test setup for a while, with the former?s last game coming in November 2011 against New Zealand, and the latter?s final appearance dating even eleven months back.

However, given the poor form of Phillip Hughes, who has scored just 25 runs in four innings, Arthur said changes are likely to be made to the final lineup when the third Test kick-offs, from March 14 at Mohali.

"Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith have got to come into the reckoning at some stage," Arthur said. "When we have more of the same it will probably give us the same result. We are certainly going to have to have a look at what is our best top-six combination. We'd be silly if we didn't think about them. Whether they both play, whether one plays, whether none plays I'm not 100% sure but they've got to come very much into our thinking."

Source: http://blogs.bettor.com/Steven-Smith,-Usman-Khawaja-in-contention-for-Test-spot-Cricket-News-Update-a213944

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Portland vs. Boise vs. Denver college living

Portland vs. Boise vs. Denver college living

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Hi, I got admitted into Portland State, Boise State, and UC Denver. I've never actually been to these cities but I did drive through Portland. I love metropolitan areas and lively places. I'm just wondering for anyone who has visited these cities how it is and stuff. And also, which school do you think would be the most fun?

Source: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-life/1469160-portland-vs-boise-vs-denver-college-living.html

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Senator continues floor speech to block CIA pick

WASHINGTON (AP) ? More than 11 hours after declaring, "I will speak until I can no longer speak," Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was still on his feet late Wednesday with his self-described filibuster blocking confirmation of President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the CIA.

Paul, a tea party favorite and a Republican critic of Obama's drone policy, began speaking just before noon by demanding the president or Attorney General Eric Holder issue a statement assuring that the unmanned weapons would not be used in the United States to kill terrorism suspects who are U.S. citizens. He wasn't picky about the format, saying at one point he'd be happy with a telegram or a Tweet.

Paul said he recognized he can't stop Brennan from being confirmed, but he said the nomination was the right vehicle for a debate over what the Obama White House believes are the limits of the federal government's ability to conduct lethal operations against suspected terrorists, including American citizens.

Paul, 50, received intermittent support early on from several other conservative senators holding similar views, plus Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon. Paul spoke almost continuously for five hours before Majority Leader Harry Reid tried but failed to move to a vote on Brennan.

Paul snacked on candy at the dinner hour while continuing to speak. At one point, Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., who walks haltingly with a cane because of a stroke, delivered a canister of hot tea and an apple to Paul's desk, but a doorkeeper removed them. Rep. Louie Gohmert, a conservative from Texas, stood off to the side of the Senate floor in a show of support. Other well-wishers with privileges to be on the floor shook his hand when he temporarily turned the speaking over to his colleagues.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, read Twitter messages from people eager to "Stand With Rand." The Twitterverse, said Cruz, is "blowing up." And as the night went on, Cruz spoke for longer periods as Paul leaned against a desk across the floor. Cruz, an insurgent Republican with strong tea party backing, read passages from Shakespeare's "Henry V" and lines from the 1970 movie "Patton," starring George C. Scott.

Dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and red tie, Paul read from notebooks filled with articles about the expanded use of the unmanned weapons that have become the centerpiece of the Obama administration's campaign against al-Qaida suspects. As he moved about the Senate floor, aides brought him glasses of water, which he barely touched. Senate rules say a senator has to remain on the floor to continue to hold it, even though he can yield to another senator for a question.

"No president has the right to say he is judge, jury and executioner," Paul said.

Not all Republicans were so enthusiastic about Paul's performance. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said the prospect of drones being used to kill people in the United States was "ridiculous" and called the debate "paranoia between libertarians and the hard left that is unjustified."

Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, echoed Graham. He said it is unconstitutional for the U.S. military or intelligence agencies to conduct lethal counterterrorism operations in the United States against U.S. citizens. Suggesting they can or might, Rogers said, "provokes needless fear and detracts attention from the real threats facing the country."

Later in the evening Paul, who is the son of former Texas congressman and libertarian leader Ron Paul, offered to allow a vote on Brennan if the Senate would vote on his resolution stating that the use of the unmanned, armed aircraft on U.S. soil against American citizens violates the Constitution. Democrats rejected the offer.

Reid, D-Nev., said he planned to file a motion to bring debate over Brennan's nomination to an end, if not on Thursday, then Friday or next week. Reid had pushed for a confirmation vote Wednesday. Technically, the Senate had not even started the debate on Brennan's nomination before Paul took control of the floor almost immediately after Republicans successfully blocked a vote on a federal appeals court nominee.

Along with Cruz and Wyden, Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah, Jerry Moran of Kansas and Marco Rubio of Florida joined Paul briefly three hours into the debate but turned it back to him. Wyden has long pressed for greater oversight of the use of drones. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., appeared later in the evening to trade questions with Paul.

The record for the longest individual speech on the Senate floor belongs to former Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, who filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

Holder came close to making the statement Paul wanted earlier in the day during an exchange with Cruz at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, according to Paul.

Cruz asked Holder if the Constitution allowed the federal government to kill a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil who doesn't pose an imminent threat. Holder said the situation was hypothetical, but he did not think that in that situation the use of a drone or lethal force would be appropriate. Cruz criticized Holder for not simply saying "no" in response.

In a letter sent Tuesday to Paul, Brennan said the CIA does not have authority to conduct lethal operations inside the U.S.

Holder told Paul in a March 4 letter that the federal government has not conducted such operations and has no intention of doing so. But Holder also wrote that he supposed it was possible under an "extraordinary circumstance" that the president would have no choice but to authorize the military to use lethal force inside U.S. borders. Holder cited the attacks at Pearl Harbor and on Sept. 11, 2001, as examples.

Paul said he did not dispute that the president has the authority to take swift and lethal action against an enemy that carried out a significant attack against the United States. But Paul said he was "alarmed" at how difficult it has been to get the administration to clearly define what qualifies as a legitimate target of a drone strike.

Brennan's nomination won approval Tuesday by the Senate Intelligence Committee after the White House broke a lengthy impasse by agreeing to give lawmakers access to top-secret legal opinions justifying the use of lethal drone strikes against al-Qaida suspects overseas.

If confirmed, Brennan would replace Michael Morell, the CIA's deputy director who has been acting director since David Petraeus resigned in November after acknowledging an affair with his biographer.

Brennan currently serves as Obama's top counterterrorism adviser in the White House. He was nominated for the CIA post by the president in early January and the Intelligence Committee held his confirmation hearing on Feb. 7.

___

Associated Press writer Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senator-continues-floor-speech-block-cia-pick-043309661--politics.html

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Phil Waigand, a stage 2 rectal cancer survivor, shares his story about his diagn...

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Source: http://www.facebook.com/curemagazine/posts/150561068437057

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How Important Is Wi-Fi to a College Education? [#Infographic ...

How important is Wi-Fi to college students? Here are a few impressive facts from a 2008 survey conducted by Wakefield Research for the Wi-Fi Alliance. Keep in mind this survey was conducted before tablets hit the market or smartphones had penetrated 50 percent of the population:

Fully 90% believe Wi-Fi access is as essential to an education as a classroom or a computer.

Wi-Fi has become so prevalent on college campuses that ABI Research said Wi-Fi penetration should reach 99% of all campuses by 2013. Colleges worldwide spent about $137 million in 2007 on Wi-Fi access points and controllers, a figure that's expected to grow to $837 million in 2013, according to ABI.

Read Wi-Fi helps college students get better grades, survey says on Computerworld.

The survey was correct in pointing out that Wi-Fi would be ubiquitous in 2013, but few would have predicted that colleges would already be clamoring for gigabit connections. The infographic below outlines how college students are accessing Wi-Fi for school and personal use and highlights a few schools that are making the push for superfast connections.

This infographic originally appeared on Online Colleges.

Source: http://www.edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2013/03/how-important-wi-fi-college-education-infographic

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Want To Build A $1B Consumer Company? Look For Long-Haul Founders And Don?t Fear Incumbents

Editor's note: Jacob Mullins is a VC at Shasta Ventures. With the recent talk about the growing ?billion dollar club? in startups, I?ve been wondering what characteristics a $1 billion consumer tech company has. As a Series A investor who primarily focuses on consumer web and mobile companies, I examined the pool of consumer companies that have had exits over $100 million within the current era of consumer tech, which I consider to be post-recession 2008. I wanted to see what I could learn and ideally reverse-engineer common characteristics that would help me identify the next big winners when I see them today or in the future.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/2U-_MBnB9Os/

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Video: Florida house demolished as sinkhole grows

>> in florida. demolition crews are outside the house to tear it down. gabe gutierrez is there for us.

>> lester, good morning. engineers at the scene have determined that the street is entirely unstable. the rescue effort is now over after authorities found no sign of life. with a sinkhole expanding beneath this house, rescue crews say they have no choice but to demolish the home today. the growing cavern is at least 30 feet wide and 50 feet deep and they don't know when it will stop.

>> we've met with the family. we've advised them of that. and that at this point we have to move beyond the rescue to demolition phase.

>> reporter: word that the victim may never be recovered hit the tight-knit community hard. family members of 36-year-old jeff bush who plunged into the sinkhole as he slept in his bedroom and is presumed dead , gathered with neighbors to console one another.

>> i knew whenever the fire department or nobody would go inside the house that was his last resting place and that's where he will be for the time being.

>> for those living in the house near the sinkhole, u.s. a scramble to safe.

>> how long did they give you, ma'am?

>> 30 minutes .

>> reporter: some given just a half hour to collect belongings and leave.

>> it rips my heart out that people i have lived next door to for 21 years had to leave. they have a lot of memories in their house also.

>> reporter: after the demolition, they plan to fill in the hole. what made this so unusual, it happened entirely inside the house, so it became hidden until it became catastrophic.

Source: http://www.today.com/video/today/51024809/

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Two of the Best Sites on the Internet on Dog Info - Dog Health ...

Because there?s so much disinformation on many of these forums, here are two of the best places to go for information on nutrition, vaccinations and steroids.

Shirley?s Wellness Cafe covers all these topics and more but not just for pets. There?s a huge human wellness section.
Here you?ll find some of the best veterinarians (DVMs), medical doctors (MDs), authors and PhDs adding their knowledge and expertise to a large variety of topics.

This site has a great search.
For example, if you type in steroids in the search box, 258 items come up.

The other site is The Truth About Pet Food.
Susan Thixton is considered one of the leading experts on the subjects of pet foods and pet food ingredients. She has been dubbed The Caped Crusader for Safe Pet Food. Her research and tenacity is well recognized throughout the pet food industry.
Susan is constantly quoted as an expert on pet industry sites and journals such as PetfoodIndustry.com.

Susan is the author of Buyer Beware: The Crimes, Lies and Truth about Pet Food.
?There is not a single book in publication today about the pet food industry that is a more comprehensive investigation of the $18 billion dollar pet food industry. Backed by years of solid research, Susan Thixton?s book Buyer Beware is the most comprehensive and exhaustive report to date of the tragic consequences of a market dominated by pet food made of waste material.?
Read the rest of the review here.

Susan also co-authored the book Dinner PAWsible with Dr. Cathy Alinovi, DVM.
This book takes the guesswork out of preparing pet food at home. It?s well-illustrated, clearly written and offers a wide selection of recipes for both cats and dogs.

Dr. Alinovi is owner of Hoofstock Veterinary Service.
Besides graduating from Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Alinovi also holds a Master of Science degree in Epidemiology from Purdue,
Along with mainstream medicine, Dr. Alinovi has studied veterinary food therapy at the Chi Institute in Florida and also utilizes chiropractic, herbal, acupuncture and aroma therapies at her Pine Village, Ind., practice.
Dr. Alinovi is also a student of homeopathy and is completing her training in advanced functional neurology.

You can subscribe to The Truth About Pet Foods newsletter or pay a small annual fee of $17.95 for Petsumer Report which is well worth it.
Petsumer Report is an online pet food information database providing subscribers with vital information on over 2,500 dog foods, cat foods and pet treats (new products added each month).
Petsumer Report gives subscribers alerts to risky ingredients, ingredient country of origin (U.S. only or imports), grade or quality of meat ingredients, list of health promoting ingredients, recall history and much more.

The best advice is to visit or do a phone consultation with a holistic vet for questions you may have regarding nutrition, vaccinations or drug therapy for your pet.

No annual vaccinations + no misuse or overuse of drugs (corticosteroids, steroids, antibiotics, etc.) + feeding a species-appropriate diet = Healthiest Cats/Dogs = No Vet Visits = Unhappy Vets, AVMA, AAHA & Big Pharma = Happiest Cats/Dogs = Happiest Pet Parents!

Best regards, Roger Biduk

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Last edited by reeskujo; 9 Hours Ago at 01:05 PM.

Source: http://www.i-love-dogs.com/forums/dog-health-nutrition/35287-two-best-sites-internet-dog-info.html

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Toby Keith's bassist killed in Oklahoma car crash

SLAUGHTERVILLE, Okla. (AP) ? Authorities say the bassist for country music star Toby Keith has been killed in a two-car crash in Oklahoma.

The Cleveland County Sheriff's Office says 54-year-old Carl "Chuck" Goff Jr. was killed in the crash Wednesday night in rural Cleveland County, about 35 miles south of Oklahoma City.

Keith said in a statement that he's "deeply saddened" by Goff's death. Keith says Goff was a close friend for more than 25 years, serving as band leader and bass player.

Goff shared writing credits on "Upstairs Downtown" and "You Ain't Much Fun" on Keith's 1994 album "Boomtown."

The two-vehicle crash remains under investigation. Authorities say the driver of the second vehicle wasn't seriously injured.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-03-01-Toby%20Keith-Bassist%20Killed/id-1988b5fe89cf478ba7ef8b75032d2900

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Dairy industry wants fake sweetener rules eased

Allison Linn , NBC News ? ? ? 1 hr.

Two milk trade groups are asking the Food and Drug Administration for greater flexibility in how they inform consumers when artificial sweeteners are added to kid-friendly products such as chocolate milk.

The International Dairy Foods Association and the National Milk Producers Federation are asking the FDA to ease rules that require them to make very clear, on the front of the package, when products like chocolate, strawberry and vanilla milk have reduced calories or sugar because they are sweetened with artificial sweeteners.

As of now, those products have to clearly carry a label such as ?reduced sugar,? and they also have to meet stringent restrictions about how they are using such sweeteners, said Cary Frye, vice president for regulatory and scientific affairs for the International Dairy Foods Association.

If they don?t, the industry can?t say the product is still ?milk.?

Frye said those requirements are more rigorous than for competitors who sell things like sports drinks and fruit-flavored beverages. That makes it hard for them to compete with other thirst quenchers kids want, Frye said.

?They give the dairy industry additional restrictions that aren?t the same for other beverages,? Frye said.

In their petition to the FDA, the trade groups also argued that the required, prominent low-calorie labels are not attractive to children.

Kids are a key market for the milk industry, which has struggled for decades with declining milk consumption.

One thing many kids do like to drink: milk sweetened with chocolate, vanilla or another flavoring.

Most of those drinks are currently sweetened with sugar, making them more caloric. The milk industry argues that if they could reduce the labeling hurdles it would be easier to offer lower-calorie chocolate milk at stores and in schools. That, they say, would help fight childhood obesity.

If the proposal is approved, Frye said the flavored milks would still list artificial sweeteners. But the label would be on the back on the package, where most beverages include nutritional information.

The industry groups asked the FDA to consider the change in 2009, but it wasn?t until late February that the FDA opened the request up for public comment.

In an e-mail, an FDA spokeswoman said it?s not unusual for the FDA to receive hundreds of petitions each year and noted that they act with due deliberation on each.

The public comment period runs through late May, and the FDA said it couldn?t say when after that it would take action on the petition.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/chocolate-milk-fight-industry-asks-fda-ease-fake-sweetener-rules-1C8621251

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Kerry: Turkish comments complicate Mideast process

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday waded into the controversy over comments by Turkey's prime minister equating Zionism to a crime against humanity, rebuking the leader of the NATO ally by saying such remarks complicate efforts to find peace in the Middle East.

Kerry said the Obama administration found the statements by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan "objectionable" and he stressed the "urgent need to promote a spirit of tolerance, and that includes all of the public statements made by all leaders" at a news conference in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

"We not only disagree with it; we found it objectionable," Kerry said. He added that he had raised the issue with Davutoglu "very directly" and said he would do the same with Erdogan. The spat comes ahead of a trip to Israel and Jordan later this month by President Barack Obama, who wants to try to nudge the Israelis and Palestinians back to peace talks.

Davutoglu, however, gave no acknowledgement of the U.S. complaint and denied that any Turkish official had made hostile or offensive comments about Israel. Instead, he blamed Israel for acting in a hostile way toward Turkey. He repeatedly referred to the deaths of nine civilians at the hands of Israeli commandos aboard a Gaza-bound Turkish aid ship in 2010.

"If Israel wants to hear positive statements from Turkey, it needs to review its attitude," he said. "It needs to review its attitude toward us, and it needs to review its attitude toward the people in the region and especially the West Bank settlements issue."

Asked for his reaction to Davutoglu's remarks, Kerry replied that they demonstrated the difficulty of dealing with such a fraught and emotional situation.

"It underscores the importance of our efforts to try to find a way forward to make peace in this region and to resolve the kind of differences that excite the passions that the foreign minister has just articulated and the difference of opinions about words and about their impact," Kerry said.

Addressing the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations conference in Vienna this week, Erdogan complained of prejudices against Muslims. He said Islamophobia should be considered a crime against humanity "just like Zionism, like anti-Semitism and like fascism."

The White House rejected the comparison on Thursday, calling it "offensive and wrong." A senior State Department official traveling with Kerry said comments like Erdogan's are "corrosive" to U.S.-Turkey relations and damaging to regional and international stability.

Kerry said he believes there is a way to repair the damage, but he added: "It obviously gets more complicated in the aftermath of a speech such as the one we heard in Vienna."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also sharply condemned the remark late Thursday, calling it a "dark and mendacious statement, the likes of which we thought had passed from the world." U.N. chief Ban Ki-Moon joined the critics, saying it was "unfortunate that such hurtful and divisive comments were uttered at a meeting being held under the theme of responsible leadership."

Although he did not back down from the Erdogan remarks, Davutoglu did say that Turkey was a strong proponent of the two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians and would do whatever it could to help achieve that.

Kerry said that despite the comments, he was hopeful Turkey and Israel could eventually find a way to restore their previously close relations.

The uproar has overshadowed Kerry's previously planned visit to the Turkish capital, where he had hoped to spend much of his time discussing the crisis in neighboring Syria and coordinating plans with the Turks to assist the Syrian opposition, which is fighting to oust President Bashar Assad.

The deterioration of Turkish-Israel relations has been a matter of deep worry for the U.S., which has unsuccessfully sought to push the two countries to get back on friendly terms.

Turkey and Israel were once important allies, but relations deteriorated sharply after the 2010 raid.

Turkey is a co-sponsor, along with Spain, of the U.N. initiative to promote tolerance and understanding between various religions.

Turkey's state-run news agency, Anadolu, reported Erdogan's remarks on Wednesday but removed the reference to "Zionism" in a correction sent out an hour later. It said the correction was "made by the source" but gave no other explanation.

Erdogan, whose ruling party has roots in Turkey's Islamic movement, frequently criticizes Israeli actions against Palestinians but rarely speaks out against Zionism. In November, he accused Israel of state terrorism and of an "attempt at ethnic cleansing," a euphemism that describes using violence to force a population to flee an area.

?Kerry was in NATO ally Turkey on the fourth leg of a nine-nation dash through Europe and the Middle East that was his first official overseas trip as secretary of state. Kerry spent much of his time at his first three stops ? Britain, Germany and Italy ? focusing on the conflict in Syria.

Kerry's first stop in Ankara on Friday was the U.S. Embassy, where he spoke at a memorial service for a local Turkish security guard who was killed in a Feb. 1 suicide attack at the embassy gates. Kerry presented the man's family with an award for heroism.

?From Turkey, Kerry will travel to Egypt on Saturday, followed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar before returning to Washington in the middle of next week.

Police, meanwhile, used tear gas to disperse a group of about 30 people who tried to break through police barricades and march toward Erdogan's office during an anti-US protest.

Kerry was not near the area at the time of the protest.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-turkish-comments-complicate-mideast-process-160237937.html

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