DealBook: Apple Raises $17 Billion in Record Debt Sale

With a $145 billion cash hoard, Apple could acquire Facebook, Hewlett-Packard and Yahoo ? and still have more than $10 billion left over.

Despite its uncommonly flush balance sheet, Apple borrowed money on Tuesday for the first time in nearly two decades. In a record bond deal, the company raised $17 billion, according to a person briefed on the deal, paying interest rates that rival those of debt issued by the United States Treasury.

Apple?s corporate-finance maneuver raises a riddle: Why would a company with so much cash even bother to issue debt?

The answer has a lot to do with the frenzied state of the bond markets. Companies are issuing hundreds of billions of dollars in debt to exploit historically low interest rates and strong investor demand for bonds as an alternative to money market funds and Treasury bills that paying virtually nothing.

?If you look at these big companies like Apple and Microsoft doing these big, low-cost bond offerings, it?s a way for them to raise money in an effort to create better returns for their shareholders,? said Steven Miller, a credit analyst at S&P Capital IQ. ?The bond markets are practically begging these corporations to issue debt because of how cheap it is to raise money.?

But Apple?s move also reflects the challenges of a highly successful business with a flagging stock price. In an effort to assuage a growing chorus of concerned and disappointed Apple investors, the company is issuing bonds to help finance a $100 billion payout to its shareholders. It will distribute most of that amount over the next two and a half years in the form of paying increased dividends and buying back its stock.

While Apple?s shareholders and analysts welcome the company?s financial tactics, they say that the maker of iPhones, iPads and iMacs must continue to innovate and fend off increasing competition.

?This is a substantial return of cash, and it?s the right thing to do on many levels,? said Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst at Bernstein Research. ?But, ultimately, the company has to execute. This is no substitute for that.?

By raising cheap debt for the shareholder payouts, Apple will also avoid a potentially big tax hit. About two-thirds of Apple?s cash ? about $102 billion ? sits overseas in lower-tax jurisdictions. If it returned some of that cash to the United States to reward its investors, the company could have significant tax consequences.

?We are continuing to generate significant cash offshore and repatriating this cash would result in significant tax consequences under current U.S. tax law,? said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple chief financial officer, during an earnings call last week.

In some ways, the bond issue on Tuesday was made necessary by Apple?s tax strategies.

?They have been so successful with their tax planning that they?ve created a new problem,? said Martin A. Sullivan, chief economist at Tax Analysts, a publisher of tax information. ?They?ve got so much money offshore.?

The $17 billion debt sale by Apple is the largest on record, surpassing a $16.5 billion deal from the drugmaker Roche Holding in 2009. Apple joins a parade of large companies issuing debt with astonishingly low yields. Last week, the shoe company Nike sold bonds that mature in 10 years that yielded only 2.27 percent. Last July, Bristol-Myers issued five-year debt yielding 1.06 percent. In November, Microsoft set the record for the lowest yield on a five-year bond, issuing the debt at 0.99 percent.

Despite Apple?s $145 billion cash pile, the credit-ratings agencies did not award the company their coveted triple-A rating, citing increased competition and a concern that its future product offerings could disappoint. Moody?s Investors Service gave the company its second-highest rating, AA1, as did Standard & Poor?s, rating the company AA+. (The four companies awarded the highest credit ratings by both Moody?s and S.&P. are Microsoft, Exxon Mobil, Johnson & Johnson and Automatic Data Processing.)

?There are inherent long-run risks for any company with high exposure to shifting consumer preferences in the rapidly evolving technology and wireless communications sectors,? wrote Gerald Granovsky, a Moody?s analyst.

Apple?s less-than-perfect rating did not drive away bond investors on Tuesday. The offering generated investor demand well in excess of the $17 billion raised, according to person briefed on the deal. Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank led the sale of the issuance.

Desperate for returns in a yield-starved world, all types of investors ? including individual, pension funds and mutual funds ? are snapping up corporate debt. The demand appears to be insatiable: this year, through last Wednesday, a record $55 billion has flowed into mutual funds and exchange-traded funds that invest in corporate debt with high-quality ratings, according to the fund data provider Lipper.

The last time Apple sold debt was in 1996, when the Internet was in its infancy and sales of Apple?s niche computers were struggling. Facing an uncertain future and struggling with a weak balance sheet, Apple had a junk credit rating and was paying 6.5 percent on its debt.

Source: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/04/30/apple-raises-17-billion-in-record-debt-sale/

railgun jk rowling new book between two ferns statins chardon sean young juan pablo montoya

Abortion doc's trial fuels pro-life movement

Anti-abortion protesters at January's March for Life in Washington. (Brendan Hoffman/Getty)

Anti-abortion activists are harnessing the outrage generated over the trial of a Philadelphia abortion doctor to pressure lawmakers to pass more restrictive abortion laws.

The activists say the trial of 72-year-old Kermit Gosnell, which concludes Monday as attorneys on both sides make their closing arguments, shows that late-term abortions are inhumane and unsafe and should be banned.

Gosnell is charged with murder in the deaths of four babies who were born alive after abortion procedures (he is alleged to have cut their spinal cords) and in the death of a woman who died of a drug overdose he allegedly administered.

Gosnell faces other charges, including violating Pennsylvania's law against performing abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy; violating a state law requiring a 24-hour waiting period for patients before obtaining an abortion; and of endangering child welfare by employing a 15-year-old in the clinic, which investigators labeled a "house of horrors."

Abortion foes say Gosnell's crimes are representative of larger abuses in late-term abortion clinics, while abortion rights advocates say he is a criminal outlier who would not have been stopped by more regulations.

One player in the anti-abortion movement, the Susan B. Anthony List, is lobbying for a bill to ban all abortions performed in Washington, D.C., after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The group has generated thousands of letters to lawmakers in support of the "D.C. Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act," which was introduced by Arizona Republican Rep. Trent Franks. The group is also hoping to convince lawmakers to introduce a national version of the bill.

"What is the difference between killing a baby minutes before delivery compared to moments after? Only the barest of legal nuances," SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement tying the proposed D.C. law to Gosnell's alleged crimes. ?It is an outrage that in the shadow of the Capitol, children can legally have their lives ended through methods equally brutal to those employed by Gosnell."

The proposed 20-week ban is part of a wave of anti-abortion legislation that is attempting to directly challenge the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which said the government cannot ban abortions that take place before a fetus can survive outside the womb. (The point of viability is considered to be at about 24 weeks, though that point is debated.)

This year, 10 states have passed or are poised to pass legislation to ban abortions after 20 weeks, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks reproductive health issues. Arkansas and North Dakota went even further, recently banning abortions that occur when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which can happen as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.

On Friday, President Barack Obama criticized some of those laws in a speech to Planned Parenthood.

?A woman may not even know that she?s pregnant at six weeks,? he said of the North Dakota law.

Those who support abortion rights note that Gosnell was allegedly in violation of dozens of existing laws.

"The important thing to remember is that Kermit Gosnell was running a criminal enterprise, not a health care facility," said Eric Ferrero, a spokesman for Planned Parenthood, the leading reproductive health care provider and a proponent of abortion rights. (Planned Parenthood does not generally perform late-term abortions.)

"He was violating dozens and dozens of laws and regulations that were already on the books. New regulations would not have stopped him," Ferrero said.

Federal law requires health care providers to try to save the lives of babies born alive during abortion procedures. Abortions after 21 weeks make up less than 1 percent of all abortions performed in the U.S. each year; the vast majority of abortions take place during the first trimester.

Others in the anti-abortion movement think the Gosnell case may help their cause to regulate clinics more strictly, as well as win over more supporters in the general public to their cause.

James Bopp Jr., the general counsel for National Right to Life, told Yahoo News that the case gives fuel to the argument that abortion clinics should be more strictly regulated. "When the realities of abortion are exposed to the public, it tends to be a rather gruesome business and people do react to that," Bopp said.

The Gosnell case has already prompted Pennsylvania lawmakers to pass a law that requires clinics to be regulated in the same way that outpatient surgery centers are. That means doors, hallways and elevators in the clinic must fit a stretcher, for example, in case a patient needs to be rushed to a hospital. Texas passed similar legislation.

Ferrero said such regulations tie up legitimate clinics in red tape, and would not have stopped someone like Gosnell?who is accused of flouting a number of federal, state and local laws?from criminal practices. The larger campaign to restrict abortion predates the furor over Gosnell, Ferrero said.

"Extreme activists and politicians will certainly try to use this to try to advance their agenda of making abortion inaccessible and unavailable for women, but that is clearly part of a larger, long term political agenda and political campaign among these folks," Ferrero said.

Meanwhile, the anti-abortion group Live Action, led by activist Lila Rose, released undercover videos Monday showing employees at two late-term abortion clinics explaining what would happen if a baby were born alive during an abortion to women they believed were patients.

One unidentified staff member at a Bronx clinic said babies born alive would be placed in a "solution" that would kill them. (The clinic's manager told the Washington Post a baby had never been born alive during an abortion there and that the staff member was uninformed.) A doctor in Washington, D.C., is seen on the tape saying he would be legally obligated to help a baby born alive, but that it would probably die.

In an interview, Rose said she was not interested so much in convincing politicians to ban late term abortions, but rather to change "hearts and minds."

"I think the most important thing is making sure that every person and particularly women in America know exactly what these procedures are and what they do," she said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/anti-abortion-movement-seeks-laws-gosnell-trial-201034006.html

f/a 18 f 18 crash virginia tenebrae the lake house petrino arkansas roy williams divine mercy chaplet

Zach Braff Kickstarter: $2 Million Goal Reached!

Source:

Robert Ebert blake shelton chelsea handler hannibal Lena Headey the great gatsby the great gatsby

Celts top Knicks 97-90 in OT, avoid playoff sweep

BOSTON (AP) ? Jason Terry's nose still hurt. He wasn't about to let his pride suffer as well.

Two days after being smacked by J.R. Smith's elbow, the guard the Boston Celtics count on for his shooting scored their last nine points and kept their season going.

The Celtics beat the Knicks 97-90 in overtime on Sunday to avoid a first-round sweep and force a fifth game in New York on Wednesday night. Avoiding elimination provided all the motivation Terry needed.

"It wasn't really the elbow," he said. "It was more (like) this is it. I mean, the season's over. You can leave it all out here tonight and go home for a long summer or you can live to play another day."

But, he conceded, his nose "still hurts right now. As long as I feel that, I guess I'll be thinking about it."

The NBA suspended Smith for the game, and the Knicks could have used his shooting. Carmelo Anthony scored 36 points and Raymond Felton picked up the slack with 27, but New York made just 28.9 percent of its shots in the first half as Boston took a 54-35 lead.

"J.R. is a big piece of what we do, but he wasn't here," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said, "so I'm not using that as an excuse."

New York had tied the game 84-84 after trailing by 20 points early in the third quarter. It was 88-all before the Celtics regained control and took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Terry. Anthony hit a short jumper, but Terry connected on a 15-footer with 50 seconds remaining for a 93-90 lead.

After Anthony, who shot 10 for 35 for the game, missed a 3-pointer with 21 seconds to go, Terry was fouled by Steve Novak and made both free throws. He added a layup to close out the game.

But the Celtics still have a huge deficit in trying to become the first team to win after trailing a series 3-0 in the NBA playoffs. The Knicks are trying to win their first playoff series in 13 years.

"We have to be confident going back home," Anthony said. "We were confident here today."

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 29 points, Jeff Green added 26 and Terry finished with 18.

With leaders such as Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics have "tremendous" pride, Terry said. "Getting swept is something that no man that's been in this league that long wants to do. It's disheartening.

"Now we have to go into a hostile environment and they're going to be trying to get it over with. They don't want to come back here, but we do."

The Celtics showed renewed energy early after being held below 80 points in each of the first three games. They led 59-39 three minutes into the third quarter before their recent second-half woes returned.

In previous first halves, they scored just 25 points in Game 1 and 23 in Game 2. On Sunday, they were outscored 30-14 in the third quarter and led just 68-65 heading into the fourth.

"Good teams are going to make those runs," said Garnett, who had 13 points, 17 rebounds and six assists for Boston. "It's deflating, but we kept fighting. We found a way to get over the hump."

Boston held a 65-51 lead when Anthony went to the bench with 3:35 remaining. The Knicks outscored the Celtics 14-3 the rest of the way behind 11 points from Felton and a 3-pointer from Iman Shumpert. Felton finished with 16 points in the quarter.

"He was huge in this game for us," Kenyon Martin said. "Especially missing J.R., we needed someone else to make shots for us and he did that."

The Knicks played the first half as if they had taken shooting lessons from the Celtics. New York hit just 11 of 38 shots in the half after Boston made only 39.5 percent of its total attempts in the first three games.

The Celtics found their range from the start and connected on 51.3 percent (20 for 39) in the half.

"We established our defense and we made shots," Pierce said. "I thought it really gave us confidence when we got out to the fast start because our offense has really been struggling."

But the Knicks still have a big advantage with three possible chances to get the one win they need to advance to the second round. They were swept in the opening round by the Celtics in 2011 then lost to the Miami Heat in five games in 2012 after dropping the first three games.

This year, the Knicks won the first two games at home then took Game 3 in Boston 90-76 on Friday night.

"We did our job when we came here. We got us a win," Felton said. "That was our goal."

And now the Knicks get Smith back.

"We know how dangerous he is," Terry said. "He's going to come out, obviously, tough, aggressive, looking to be a spark for them but we're just resilient."

The Celtics need to be as they try to get to a sixth game in Boston on Friday night.

"This is the first time that we really came out with fire in our eyes," Terry said. "Every game from here on out is Game 7 for us."

Notes: Boston had just three offensive rebounds while the Knicks grabbed 16. ... The Celtics have been swept six times in the 112 playoff series in their history. ... The Knicks were 19-2 in their previous 21 games. The Celtics were 5-14 in their previous 19. ... For the Celtics, Garnett, Green and Brandon Bass each had four fouls five minutes into the third quarter. Bass committed his fifth with 5:10 left in the period and fouled out with 4:27 to go in the game. ... Anthony committed his fourth with 4:08 remaining in the third.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/celts-top-knicks-97-90-ot-avoid-playoff-202225961.html

Yunel Escobar Eye Black Cruel Summer Endeavor shaun white carolina panthers Revolution TV Show bankofamerica

Black voter turnout up, but Dems can't take 'Obama effect' for granted

If you had any doubts, it?s now official: President Obama has blacks to thank for his reelection. It turns out that record levels of black voter turnout propelled Obama to victory in 2012. So much so that if blacks had voted at 2004 levels, we?d all be saluting a President Romney right now.

We think Obama has a few million thank you cards to sign.

That?s according to a new Associated Press-Brookings Institution analysis on 2012 election data that contains a few gems that both parties would be wise to examine.

RECOMMENDED: Election 2012: 12 reasons Obama won and Romney lost

Among the surprises: Latinos aren?t as lucrative, votes-wise, as they appear to be ? yet. And Democrats, who appeared to have cemented their role in 2012 as the minority party, shouldn?t get too comfortable.

Here are four lessons the 2012 election post-mortem taught us about the minority vote:

BLACK VOTERS CAN TURN OUT

Voter ID laws. High unemployment among blacks. Low rates of registration. Lack of transportation and access to polling stations.

Want your top political issues explained? Get customized DC Decoder updates.

These were all supposed to keep blacks away from the polls last year, but they didn?t.

Not only did black voters turn out, their turnout levels surpassed that of whites and most minority groups, including Latinos and Asians, in last year?s elections.

Though we don?t have exact data on the 2012 election turnout breakdown just yet, 2008 turnout data represented the smallest gap on record between whites (66.1 percent turnout) and blacks (65.2 percent turnout). According to the AP-Brookings analysis, 2 million to 5 million fewer whites voted in 2012 than in 2008, erasing that narrow lead.

LATINOS STILL LAG

The same headlines that warned of plummeting black voter turnout in 2012 also trumpeted the so-called Latin sensation, which was supposed to see record levels of Latinos turn out at the polls.

They did, but not at the levels black voters turned out.

Consider this: While blacks make up about 13 percent of the population and 12 percent of the share of eligible voters, they represented 13 percent of the total 2012 votes cast, thereby ?outperforming? their share.

By contrast, Latinos make up 17 percent of the population but just 11 percent of eligible voters and 10 percent of total 2012 votes cast, somewhat underperforming for their share.

In fact, Latinos probably won?t surpass the share of eligible black voters until 2024, according to the AP-Brookings analysis.

Why the lower Latino rates?

Latinos may be growing fast, but they?re still a fairly young cohort, with more than one-third of Latinos (almost 35 percent) younger than the voting age of 18.

What?s more, many Latinos are not yet US citizens and therefore ineligible to vote. Nearly two-thirds of legal Mexican immigrants are not US citizens, according to a Pew Center analysis ? and that?s not even counting illegal and undocumented immigrants.

BUT THEIR DAY IS COMING

A proposed immigration bill in the Senate could see nearly 11 million immigrants currently here illegally become eligible for US citizenship ? and voting ? in as little as 13 years (the bill proposes a 13-year path to citizenship).

If that bill, or some iteration of it, passes, the total share of Latino voters may leap to 16 percent of the electorate by 2026. Under that same scenario, the share of eligible white voters could shrink to less than 64 percent, as the growing minority population edges out white population shares, according to the AP-Brookings report.

?The 2008 election was the first year when the minority vote was important to electing a U.S. president. By 2024, their vote will be essential to victory," William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution said in the report. ?Democrats will be looking at a landslide going into 2028 if the new Hispanic voters continue to favor Democrats.?

BUT DEMOCRATS SHOULDN?T REST TOO EASY

Whatever you heard about the GOP?s minority problem, the rainbow coalition is not a sure bet for Democrats in 2016 or for future elections.

In fact, 2012 may have been an exceptional year. That?s because Romney was an exceptionally poor candidate for motivating white voters, let alone minorities, to the polls. And Obama was an exceptionally strong candidate for motivating minorities. That?s a scenario Democrats may not be able to replicate again soon.

?The 2012 turnout ? suggests ? there is an 'Obama effect' where people were motivated to support Barack Obama,? Andra Gillespie, a political science professor at Emory University, told the AP. ?But it also means that black turnout may not always be higher, if future races aren't as salient.?

Or, as GOP consultant Whit Ayres told the AP, ?It remains to be seen how successful Democrats are if you don't have Barack Obama at the top of the ticket.?

What?s more, the GOP is well aware of its ?minority problem? and working overtime to reverse it, starting with comprehensive immigration reform legislation that could make Latinos and Asians more receptive to the GOP in coming elections.

RECOMMENDED: Election 2012: 12 reasons Obama won and Romney lost

Related stories

Read this story at csmonitor.com

Become a part of the Monitor community

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/black-voter-turnout-dems-cant-obama-effect-granted-200923567.html

wwdc madden 13 cover dalai lama tamera mowry slow jam the news madden cover obama slow jams the news

Will The Anomaly navigate a cagey transition?

It took Brock Lesnar three matches and a tumultuous year under two separate WWE contracts, but on May 19, The Anomaly may finally feel at home for the first time since returning the squared circle. That?s because at Extreme Rules, the 266-pound destroyer will face archrival Triple H inside the confines of a steel cage. While Triple H may have more experience competing in WWE cages, Lesnar has a much different perspective.

The flesh-tearing tendencies of chain-link fence might not offer Lesnar the same solace as the woodlands of Jackson Hole, Wyo., but there is little reason to believe the burly bruiser and his adviser Paul Heyman were anything but calculating in demanding Lesnar vs. Triple H III take place in a cage. ?The Beast Incarnate,? after all, saw an eight-sided cage fight or two during his eight-year sabbatical from WWE, during which he ascended the heavyweight ranks of the Ultimate Fighting Championship faster than any other competitor in the history of mixed martial arts.

Who will benefit more from the steel cage: Triple H or Brock Lesnar?

View Comments

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/extremerules/2013/brocks-octagon-steel-cage-transition

aubrey huff the killers julianne hough brandy michael pineda charles taylor bruins

A Playbook for Undoing the Sequester

Who would have guessed that the air-traffic controllers and meat inspectors would be the first ones lucky enough to avoid the across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration?

So it went on Friday, when Congress passed legislation to give the Federal Aviation Administration special flexibility in implementing its sequester cuts. The bill exempted air-traffic controllers from furloughs, which had caused flight delays at major airport hubs throughout the Northeast for the past five days. Meat inspectors also received a carve-out in late March following a powerful lobbying push and under the guise of ensuring food safety.

Now, with two sequester tweaks on the books, other special-interest groups, unions, and lobbyists are planning to rev up their efforts to undo the cuts bit by bit or, in this case, by a few billion dollars here or there. The actions of the FAA over the past week, alongside airline groups and unions, offer a playbook for others to use as they too seek exemptions.

?What you?re seeing now is an unraveling of the sequester. This is predictable as the sun rising in the east, and it will happen piece by piece over the next 60 to 90 days,? says Steve Bell, senior director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center and a former staff director for the Senate Budget Committee.

Already, interest groups are plotting new ways to cast their particular sequester cuts as dire or unfair or safety hazards since they see an opening to escape the full force of the legislation. Remember the hollering a few weeks ago about cancer patients being turned away from treatment or clinical trials? Well, the American Cancer Society Action Network plans to ramp up its pressure on lawmakers following the FAA legislation. The group has an energized grassroots organization; a lobbying team in Washington; and lots of face time with lawmakers. After all, if air-traffic controllers can get a pass, then the cancer advocacy group thinks patients should too.

?We?re no longer just talking about why we need this additional funding. We?re talking about people who are dying because of what politicians are unable to do,? says Christopher Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society Action Network, the advocacy arm of the American Cancer Society. The message, he adds, ?is going to get more edgy.?

It took a mere six days for the FAA to push Congress to change its language on the agency?s sequester cuts. The furloughs of air-traffic controllers began April 21. Each ensuing day, the agency released a press release and tweeted about the number of flights delayed due to sequestration and the resulting reduced staffing at airports.

On Wednesday alone, 863 flights were delayed at major hubs in New York, Washington, Cleveland, Dallas, and Jacksonville, Fla. On average, New Yorkers? flights were delayed by one hour, while delays at the Los Angeles airport spanned into two hours, says Mark Duell, vice president of operations at FlightAware.com, an industry tracking group. The airlines also threatened to undo their rule to not keep passengers waiting on the tarmac for more than three hours.

Forget that an additional 2,132 flights were delayed on Wednesday, due to weather or other typical airline mishaps. This week, for instance, New York suffered from high winds, and Florida experienced thunderstorms, Duell says.

When the flights were delayed, the message from the airlines was clear: This is all the fault of the sequester. Pilots and flight attendants in their announcements attributed problems to the government cuts, says airline industry analysts. This riled up consumers and made them aware of the sequester cuts in a way they may not have experienced them before. (In mid-March, a majority of Americans had yet to see evidence of the sequester in their lives, says Gallup pollsters).

Then came the lobbying muscle to fight the FAA cuts. That?s the thing about the airline industry?it has lots of manpower. The airline pilots have a union, as do the air-traffic controllers. Major airlines have an industry group alongside the regional airlines. Even companies involved in shipping, transportation, air express, and postal delivery got involved.

It was all-out blitz, from the cable-news shots of angry passengers delayed at major airports and missing connecting flights to websites set up by the industry to decry the issue. ?Don?t Ground America? was the slogan of one industry advocacy site. ?The FAA?s unnecessary and reckless action will disrupt air travel for millions of Americans, cost jobs, and threatens to ground the U.S. economy to halt,? says the site.

This combination of angry consumers and a powerful industry?combined with a lack of opposition?forced Congress to vote to give the FAA more room to maneuver with its sequester cuts. In the weeks to come, the question is: Will this prove as a successful template for other industries or a one-off lucky break for the FAA on the sequester?

The Internal Revenue Service recently announced its plans to furlough its employees. The group representing them, the National Treasury Employees Union, wants those furloughs scaled back. ?Congress just voted to make it more likely that their flights home for another vacation today will not be delayed, but they should be staying here to find a way to stop the sequester and prevent the loss of services the American people rely on,? said NTEU President Colleen Kelley in a statement.?

In the coming weeks, the cuts least likely to receive much attention are those that affect the poor or the unemployed. Already, workers who?ve been out of job for six months or more have seen ?federal unemployment checks cut by about 11 percent cuts due to the sequester.

?It pains and saddens me that there is no outcry to undo the sequester cuts for them,? says Judy Conti, a federal advocacy coordinator with the National Employment Law Project. ?The political reality is that members of the House are not willing to do that.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/playbook-undoing-sequester-165349214.html

leon russell meredith vieira prop 8 maria menounos proposition 8 ricky martin larry bird

Green Consumer: Product Review Roundup Spring 2013 | Care2 ...

Ok, I know I wrote all about being a non-consumer for Earth Day . . . And I did celebrate Earth Day this year as I have for many years, by unplugging (mostly), not buying anything, cooking nourishing meals, and getting outside as much as possible. It is always a great time to sort out my priorities, and I usually find a bit more balance between my ideals as a green diva and the reality of the world I try to live in harmony with.?Let?s face it, this is what makes me a green diva!

I strive to be more conscious about everything I do and the potential impact it has on me, my family, my community, animals and ultimately the earth. Seems lofty, right? Well, thankfully I don?t have to live off the grid and make everything by hand, which is an awesome concept, but probably not realistic for me at this time. There are companies making progress in providing healthier, more sustainably manufactured products that keep people and planet higher on the priority list.

We get offered products to review EVERY day ? some rather large and expensive things like cars, which are fun reviews, but most are practical, every-day things. We have gotten backed up with a nice bounty of great things we chose to review and play with, and finally spent some time focusing on most of them. We decided to dedicate a show to sharing about our favorites, and well, we just didn?t have enough time, so there is another roundup coming soon!

Important note: we are never compensated for the reviews, and we only review products that we like and want to recommend.?So, while we don?t get paid cash, we do have a lot of fun and hope to offer some good ideas for our listeners to try new healthy products that are good for us and better for the environment.

I will list some of the products from this week?s review show, but to see the full post by our awesome intern GD Jamie (this was her last show and we will definitely miss her ? great job, we love you Jamie)

but for ALL the fun details and witty commentary, please listen to the?Green Divas big review podcast!

Pure Sky Living

Pure Sky Living offers an alternative to reusable paper towels. They are durable, 100% all-natural cotton towels that will allow you to finally kick paper towels ? and save a few trees! When you buy them just remember to wash them in cold water a couple times, so they become more absorbent.

Wean Green

Wean Green is a Canadian company dedicated to providing safe and environmentally friendly products. There glass food containers are created for babies and kids, but can be used by anyone. They are handy and so much better than plastic containers. An added bonus is that Wean Green is a partner of 1% of the Planet, an organization dedicated to building and supporting an alliance of businesses financially committed to created a healthy planet.

The Original Green Pan

The?GreenPan uses Thermolon, a non-stick technology that is heat resistant and will not release toxic fumes. GreenPan products are also cadmium and lead free and emit 60% less CO2 emissions producing Thermolon than traditional coatings. Green Diva Meg got to try the?egg expert which makes the perfect breakfast egg.

Kaeng Raeng Detox

Read?Green Diva Meg?s posts about her experience with the 3-day?Kaeng Raeng Detox.?Kaeng Raeng is an all natural detox meal replacement designed to help you lose weight, remove toxins, bolster your immune system, and improve your digestive system. GD Meg did the beginner level and said she lost a few pounds and just felt better after she got over the initial grumpiness.

Balance Bars

Balance Bar was one of the originators of energy bars and sent us their new Balance Bar Dark. We were like locusts and descended upon the box as if we hadn?t eaten in 17 years ? I think we loved these. We got to sample the dark chocolate crunch, the chocolate peanut, and the dark chocolate coconut. Green Diva Mizar barely even let the other Green Divas try the dark chocolate coconut bars because she loved them so much.

Bixby Bars

The foundation of?Bixby Bar ($15.99 for 4 bars) is pure chocolate, completely free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), preservatives or added sugars. All their chocolate is combined with exotic spices, healthy nuts and dried fruits. All ingredients are natural or organic and delicious!

Crunchies

For the last two weeks the Green Divas having been munching away on?Crunchies ($4.99). We were lucky enough to be sent the Roasted Veggies and Tropical Fruit variety but they have many more and they are all freeze-dried, sugar free, gluten free, with no preservatives and high in fiber. Just beware they are most definitely crunchy!

Numi Tea

After?Green Diva Meg wrote about earl grey tea, Numi Tea sent her a package of their Aged Earl Grey, which has already disappeared because she loved it so much. Numi is 100% natural, organic, and uses eco-responsible packaging.

Naya Shoes

Naya sent me a pair of sandals, which didn?t exactly fit, so I gave them to our intern GD Jamie as a goodbye gift ? she earned them! These shoes don?t compromise style, they are fashionable and environmentally friendly, because Naya uses materials that reduce environmental impact. They will definitely go with any summer outfit.

Teysha Shoes

Teysha sent an adorable pair of flats to me, and they are my new go-to summer shoe. The shoes are unique, handmade in Panama and Colombia and help to create jobs for women, who might not have jobs otherwise. A portion of their proceeds got to?Global Village Initiative which works to incubate social enterprises, provide educational opportunities, increase food security, create access to technologies, and off set their environmental impact through reforestation and sustainable development.

To find out about some wonderful organic, non-toxic, natural skincare products and more, please visit the?full post by our awesome intern GD Jamie

for ALL the fun details and witty commentary, please listen to the?Green Divas big review podcast!

?

Source: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/green-consumer-product-review-roundup-spring-2013.html

Mama Movie flyers epo suits PlayStation Network chip kelly NRA

Mother and four children killed in Ga. house fire; 11-year-old makes it out

Molly McCrary, 11, speaks with reporters about the house fire that claimed the lives of her mother, her two sisters and two other children.

By Erin McClam, Staff Writer, NBC News

A mother, two of her daughters and two other children died early Saturday in a house fire outside Atlanta, authorities said. The only survivor was an 11-year-old girl who escaped after the mother woke her up and told her to run.

Firefighters were called just after 1 a.m. to the house, in the suburb of Newnan. The state fire marshal?s office ruled that it was an electrical fire and an accident.

The fire killed Alanna McCrary and two of her daughters, Eriel, 5, and Nikia, 2, Newnan police said in a statement. NBC affiliate WXIA reported that the mother was 28. The two other children killed were Messiah White, 3, and McKenzie Florence, 1, police said.

The surviving child was identified by local media as Nautica McCrary, nicknamed Molly.

David Tulis / AP

Sisters Brandy McCrary, left, and Breona Montgomery, who are cousins of the five fatal house fire victims, share a hug with neighbors Bonita Beasley, center, and Jennifer Moss, right.

?The mother woke her up and told her to run,? Police Chief Buster Meadows told The Associated Press. ?There was someone outside who she ran to, and the mother went back after the others. Neither her nor the other four children made it out.?

Investigators believe a faulty breaker in the electrical panel of the house started the fire, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Firefighters found the charred remains of a smoke detector, but it was unclear whether it had worked, a spokesman for the state insurance commissioner told the AP.

Neighbors left balloons, candles, teddy bears, a small cross and two bicycles beside the mailbox later Saturday, and someone spray-painted a Bible verse on a blanket and left it there, the AP reported.

This story was originally published on Sat Apr 27, 2013 5:07 PM EDT

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2b403cc3/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C270C17947270A0Emother0Eand0Efour0Echildren0Ekilled0Ein0Ega0Ehouse0Efire0E110Eyear0Eold0Emakes0Eit0Eout0Dlite/story01.htm

brooke burke Alexa Vega Bram Stoker books Paula Broadwell Photos Veterans Day 2012 Nate Silver stock market

Google Crashes Facebook Home's Easy Updating Party, Now ...

Android apps are no longer allowed to push updates, even beta updates, without going through the Play Store ? this includes Facebook Home. This change abruptly closes a loophole previously utilized most famously by Facebook to push beta updates to a limited amount of users through Home itself.

Now, with the latest change to the Play Store?s terms and conditions, Google specifically spelled out any update to Play Store apps must be served through the Play Store itself.

Under the Dangerous Products section,

An app downloaded from Google Play may not modify, replace or update its own APK binary code using any method other than Google Play?s update mechanism.

This is the same section of the t&c that prohibits the transmission of ?viruses, worms, defects, Trojan horses, malware, or any other items that may introduce security vulnerabilities to or harm user devices, applications, or personal data.? Google is closing this loophole with force.

Facebook Home?s previous update scheme allowed the company to push updates, labeled as beta by the way, without going through Google. This was clearly within the rules, but the tactic that clearly didn?t sit well with Google.

The change in terms of service likely wasn?t to target Facebook Home but rather prevent malicious apps from using this loophole. Android already has a slight malware problem and Google needs to take every step possible to ensure its users apps downloaded from the Play Store are safe. Facebook Home just happened to get caught in the roundup.

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/26/google-crashes-facebook-homes-easy-updating-party-now-requires-all-play-apps-to-be-updated-through-the-play-store/

brown recluse front door alyssa bustamante protandim weightless ellen degeneres jcpenney yeardley love

Israeli army breaks up Palestinian march on Jewish settlement

By Noah Browning

DEIR JAREER, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli soldiers fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse about 500 Palestinian villagers marching toward a Jewish settlement outpost in the occupied West Bank on Friday.

The procession, the largest of its kind for years, followed charges by Palestinians that the Israeli settlers, whose caravans abut village land, had attacked them twice this week.

Around half a million settlers have moved to the West Bank and East Jerusalem since Israel captured the area, along with the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Middle East War. Palestinians want the settlements gone from what they see as their future state.

Men from Deir Jareer, including Christian and Muslim clerics, gathered for Friday prayers on a craggy outcrop between their village and a cluster of half a dozen makeshift settler homes surrounded by Israeli army jeeps and soldiers.

Their march, preceded by a group of stone-throwing youths, was repeatedly pushed back by salvoes of Israeli tear gas. Young boys howled from the effects of the tear gas and old men hitched up their robes to flee, holding onion slices to their noses.

Medics treated several men for gas inhalation and rubber bullet wounds.

A few Palestinian villages hold weekly protests against the Israeli army and settlements, usually involving a score of rock-throwing youngsters, and unrest has mounted this year.

But political gatherings are rare around Deir Jareer, and was sparked after villagers say settlers torched around ten of their cars on Monday night, after planting an Israeli flag on a derelict church on Friday and pelting village youth with stones.

"This was a peaceful area. We're gathered today to say we refuse to be attacked and driven off our own land," said Sami Issa, a resident. "We want their army to pull the settlers out."

The Israeli military has said it is investigating the events leading up to the march. Asked about Friday's incidents, an army spokesman said: "Soldiers responded to a group of some 250 stone-throwing youths with riot dispersal means near Ofra."

Israel cites Biblical and historical claims to the land, but the United Nations considers the settlements illegal and most world powers say they are an obstacle to peace.

Israel has sanctioned the building of 120 settlements, but around 100 unauthorized outposts, considered illegal even under Israeli law, dot the West Bank.

The United States is trying to revive long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Secretary of State John Kerry told Congress this month that these efforts were urgent because the chance to create a viable Palestinian state was fast receding.

"I believe the window for a two-state solution is shutting," Kerry said. "I think we have some period of time, a year to a year and a half to two years or it's over."

(Reporting By Noah Browning)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-army-breaks-palestinian-march-jewish-settlement-141307677.html

vice presidential debate Martha Raddatz Chris Lighty JJ Watt jerry sandusky johnny depp hayden panettiere

Bipolar Disorder Drugs May 'Tweak' Genes Affecting Brain - Health ...

By Barbara Bronson Gray
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) ? Medications taken by people with bipolar disorder may actually be nudging hundreds of genes that direct the brain to behave more normally, according to new research.

The study suggests that antipsychotic drugs activate a wide range of genes, changing their function, said lead author Dr. Melvin McInnis.

?A gene?s activity in any given cell will vary depending on what it?s exposed to,? said McInnis, a professor of bipolar disorder and depression at the School of Medicine at the University of Michigan.

It?s not often that scientists stumble upon something in research that they totally weren?t expecting to see. ?It was a major surprise to us that people treated with an antipsychotic [medication] had changes in the gene expression pattern,? McInnis said.

The findings could help point the way to new gene-targeted and stem cell therapies, and provide valuable insight into what causes manic-depressive mood swings, he added.

However, a genetics expert not connected to the study was more cautious about drawing implications from its findings.

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, affects about 5.7 million American adults, or about 2.6 percent of the U.S. population aged 18 and older, according to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The brain disorder causes severe and unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out routine daily tasks.

The new research, published in a recent issue of the journal Bipolar Disorders, involved examining 26 brains donated to a nonprofit brain bank. Fourteen of the brains were from people who had bipolar disorder. Of those, seven were from people who had been taking one or more antipsychotic medications ? such as clozapine, risperidone and haloperidol ? when they died. Twelve brains were from those with no mental health condition.

In comparing the brains, the scientists observed that the genes of those that had been exposed to antipsychotics at the time of death or during their lifetime were similar to those from people who did not have bipolar disorder. This suggests that the drugs may normalize or suppress the kinds of brain pathology one would expect in bipolar disorder, according to the researchers.

The study also supports the idea that the ability of brain cells to effectively communicate with each other may be impaired in people with bipolar disorder. The researchers found that the brains of people who were taking antipsychotics and those who did not have bipolar disorder showed striking similarities in how their brains relayed signals between cell gaps, or synapses, and on high-speed neuronal ?freeways? called the nodes of Ranvier.

While antipsychotic medications can often be effective in moderating the effects of bipolar disorder, the side effects are often difficult for people to deal with. These include metabolic syndrome ? a combination of symptoms that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes ? as well as weight gain, increased blood sugar levels, and tremors, McInnis said.

However, one expert expressed some concerns about the study.

?It?s still not known if these changes just happen to occur or play a key role in the therapeutic effect,? said Dr. Francis McMahon, chief of the human genetics branch at the NIMH Intramural Research Program.

McMahon also noted that the researchers don?t have data on what medications the brains were exposed to during their lifetimes. ?Patients [with bipolar disorder] are exposed to antidepressants, drugs of abuse, and other medications, and we don?t have medication exposure data on the brains [of the people without bipolar disorder].?

For his part, study author McInnis said the research represents a step toward a radical evolution in the design of drugs for psychiatric conditions by the pharmaceutical industry.

?A lot of these psychiatric illnesses fluctuate, but now we give medications at a constant rate, almost as if we were giving a diabetic the same amount of insulin no matter what the person?s blood sugar is,? McInnis said. ?Medications as we know them will change based on our understanding of the biological mechanisms behind disease.?

More information

Learn more about bipolar disorder from the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Source: http://news.health.com/2013/04/25/bipolar-disorder-drugs-may-tweak-genes-affecting-brain/

paczki lent la times heart attack grill KTLA Ash Wednesday 2013 ted nugent

Woody Guthrie Center opens Saturday in Tulsa

TULSA, Okla. (AP) ? Supporters of folk singer Woody Guthrie say the opening of a center chronicling his storied life and career is long overdue in his native state of Oklahoma.

The 12,000-square-foot Woody Guthrie Center opens Saturday afternoon in Tulsa.

It features Oklahoma's only permanent exhibit on the Dust Bowl and also includes Guthrie's original handwritten copy of "This Land Is Your Land," perhaps his best-known song.

Guthrie's daughter Nora says Oklahomans should take pride in knowing that the core of who her father was as a man and a musician was determined in Oklahoma.

The center is also home to the Woody Guthrie Archives, a collection featuring nearly 3,000 song lyrics, hundreds of pieces of artwork, journal entries, postcards, manuscripts and more than 500 photographs, among other rare items.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/woody-guthrie-center-opens-saturday-tulsa-200053464.html

Argo bonnaroo robin roberts Ashley Morrison El Chapo Guzman Christmas Abbott clive davis

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Melt Yourself Down - "Fix My Life"

Great googley moogley. Watch this on full-screen and prepare to melt into your chair. The music of Melt Yourself Down, a London-based Jazz Fusion group some describe as "Afrocentric jazz-tinged tribal pop" (the what?), is crazy good and the animation from Morgan Beringer is enough to make your brain jump clean out of your skull and run screaming from the room. Seriously, get ready for a four minute trip through bat country. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/QuhW4IhwPrU/the-most-psychedelic-thing-on-the-internet-tonight-melt-yourself-down-+-fix-my-life

final four Ray J I Hit It First Rick Pitino Spike Albrecht NCAA Championship Game michigan basketball ncaa final four

Alpine PT Kicks its Soccer Outreach Into High Gear ? Health and ...

With the arrival of Spring in Missoula, the youth soccer season is now in full swing! As mentioned in earlier blogs, Alpine Physical Therapy has recently teamed up with the Missoula Strikers soccer club. ?Along with offering free 15 minute consultations to all Strikers players, Alpine personnel will also presenting a short ?injury-prevention and proper warm-up technique? sessions to the Striker?s coaches.

One of our PT?s will attend each team?s practice and take the players through a 20-30 minute warm-up session while educating the coaches and players on proper jumping technique, running form and warm-up techniques that will help prevent ankle, knee, and other lower extremity injuries.

Additionally, Alpine is developing a training periodization model to guide coaches on the amount of volume and quality of the soccer workload the players are subject to through the course of a season.? The soccer scene in Missoula is booming, and Alpine Physical Therapy is actively interested in helping with this growth!

For more information on the services we provide to area soccer players, please visit our sports webpage by clicking here.

Source: http://healthandfitness101.com/?p=3742&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=alpine-pt-kicks-its-soccer-outreach-into-high-gear

whitney houston dies dolly parton i will always love you beverly hilton hotel whitney houston found dead i will always love you whitney houston 2012 grammy awards powerball results

Rubio faces tough crowd (Washington Bureau)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/300436737?client_source=feed&format=rss

selena lamichael james lamichael james acl earthquake los angeles unemployment 2012 nfl draft grades

Another bird flu death in China as number of infected grows to 95

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China reported another death and four new infections from a new strain of bird flu on Saturday, raising the death toll to 18, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

The H7N9 virus has been found in 95 people, mostly in eastern China. The latest victim is a 69-year old man surnamed Xu from Zhejiang province who passed away Friday night after emergency treatment failed, Xinhua said.

Zhejiang province reported three new infection cases with all three patients in critical condition. The eastern costal province of Jiangsu also reported another bird flu infection.

On Friday health officials raised questions about the source of this strain of bird flu indicating that more than half of patients had no contact with poultry.

While it is not clear how people are becoming infected, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says there is no evidence of the most worrying scenario - sustained transmission between people.

The WHO's China representative, Michael O'Leary, issued data on Friday showing that half of the cases analyzed had no known contact with poultry, the most obvious potential source, but he said it appeared human-to-human transmission was rare.

China announced the first case of human infection of the H7N9 in late March and has since has been praised by the WHO for its handling of the situation.

(Reporting by Melanie Lee; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/another-bird-flu-death-china-number-infected-grows-121908696.html

adele lyrics best new artist

Take a closer look at Saturday?s ?The Ultimate Fighter? bouts

Now that we know Uriah Hall and Kelvin Gastellum are fighting in the final of "The Ultimate Fighter" on Saturday, it's time to look at the other TUF match-ups. As is the tradition, castmembers from the show will face off at the finale, though most of their bouts are on the preliminary card airing on Fuel. Whether you didn't watch the show or just forgot how it all went down, here's how each fighter did on the show.

Robert "Bubba" McDaniel vs. Gilbert Smith: This is the one bout that made the main card, and I'm not sure why. Smith was knocked out in his first round fight. McDaniel was choked out by by one finalist and knocked out by another. His one win came when Kevin Casey quit on the chair before the third round.

Kevin Casey vs. Josh Samman: Coming into the show, Casey was best known for filming a rap video with reality TV has-been Spencer Pratt. Now, he's known as the guy who lost to Collin Hart and then couldn't continue for a third round against McDaniel. He's taking on Samman, the semifinalist who was shocked by Gastellum.

Luke Barnatt vs. Collin Hart: Barnatt was on both ends of memorable knockouts. He took out Smith in the first round, but then was stopped by Dylan Andrews in the quarterfinals. Hart won in the first round with a decision over Casey, but was knocked out by Gastellum in the quarters.

Dylan Andrews vs. Jimmy Quinlan: It will be fun to watch Andrews fight again. As the last fighter picked, he was the surprise of the tournament with a first round decision win over Zak Cummings and a memorable third-round knockout of Luke Barnatt. He was finally stopped by the Hall buzzsaw, but will get another chance to show off his skills against Quinlan, who won his first round with a knockout of Tor Troeng, but was stopped by Samman in the quarterfinals.

Clint Hester vs. Bristol Marunde: Hester was Jon Jones' first pick, but lost in an upset when he was submitted by Quinlan in the first round. He's getting another chance to prove his potential in a bout with Marunde, a Strikeforce fighter who lost to Ronaldo Souza in his last bout.

Who will emerge as a winner on Saturday? Speak up in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/closer-look-saturday-ultimate-fighter-bouts-154727898--mma.html

amar e stoudemire m.i.a. adrianne curry hoekstra

Wall Street dips from record but still higher on week

By Ryan Vlastelica

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Friday, retreating from the previous session's record levels as financials were pressured by a pair of weak bank results and by a delay in the closing of a large bank deal.

Wall Street was also pressured as weak retail sales and sentiment numbers were the latest data to point to weakening economic conditions, though stocks remain sharply higher on the week. Still, analysts said the gains, which have taken the S&P 500 up 11 percent so far this year, have equities vulnerable to a pullback.

"We're due for choppiness given the run we've had, especially since the strong data we've seen recently looks increasingly misleading," said Hank Herrmann, chief executive of Waddell & Reed Financial Inc in Overland Park, Kansas.

"We're moving at a slower pace, and those who got overly excited about GDP growth are probably pulling in their horns a bit."

The CBOE volatility index VIX <.vix>, Wall Street's so-called fear gauge, rose 4 percent to 12.73. For the year, the Dow has gained more than 13 percent and the Nasdaq is up 8.7 percent.

Both JPMorgan Chase & Co and Wells Fargo & Co were lower after reporting results, with JPMorgan hit by a decline in revenue, and Wells by fewer home loans. Shares of Wells dropped 1.3 percent to $37.03, while JPMorgan, a Dow component, was off 0.2 percent at $49.22.

"The numbers weren't terrible, but also not terribly inspiring," said Herrmann, who helps oversee $105 billion in assets. "I wanted to see more credit growth as confirmation that the economy is doing better and that didn't show up."

Earnings for S&P 500 companies are expected to grow at a modest 1.2 percent in the first quarter, down from a January forecast of more than 4 percent, according to Thomson Reuters data. With only 6 percent of the S&P having reported thus far, 62 percent of companies have beaten expectations.

The S&P financial sector <.spsy> lost 0.7 percent, and was also pressured by a delay in the closing of M&T Bank Corp's acquisition of Hudson City Bancorp Inc .

M&T shed 4.4 percent to $100.28 while Hudson slumped 5.7 percent to $8.27 as the S&P's biggest percentage decliner.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> was down 25.48 points, or 0.17 percent, at 14,839.66. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> was down 7.12 points, or 0.45 percent, at 1,586.25. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> was down 9.60 points, or 0.29 percent, at 3,290.55.

The S&P 500 is up about 2.4 percent for the week, and the Dow up about 1.8 percent and Nasdaq up about 2.4 percent. The S&P has only had two weeks in 2013 with bigger gains.

Data showed retail sales fell 0.4 percent in March, while February's strong gain was revised down slightly. Consumer spending plays a key role in the U.S. economy, accounting for two-thirds of activity.

Another report showed consumer sentiment fell to a nine-month low in early April amid gloom about the long-term health prospects for the U.S. economy.

Investors have been rattled by indications economic growth could be softening, particularly after last week's disappointing jobs number, though that has not derailed the market rally so far.

The advance in equities in recent months was partly buoyed by the Federal Reserve's economic stimulus efforts, and analysts are viewing the first-quarter earnings season as a test for whether those gains are justified by corporate performance.

Material and energy stocks also fell alongside a drop in oil and precious metal prices. Oil prices sank 2.1 percent to an eight-month low while gold lost 4 percent and hit its lowest since July 2011. Prices were hit by concerns over the global economic outlook and the impact it could have on demand.

Newmont Mining Corp fell 5.1 percent to $36.67 while Newfield Exploration was down 4.5 percent to $21.61. The SPDR Gold Shares ETF fell 3.8 percent to $145.32 and hit its lowest since July 2011. Friday marked the worst day for the gold ETF since February 2012.

(Reporting By Angela Moon; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Kenneth Barry)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wall-street-gains-fourth-day-weak-tech-hurts-001828528--sector.html

tim lincecum ryan oneal file taxes online tupac shakur sledge hammer tax day freebies madison bumgarner

Adaptable leaders may have best brains for the job

Apr. 10, 2013 ? Effective leaders' brains may be physically "wired" to lead, offering the promise of more precise identification and training, according to studies of U.S. Army officers published by the American Psychological Association.

Researchers have linked adaptive leadership skills with brain functioning and psychological complexity measures among active leaders. Those leaders who were found to be more adaptable and complex in psychological studies appeared to have brains that function differently from those of less adaptable leaders, according to an article published online in the APA Journal of Applied Psychology. This fusion of neuroscience and leadership research could one day revolutionize how organizations assess and develop effective and adaptive leaders, according to the study's authors.

"Once we have confirmed how the brain works in these leaders, we can create an 'expert' profile," said the study's lead author, Sean Hannah, PhD, of Wake Forest University. "This profile can help us develop brain training methods to enhance brain functioning in leaders, such as the neurofeedback techniques that have been successfully used with elite athletes, concert musicians and financial traders."

Officers were defined as being more psychologically complex if they had a more diverse sense of their own abilities and accomplishments as leaders. For example, complex leaders described themselves as filling more leadership roles -- such as mentor, team leader and spokesperson -- and possessing a diverse set of skills and attributes within these roles. Also, leaders who were more complex effectively worked their way through a challenging four-part military leadership scenario.

Brain networks in the frontal and prefrontal lobes of the most complex and adaptable leaders -- areas associated with self-regulation, decision-making and memory -- were more complex and differentiated compared to those of leaders who were determined not to be very complex, according to neuroimaging.

Ranging in rank from officer cadet to major, 103 volunteers were recruited from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point for the study. Eighty-seven of the officers were men and the average age was 24. The officers had an average of four years of military leadership experience. All went through a medical screening and completed a standardized survey to measure how complex a leader they saw themselves. For example, they were asked to picture themselves as leaders of a combat unit and then describe what roles they saw themselves filling and what knowledge, skills and abilities they used across those roles. They then organized those roles and attributes in order of importance. In addition, half of the participants underwent a quantitative electroencephalography scan. Using electrodes placed on 19 different locations on subjects' heads, researchers were able to track activity in particular areas of the brain while the participant was seated, at rest.

Researchers also tested the participants' leadership and decision-making abilities in a hypothetical tactical military scenario, where the participants had to lead their unit to interact with hostile and non-hostile civilians, enemy forces, the media and, eventually, the shooting down of a U.S. helicopter during an international humanitarian relief mission in Africa. The scenario was developed by two West Point military leadership instructors specifically for this study to show how officers could adapt in a fast-changing, quickly deteriorating situation. Former military officers with significant experience in these types of situations rated the officers' responses to the scenario based on their adaptability, situational awareness and decisions. Leaders who had a more complex sense of their leadership skills and greater neurological complexity were found to be more adaptive and effective leaders in these scenarios.

Hannah, a retired colonel with 26 years of experience in the U.S. Army, including serving as the director of Leadership and Management Programs at West Point, said the results are a step toward finding out how effective and adaptable leaders not only think and act, but how their brains are wired to lead.

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 American Psychological Association (APA).

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Sean T. Hannah, Pierre A. Balthazard, David A. Waldman, Peter L. Jennings, Robert W. Thatcher. The Psychological and Neurological Bases of Leader Self-Complexity and Effects on Adaptive Decision-Making.. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2013; DOI: 10.1037/a0032257

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/~3/MVc4xTuHvRQ/130410112103.htm

ketamine ground hogs day 2012 goundhog day punxsutawney egypt soccer riot facebook ipo facebook ipo

Couple Skills: Making Your Relationship Work | Steve Nakamoto ...

Love takes work, but, when it comes to relationships, it pays to work smarter. Couple Skills, Second Edition, revised and updated from the therapist-recommended classic, will show you how to work smarter in your relationship. You?ll learn to improve communication, cope better with problems, and resolve conflicts with the one you love in healthy and creative ways. Each chapter teaches you an essential skill that supports greater relationship satisfaction and deeper intimacy.

New to this edition is a chapter on using acceptance skills, developed from the revolutionary new acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). These new approaches will help you to accept your partner?s feelings (and your own emotions) without judgment. Using these techniques will help you decide what you really value in your relationship and then commit to acting in ways that further those values every day.

Source: http://dating-love-relationships.com/?p=3611

Pope Benedict Jesuits percy harvin percy harvin mike wallace mike wallace Paul Bearer