pursuer sectored: February 2013

Thursday, February 28, 2013

"Boardwalk Empire" signs Ron Livingston as a regular

Feb 27 (Reuters) - Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki suffered one of her worst career defeats when she bowed out of the Malaysia Open to 186th-ranked Chinese qualifier Qiang Wang on Wednesday. The Dane, top seed at the event in Kuala Lumpur, cruised through the opening set of her first round clash and had a match point in the second before going down 2-6 7-6 6-1. Qualifier Wang, 21, allowed Wozniacki only one point in the second set tiebreak as she levelled the match and rolled through the decider to claim her biggest careeer win. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/boardwalk-empire-signs-ron-livingston-regular-190438026.html

arkansas razorbacks trisomy 18 ozzie guillen ozzie guillen buster posey eric holder eric holder

Obama nears deadline on gay marriage decision

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The next phase of President Barack Obama's evolution on gay marriage may come with the deadline for his administration to weigh in on a landmark Supreme Court case that could determine whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to wed.

Gay rights supporters are pressing the administration to file a friend-of-the-court brief urging the justices to overturn California's gay marriage ban. Obama is not required to file a brief, though he raised expectations in his second inaugural address when he declared that gays and lesbians must be "treated like anyone else under the law."

An administration brief would not be legally binding. But it could offer the clearest insight into Obama's views on gay marriage, which he supports but has said should be governed by the states.

Ahead of Thursday's deadline, dozens of prominent Republicans signed a friend of the court brief asking the justices to declare California's Proposition 8 ballot measure unconstitutional. Among them are former GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman and Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

The Proposition 8 ballot initiative was approved by California voters in 2008 in response to a state Supreme Court decision that had allowed gay marriage. Twenty-nine other states have constitutional amendments banning gay marriage, while nine states and the District of Columbia recognize same-sex marriage.

Gay rights advocates are anticipating the administration filing a broad brief, one that would ask the justices to not only strike down the California measure, but also rule that the Constitution forbids any state from banning same-sex unions. But the administration could also file a narrower brief applying only to California.

Even the latter brief would appear to mark a shift away from the president's contention that states have the right to determine whether to allow same-sex marriages.

While an administration brief alone is unlikely to sway the high court, the government's opinion does carry weight with the justices.

Solicitor General Donald Verrilli would formally file a brief, though he has been consulting with White House officials. And it's almost certain that Obama, a former constitutional law professor, made the administration's final decision.

In his inaugural address, the president said the nation's journey "is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law."

"For if we are truly created equal, than surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well," he said.

Obama has a complicated history on gay marriage. As a presidential candidate in 2008, he opposed the California ban but didn't endorse gay marriage. As he ran for re-election last year, he announced his personal support for same-sex marriage but said marriage was an issue that should be decided by the states, not the federal government.

Public opinion has shifted in support of gay marriage in recent years. In May 2008, Gallup found that 56 percent of Americans felt same-sex marriages should not be recognized by the law as valid. By November 2012, 53 percent felt they should be legally recognized.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Proposition 8 case on March 26. One day later, the justices will hear arguments on another gay marriage case, this one involving provisions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The act defines marriage as between a man and a woman for the purpose of deciding who can receive a range of federal benefits.

The Obama administration abandoned its defense of the law in 2011 but continues to enforce it. In a brief filed last week, the government said Section 3 of DOMA "violates the fundamental constitutional guarantee of equal protection" because it denies legally married same-sex couples many federal benefits that are available only to legally married heterosexual couples.

___

Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-nears-deadline-gay-marriage-decision-075221337--politics.html

mindy mccready mindy mccready downton abbey nba all star game danica patrick Michelle Laxalt Alabama Shakes

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

PFT: Mathieu runs a fast 40? |? But bench is weak

Getty Images

Last year, the Steelers cut quarterback Ben Roethlisberger?s base salary from $11.6 million down to the minimum of $900,000.? The $10.7 million became a guaranteed payment, with the cap hit spread equally over the four remaining years in Roethlisberger?s deal.

The move added $2.675 million in cap charges to each year of the contract, pushing this year?s cap number to a belt-bending $19.6 million.

As MDS pointed out earlier in the afternoon, the Steelers plan to do it again, without extending the deal.? But with only three years left on the contract, the Steelers can?t take as large a chunk out of Roethlisberger?s cap number this time around.

Once again, Roethlisberger?s base salary is $11.6 million.? The Steelers could drop it to the 10-year minimum of $940,000.? The $10.66 million difference would then be converted to a guarantee, with the amount spread out over the final three seasons of his contract.

This would create $7.1 million in cap space.? But it also would increase Roethlisberger?s cap number by $3.55 million in 2014 and 2015.? With last year?s restructuring, that?s another $6.225 million to be carried in each of the final two seasons of Roethlisberger?s deal.

And with a base salary of $12.1 million due in 2014, it converts to a minimum cap number of $18.325 million next year.

Whatever the Steelers do, they should wait until March 5 to finalize it.? If they reduce the deal before then, Roethslisberger?s cap number would drop out of the top five in 2013 ? and the exclusive franchise tender the Ravens would have to pay to quarterback Joe Flacco would drop again.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/26/tyrann-mathieu-runs-a-4-43-on-his-first-40/related/

new york knicks lin j.r. smith espn jeremy lin sleigh bells meek sturgis

THE RESET: Both sides now see spending cuts likely

President Barack Obama is waiting until after deep automatic spending cuts actually kick in before meeting with congressional leaders to search for ways out of the nation's latest fiscal crunch. The timing says a lot about the nature and timing of the crisis.

He'll meet at the White House with the four top House and Senate leaders on Friday. The "sequester" cuts begin midnight Thursday.

The scheduling reflects the growing consensus on both sides that they're still too far apart to block the cuts, a recognition that most of the reductions won't hit right away and the knowledge that there's another month to find a better fix.

But panic may rise as March 27 approaches. That's when the current stopgap government budget expires and Congress must pass a new one for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.

Individual cuts can be modified or eliminated during that budget process.

While the sequester will slash government spending authority by $85 billion, the actual spending cuts will be about $44 billion, says the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Both parties have been heatedly blaming each other for the impasse as Obama makes campaign-like trips to spotlight the impact on various sectors of the economy.

The maneuvering comes as polls show a divided nation over the looming spending cuts.

A new Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll shows about half of Americans call the cuts too severe and a slightly smaller percentage say they're necessary to reduce the deficit. Other recent polls show similar findings.

Former Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel, freshly confirmed by the Senate as defense secretary, mentioned the latest fiscal crisis ? which hits defense accounts particularly hard ? in his first remarks on the job on Wednesday.

"We're dealing with less dollars coming down," Hagel told Pentagon workers. He said he's particularly troubled by "the uncertainty" that lies ahead.

"Now, I've got to go to work," he said.

___

Follow Tom Raum on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tomraum

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/reset-both-sides-now-see-spending-cuts-likely-171803794--politics.html

wargames blake griffin dunk florida primary full force odd fellows eli whitney blake griffin dunk on kendrick perkins

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Green Blog: Feeding Ourselves on a Warming Planet

As we have often noted here on the Green blog, one of the biggest uncertainties humanity faces regarding climate change is the potential effect on the world?s food supply.

If there?s a risk that global warming and related changes could hit us much sooner and much harder than scientists are expecting, agriculture could be the crucial realm where that occurs. In fact, we have already entered an era of sharply higher global food prices, with climate change as one of the likely causal factors.

A new paper from researchers associated with Tufts University puts the overall risk in perspective. It is billed as a working paper, meaning it has not gone through formal scientific review, but it strikes me as worth highlighting nevertheless. The findings pretty closely match the conclusions presented in some of my reporting from 2011.

The authors, Frank Ackerman and Elizabeth A. Stanton, point out that in the 1990s, research suggested that climate change would be fairly benign for agriculture. The first few degrees of warming would help agriculture expand in chilly regions, and the rising level of atmospheric carbon dioxide would act as plant fertilizer, boosting crop yields, the thinking went. More recent science has cast sharp doubt on some of those conclusions.

Yet the earlier, rosy scenario is still incorporated into a lot of economic models of global warming. As a result, economists sometimes come to the conclusion that relatively modest efforts to tackle climate change are adequate for now.

?Can we muddle along without expensive climate initiatives, and go on living ? and eating ? as before?? the authors of the new paper ask. ?Not for long, according to some of the new research on climate and agriculture.?

I would say the research they cite, though clearly an improvement over the work from the 1990s, is by no means definitive; a major new program designed to improve our predictions about climate and agriculture is still in its early phases. Anyway, what attempt to predict the future is ever definitive?

But anybody who wants a tight synopsis ? less than 20 pages ? of the emerging evidence that we are in trouble on the food supply could do worse than consulting this working paper. It recaps recent findings that the benefits on plant growth of rising carbon dioxide levels may not be as great as originally hoped, that temperature extremes due to climate change may have a severe effect on crop yields, and that fresh water scarcity could exacerbate the problems.

?If warming continues unabated, it will, in a matter of decades, reach levels at which adaptation is no longer possible,? the researchers conclude. ?Any long-run solution must involve rapid reduction of emissions, to limit the future extent of climate change.?

Source: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/feeding-ourselves-on-a-warming-planet/?partner=rss&emc=rss

nba trade thomas robinson nba trades ign brandi glanville Xbox 720 HTC One

Christina Applegate & Martyn LeNoble Are Married!

The actress got hitched over Oscars weekend! See more stars who made their romances official

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/celebrity-weddings-0/1-b-16623?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Acelebrity-weddings-0-16623

whitney houston i will always love you breaking news whitney houston carmen whitney houston last performance cpac straw poll i will always love you whitney cummings

Monday, February 25, 2013

Breaking Dawn: Part 2 DOMINATES Razzies

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/breaking-dawn-part-2-dominates-razzies/

navy seals navy seal team 6 tim gunn tim gunn built to last obama state of the union address 2012 mitt romney tax return

Former Romney Strategist 'Obsessive' About Twitter, But Warns Technology Is Not The GOP's Panacea

ABC News' Michael Falcone reports:

It's not over yet. The 2012 presidential campaign, that is. At least not if you ask Mitt Romney's former top strategist, Stuart Stevens, who has been writing and talking a lot about blame lately.

"There seems to be a desire to blame Republicans' electoral difficulties and the Romney campaign's loss on technological failings," Stevens wrote in an Op-Ed in the Washington Post on Monday. "I wish this were the problem, because it would be relatively easy to fix. But it's not."

Stevens went onto argue that it was a generation and message gap that ailed the GOP last year and ultimately paved the way for President Obama's victory over Romney. The Democrats' superior technology - and Republicans' weaknesses in this area - was only part of the problem, he wrote.

Stevens, who along with a handful of other strategists helped guide the Romney campaign throughout the election ccyle, has been re-litigating the campaign in Op-Eds as well as in interviews, like his recent conversation with ABC's Jonathan Karl on "This Week" and another one with CNN's Howard Kurtz, host of "Reliable Sources."

Of Romney's loss last November, Stevens told Kurtz that he takes "full responsibility."

"Just blame me," he said in an interview that aired on Sunday. "That's fine. And let's move on."

But Stevens did reserve some criticism for the new social media environment - exemplified by Twitter - that he says has led to a strained relationship between political operatives and the press. Reporters, he said, "need a news story every two hours, and that's a great pressure."

"It creates, I think, an environment that is very conducive to the creation of news, the invention of news," he added.

As for Twitter, Stevens acknowledged that he has an account (which he he checks "obsessively") but he does not tweet himself. "It's a great thing and it's a very dangerous thing," he said.

And in an interview with ABC's Jonathan Karl earlier this month, he underscored his analysis in Monday's Washington Post Op-Ed that technology is only part of the prescription for his party.

"It would be a great mistake if we felt that technology in itself is going to save the Republican Party," he told Karl in an interview on Feb. 17. "Technology is something to a large degree you can go out and purchase, and if we think there's an off the shelf solution that you can with the Republican Party it's wrong."

Even so, Republicans have dispatched national party chairman Reince Priebus to California this week to tackle the GOP's technology gap with Democrats. According to Roll Call's David Drucker, Priebus plans to visit the San Francisco Bay Area, meeting with technology executives as well as representatives from Facebook. He will also reportedly head to Seattle for meetings aimed at improving Republicans' early voting efforts.

And we're about to get a chance to hear from Romney, himself, about what went wrong in 2012 - and where the GOP should go from here. The former Massachusetts governor and his wife, Ann, are set to appear on "Fox News Sunday" next weekend. It will be the former Republican presidential hopeful's first major interview since the election. One week later, he is scheduled to address the annual Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington, DC.

Afghan president orders US troops out of volatile province on Kabul's flank

President Hamid Karzai has asked US Special Forces to leave Wardak Province, raising concerns about how security might be affected in Afghanistan's capital city.

By Paige McClanahan,?Correspondent / February 25, 2013

Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during a press conference at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, last month. The Afghan government?s announcement, which was made on Sunday, ordered US Special Forces to immediately cease operations in Wardak Province and to entirely leave the area within two weeks.

Ahmad Jamshid/AP

Enlarge

The Afghan government has demanded that US Special Forces leave a strategic province that lies just to the west of Kabul, claiming in a written statement that American soldiers operating in the region have been ?torturing and even murdering innocent people.? The US-led coalition denies the claims.

Skip to next paragraph

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

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

The Afghan government?s announcement, which was made on Sunday, ordered Special Forces from the United States ? but not necessarily other countries ? to immediately cease operations in Wardak Province and to entirely?leave the area within two weeks.

In a press conference following the release of the statement, Aimal Faizi, the spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, suggested that Afghan nationals working with US Special Forces were thought to have committed the violent acts against civilians, not necessarily American soldiers themselves. But the order for US Special Forces to withdraw from Wardak remains intact.

Given Wardak?s proximity to Kabul, the prospect of an American departure from the province has raised concern about how security might be affected in the capital city. Just hours before the Afghan government?s announcement Sunday, Afghan security forces shot dead a suicide bomber who was targeting an intelligence agency office located in Kabul?s diplomatic quarter. Coordinated suicide bombs in two other eastern cities killed three and injured seven within hours of the foiled Kabul attack.

?This decision will have a huge impact on the security situation in Kabul,? says Waliullah Rahmani, a security analyst with the Kabul Center for Strategic Studies. ?Wardak is one of the most volatile provinces. It is a center for the insurgency, which is mainly focused on Kabul.... I don't know why the Afghan president has come to reach such a risky decision.?

The Afghan government cited two examples of alleged abuses by US Special Forces, including one in which nine people ?were disappeared? and another in which a student was taken from his home and found dead two days later, his throat slit. Such episodes have generated ?resentment and hatred? among the people living in Wardak Province, a government statement said.

Coalition disputes claims

The US-led coalition says that such claims are unfounded.

?We looked into the allegations and found no supporting evidence for them,? Brig. Gen. G?nter Katz, a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), told a press conference in Kabul on Monday morning.

?Afghan officials and ISAF officials are planning talks to discuss the allegations of wrongdoing that were announced yesterday,? he added. ?ISAF takes all allegations of misconduct seriously.??

Wardak Province is a mountainous region whose eastern border lies just 25 miles to the west of Kabul. The province has been the scene of a number of insurgent attacks since the Taliban gained control of Wardak?s remote Tangi Valley nearly two years ago.

The Taliban shot down a US military helicopter in Wardak in August 2011, killing 38 US and Afghan soldiers. An American woman and her Canadian husband disappeared from the region in October of last year; they haven?t been heard from since.?

Whether or not US Special Forces leave Wardak within two weeks, they will almost certainly be out of the province by the end of 2014, in accordance with international plans to withdraw foreign troops and allow Afghan forces to take control of the country?s security.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Brigadier General Katz stressed that those plans are still moving ahead.

?The [Afghan National Security Forces] are doing very well in pressuring the insurgency,? Katz said. ?The transition process is very well on track and the Afghans are fighting well.?

To the people of Wardak, the transition may not come soon enough.

?The US Special Forces have made things more dangerous here,? Saeed Hashem, a pharmacist, said by phone from Wardak, adding that many people in the region are afraid to leave their houses for fear of potential attacks. ?The Afghan forces should take over control,? he said. ?When that happens, we will be able to defeat the Taliban and the other enemy groups, and Wardak will be safe.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/I8N4N3Zg1-U/Afghan-president-orders-US-troops-out-of-volatile-province-on-Kabul-s-flank

pau gasol marlins park marbury v. madison 2013 lincoln mkz burger king mary j blige google project glass google goggles

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Are Cats Lovable House Pets or Non-Native, Exotic Species ...

Most people see cats as a loveable household pet; some people however, see cats only as a non-native, exotic species that is decimating the environment.

The United States has a?feral cat?problem?some feline experts estimate that there are 70 million feral cats in the United States.

While cats do not seem very exotic, Felis Catus, or the house cat, was domesticated from the African Wild Cat; cats are not native to North America. Free-roaming cats are an invasive species.

According to Maryanne Mott in her 2004 National Geographic article, The US Faces a Growing Feral Cat Problem, there are approximately 70 million free-roaming cats in the United States. These cats colonize, reproduce, prey off of native bird and small mammal species and out-compete native predators.

In a lecture for a Forest and Wild Life Ecology class at the University of Wisconsin Madison, Stan Temple estimates that each cat kills 5.6 birds per year. That may not seem like a lot of birds?but it means that 7.8 million birds are killed each year in Wisconsin by free-roaming and feral cats, 392 million nationwide.

That?s a lot of birds.

Free cats also pose a threat to humans. According to Paul Barrows in his paper ?Professional, ethical, and legal dilemmas of trap-neuter-release,? cats are known to carry many zoonotic diseases. A zoonotic disease is one that can be transferred from one species to another.

In this case, diseases are being passed from cats to humans.?Some of these diseases are rabies, toxoplasmosis and cat scratch fever. Rabies is especially serious to humans?unless treated early, it?will result in death.

Barrows also says that cats are the domestic animals most likely to carry rabies.

The free roaming cat problem must be addressed; the two most talked about methods of controlling the cat population are Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) and Trap-Euthanize (TE).

TE supporters want the cats out of the ecosystem?they do not believe that TNR is an effective way to reduce the cat population.

TNR?groups, however, support releasing cats into controlled colonies after being sterilized; they present TNR as a humane alternative to the feral cat problem.

?TNR improves the lives of feral cats, improves their relationships with the people who live near them, and decreases the size of colonies over time.? ~ Alley Cat Allies

Several studies have shown this to be true.

Alley Cat Allies states that a study conducted by Julie Levy, David Gale and Leslie Gale ,found a 66 percent?decrease in the TNR?populations over an 11-year span. Another TNR?study by Eugenia Natoli?found that documented colony sizes decrease 16 to 32 percent over a 10-year period.

However, TNR does not immediately decrease cat colony sizes.

It?s a long process?these cats still hunt and they still spread disease to humans and other animals. For many people, it?s not a fast enough solution; cats are still decimating the bird populations.

The best way to keep the free roaming cat population under control is to keep your cat indoors.

?~ From our friends at Living Green Magazine.

Laurel Purves?is a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is studying Life Sciences Communication and hopes to become a science writer after she graduates. Laurel also plays the mellophone in the University of Wisconsin Marching Band. Laurel is also a Summer 2012 editorial assistant intern at LivingGreenMag.com.

?

?

?Like?elephantjournal.com readers for Animal Rights on Facebook.

Assistant Editor: Jennifer Townsend

Source: http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/02/are-cats-lovable-house-pets-or-non-native-exotic-species-laurel-purves/

pau gasol marlins park marbury v. madison 2013 lincoln mkz burger king mary j blige google project glass google goggles

Southern California malls target Asian shoppers

The arrival of the Lunar New Year this month seems to have sparked an epiphany for area shopping centers: Asian and Asian American consumers have a growing pile of money and want to spend it where they're welcome.

So in the Year of the Snake, malls around the Southland are hustling harder to make themselves more appealing to the demographic.

Desert Hills Premium Outlets, Ontario Mills and the Outlets at Orange are partnering on a "Snaking through Southern California" initiative to lure Chinese shoppers to their malls. Simon Property Group, which owns the centers, says it's attempting to market to Asian consumers with multilingual messaging and Lunar New Year decorations.

Many stores in South Coast Plaza now have Asian employees to cater to the influx of moneyed tourists from China, Japan and South Korea who flock to the upscale mall. The center also has a language-assistance program and maps in Asian languages.

Westfield Santa Anita in Arcadia, a city where more than half the population is Asian/Asian American, is hosting its first-ever Lunar New Year festival Saturday afternoon. Free activities include a lion dance, Chinese calligraphy demonstrations and a Year of the Snake photo booth for families.

The San Gabriel Valley center hung a 120-foot, 600-pound red-and-gold dragon installation above its indoor carousel. Decorators brought in a Chinese pagoda as well as kumquat trees for good luck.

Even after the holiday, Westfield plans to continue tweaking the Santa Anita mall -- currently home to Nordstrom, AMC Theatres, Macy?s and more -- to better suit its Asian American clientele.

This summer, Hai Di Lao, a hot-pot restaurant chain based in China's Sichuan province, is to open its first U.S. location at the center. Beijing-based eatery Meizhou Dongpo is also scheduled to move in, in early 2014.

The mall already offers some store directories in Chinese.

The revamps could have a major economic payoff. Government projections peg 2013 as a record year for Chinese tourism to the United States. A report from Nielsen this past fall showed Asian American buying power surging over $1 trillion within five years, from $718.4 billion in 2012.

ALSO:

Asian tourists flock to South Coast Plaza

U.S. wine exports hit record, China sales up 18%

Asian American consumers: Nearing $1 trillion in buying power

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/MoneyCompany/~3/7_aOOxYAcM4/la-fi-mo-california-malls-westfield-asians-20130222,0,2582185.story

rachel maddow gia la riots new jersey devils torn acl derrick rose injury st louis news

Rapper, cabbie meet violent end together in Vegas

This April 2011 photo from the California Department of Motor Vehicles shows Kenneth Cherry Jr., also known as rapper "Kenny Clutch." The Clark County, Nev., coroner's office identified Cherry as the Maserati driver who died Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013 after being peppered with gunfire from someone in a Range Rover SUV, sparking a fiery crash that killed two others in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/California DMV)

Tow truck drivers clean up and tow away cars involved in a drive-by shooting on Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Las Vegas Review-Journal, John Locher) LOCAL TV OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT; LAS VEGAS SUN OUT

Smoke and flames billow from a burning vehicle following a shooting and multi-car accident on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas early Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. The Las Vegas Strip became a scene of deadly violence early Thursday when, authorities say, someone in a black Range Rover opened fire on a Maserati, sending it crashing into a taxi that burst into flames, leaving three people dead and at least six injured. (AP Photo/Erik Lackey)

Law enforcement personal investigate the scene of a mulit-vehicle accident on Las Vegas Blvd and Flamingo Road Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. Authorities say a Range Rover opened fire on a Maserati at a stoplight, sending it crashing into a taxi that went up in flames, leaving three people dead and at least six injured. Police were checking with nearby businesses to see whether a previous altercation prompted the car-to-car attack (AP Photo/Las Vegas Review-Journal, Jeff Scheid) LOCAL TV OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT; LAS VEGAS SUN OUT

LAS VEGAS (AP) ? Kenny Cherry was an aspiring rapper who moved from the Bay Area to Las Vegas to pursue his career. His music videos online show him cruising the Strip in his Maserati.

Taxi driver Michael Boldon was a family man who hailed from Michigan; and his passenger, Sandra Sutton-Wasmund, came from a loving Washington state family and was well regarded in her community.

The lives of the three ended in violence normally seen only in movies: gunfire, a fiery crash and an explosion before dawn Thursday on the neon-lit Las Vegas Strip.

As investigators Friday tried to find the gunman in a black Range Rover SUV who triggered the shocking chain of events, families and friends tried to grasp the blink-of-an-eye finality of it all.

"Right now my heart is breaking," said Cherry's great aunt, Patricia Sims, of Oakland, Calif. "This has really been a tragedy. Kenny was just a delightful kid."

Sims, 75, said Cherry moved to Las Vegas from Northern California, though she didn't know her nephew was a rapper using the name Kenny Clutch.

Cherry's parents were traveling to Las Vegas on Friday to claim his body. The 27-year-old, whose full name is Kenneth Wayne Cherry Jr., was driving a Maserati that was peppered by gunfire before it sped through a red light and smashed into Boldon's taxi.

The taxi exploded into flames, killing Boldon and Sutton-Wasmund, as four other vehicles crashed like pinballs at an intersection overlooked by some of Las Vegas' most famous hotel-casinos: Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Bally's and the Flamingo.

Police think an argument at the valet area of the upscale Aria resort-casino led to the shooting, but they haven't shared details. The shooting happened the same night that Morocco-born rapper French Montana was playing at Aria's signature nightclub, Haze.

"What the original disagreement was is crucial to the ongoing investigation and the identification of the suspects," said Las Vegas police officer Bill Cassell.

He said investigators were examining surveillance video and enlisting help from federal authorities and agencies in neighboring states to look for the distinctive Range Rover. It had blackout windows and custom black rims and was last seen speeding away from the fiery scene around 4:30 a.m. Thursday.

Police said a passenger in the Maserati was wounded in the arm but was treated at a hospital and released. He was reported to be cooperating with investigators, and his name wasn't made public.

Cherry's father, Kenneth Cherry Sr., of Emeryville, Calif., said he was struggling to handle his grief.

He said his son started a music career in Oakland after attending two Catholic high schools. According to his father, Cherry was recognized by other rappers within a West Coast hip-hop strain called hyphy.

Cherry was not well-known in wider music circles, according to Chuck Creekmur, CEO of AllHipHop.com.

"I had never heard his name before," Creekmur said.

Kenny Clutch's YouTube music video, "Stay Schemin," shows scenes of hotels along the Strip as he sings about paying $120,000 for his Maserati.

"One mistake change lives all in one night," he raps in one verse.

Cherry Sr. said he didn't know how his son made money or if he had any other jobs.

"I want to make it clear that my son was no gangster or nothing like that," he told The Associated Press. "He moved to Vegas about six year ago and he was writing music and rap."

Court records show Cherry had no criminal cases or convictions in Las Vegas, and Cassell said there was no record of arrests.

The police spokesman wouldn't say whether investigators determined if Cherry owned, rented or borrowed the Maserati. Cassell called that information "integral to the investigation."

Meanwhile, Boldon's family struggled to cope with his death.

"It's very devastating for us, for my family," said Tehran Boldon, 50, younger brother of the 62-year-old taxi driver. "Our family has no history of violence or gang membership that would predict losing a family member to such an event."

Boldon's sister, Carolyn Jean Trimble, said Boldon was a father, a grandfather and a car enthusiast. He was one of five children born and raised in Michigan, where he took care of his ailing father, who fought cancer, before moving to Las Vegas to be with his 93-year-old mother.

Bolden had owned a clothing store in Detroit and worked at a car dealership, his sister said. He began driving taxis after moving to Las Vegas about 1 1/2 years ago.

Boldon loved watching IndyCar and NASCAR races and drove a Mercedes when he wasn't in a cab. An avid car enthusiast, he tried to persuade Trimble to buy a Bentley, she said.

"Everybody just loved him," the older sister said. "When that car hit that cab, Mike had to be in there talking and laughing."

The irony that a man with a taste for beautiful cars was killed by a sports car wasn't lost on Trimble.

"He would be tickled to death: 'Damn, of all things, a Maserati hit me, took me out like that,'" she said. "I'm happy he didn't suffer."

The county medical examiner said both Boldon and his passenger, Sutton-Wasmund, died of blunt force injuries and that their deaths were being treated as homicides. The 48-year-old woman was from Maple Valley, Wash.

Sutton-Wasmund co-owned a dress shop called The Dazzled Dame and had been in Las Vegas attending a trade show with her partner in the shop, said Debbie Tvedt, the office manager for a Maple Valley plumbing company, All Service Plumbing, that Sutton-Wasmund started with her husband, James Wasmund.

"It's a big loss," Tvedt said tearfully in a telephone interview with The Associated Press Friday night. "This woman was everything to this community.

"Sandi was very, very, very active with the Maple Valley Chamber of Commerce and our entire community," she said.

The Maple Valley-Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce website said Sutton-Wasmund was a board member from 2004 to 2011 before becoming a marketing representative.

Tvedt said her friend was a mother of three ? a 17-year-old son, a 12-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son.

"Sandi was a loving wife, mother, daughter and sister. Her innocent and tragic loss will be felt by all of those who knew and loved her and by the community at large," said a statement provided to KING-TV in Seattle on behalf of the woman's family.

A phone message left for James Wasmund was not immediately returned.

Besides Cherry's passenger, police said five people were treated for injuries after the six-vehicle crash. No one was said to face life-threatening injuries.

Jogger Eric Lackey snapped a cellphone photo of the blazing scene moments after the crash. Black smoke billowed from the flaming taxi, amid popping sounds from the fire.

The famously glowing, always-open Las Vegas Strip was closed for some 15 hours before reopening Thursday night. One Nevada Highway Patrol sergeant recalled a similarly long closure after the 1996 drive-by slaying of rapper Tupac Shakur.

That shooting ? involving assailants opening fire on Shakur's luxury sedan from a vehicle on Flamingo Road ? happened about a block away from Thursday's crash.

The Shakur killing has never been solved.

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writer Garance Burke in San Francisco; AP Music Writer Mesfin Fekadu in New York; and researchers Judith Ausuebel, Jennifer Farrar and Lynn Dombek in New York.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-23-Vegas%20Gun%20Battle/id-a3be82c986454880975869f099d355ec

Target Black Friday PacSun apple store bestbuy bestbuy gamestop black friday deals

Saturday, February 23, 2013

[iPad] Square Card Reader Not Working

Hi,

I was wondering if anybody has a similar problem or any tips to solve the problem.

I've been using Square Card Reader for about 3 weeks and all sudden, it stopped reading the cards. When I plugged in the reader, it says "Reader Connected" but it just doesn't read the card.

I've emailed Square customer service several times but always the same answers, reinstall the apps, restart iPad, etc etc... nothing works.

Reader works fine on my iPhone so I don't think it's a reader problem.

Any advice highly appreciated !

Source: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1546964&goto=newpost

Pokemon X and Y Rob Ryan Silver Linings Playbook bethenny frankel sacramento kings alex jones the bachelor

Tweets reveal the happiest US cities

By Tia Ghose , LiveScience ? ? ? 3 hrs.

California wine country may be the happiest place in the United States, at least if its Twitter feed is any indication.

An analysis of the sentiments in 10 million location-tagged tweets has revealed that Napa, Calif., is the happiest U.S. city, while Hawaii is the happiest state. Beaumont, Texas, is the least happy, according to the findings published Tuesday (Feb. 19) in the preprint journal arXiv.org.

Many different organizations track happiness. The United Nations published a World Happiness Report ranking countries by well-being, while Gallup and Healthways collect polling data from the United States. But those surveys aren't measuring what people say in real-time instead relying on survey questions.

To see how tweets could reveal city-level happiness, University of Vermont mathematician Lewis Mitchell and his colleagues created a tool called the "hedonmeter." The hedonmeter collected 10 million tweets that had location data attached from 373 urban areas in the United States ? nearly 10 percent of all of Twitter's 2011 posts with location data. They then broke them into individual words.

To figure out which words were happy, sad or neutral, the team used ratings that came from 10,000 users of a website called Mechanical Turk, who assessed 5,000 common words. Curse words and words like "hate" or "wrong" tended to be rated as sad words, while words such as "lol," "sleep" and "funny" were rated as happy.

In general, the Bible Belt and the industrial Rust Belt, which straddles the Midwest and Northeast, rated as less happy than cities in the Western part of the country. Beaumont, Tex., an industrial city in the Gulf, rated as the least happy city, while Louisiana was the least happy state.

Not surprisingly, happiness correlated with income level in different geographic areas. In addition, happiness seemed to be inversely correlated with obesity rates in that area, but this could be due to chronic health problems that are more prevalent in obese people, the authors note.

The 10 happiest cities were:

Napa, Calif.
Longmont, Colo.
San Clemente, Calif.
Santa Fe, N.M.
Santa Cruz, Calif.
Green Bay, Wis.
Santa Rosa, Calif.
Simi Valley, Calif.
Lafayette, Colo.
Asheville, N.C.

The 10 least happy cities:

Beaumont, Texas
Albany, Ga.
Texas City, Texas
Shreveport, La.
Monroe, La.
Memphis, Tenn.
Battle Creek, Mich.
Flint, Mich.
Lima, Ohio
Houma, La.

(See List of happiest and saddest U.S. cities and states )

Of course, there are limitations to the methodology, like having a skewed sample of the population.

"Only 15 percent of online adults regularly use Twitter, and 18-29 year olds and minorities tend to be more highly represented on Twitter than in the general population," the authors write in the paper.

And as Alexis Madrigal notes at The Atlantic, it's possible these differences reflect regional or cultural differences in how people express their happiness, not underlying positive feelings.

Past research has found a variety of factors linked with happiness, including education levels, economic indicators and personality traits. For instance, a study published in 2009 found the happiest states tended to have more residents with advanced educations and jobs that were considered "super-creative." In addition, people living in the happiest states are more relaxed than their gloomy counterparts; States like West Virginia and Mississippi, which scored high on neuroticism also showed lower well-being scores, those researchers reported in the Journal of Research in Personality.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/tweets-reveal-happiest-u-s-cities-1C8502786

sound of music Peter Billingsley festivus festivus nfl playoff picture nfl playoff picture Larry King

Why iOS won't become Apple's 'Windows XP'

Apple is selling millions of iOS devices every quarter, but some worry that the lack of innovation, combined with the fact that people find the operating system to be 'good enough' could turn Apple's mobile operating system into the company's own ' Windows XP.'

First, some background on what is meant by 'Windows XP' in this context. Microsoft released Windows XP back in October of 2001, and it remained the most widely used?and, most loved?operating system up until Windows 7 finally overtook it in August 2012. Windows XP held on to the reign of power for over a decade because Windows Vista didn't offer users enough of an incentive to upgrade. Not only did this 'upgrade ennui' affect Microsoft, but it also helped to put a damper on PC sales and the entire PC industry.

David Sobotta of ReadWrite thinks that iOS is on the way to suffering the same problem.

"To keep the iOS train moving and churning out profits," writes Sobotta, "Apple needs to innovate - but not so much that it scares away the legions of happy iPhone and iPad users."

He goes on to point out how "to turn the tide, iOS may need to be re-invented," but that this "is not easy to pull off without killing the goose that lays the golden eggs."

This may be the case, but I don't think that there's much danger of iOS becoming Apple's 'Windows XP.' Here's why:

Apple has been innovating and adding features to iOS with each iteration. Users don't seem scared of change.
iDevice owners are enthusiastic about new iOS updates, and each release shows rapid adoption. As opposed to Windows upgrades, people seem to enjoy upgrading iOS devices.
iOS is a free upgrade, Windows isn't. People like free.
Apple has maintained excellent backward compatibility for apps through the life of iOS. What people dislike about upgrading operating systems the way it breaks apps. Apple has, to the most part, made iOS upgrades as 'low drag' as possible. Apple recognises that iOS?and iDevices?are a platform for apps.
iDevices are continuing to fly off the shelves almost as fast as Apple can make them. Consumers seem oblivious to the whole "iOS may need to be re-invented" debate.

Bottom line, if Apple keeps iOS updates free, maintains app compatibility, and keeps upgrades simple, I don't see there being any risk of iOS becoming Apple's 'Windows XP.'

Source: http://www.zdnet.com/why-ios-wont-become-apples-windows-xp-7000011683/

aaron brooks dave matthews band solar flares 2012 whitney houston will toyota recall northern lights sign of the times

Friday, February 22, 2013

Marco Rubio: A True Friend To Israel

During his second visit to Israel, Rubio has appeared very presidential, meeting with both Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.? He even had the hutzpah to tell Peres that Jerusalem is, ??of course the capital of your country.?? Neither that sentiment, nor those words, will escape Obama?s mouth next month.?

Not wishing to offend America?s president, the Israeli government omitted that statement in its official press release of the Rubio/Peres meeting.? The nation?s newspapers and TV news programs broadcast it, however; most Israelis see Rubio as a true friend.

With Florida?s senator in the country, Netanyahu (yet again) warned that a ?UN nuclear report? confirmed ?Iran has begun installing advanced centrifuges at its main uranium enrichment plant?.??

Israel cannot wait forever to strike Iran, although she is holding off because the Obama administration still sees a ?window of opportunity? for a diplomatic solution.

The question is, of course, will the Jews wait too long?

The most popular tourist attraction in southern Israel is Masada, the site of the last Jewish resistance against Rome prior to the beginning of the Diaspora in 70 A.D.? Visiting Israeli soldiers take an oath there: ?Masada will never fall again.?? At that revered site, the Jewish rebels watched, and watched, and watched as the Romans built a road up to the side of their fortress.? Eventually, the Romans breached the wall, but not before all of the Jews had chosen death before surrender.? The Masada story is legend throughout Israel.?

Will Israel wait too long again?

Rubio has affirmed America?s resolve to keep Iran from attaining nuclear weapons, but the hour is late.? Quite possibly, it?s too late.? North Korea?s ?earthquake? a few days ago may have been its testing of a nuclear device for its Iranian allies.

And Israelis are feeling a growing sense of loneliness, as all of their bordering neighbors grow colder -- even America appears to be distancing herself from the Jews.? President Mohamed Morsi?s Egypt is openly antagonistic, as is Hezbollah?s Lebanon.? Syria is on life-support, and there are Muslim Brotherhood rumblings beginning in Jordan.? All of Israel?s neighbors are again potential foes in some future confrontation just as the revelation of American financial aid being cut becomes front-page news.

Naturally, a warm visit by a high-ranking, influential American politician is a much appreciated breath of fresh air.

In the past few days, the Israeli government has let it be known that during Obama?s visit, the president will be honored ?on behalf of the American people? and because of Israel and America?s long-standing friendship and common goals.? How is that for warmth toward Obama?

With Rubio, the nation of Israel sees a genuine friend who just might be able to mend damaged fences.? The smiles surrounding Rubio appear genuine.? There will also be smiles next month, but they will have a plastic element to them.

Walt Osterman is the author of "Not Home Yet: A Tale Concerning Israel's Rebirth." He served in Vietnam and is a Bronze Star recipient. He lives in Wyoming.

Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/marco-rubio-true-friend-israel-1100949

breeders cup Mitch Lucker Red Cross CMA Awards 2012 election day Electoral College map nyc marathon

This Retinal Implant Has Given Sight to Nine Blind People

A man walks out of a restaurant into the night and sees street lights and brightly lit shop windows. He's so thrilled by the spectacle that he stands there for 10 minutes, just looking. The reason for his joy at such a mundane sight is the fact that he is normally totally blind. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ads5AwyrB-Q/this-retinal-implant-has-given-sight-to-nine-blind-people

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

Grey's Anatomy Recap: This Is Why We Fight. Interns worry about their jobs, Dere...

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

Source: http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=121773061337035&id=22961637728

tebow press conference trina rob dyrdek oberon donald driver donald driver robin thicke

Thursday, February 21, 2013

NYC Cardinal Dolan deposed about Wis. abuse cases

In this Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012 file photo, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, is congratulated by two unidentified prelates after being elevated in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. According to a spokesman from the Archdiocese of New York City, Dolan has been deposed in New York on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 1023 in connection to accusations of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Roman Catholic archbishop of New York, was deposed Wednesday about abuse cases against priests in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which he led from 2002 until 2009.

An attorney for the Milwaukee archdiocese and another lawyer representing people who filed the abuse claims confirmed the cardinal was deposed. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee, facing allegations from nearly 500 people, sought bankruptcy protection in 2011.

Dolan is one of two U.S. cardinals to be deposed this week. Cardinal Roger Mahony, the retired archbishop of Los Angeles, is scheduled to be questioned Saturday in a lawsuit over a visiting Mexican priest who police believe molested 26 children in 1987. The Rev. Nicolas Aguilar Rivera fled to Mexico in 1988 after parents complained. He has been ousted from the priesthood but remains a fugitive.

Both Dolan and Mahony will soon be in Rome to participate in the conclave that will elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI, who is resigning.

Dolan's deposition was first reported by The New York Times.

Frank LoCoco, the attorney for the Milwaukee Archdiocese, said in a phone interview with The Associated Press that Dolan was asked about his decision to publicize the names of priests who molested children.

"The names were published so that people would come forward, share their story and begin what Cardinal Dolan and all those involved would be a healing process," LoCoco said.

Church officials deposed in connection with the bankruptcy and lawsuits include another former Milwaukee archbishop, Rembert Weakland; a retired auxiliary bishop; an archdiocese official who helps victims; the archdiocesan chancellor; and others, according to LoCoco and a spokesman for the Milwaukee archdiocese.

Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the New York archdiocese, said Dolan had long-awaited the chance to discuss his decision to publicize the names as part of his efforts to help victims.

"He has indicated over the past two years that he was eager to cooperate in whatever way he could," Zwilling said in a statement.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-20-Cardinal%20Dolan-Deposition/id-263868a445dc49b1b50adc752b709f31

Register To Vote Fox News Live Obama 2016 Who Is Winning The Election 2012 Election Coverage 2012 the blaze Linda McMahon

Daybook: February 21 (TIME)

Share With Friends:

| Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/286375927?client_source=feed&format=rss

christine will ferrell double fine adventure turbo tax katharine mcphee cold mountain valentines day ideas

GOP Minnesota legislator preparing to co-sponsor gay marriage bill (Star Tribune)

Share With Friends:

| Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/286006744?client_source=feed&format=rss

duke basketball miranda july joe paterno near death joepa sc primary bill moyers heidi klum and seal divorce

'A Different World' actor Lou Myers dies

NBC via Getty Images

Lou Myers as Vernon Gaines on "A Different World.

By Anna Chan, TODAY

Actor Lou Myers, who played Vernon Gaines on "The Cosby Show" spin-off "A Different World," has died. He passed away Tuesday, his manager, Ric Beddingfield, confirmed to TODAY.com.

Tonia McDonald, the president of Myers' nonprofit organization, Global Business Incubation Inc., told the Associated Press that the actor passed away at the Charleston Area Medical Center in West Virginia. She said he was 76 years old.

Myers' "A Different World" character worked at The Pit on the NBC sitcom, which ran from 1987 to 1993. The show originally starred Lisa Bonet as Denise Huxtable, the second daughter of Cliff and Claire Huxtable, and followed her life at the fictional Hillman College. Bonet left the show after season one, but the sitcom went on to collect three Emmy nominations and various awards.

Myers also had roles in "How Stella Got Her Groove Back," "The Wedding Planner," "Tin Cup," "The Cosby Show" and more.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

More in Entertainment:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2013/02/20/17035495-a-different-world-actor-lou-myers-dies?lite

Chad Johnson London 2012 Soccer dwight howard Olympics closing ceremony PGA Championship 2012 John Witherspoon george michael

Mindy McCready Sex Tape: Pulled By Vivid Following Star's Suicide

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/mindy-mccready-sex-tape-pulled-by-vivid-following-stars-suicide/

did groundhog see his shadow soul train don cornelius rod parsley barry sanders jr nick carter sister recruiting rankings san onofre

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Talk of more corporate deals sends stocks higher

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. . Talk of more merger and acquisitions is sending stock prices slightly higher in early trading, setting the market up to continue a seven-week rally. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. Talk of more merger and acquisitions is sending stock prices slightly higher in early trading, setting the market up to continue a seven-week rally. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. Talk of more mergers and acquisitions is sending stock prices slightly higher in early trading, setting the market up to continue a seven-week rally. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Talk of more deal-making sent the stock market higher Tuesday, putting the Dow Jones industrial average within close reach of its all-time high.

Reports that retailers Office Depot and OfficeMax are discussing a merger came after big corporate deals for Heinz and Dell were announced in recent weeks. Some investors are betting that more deals could be on the way as buyers pay premium prices for publicly traded companies.

The Dow rose 53.91 points to close at 14,035.67. All it would take now is one good day to push the average above 14,164, the record high reached in October 2007.

"It seems that investors are more comfortable with taking risk right now," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at BMO Private Bank in Chicago. That's despite the $1.2 trillion in automatic federal spending cuts that are scheduled to start March 1 unless Congress and the White House find a way to avoid them. Congress returns from vacation next week.

Previous budget battles in Washington have rattled financial markets. But this time out, many investors seem unfazed by the prospect that Congress won't stop the "sequester" from kicking in. One reason is that the cuts are spread across the board for a decade, instead of all at once.

"I think investors are actually comforted by it," Ablin said. "It's not ideal. But if Congress can't do it when left to their own devices, this is the next best thing."

In other trading Tuesday, the Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 11.15 points to 1,530.94. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index gained 21.56 points to 3,213.59. Google crossed $800 for the first time.

The gains were widely shared, if slight. Nine of the 10 industry groups tracked by the Standard & Poor's 500 index inched higher, led by energy companies. More than two stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange.

Markets were also higher in Europe following news that the German economy is picking up steam. Indexes rose more than 1 percent in Germany and France.

Stocks of office supplies stores jumped following a report in The Wall Street Journal that OfficeMax and Office Depot were considering a deal to merge. The paper said an announcement could come as early as this week.

OfficeMax soared $2.25 to an even $13, a gain of 21 percent, and Office Depot shot up 43 cents to $5.02, a gain of 9 percent. Staples also rose as investors anticipated that more mergers could be on the way.

Analysts cautioned that antitrust regulators could block mergers in the office-supply business. Staples, for instance, tried to buy Office Depot in 1997, but was stopped by the Federal Trade Commission.

Health insurers fell after the release of preliminary government data that suggests rate cuts to Medicare Advantage plans for next year will be steeper than anticipated.

The two largest Medicare Advantage providers, Humana and UnitedHealth, sank. Humana had the biggest loss in the S&P 500, dropping 6 percent, or $4.98, to $73.01. UnitedHealth fell 66 cents to $56.66.

The government says it expects costs per person for Medicare Advantage plans to fall more than 2 percent in 2014. The government uses this figure as a benchmark to determine payments for these privately run versions of the government's health care program for the elderly and disabled.

In the market for U.S. government bonds, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.03 percent from 2 percent late Friday.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-19-Wall%20Street/id-4d770213123f47318bb5e80d72b1ea3f

think like a man world peace world peace lakers colorectal cancer metta kashi neil diamond

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Monday, February 25, 2013

Coalition disputes claims

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Most people see cats as a loveable household pet; some people however, see cats only as a non-native, exotic species that is decimating the environment.

That?s a lot of birds.

However, TNR does not immediately decrease cat colony sizes.

?Like?elephantjournal.com readers for Animal Rights on Facebook.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Friday, February 22, 2013

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Wednesday, February 20, 2013