Talk Hosts are Wise to Add Writing to their Communication Toolbox ...

By Lisa Wexler
WFAS-AM, Westchester, NY
Talk Show Host

WESTCHESTER, NY ? ?Honey, you?re famous,? my husband Bill called upstairs to me on Saturday morning. Really, why so? ?Rick the shoe man says he read your op-ed in the Connecticut Post and he agrees with you. He wants me to tell you that. He thinks you are right, told me to thank you for writing it.?? Made my day. I haven?t seen Rick the shoe man in about three years. He doesn?t live or work within my radio range. Unless he takes the trouble to find me on iHeartRadio or on-line, I don?t reach this man. Not unless I make the effort to write as well as speak.

I got into this game to change how people think. So did you. With your voice and the megaphone of the microphone, you have the privilege to select what news is important, how to interpret that news through the filter of all that background noise, and what conclusion to draw from it. Sure, we need to do it in an entertaining way- otherwise people will tune us out. But what a payoff there is- when our listener becomes an activist too, another person on the barricades fighting for the change we both believe in.

If you are going to be a thought leader, then simply speaking on the radio is not enough. The written word carries a different kind of weight. Radio is a rush ? there is nothing like the spontaneity of an actual conversation, the nuance and humor of the human voice communicating through the airwaves to the lone listener on the other end.? But radio is also ephemeral; despite podcasts and the ease of reaching audio files, people rarely re-listen to the same broadcast. They do, however, read an article more than once, and pass it on to friends.? Your column has the potential to go viral in a way your radio show may not.

You remember last summer?s Rush Limbaugh slut tirade?? While radio pros are still viewing that episode as a sales fiasco, I used that as an opportunity to get my voice heard. I wrote a blog for The Huffington Post called ?Thank You, Rush Limbaugh? that was, for a brief moment in time, the Number One Google Search for the Top Google News Stories of the Day. I framed the screen shot. That day I reached more people with my viewpoint than I ever could in my radio range.

Preparing for a daily talk radio show takes a lot out of our day. We read everything we can. Then we sift, prioritize, opinionize and extemporize. But in doing so, in doing the deep thinking that it takes to produce a really good broadcast, we very often come up with a kernel of truth we can expand into a column. Sure, it takes a little extra time and a different kind of skill. But we are communicators, first and foremost, and we should be able to write as well as we speak.

Today I received a letter from a man in Greenwich who read that same op-ed, which was also published in the Greenwich Times, because Hearst Publications liked this particular piece well enough to run it in three different papers. He wrote, ?I loved your article?I first read the title and next read as to who wrote it. Seeing that the author of same was a host on WFAS-AM radio, I recalled that? my wife and I always listened to that station before my move to Connecticut. As I am writing this letter I?m listening to your Friday evening radio program about Memorial Day and enjoying same. Keep up the good work and thank you.?

The moral of the story? When people discover you, they want more of you.? Spreading your thoughts around in different forums will increase your audience on the radio.?? And in case you are wondering about that piece, here is the link:?www.stamfordadvocate.com. I never stop trying to Turn Your Brain On.

Lisa Wexler is a Gracie Award winning talk radio host at WFAS-AM, Westchester?every weekday from 4:00 pm -6:00 pm. The slogan of her show is ?Turn Your Brain On.?? Meet Lisa Wexler at Talkers New York 2013 on Thursday, June 6.

Tags: iHeartRadio, Lisa Wexler, Rush Limbaugh, TALKERS, Turn Your Brain On, WFAS-AM

Category: Advice, Analysis

Source: http://www.talkers.com/2013/05/31/talk-hosts-are-wise-to-add-writing-to-their-communication-toolbox/

kevin durant tumblr Oklahoma Tornado Ray Manzarek Jodi Arias Zach Sobiech dancing with the stars

Struggling in Business Ethics class - School and College Life

Tori, as one who studied ethics in college, I have a couple of tips that may help you. First, ethics is merely the study of the conduct of life, and can be aboutg good or bad behavior. For example, both the Bolsheviks and Nazis had an ethic, but neither could possibly be classified as good.

So, what we're talking about is morality. Morality is defined as those taboos and imperatives that allow individuals to cooperate with one another, trust one another, and hence to form societies. If we look at low-trust societies, such as those in the Mideast based upon extended families rather than the larger society, the importance of morality becomes obvious. Business cannot be done unless there is trust and cooperation. Therefore, anything that encourages trust and cooperation is moral, and the rest is immoral or neutral.

Source: http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt232020.html

Carolyn Moos Danny Brown The Following amy schumer amy schumer Real Madrid Neverwinter

UFC fan uses guillotine choke to hold off attempted carjacker after watching UFC 160

Stockton, Calif., is the home of UFC fighters Nick and Nate Diaz, but another Stocktonian made the news for his MMA moves over the weekend. Abel Simmons was returning home from watching UFC 160 with his family when he used a guillotine to hold off a man who was attacking his family.

Simmons' two children were in the backseat of his SUV when the family car pulled into their driveway. A man walked up to the car and started banging on the windows, and then tried to open the door. Simmons, who was in the passenger seat, got out and scuffled with the man until he had him in a guillotine.

"I had him in a guillotine choke. And he wasn't getting out of that. I had that lock really tight," said Simmons. "I just held him in place and said, 'Well, guess you are going to jail tonight buddy.'"

Simmons' wife called 911. When the police arrived, the man tried fighting them, as well. He was arrested for attempted carjacking, battery and resisting arrest.

Watching UFC fights is not meant to be educational, but at least Simmons did learn something from tuning into Saturday's bouts. Now, if you've watched a few fights and haven't had any kind of training, you probably shouldn't go patrolling the streets looking to stop injustice with a choke hold. But it's nice to know that watching fights helped one family stay safe. The same can't be said for people who tuned into the basketball playoffs this weekend.

Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
? TJ Grant among the stars at UFC 160
? How Mike Tyson helped TJ Grant become $50K richer at UFC 160
? UFC president Dana White Wants BJ Penn to retire

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-fan-uses-guillotine-hold-off-attempted-carjacker-143145461.html

day light savings day light savings spring forward daylight saving time 2012 grapes of wrath silent house nfl mock draft

Fears grow of an foreign-fueled arms race in Syria

BRUSSELS (AP) ? Fears grew Tuesday of a foreign-fed arms race in Syria as European Union nations decided they could give weapons to the outgunned rebels and Russia disclosed it has a contract to sell the Syrian government sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles.

Each development could significantly raise the firepower in a two-year civil war that has already killed more than 70,000 people in Syria and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing the country. It also comes as the U.S. and Russia are preparing for a major peace conference in Geneva next month that diplomats have called the best chance yet to end the bloodshed under Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.

The EU move late Monday lifting an arms embargo on Syria sparked a broad political fallout within hours.

Russia, which has been a strong supporter of the Syrian government, criticized the EU decision and acknowledged its anti-aircraft missile sale. Israel answered Russia's pledge by warning that it would be prepared to attack any such missile shipments. EU nations continued to express divisions within their 27-member bloc over sending arms to the rebels while both sides fighting in Syria spoke out on the decision.

Analysts, however, said the EU's move would have little immediate impact on the fighting.

France and Britain, which are considering sending military equipment to the rebels, hope the new EU position can help prod the two sides to the negotiating table in Geneva.

In Washington, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the Obama administration welcomed the EU action, but indicated that the U.S. continues to oppose arming the Syrian rebels. Carney also said the Russian arms sale does not bring Syria closer to the desired political transition.

But in Moscow, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the EU's decision will hurt prospects for the Geneva talks. He also confirmed Tuesday that Russia has signed a contract with Assad's government to provide state-of-the-art S-300 air defense missiles, which he said were important to prevent foreign intervention in the country.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, fresh off Paris talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry about Syria, criticized the EU decision. He told Russian media Tuesday that during the Paris talks, Russia had raised concerns about "a whole series of actions" involving Western powers that "are undermining the idea of the (Geneva peace) conference."

Lavrov also called the EU move an "illegitimate decision" and said official discussions about supplying non-governmental groups with weapons "goes against all norms of international law" ? including non-interference with a country's internal affairs.

Syria's Foreign Ministry lashed out at the EU decision as "a blatant violation of international laws and U.N. conventions." In a statement, the ministry said the move exposes the "mockery" of European claims to be supporting a political solution to the Syrian crisis based on national dialogue, while "encouraging terrorists and extending them with arms."

Israel has been pressing Moscow not to go through with the delivery of the S-300s, fearing the missiles could slip into the hands of hostile groups like Hezbollah. Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said Tuesday that Israel believes the Russian missiles have not yet been shipped, but added the Israeli military "will know what to do" if they are delivered.

Ryabkov said Russia understood other nations' concerns about providing such weapons to Syria, but said his country believes they may "help restrain some hotheads considering a scenario to give an international dimension to this conflict."

The fighting in Syria has threatened to drag in neighbors like Turkey and Lebanon.

An official in Britain's Foreign Office, firing back after Russia's announcement, said: "We have stated that we have made no decision to supply arms to Syria. At the same time, Russia has acknowledged publicly that it is providing weapons to the Assad regime. Of course we disapprove strongly of continued arms sales to the regime."

Britain believes the focus should now be on the "political track," including the Geneva conference, the official said in a statement.

Louay Safi, a senior figure in the main Western-backed Syrian opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, called the EU decision to let the arms embargo expire a "positive step." Speaking in Istanbul, where the opposition has been holding talks, he warned that any delay in deciding to provide weapons meant further deaths of Syrian civilians.

David Hartwell, a Middle East analyst for IHS Jane's, said in a note that the EU move has "more diplomatic than military weight" so far and will have "little immediate impact on the battlefield."

He noted news reports in neighboring Lebanon reporting that Assad's forces are planning an offensive to retake rebel-held parts of Aleppo, Syria's largest city.

The Syrian rebels may get Western arms "too late to prevent further government victories, a scenario that might cause the Syrian government to rethink its decision to participate in the Geneva peace conference," Hartwell wrote.

U.S. Sen. John McCain, meanwhile, made an unannounced visit to rebel forces in Syria, putting more pressure on Assad to seek a negotiated settlement.

There's no certainty, however, that the warring sides will come to the table in Geneva.

Assad's regime has provided no sign of any willingness to cede power in Syria, a key opposition demand before entering any talks. Meanwhile, the opposition could try to make a public show of willingness to attend the talks, only to demand that weapons deliveries from Europe start right away if the hoped-for Geneva process breaks down.

The Syrian opposition itself remains badly divided. The al-Qaida-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra is the most powerful Syrian rebel fighting group, and the United States and other Western powers fear that any European weapons could fall into the hands of extremists.

"We have no guarantees about the end user," Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders told a public broadcaster Tuesday. "So it is perfectly possible to see arms disappear in the hands of extremists and jihadists. And, second, it is a real proliferation."

France and Britain so far have not specified what weapons they might send in.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle told Die Welt newspaper on Tuesday: "Germany will not deliver any weapons to the Syria conflict and we note that no other European country has expressed the intention to do so in the near future."

France and Britain acted amid growing concerns that Assad's government may have resorted to using its vast chemical weapons stockpile against the rebels. French military authorities on Tuesday were analyzing medical samples from patients who had been hospitalized after inhaling poison gas in Syria to see if they could determine if such weapons were used.

The French daily Le Monde said its reporters who traveled to Syria recently submitted the samples, taken by Syrian doctors, to the French government for analysis. The newspaper said patients' symptoms "resemble the effects produced by neurotoxic agents present in the Syrian chemical arsenal."

The French Defense Ministry has confirmed it is analyzing the samples, but would not comment further.

The White House has said that U.S. intelligence concluded that Assad's regime has probably used deadly chemical weapons at least twice ? but U.S. officials said the intelligence wasn't strong enough to justify sending significant U.S. military support to the rebels. President Barack Obama has said the use of chemical weapons in Syria would cross a "red line."

___

Associated Press Writers Zeina Karam in Beirut, Raf Casert in Brussels, Cassandra Vinograd in London, Robert H. Reid in Berlin, Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Angela Charlton in Paris, Lynn Berry in Moscow, Julie Pace in Washington, and Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fears-grow-foreign-fueled-arms-race-syria-144507834.html

platypus platypus overboard east of eden weather radio indiana autoimmune disease

May 27-June 2: Oxford In 1590, London In 2008 And The Net Now

Slouching Toward Adulthood

Observations From The Not-So-Empty Nest

A few years back, journalist Sally Koslow was settling into an empty nest. Her two 20-something sons had been launched out of the house and into the wider world. Then, suddenly and unexpectedly, her sons landed back home and she found herself parenting two dependent adult children. She was startled to learn that her family was part of a much larger trend; according to the Pew Research Center, one-fifth of young adults ages 25 to 34 live in multigenerational households. In Slouching Toward Adulthood, Koslow draws on interviews with other parents and their grown children to assess the employment, monetary and social aspects of prolonged dependency ? a phase that she calls "adultescence."

News and Reviews

Shadow Of Night

The sequel to A Discovery of Witches finds Yale professor and reluctant witch Diana Bishop, together with the hunky vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, traveling back in time to Elizabethan London. There, Diana studies at Oxford and seeks a magical tutor while Matthew is forced to confront his past. But when an evil cabal steals a mysterious book, the witch-vampire duo set off on a search across Europe to find it.

News and Reviews

Capital

Pepys Road was once an ordinary London block, but housing prices have skyrocketed and the homes in the neighborhood are suddenly shockingly valuable. The neighborhood has an assortment of residents ? a banker, a graffiti artist, Pakistani shop owners, a refugee meter maid ? and they're all receiving odd, anonymous postcards demanding "We Want What You Have." Novelist John Lanchester takes readers back to 2008, at the peak of the housing crisis and global financial meltdown.

News and Reviews

Tubes

A Journey To The Center Of The Internet

Journalist Andrew Blum journeys inside the Internet's physical infrastructure to uncover the buildings and compounds where our data are stored and transmitted. He explains how the Internet is not a single entity; instead, data centers, Internet exchange points and fiber-optic cables combine to form what most people take for granted as the "cloud." Along the way, Blum documents the spaces most vital to the Internet as we know it ? from the room in L.A. where the Internet came to life to the buildings in the Pacific Northwest where Google, Microsoft and Facebook have built huge data centers.

News and Reviews

* Some of the language in the summaries above has been provided by publishers.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/05/28/186889599/may-28-june-2-grown-kids?ft=1&f=1032

dodgers game of thrones Kevin Ware Google Nose success Cookies april fools day

Schumer proposes senators look at media protection (The Arizona Republic)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/308442094?client_source=feed&format=rss

Monsters University nfl playoff schedule Rex Ryan tattoo Alaska earthquake green bay packers houston texans houston texans

Why Controlling Of Pests Via Assistance Of Folsom Pest Control Is ...

Eventually the day will come when the pest controlling would be a great challenge as these are omnipresent. Weeds in the vegetable garden, or ants or beetles in kitchen, pests can are irritating. Many of us sometimes are not interested in pest control and so the problems caused by pests become irresolvable. Hence, in order to avoid all types of undesirable situations, you need to take help from?Folsom Pest Control?experts and make your home free from pests as soon as possible.

Frequently asked question arise about pest control:-

- How to reduce and control pests safely

- Whether the pesticides available, are effective and safe?

- Way and timing of using pesticides

Pests are beneficial to humanity and at the same time a curse. Bacteria, animals, and some insects are beneficial in many ways, so also pests are. Rats, ants, cockroaches, fly and mice are pest in houses and apartments that are very common. So an effective pest control should be there to prevent pests multiplication in houses, it include active pest controlling

Pest Management

Pest Management could help a lot in pest control. For this the first and foremost requirement is to identify pest development. This is all about what you think harmful to you as pest as some pest like bacteria, animals are really very much useful. So you need to find out harmful one. Another thing is to decide pest control is necessary to which extend. Third is to decide which method is to be adopted for pest control chemical or non-chemical.

Options available for pest control are:

?? ?Pest controlling without chemical

?? Chemical pest controlling

? Biological Methods

So either chemical or non-chemical ways could be used for pest control.

It is obvious that chemical pest control is not the proper option though effective as if used on vegetable or fruit could harm to your health. Alternative solution for pest control is the use of non-chemical pesticides. Chemical pesticide are not advisable in and around the home and commercial premises, due to it adverse effect also its effect is temporary so needed repeated treatment. If used incorrectly, could be poisonous. Care must be taken while choosing for the right pest control.

Biological method is another effective way in controlling pests. In this method, pest's natural enemies are used to control the pest targeted. Some of the beneficial bugs are Spiders, centipedes, ground beetles and ants. This method is not harmful in any ways and can be implemented effectively.

So of all we could say though some pests are useful still there are needs to be eliminated. For this, you need to choose either chemical or biological method based on the recommendations of?Folsom Pest Control?or any other reputable pest-controlling professional in your area.

Source: http://pest.ezinemark.com/why-controlling-of-pests-via-assistance-of-folsom-pest-control-is-essential-7d38dc49c8a6.html

Daylight Savings Time 2013 DeAndre Jordan Oz the Great and Powerful elisabeth hasselbeck Mothers Day 2013 World Baseball Classic time change

No, the Third IRS Hearing on Capitol Hill Isn't Cracking the Case Open

For the third time in a week, officials from the IRS appeared before a Congressional committee Wednesday morning to apologize for/not offer new details on how and why the agency improperly targeted conservative groups for scrutiny. The machine spanks on.

RELATED: Which House Committee is Investigating Which D.C. 'Scandal': A Scorecard

Chair of the House Oversight Committee Rep. Darrell Issa announced today's hearing ? "The IRS: Targeting Americans for Their Political Beliefs" ? last week. The highlight was intended to be the pillorying testimony of Lois Lerner, the director of the agency's Exempt Organizations Division which, in 2010, began using the terms "Tea Party" and "9/12" to identify applicants for tax-exempt status that warranted additional screening. It was the first time Lerner would appear before one of the hearings. And she is of particular interest. It was Lerner who awkwardly revealed the profiling at a conference two weeks ago. It was Lerner who had, according to Issa, provided the committee with "false or misleading information" during 2012.

RELATED: Acting IRS Head Who Took the Fall This Week Has Few Answers for Congress

Yesterday afternoon, it became clear that Lerner's testimony wouldn't reveal much. In a message to the committee, she stated that her attorneys were recommending she invoke the Fifth Amendment's protection against self-incrimination. And so she did, as reported by The Hill.

"I have not done anything wrong. I have not broken any laws. I have not violated any IRS rules or regulations," Lerner, the head of an IRS division overseeing tax-exempt groups that targeted conservative groups, said before the House Oversight Committee.

Lerner then said she was following her counsel's advice not to testify. "I know that some people will assume that I have done something wrong," she said. "I have not."

Here's video of the opening statement, and the ensuing exchange:

RELATED: Republicans Want to Slow Down the Scandals

RELATED: SOPA Calls It a Year as Congress Tables the Bill for Real

As you can see, Issa tried to prompt Lerner to respond to subsequent questions; she refused. Given that there has been discussion of exploring criminal charges in the case, this was probably good legal advice. Nor is it likely that if Lerner had testified, the result would have done much to improve the IRS' terrible public relations track record on the issue.

RELATED: RNC Asks Justice Department to Investigate Obama Campaign Video

Other testimony was provided by Treasury Inspector General J. Russell George (who also testified in front of the House Ways and Means and Senate hearings), Former Commissioner Douglas Shulman (who also testified in front of the Senate), and Deputy Secretary Neal S. Wolin, who hadn't appeared before.

Issa described the rationale for the hearing as being that "the IG report indicts IRS for a colossal management failure, but leaves many questions unanswered." That statement came out two days before the first hearing, six days before the Senate's. Given the breadth of the IG report, and that two of the people called to testify would already have testified, it's not clear what answers Issa and the Oversight Committee expected.

What the committee did expect, it got: The chance to speak sternly to IRS officials, as their colleagues have already done. It's political fruit hanging so low that it's fallen in their laps ??obvious misbehavior by one of the least-popular government agencies. Members of Congress, right and left, each took a turn to lambaste the witnesses, though Wolin was mostly left alone.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney asked George if he thought there was a violation of the law. He didn't. Maloney said she would push to see that it was. "Do you agree that [this] doesn't represent our democratic values?," Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio asked Shulman. Shulman grimaced. Issa pressed George to explain why he didn't reveal details of the investigation to Congress before the audit was done; George explained that this wasn't proper procedure. (Before the hearing ended, Issa released a statement to the press on the topic.) "You're sure you're being square with us?," Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio asked Shulman. A beat, then Shulman replied: "Excuse me?" Rep. John Mica of Florida had props, as below, holding up a Constitution and a diagram showing (somewhat obliquely) how the IRS failed to respond to applications for tax-exempt status for 27 months. One of the better lines came from Delegate Eleanor Holmes-Norton of DC, who suggested that the employees were doing "their incompetent best."

The fury slammed into a wall. The witnesses largely dismissed the questions or fought back against personal attacks, which, according to Politico, is the new style. That Shulman no longer works for the IRS probably made his generally hostile responses easier.

Everyone agrees that those responsible for the screening system should be held accountable. How these hearings fit into that, though, isn't clear. So far (the hearing is still going) the committee has gotten information out of all of the witnesses basically equivalent to what it got out of Lerner: nothing new. But the members of Congress got some airtime and some footage of them yelling at the IRS, so the day wasn't a total loss.

Photo: Lerner arrives at the committee to testify. (AP)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/no-third-irs-hearing-capitol-hill-isnt-cracking-154739272.html

Illinois Lottery texas lottery Dell

Parks and Rec Annual Fishing Carnival is June 1 | The Botetourt View

Last year?s children?s Big Fish winner McKenzie Baker with her trout.

Parks and Recreation annual children?s fishing carnival is June 1. The annual event features fishing as well as outdoor related activities, food and prizes. Bring a fishing pole!

Botetourt Children?s Fishing Carnival ? June 1 from 9am to 1pm at the Buchanan Carnival Grounds.

'); // add info panel before the form to provide feedback or errors var statusdiv = jQuery('#comment-status'); // define the infopanel var errorBox = jQuery("#commentErrorContainer"); var commentErrors = errorBox.find("p"); var commentInputs = commentform.find("input[aria-required], textarea[aria-required]"); commentInputs.eq(0).blur(function() { if (jQuery(this).val() != "") { jQuery(this).css({"border-color":"lightgray","background-color":"#fff"}); commentErrors.eq(0).hide(); if (commentErrors.eq(0).is(":hidden") && commentErrors.eq(1).is(":hidden") && commentErrors.eq(2).is(":hidden")) { errorBox.hide(); } } }); if (loggedIn == 0) { commentInputs.eq(1).blur(function() { if (validateEmail(jQuery(this)) == 1) { jQuery(this).css({"border-color":"lightgray","background-color":"#fff"}); commentErrors.eq(1).hide(); if (commentErrors.eq(0).is(":hidden") && commentErrors.eq(1).is(":hidden") && commentErrors.eq(2).is(":hidden")) { errorBox.hide(); } } }); commentInputs.eq(2).blur(function() { if (jQuery(this).val() != "") { jQuery(this).css({"border-color":"lightgray","background-color":"#fff"}); commentErrors.eq(2).hide(); if (commentErrors.eq(0).is(":hidden") && commentErrors.eq(1).is(":hidden") && commentErrors.eq(2).is(":hidden")) { errorBox.hide(); } } }); } commentform.submit(function(){ if (loggedIn == 0) { var numErrors = 3; commentInputs.each(function(i) { if (validateEmail(jQuery(this)) == 0 && i == 1) { jQuery(this).css({"border-color":"red","background-color":"#ffdfdf"}); errorBox.show(); commentErrors.eq(i).show(); } else if (jQuery(this).val() == "") { jQuery(this).css({"border-color":"red","background-color":"#ffdfdf"}); errorBox.show(); commentErrors.eq(i).show(); } else { numErrors--; } }); } else { var numErrors = 1; commentInputs.each(function(i) { if (jQuery(this).val() == "") { jQuery(this).css({"border-color":"red","background-color":"#ffdfdf"}); errorBox.show(); commentErrors.eq(i).show(); } else { numErrors--; } }); } if (numErrors == 0) { jQuery("#processing").fadeIn("slow"); //serialize and store form data in a variable var formdata=commentform.serialize(); //Extract action URL from commentform var formurl = "http://blogs.roanoke.com/botetourtview/wp-comments-post.php"; //Post Form with data $.ajax({ type: 'post', url: formurl, data: formdata, error: function(XMLHttpRequest, textStatus, errorThrown){ //statusdiv.html('

You might have left one of the fields blank, or be posting too quickly

'); }, success: function(data, textStatus){ if(textStatus=="success") { //statusdiv.html('

Thanks for your comment. We appreciate your response.

'); newComment = 1; commentRefresh(); } else { alert("moderated?"); //statusdiv.html('

Please wait a while before posting your next comment

'); //commentform.find('textarea[name=comment]').val(''); } } }); return false; } else { return false; } }); function validateEmail(email) { var reg = /^([A-Za-z0-9_\-\.])+\@([A-Za-z0-9_\-\.])+\.([A-Za-z]{2,4})$/; var x = email.val(); if (reg.test(x) == false) { return 0; } else { return 1; } } function addComment(){ jQuery('html,body').animate({scrollTop: jQuery("#respond").offset().top - 350},1500,"easeOutQuint"); // Stop the animation if the user scrolls. Defaults on .stop() should be fine jQuery('html,body').bind("scroll mousedown DOMMouseScroll mousewheel keyup", function(e){ if ( e.which > 0 || e.type === "mousedown" || e.type === "mousewheel"){ jQuery('html,body').stop().unbind('scroll mousedown DOMMouseScroll mousewheel keyup'); // This identifies the scroll as a user action, stops the animation, then unbinds the event straight after (optional) } }); }

Source: http://blogs.roanoke.com/botetourtview/2013/05/parks-and-rec-annual-fishing-carnival-is-june-1/

Gus Malzahn hyperemesis gravidarum BCS Bowls palestine Zig Ziglar alabama football sean taylor

Shakesville: This is so the worst thing you're going to read all day.

This is so the worst thing you're going to read all day.

[Content Note: Rape Culture]

Emily Esfahani Smith at The Atlantic: Is Sex Still Sexy?

There are fully one-billion things wrong with this article which seeks to chastise Maine college students for writing and acting out a series of skits in order to talk to fellow students openly about sex in a sex-positive manner that will reinforce Yes Means Yes narratives and reduce slut-shaming and rape culture mentalities on campus (from their website: "A performance-based presentation about consent, boundaries and healthy relationships").

Smith leads by criticizing the skits for being too open and too heavy on communication -- which we all know is Not Sexy! -- by saying:

But the exhibitionism of Speak About It kills this mystery and longing?it leaves little to the imagination. As the writer and critic Cristina Nehring, author of A Vindication of Love, tells me in an interview, "Where there is no distance and no sense of transgression at all, where anything goes and everything shows, there is no erotic chemistry.

And ends with:

If we want sex to be sexy again, perhaps we should speak less about it.

Did everyone get that? Where there is no sense of transgression (and since Smith and Nehring are both professional writers, I assume they understand that the commonly used definition of "transgression" is "a violation of limits") there is no erotic chemistry, and therefore we should stop communicating so much about sex, even if the goal is to educate people on sexual assault and healthy consent.

I really hope that Smith is not outright suggesting that sex isn't sexy if there's not always the lingering change that it is actually rape instead. And yet that is what she is effectively advocating, even if she doesn't realize it. She is recycling old "communication kills the mood" narratives, and those narratives are an integral part of rape culture since they are regularly used to silence people in order to preventing them from asserting boundaries until whooops those boundaries have already been crossed. And these harmful narratives are deliberately employed by rapists in order to render their victims vulnerable to transgressions against their will.

What frustrates me most about this intellectually lazy article is that there is no way that Smith immersed herself this deeply into the Speak About It performance materials to write her article that she could somehow miss why and how communication is integral to preventing sexual assault. Speak About It very clearly explains how communication empowers the vulnerable to assert their boundaries and provides crucial visual representations of what healthy sex can look like in contrast to the misinformation disseminated through popular culture. I can only assume that Smith did grasp the fundamentals but felt like they were less important than criticizing these proactive students for Doing Sex Wrong on the grounds that their sexuality doesn't align with her personal narratives of what is erotic and what isn't.?

I invite everyone in the comments to pick out their favorite utterly-terrible quotes from this garbage article, but mine will always be the part where Smith criticizes a man for asking his partner if she wants a Gatorade after sex. Smith thinks this is a perfect example of non-erotic sex; my personal response is that hell, yes, I want a drink after sex. There's ice in the freezer, and cups above the sink. And thanks.

[Hat Tip to Jackie. Recommended Related Reading: A Modest Proposal: The Thorny Issue of Sexual Consent; How to Fuck; Rape Is Not a Compliment.]

Source: http://www.shakesville.com/2013/05/this-is-so-worst-thing-youre-going-to_20.html

Sunil Tripathi Tavon Austin Ella Fitzgerald Kenny Vaccaro Kate McKinnon gwyneth paltrow Pink moon

Kanye West Takes It To The Streets With 'New Slaves' Video Premiere

Yeezy debuts his 'New Slaves' video on the side of buildings in 66 locations around the world on Friday night.
By Rob Markman

Kanye West in his "New Slaves" video premiere being displayed in New York City
Photo: Rob Markman/MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1707610/kanye-west-new-slaves-video-premiere.jhtml

Bracketology Erin Go Bragh St Patrick lisa vanderpump Dancing With the Stars 2013 NIT Bracket March Madness 2013 bracket

AP PHOTOS: Palestinians in Egypt exiled, forgotten

GEZIRAT AL-FADEL, Egypt (AP) ? In 1948, Suleiman Mamoudi fled by foot with his parents and other families from their village of Bir el-Sabae in Palestine. The 28-year-old and his family walked west for several hundred miles, crossing the Sinai Peninsula before settling in an area around 90 miles (145 kilometers) north of Cairo.

They had not planned to stay long in Egypt's Sharqiya province, until they found themselves unable to return home after the Jewish takeover of their city, renamed Beersheba.

Mamoudi, now 93 years old, is among some 3,000 Palestinians living in the impoverished village of Gezirat al-Fadel. He spends his days sitting on a cushion on the ground outside his sparsely furnished two-bedroom, mud brick home. The dirt roads make it difficult for him to walk with his cane.

He lives with his 13 children and 28 grandchildren. Like his neighbors, they sleep on mats spread in the corridors of the house.

His neighbor, Khadra Mohammed, 52, lives in a 540 sq. foot (50 sq. meter) mud brick house with 19 of her family members. Inside one of the rooms is a rickety bed and a fan hanging from a ceiling covered with spider webs.

Mamoudi has seen three generations of Palestinians from Bir el-Sabae born here without access to free education and health care, a right afforded to Egyptians. He says their plight is forgotten and the area they live in ignored.

As Palestinians around the world recently marked the 65th anniversary of their mass displacement during the war over Israel's 1948 creation, the refugees in Gezirat al-Fadel say they have it worse than others who fled to Jordan, Syria or Lebanon. Unlike the millions who live in refugee camps there, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) does not have offices in Egypt and so does not offer Palestinians in the country assistance.

For residents here, there is no foreseeable return from the "nakba" or "catastrophe" ? the term they use to describe when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were driven from their homes during the fighting.

The Palestinians of Gezirat al-Fadel have had to fend for themselves, and are not allowed to hold public sector jobs.

The vast majority of adults and children are illiterate, unable to afford even the low-cost of a nearby government-run school. Many of the children, barefoot with torn clothes, spend their days helping adults sift through garbage to find what can be recycled, one of the few ways to earn a meager living in this tiny village.

Others work in nearby farms and are paid in wheat grains for their work. The women then sift the wheat and grind it by hand to make bread.

A typical home has a roof made out of straw and palm leaves. Some families have old refrigerators, while others do not. The homes have no kitchens, so women cook on small, portable gas stove top burners. They rock toddlers to sleep in a blanket that is tied from all four corners by a rope slung over the shoulder.

They are a tightknit community and intermarriage between first cousins is common, leading to birth defects among many of the village's children. One family has two deaf children, but lacks the funds to offer the young girls the special care they require.

While many know nothing more of life beyond Gezirat al-Fadel, they say they have not lost their connection to Bir el-Sabae. They say they dream of returning to their land in hopes of living a more dignified life and leaving behind this almost forgotten corner of Egypt, a nation already burdened by a population boom and widespread poverty.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-photos-palestinians-egypt-exiled-forgotten-174824563.html

Kick Ass Torrents jamarcus russell Sloane Stephens Beyonce Lip Sync citizens bank Hansel and Gretel LGBT

6 Ways Pets Relieve Depression | World of Psychology

The day I returned from inpatient therapy, my Lab-Chow mix cuddled up to me on the bed as I cried. She looked into my defeated gaze and licked my tears.

I was astounded that this creature was capable of the empathy that I so craved in my closest friends and relatives. It was like she could read the pathetic and sad thoughts that disabled me and wanted me to know I was lovable in the midst of my suffering.

She continues to be a supportive presence in my life, especially on the days that I grow weary of trying on ? and throwing out ? every mindful exercise and cognitive behavioral strategy? the hours where staying positive seems impossible. She gets it. I know she does.

Every week I hear tales of four-legged creatures becoming angels in times of terrifying darkness. Indeed, a substantial body of research indicates that pets improve our mental health.

How? Here are a few ways.

1. Pets offer a soothing presence.

Studies indicate that merely watching fish lowers blood pressure and muscle tension in people about to undergo oral surgery. That?s why all the aquariums in dentists? offices! Think of the behavior Darla in Disney Pixar?s ?Finding Nemo? would have exhibited without the fish tank.

Other research shows that pet owners have significantly lower blood pressure and heart rate both before and while performing stressful mental tasks ? like, say, performing a family intervention or supervising kids? homework. Finally, persons recovering from heart attacks recover more quickly and survive longer when there is a pet at home. It seems as though their mere presence is beneficial.

2. Pets offer unconditional love and acceptance.

As far as we know, pets are without opinions, critiques, and verdicts. Even if you smell like their poop, they will snuggle up next to you. In a Johns Hopkins Depression & Anxiety Bulletin, Karen Swartz, M.D. mentions a recent study where nursing home residents in St. Louis felt less lonely with some quiet time with a dog alone than a visit with both a dog and other residents.

The study enrolled 37 nursing home residents who scored high on a loneliness scale and who were interested in receiving weekly half-hour visits from dogs. Half of the residents had quiet time alone with the pooches. The other half shared the dog with other nursing home residents. Both groups said they felt less lonely after the visit, but the decrease in loneliness was much more significant among the residents that had the dogs all to themselves. In other words, at times we prefer our four-legged friends to our mouthy pals because we can divulge our innermost thoughts and not be judged.

3. Pets alter our behavior.

Here?s a typical scenario. I come through the door in the evening and I?m annoyed. At what, I don?t know. A million little snafus that happened throughout the day. I am dangerously close to taking it out on someone. However, before I can do that, my Lab-Chow walks up to me and pats me, wanting some attention. So I kneel down and pet her. She licks my face, and I smile. Voila! She altered my behavior. I am only agitated a little now and chances are much better that someone will not become a casualty of my frustrations. We calm down when we are with our dogs, cats, lizards, and pigs. We slow our breath, our speech, our minds. We don?t hit as many people or use as many four-lettered words.

4. Pets distract.

Pets are like riveting movies and books. They take us out of our heads and into another reality ? one that only involves food, water, affection, and maybe an animal butt ? for as long as we can allow. I?ve found distraction to be the only effective therapy when you?ve hit a point where there is no getting your head back. It?s tough to ruminate about how awful you feel and will feel forever when your dog is breathing in your face.

5. Pets promote touch.

The healing power of touch is undisputed. Research indicates a 45-minute massage can decrease levels of the stress hormone cortisol and optimize your immune system by building white blood cells. Hugging floods our bodies with oxytocin, a hormone that reduces stress, and lowers blood pressure and heart rates. And, according to a University of Virginia study, holding hands can reduce the stress-related activity in the hypothalamus region of the brain, part of our emotional center. The touch can actually stop certain regions of the brain from responding to threat clues. It?s not surprising, then, that stroking a dog or cat can lower blood pressure and heart rate and boost levels of serotonin and dopamine.

6. Pets make us responsible.

With pets come great responsibility, and responsibility ? according to depression research ? promotes mental health. Positive psychologists assert that we build our self-esteem by taking ownership of a task, by applying our skills to a job. When we succeed ? i.e., the pet is still alive the next day ? we reinforce to ourselves that we are capable of caring for another creature as well as ourselves. That?s why chores are so important in teaching adolescents self-mastery and independence.

Taking care of a pet also brings structure to our day. Sleeping until noon is no longer a possibility unless you want to spend an hour cleaning up the next day. Staying out all night needs some preparation and forethought.

????Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 17 May 2013
????Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.

APA Reference
Borchard, T. (2013). 6 Ways Pets Relieve Depression. Psych Central. Retrieved on May 19, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/05/19/6-ways-pets-relieve-depression/

?

Source: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/05/19/6-ways-pets-relieve-depression/

the great gatsby the great gatsby stephen curry pga tour nina dobrev nina dobrev Angie Miller

State of Social Media Advertising - Business Insider

The media constellation has become increasingly fractured.?The Web produced the initial fissure, but mobile created new cracks in the landscape. Today, no single medium earns more than 45% of our media consumption.

How can you solve this problem??Social media offers a solution.

Social networks like Facebook and Twitter are daily destinations for millions of consumers. Increasingly, their ad products offer targeting according to specific demographics, social connections, interests, and habits.?

In a new report?from?BI?Intelligence,?we analyze the state of social media advertising and where it is heading, offering a comprehensive guide and examination of?the advertising ecosystems on?Facebook and Twitter, offer a?primer on Tumblr as an emerging ad medium, and detail how mobile is an important part of this story as mobile-friendly as?native ad formats?fuel growth in the market.

Access The Full Report And Data By Signing Up For A Free Trial Today >>

Here's an overview of some major players in the mobile advertising ecosystem:

• The lure of social media advertising is massive:?As brands look across a fractured media landscape, social networks offer them an interesting proposition. Social networks have scale - ?enormous user bases and deep databases. They have high engagement - Americans were spending an average of 12 hours per month on social networks as of July 2012, with 18-24 year olds averaging 20 hours.?And potentially, social media gives brands offer a uniquely captive audience for their content.
• Guaranteed placement is getting advertisers to pay up: Brands are paying to get their content or copy in front of a quantifiable audience, an increasingly rare feat in an era of scattered consumer attention.?This desire for guaranteed attention also helps to explain social media's move away from traditional display ads ? like Facebook's right-rail ads?? and toward so-called native ads that surface in a user's stream, either as a tweet or a Facebook post.?A consensus seems to be forming around in-stream advertising as the most promising social advertising format.?
• Social media advertising is set to explode:?Social media advertising is a young market and so far, it only represents 1% to 10% of ad budgets for a wide majority of advertisers. There's significant opportunity for that share to grow.?BIA/Kelsey recently came out with a study that offers one view -?forecasting $11 billion of social ad spend in 2017, up from $4.7 billion last year.?That estimate is large - but still seems pessimistic, because...
• Increased mobile usage will be a huge growth driver: The BIA/Kelsey prediction calls for mobile to account for only $2.2 billion of that in 2017 - a 20% market share. This could easily be surpassed. Both Twitter and Facebook have passed the 50% mobile usage mark and,?given the continued growth of mobile devices, it will only rise.?Mobile accounted for 11% of Facebook's ad revenue last year even though it didn't release mobile ads until the tail end of the second quarter. By the fourth quarter, it was up to 23%. And now, Twitter is reporting that its mobile ad revenue now regularly outpaces its desktop ad revenue. Social media advertising is therefore uniquely positioned to grab an increasing share of the fast growing mobile advertising market.?

In full,?the?report includes:

To access BI Intelligence's full reports on The State Of Social Media Advertising, sign up for a free trial subscription here.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/state-of-social-media-advertising-2013-5

Cnn Electoral Map roseanne barr guy fawkes gary johnson gary johnson where do i vote dixville notch

New discovery of ancient diet shatters conventional ideas of how agriculture emerged

New discovery of ancient diet shatters conventional ideas of how agriculture emerged

Friday, May 17, 2013

Archaeologists have made a discovery in southern subtropical China which could revolutionise thinking about how ancient humans lived in the region.

They have uncovered evidence for the first time that people living in Xincun 5,000 years ago may have practised agriculture ?before the arrival of domesticated rice in the region.

Current archaeological thinking is that it was the advent of rice cultivation along the Lower Yangtze River that marked the beginning of agriculture in southern China. Poor organic preservation in the study region, as in many others, means that traditional archaeobotany techniques are not possible.

Now, thanks to a new method of analysis on ancient grinding stones, the archaeologists have uncovered evidence that agriculture could predate the advent of rice in the region.

The research was the result of a two-year collaboration between Dr Huw Barton, from the School of Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Leicester, and Dr Xiaoyan Yang, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Beijing.

Funded by a Royal Society UK-China NSFC International Joint Project, and other grants held by Yang in China, the research is published in PLOS ONE.

Dr Barton, Senior Lecturer in Bioarchaeology at the University of Leicester, described the find as 'hitting the jackpot': "Our discovery is totally unexpected and very exciting.

"We have used a relatively new method known as ancient starch analysis to analyse ancient human diet. This technique can tell us things about human diet in the past that no other method can.

"From a sample of grinding stones we extracted very small quantities of adhering sediment trapped in pits and cracks on the tool surface. From this material, preserved starch granules were extracted with our Chinese colleagues in the starch laboratory in Beijing. These samples were analysed in China and also here at Leicester in the Starch and Residue Laboratory, School of Archaeology and Ancient History.

"Our research shows us that there was something much more interesting going on in the subtropical south of China 5,000 years ago than we had first thought. The survival of organic material is really dependent on the particular chemical properties of the soil, so you never know what you will get until you sample. At Xincun we really hit the jackpot. Starch was well-preserved and there was plenty of it. While some of the starch granules we found were species we might expect to find on grinding and pounding stones, ie. some seeds and tuberous plants such as freshwater chestnuts, lotus root and the fern root, the addition of starch from palms was totally unexpected and very exciting."

Several types of tropical palms store prodigious quantities of starch. This starch can be literally bashed and washed out of the trunk pith, dried as flour, and of course eaten. It is non-toxic, not particularly tasty, but it is reliable and can be processed all year round. Many communities in the tropics today, particularly in Borneo and Indonesia, but also in eastern India, still rely on flour derived from palms.

Dr Barton said: "The presence of at least two, possibly three species of starch producing palms, bananas, and various roots, raises the intriguing possibility that these plants may have been planted nearby the settlement.

"Today groups that rely on palms growing in the wild are highly mobile, moving from one palm stand to another as they exhaust the clump. Sedentary groups that utilise palms for their starch today, plant suckers nearby the village, thus maintaining continuous supply. If they were planted at Xincun, this implies that 'agriculture' did not arrive here with the arrival of domesticated rice, as archaeologists currently think, but that an indigenous system of plant cultivation may have been in place by the mid Holocene.

"The adoption of domesticated rice was slow and gradual in this region; it was not a rapid transformation as in other places. Our findings may indicate why this was the case. People may have been busy with other types of cultivation, ignoring rice, which may have been in the landscape, but as a minor plant for a long time before it too became a food staple.

"Future work will focus on grinding stones from nearby sites to see if this pattern is repeated along the coast."

###

University of Leicester: http://www.leicester.ac.uk

Thanks to University of Leicester for this article.

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

This press release has been viewed 103 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/128302/New_discovery_of_ancient_diet_shatters_conventional_ideas_of_how_agriculture_emerged

braxton miller braxton miller Whitney Heichel Tippi Hedren Big Tex Sweetest Day optimal

Bomb strikes Sunni area in Baghdad, killing 7

BAGHDAD (AP) ? Iraqi officials say a bomb has exploded in a commericial area in a mainly Sunni neighborhood in western Baghdad, killing at least seven people and wounding 20.

The attack raises Friday's overall death toll to at least 58. That makes it the deadliest day in about two months as a spike in violence has raised fears the country could be on the path to a new round of sectarian bloodshed.

The officials gave the casualty figures on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

Tensions have been intensifying since Sunnis began protesting what they say is mistreatment at the hands of the Shiite-led government, including random detentions and neglect. The protests, which began in December, have largely been peaceful, but the number of attacks rose sharply after a deadly security crackdown on a Sunni protest camp in the country's north on April 23.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Twin explosions ripped through a crowd of Sunni worshippers outside Baghdad on Friday, an attack which, combined with a second deadly bombing at a Sunni funeral to the south of the capital, deepened fears Iraq may be headed toward a new round of sectarian conflict.

In the first attack, police said a bomb detonated just as the congregation was leaving Friday prayer services at a mosque in Baqouba, a former Sunni insurgent stronghold 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad. Another explosion went off shortly afterward as people gathered to help the wounded, leaving a total of at least 40 dead and 56 wounded. After the explosions, bloodied bodies lay strewn across the road outside the mosque.

The violence was the latest to hit a Sunni Muslim house of worship, a trend that has been on the rise. About 30 mosques were attacked between mid-April to mid-May, killing at least 65 Sunni worshippers.

Later in the day, a second bombing hit a Sunni funeral, killing seven and wounding 11, police said. Friday's attacks came after two days of violence mainly in Shiite areas that left 50 dead.

Two medical officials confirmed the casualties. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief reporters.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Iraqis attended the Friday funeral in a southern city of two Shiite fighters killed in Syria. Several such funerals have been held in recent months, the latest sign that that conflict has taken on a sectarian regional dimension.

In oil-rich Basra, mourners carried the coffin of Mohammed Aboud, whom they say was killed by sniper fire near the shrine of Sayida Zeinab outside the Syrian capital Damascus five days earlier.

They said Aboud went to Iran two months ago before flying to Syria in order to join a group of fighters protecting that country's Shiite shrines against attacks launched by the rebel Free Syrian Army.

For months, Iraqi Shiite fighters have trickled into Syria, where mostly Sunni rebels are fighting a regime dominated by a Shiite offshoot sect. Their relatives say the fighters are drawn by a sense of religious duty to protect the Sayida Zeinab shrine, which marks what is believed to be the grave of the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad. Iraq remains officially neutral in the Syrian conflict.

____

With reporting from Nabil al-Jurani in Basra

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bomb-strikes-sunni-area-baghdad-killing-7-181222579.html

dwight howard trade ncaa bracket 2012 kyle orton kyle orton 2012 ncaa bracket john carlson greg smith

GOP not satisfied by Benghazi email release

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The White House release of some 100 pages of emails and notes about the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year has failed to satisfy congressional Republicans, who are demanding more information.

"Why not release all of the unclassified documents?" said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. "The president has repeatedly said that when he gets new information, he'll release it to the public. Why not release ? instead of the hand-picked ones ? why not release all the unclassified documents?"

A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Wednesday Republicans hoped "this limited release of documents is a sign of more cooperation to come," while the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee pressed the Pentagon for more details about military orders around the time of the attack and what military aircraft were in the region.

Four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed when militants struck the U.S. mission and CIA annex in twin nighttime attacks on Sept. 11, 2012.

Republicans have accused the Obama administration of misleading the American people about the circumstances of the attack, playing down a terrorist strike that would reflect poorly on President Barack Obama in the heat of a presidential race. Obama has dismissed charges of a cover-up and suggested on Monday that the criticism was politically motivated.

Eight months after the attack, the issue remains a political winner with the Republican base as conservatives have been ferocious in assailing Obama. Rank-and-file GOP members and outside groups have pressured Boehner to appoint a special select committee to investigate. Instead, Republicans on five House committees are pursuing their own inquiries and promising to call more witnesses to testify publicly, including the veteran diplomat and retired admiral who led an independent review of the attack that widely criticized the State Department's insufficient security at the facility.

In the latest back-and-forth between the two leaders and a House Republican chairman, Thomas Pickering and former Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen sent a letter Thursday to the Oversight chairman saying they will testify in public but not submit to private interviews with staffer investigators prior to their testimony.

"The public deserves to hear your questions and answers," Pickering and Mullen told Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. They offered to appear before the panel either May 28 or June 3.

The emails disclosed on Wednesday underscored the turf battle between the State Department and CIA, as neither one wanted to take the blame for the attack. They also showed the reluctance within the administration about saying anything definitively as officials scrambled to write talking points for lawmakers and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, who discussed the attack on Sunday talk shows.

Rice's widely debunked remarks that cited protests over an anti-Islam video as the cause of the attack fueled the criticism of the administration and later cost her a chance at becoming secretary of state.

According to the 99 pages of emails, then CIA-Director David Petraeus objected to the final talking points because he wanted to see more details revealed to the public.

Petraeus' deputy, Mike Morell, after a meeting at the White House on Saturday, Sept. 15, scratched out from the CIA's early talking point drafts mentions of al-Qaida, the experience of fighters in Libya, Islamic extremists and a warning to the Cairo embassy on the eve of the attacks of calls for a demonstration and break-in by jihadists.

Petraeus apparently was displeased by the removal of so much of the material his analysts had proposed for release. The talking points were sent to Rice to prepare her for an appearance on news shows on Sunday, Sept. 16, and also to members of the House Intelligence Committee.

"No mention of the cable to Cairo, either?" Petraeus wrote after receiving Morell's edited version, developed after an intense back-and-forth among Obama administration officials. "Frankly, I'd just as soon not use this, then."

The emails were partially blacked out, including removal of names of senders and recipients who are career employees at the CIA and elsewhere.

The emails show only minor edits were requested by the White House, and most of the objections came from the State Department. "The White House cleared quickly, but State has major concerns," read an email that a CIA official sent to Petraeus on Friday, Sept. 14.

Critics have highlighted an email by then-State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland that expressed concern that any mention of prior warnings or the involvement of al-Qaida would give congressional Republicans ammunition to attack the administration in the weeks before the presidential election.

That email was among those released by the White House, sent by Nuland on Sept. 14 at 7:39 p.m. to officials in the White House, State Department and CIA. She wrote she was concerned they could prejudice the investigation and be "abused by members to beat the State Department for not paying attention to agency warnings so why do we want to feed that either? Concerned."

After Nuland sent several more emails throughout that Friday evening expressing further concerns, Jake Sullivan, then-deputy chief of staff at the State Department, said the issues would be worked out at a meeting at the White House on Saturday morning.

A senior U.S. intelligence official told reporters Wednesday that Morell made the changes to the talking points after that meeting because of his own concerns that they could prejudge an FBI investigation into who was responsible for the attacks.

The official said Morell also didn't think it was fair to disclose the CIA's advance warning without giving the State Department a chance to explain how it responded. The official spoke on a condition of anonymity without authorization to speak about the emails on the record. Petraeus declined to be interviewed Wednesday.

The intelligence official said Morell was aware of Nuland's objections but did not make the changes under pressure from the State Department but because he independently shared the concerns.

That is contradicted in an email sent to Rice on Saturday, Sept. 15, at 1:23 p.m. by a member of her staff whose name was blacked out. The email said Morell indicated he would work with Sullivan and Ben Rhodes, the White House deputy national security adviser, to revise the talking points. The intelligence official disputed that assertion and insisted Morell acted alone.

An email from Morell also says he spoke to Petraeus "about State's deep concerns about mentioning the warnings and the other work done on this."

The White House released the full set of emails sent to Congress under the pressure in hopes of putting an end to the controversy that has dogged the administration for months. White House spokesman Eric Schultz said Wednesday that "these emails have been selectively and inaccurately read out to the media."

At a Capitol Hill hearing Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder said there has been "very, very substantial progress" in the investigation into who was responsible for the attacks in Benghazi. Earlier this month, the FBI said it was seeking information on three people who were on the grounds of the diplomatic mission when it was attacked.

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who sits on the Intelligence Committee, said of the emails, "I didn't find anything that looked like a smoking gun in terms of political cooking of the talking points. There is very little input from the White House."

But he said: "There are some things to criticize in here. The State Department looks like it is trying to avoid blame."

___

Associated Press writers Nedra Pickler and Adam Goldman contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gop-demands-more-despite-benghazi-email-release-072657204.html

triple play james neal virginia tech emancipation proclamation april 16 tornadoes mitch hedberg

Two states say 2014 Obamacare insurance costs on low side

By Sharon Begley and Caroline Humer

(Reuters) - In a boost for President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law, two states in the Northwest said on Friday that insurance companies submitted applications to sell policies on the states' health insurance exchanges at rates well below what some insurance executives had predicted.

The insurance marketplaces are a key element of the reform law, which is due to take full effect in 2014. A core principle of these exchanges is that competition, along with government subsidies and other measures, will keep rates affordable.

The sweeping reform known as Obamacare seeks to extend health insurance to many of the 49 million Americans without it, and alter how care is delivered so as to curb what has been an inexorable rise in healthcare spending. Congressional Republicans who oppose the law had warned that high premiums would sink Obamacare as the uninsured would not be able to afford coverage even with federal subsidies.

As of Thursday, nine insurers had notified the Washington Healthplanfinder, the state's online marketplace, of their intent to offer 57 plans -- with different deductibles, premiums and coverage options to individuals and families.

The state will evaluate the plans to ensure they offer what the reform law calls "essential health benefits," such as coverage for preventive care, and meet other requirements.

"We were pleasantly surprised at how great the rates look," said Washington exchange spokesman Michael Marchand. "After subsidies many people will pay even less, and they'll get more benefits" than are offered in many current policies.

Companies including Bridgespan, Premera Blue Cross and Group Health Cooperative submitted proposals to sell health insurance on Washington's health insurance exchange.

Middle-tier policies would have monthly premiums of $239 under Bridgespan's proposal, $228 for one from Premera Blue Cross and $210 for one from Group Health Cooperative for a 21-year-old. Policies would cost $305, $292 an $268, respectively, for a 40-year-old; and $648, $620 and $569 for a 60-year-old.

The actual amount a person would pay would be reduced by subsidies Obamacare offers to people whose income falls below a level set at four times the federal poverty line.

Premera and Group Health are among the carriers that currently dominate Washington's health insurance market.

MIXED COMPETITIVE BAG

Cover Oregon, that state's insurance exchange, attracted plans from 12 insurers, said spokeswoman Lisa Morawski, including FamilyCare Health Plans, Health Net Health Plan of Oregon, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest, LifeWise Health Plan of Oregon and Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon.

Proposed premiums for a 40-year-old non-smoker range from $169 to $422 per month for plans with different levels of coverage, "much more reasonable than some people had been predicting," said Gary Claxton, a vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Claxton said some had forecast premiums double or triple what Oregon and Washington have announced.

Oregon and Washington both appear to be benefiting from heavy competition, though both states had that even before Obamacare. Whether a state has defaulted to a federally run insurance exchange or is running its own, the competitive landscape is starting to look somewhat similar: insurers are sticking to the markets they know.

In small markets like Maine, Alaska and Vermont, only two insurers have proposed to sell policies on the exchange. States with large insurance markets now - like Virginia and Maryland - are attracting many insurers.

RATE SHOCK

Rates will be different in each state and affected by changes in the risk pool as more people are insured, the American Academy of Actuaries said in a report this week.

Insurance executives have warned about rate shock on the exchanges. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has said that some groups, such as young men, will likely pay more in 2014, at least before federal subsidies kick in.

Earlier this year Vermont announced rates higher than in Washington or Oregon. Monthly premiums for the lowest level of coverage range from $350 for a single person to $983 per family.

Some states are still waiting for insurer applications and making changes to their model, according to Avalere State Reform Insights, a monthly report that looks at health reform developments. Colorado, for instance, just issued a formal request to insurers for plans for its exchange.

(Editing by Ben Berkowitz, Mary Milliken and Andrew Hay)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/two-states-2014-obamacare-insurance-costs-low-side-193815182.html

Galaxy S4 Conclave tmz Sizzurp the bachelor earthquake What is a Jesuit