Fraternity raises $16K for brother's sex change surgery

Donnie Collins, a transgender student at Emerson College in Boston, Mass., uploaded a message to YouTube on Monday thanking his fraternity brothers for launching a campaign to raise funds for his gender confirmation surgery.

By Daniel Arkin, Staff Writer, NBC News

A fraternity at Emerson College in Boston, Mass., has raised thousands of dollars for a transgender member's sex change surgery after the procedure was denied by his student health insurance plan.

The brothers of Phi Alpha Tau have received more than $16,000 in donations for Donnie Collins, 20, a sophomore pledge seeking female-to-male gender transition surgery to remove his breasts.

"It's been an amazing experience, these last few weeks," Collins said in a video (above) uploaded to YouTube on Monday. "My life has been absolutely changed by pledging this fraternity."

After his insurance company reportedly denied his claim for gender transition surgery, Collins' fraternity brothers banded together to help. They launched a pledge campaign Feb. 9 on IndieGoGo, a crowd-funding website, setting an initial goal of $4,800 -- later boosted to $8,000 -- to cover Collins' chest reconstruction.

"We care deeply about each and everyone, and rely on the entire active brotherhood to stand behind any one individual when they are in need," the participating brothers wrote on the IndieGoGo campaign page.

The Phi Alpha Tau brothers took in $2,000 in online donations in just over a week, Collins said in his YouTube video. By Tuesday, they were at $12,000, and the campaign crossed $16,000 Wednesday.

The campaign's managers announced Wednesday morning that they plan to donate all the excess cash to the Jim Collins Foundation, a group that "raises money to fund gender-confirming surgeries for those transgender people who need surgery to live a healthy life," according to the organization's website.

Collins came out as transgender while a student at a Windsor, Conn., boarding school, he told WHDH, an NBC affiliate in Boston.

"Coming out was a huge relief to me," Collins said.

"I knew right away that I wanted a name change, hormone replacement treatment" and gender reassignment surgery, he said.

Collins told WHDH that the procedure, which is scheduled for May, marks an important step in his gender transition.

"You're the one that puts your head down on the pillow at night," Collins said. "You have to be able to look in the mirror at yourself every day for the rest of your life. So, make choices for you first and then other people second."

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/27/17117495-boston-fraternity-raises-more-than-16000-for-brothers-sex-change-surgery?lite

the borgias shroud of turin warren sapp the masters i robot the big c the visitor

Obama meets with congressional leaders on spending cuts Friday (reuters)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287797505?client_source=feed&format=rss

argentina train crash nancy pelosi nancy pelosi gop debate republican debate lewis black kirkwood

Groupon shares crumple after dismal outlook, take-rate cut

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Groupon Inc lost a quarter of its market value on Wednesday after the company revealed it began to take a smaller cut of revenue on daily deals during the holidays, sacrificing revenue and profits to attract and keep merchants.

The cut in its "take rate", which some analysts had said was needed to revive flagging interest among merchants in its Internet offers, was a blow to fourth-quarter results. And a sharper-than-expected post-holiday slowdown in its new e-commerce business contributed to a disappointing first-quarter sales forecast.

The stream of bad numbers, which included a surprise loss in the fourth quarter, drove Groupon's stock down 26 percent to $4.43 in after hours trade. Overall, the company has shed more than three-quarters of its value since debuting at $20 in November of 2011.

"This raises questions about how these guys are going to be able to scale the business," said Tom White, an analyst at Macquarie. "The forecast is underwhelming."

Groupon is among a group of consumer-focused Internet startups that went public to much fanfare in 2011 - before losing massive chunks of market value as investors realized they had over-rated their prospects.

Within a year, Groupon had run into problems dealing with European merchants and sustaining interest among users as deals fever receded. In 2012, analysts speculated that Chief Executive Andrew Mason, known for a quirky sense of humor, may have fallen out of favor with the board.

A company spokesman said Mason remained in charge and the CEO addressed analysts on Wednesday's post-results call.

Groupon reported fourth-quarter revenue rose 30 percent to $638.3 million from $492.2 million in the year-ago period. But it slid into the red with a 1 cent per share loss excluding items, versus expectations for a slim profit of 3 cents a share.

It forecast first-quarter revenue of $560 million to $610 million, sharply below the $650 million average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Chief Financial Officer Jason Child told Reuters that Groupon began sharing more money from its deals with merchants early in the fourth quarter, to persuade them to come onboard and run an offer for the first time, or work on another.

This was done selectively in the United States and in Europe, he added.

Historically, Groupon has kept about 40 percent of the money generated by daily deals. That declined to about 35 percent in the fourth quarter. Groupon then "fine tuned" take rates later in the quarter and Child said the company expects profitability to improve as a result.

"We are focused on driving growth," he said in an interview. "We will make the investments we feel we need to optimize for growth and merchant profitability."

THE GOODS ON EUROPE

Merchants have complained that Groupon takes too large a cut of online offers.

Groupon executives forecast long-term take rates of 30 percent to 40 percent for the daily deals business, during a conference call with analysts. One of the reasons Groupon reduced take rates was to create more daily deals for a new business called Local Marketplace, which launched in November.

Groupon has mostly focused on sending daily emails to customers offering vouchers for activities in their area. Local Marketplace relies instead on people searching for something to do or buy nearby, such as an oil change or a massage. By the end of the third quarter, before the launch, Groupon had amassed an online store of more than 27,000 deals for the new marketplace.

Analysts have said the move has potential because Groupon's deals may be more likely to show up in Google searches. By the end of 2012, Groupon claimed almost 37,000 active deals running in North America, and many were longer-term offers for Local Marketplace.

For now, Groupon Goods, the company's discounted product sales business, generated a lot of the fourth-quarter revenue growth, though it's seasonally volatile and generates lower margins than daily deals.

Groupon's limp outlook revived fears its business model may be in jeopardy. Chief among their concerns have been intensifying competition in e-commerce, and a struggling European division walloped by the recession there.

Executives warned a turnaround effort there would take time, and signaled that cost cuts are coming for the company's International business.

Groupon is trying to fix it by reducing the size of discounts on deals there and testing faster payments to higher-quality merchants. Technology used to automate its U.S. operations and sales efforts is being rolled out in Europe now.

Kal Raman, chief operating officer, said more than the twice the number of people are needed to handle and process an International division deal, than in the United States.

A Groupon spokesman said there are no "definite" plans for International job cuts, but there were staff reductions in the United States when the company automated.

"That is an enormous opportunity to organize Groupon's operations to be both more efficient," Raman told analysts during the conference call.

(Reporting by Alistair Barr; Editing by David Gregorio, Richard Chang and Tim Dobbyn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/groupon-shares-crumple-dismal-outlook-rate-cut-004510030--sector.html

kansas jayhawks mega millions results louisville lotto numbers susan powell megamillions winners university of louisville

You May Be Limiting Your Prosperity Without Even Realizing It ...

What?s your definition of prosperity? Don?t think about it too much, just write down quickly whatever it is, right now, before you continue reading. I?ll invite you to re-read it at the end of the article, and adjust accordingly if you?re inspired to.

Here are 5 common ways you might be limiting your prosperity:

1. Limiting prosperity to ?dosh? only

It?s amazing how it is possible to be really wealthy, and yet miss out on an experience of prosperity.

In one telephone survey, 275 people in the San Francisco Bay, USA area were asked if they believed that they would be significantly happier and more loving if they had a million dollars. 76% of the respondents replied, ?Yes, absolutely.?
Then the research company contacted ten millionaires, and asked them, ?Did making your first million dollars make you a happier or more loving person?? The response was unanimous: ?No.?

(from Dan Millman?s Manage Your Money: Sufficiency and Spiritual Practice)

If your definition was primarily about having ?stuff?, then try adding on to the end the words ?so I can enjoy my life to the fullest.? Then at least you?ll be emphasizing the whole point of having the stuff in the first place!

2. All about ?others?

If your definition of prosperity is to the other extreme, in that you are focusing solely on how much you can do for others, or how much money you can give away, or emphasising only how you can be of service, then you may also find yourself limited.

It?s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that those with the sole intention of making money for making money?s sake are selfish. But with ?selfish? there is the opposite of ?self-less? (which tends to be held up as something to aspire to in our world), when in fact neither of them are likely to bring a true sense of prosperity.

However, ?self-full? is another idea completely. Just as on an aeroplane you are asked to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others, when you take care of your own needs at least at the same time as others, if not before, then you are far more likely to experience a sense of prosperity in its true sense. This will include enough money for you to live comfortably, as well as a sense of well-being and fulfillment when you give to others.

3. Not being good enough

Another limiting definition happens when you get stuck in thinking that you need to change something about yourself before you can feel prosperous. This is prevalent in the self-development industry, where often the whole point is that ?I am not good enough as I am in various different ways, therefore I need to change.? Many books and websites focus on this. And it is only when these changes have been made that you will be able to consider yourself truly prosperous, in mind, body and soul.

But a more expanded thought could be ?I feel prosperous, no matter the outer conditions of my life.? This may feel like quite a challenge, but it?s not impossible (it?s what I did when I owed hundreds of thousands to the bank with no way of paying it back)!

4. Focusing on the future

Could it be possible that you are already prosperous? Right now, today? When you project your sense of prosperity into the future by saying to yourself ?when I have x or when I am y? then you reinforce the gap between where you are now and where you might be in the future. Bring your thinking back to right here, right now, as Eckhart Tolle says, and discover that ?it is in the precious moment of now that your true prosperity lies.?

There is nothing to stop you having hope and expectation about the future, but do it coming from a place of acceptance and acknowledgment of this present moment ? which is always a moment of true abundance.

5. Coming from lack

When you come from a place of lack, it is impossible to experience prosperity. Lack can show up as many things, including resistance to what is (as in ?what you resist, persists?); thinking that you have to be free of debt to feel prosperous; or deciding that not HAVING to work will be when you would be truly prosperous.

If you identify with these statements, turn them around to allow prosperity to include what is currently happening; invite a focus on what you do have in your life rather than what you don?t have.

Take Action!

Now go back to your definition that you jotted down at the beginning and see if you want to add, or amend anything, and do it.

Then read it out loud to yourself. If it makes you feel excited, inspired, empowered, connected, free, loving and abundant, then I suggest you know what true prosperity is about.

Anything less than a set of feelings like these, and you might want to examine your limiting beliefs and ideas about money a bit more.

Finally, true prosperity reaches out into all areas of your life. Business (ie work & income) is just one of them. Make sure your definition also covers your relationships, your creativity, your health of mind, body and soul, your family ? and ultimately focuses on ?being? rather than ?having.?

Source: http://www.richthinkers.co.uk/2013/02/you-may-be-limiting-your-prosperity-without-even-realizing-it-heres-how/

mega lottery sag aftra mega mill power ball april fools pranks livan hernandez soledad o brien

Jason Boland to make tour stop in Goliad

Jason Boland has traveled a long road since his whiskey-soaked, stoner days of pining over a "Rich, Young, Dumb Nymphomaniac."

While he's a sure match for a boat party, midnight back road cruises - and heavens yes, Schroeder Hall - the Oklahoma native has done some growing up.

From the Houston Livestock Show, Boland chatted with Get Out about his new album out in May, writing music with meaning and staying humble.

HOW WAS WORKING WITH SHOOTER JENNINGS ON THE NEW ALBUM, 'DARK AND DIRTY MILE'?

He's great. You need a certain air for it. I knew he possessed the knowledge we needed when we got in the studio: how to set the mikes and get the vibe. He's a piano player as well, so he's good with a range of songs. He's personal and down to earth. It was a smooth, organic experience.

We recorded it in Austin down at Cedar Creek and did some work at 12th Street Sound.

'RANCHO ALTO' SEEMED TO STICK UP FOR THE UNDERDOG. WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU WANT TO CONVEY WITH THIS ALBUM?

I don't think I intentionally go to say something. I write most of the songs we do as I experience life.

Sometimes, you find old songs that fit what you're doing. You tell them (your audience) different things in different songs. With all of our records, we try to take them on a ride of everything.

There's a lot of speaking for the downtrodden. There's already a lot of songs about how good it is to drive around, listen to music or party at the lake. We're the type of guys who gravitate toward the tradition of Merle Haggard or Johnny Cash - to have some form of social issue.

HOW DO YOU STAY IN TOUCH WITH YOUR ROOTS?

Touring keeps you humble, period. You go to new places. They don't know you. There's no special treatment. Even in some places where you 'think they ought to know who you are,' it's a big world out there.

If everything else is going right, you'll blow an axle. We've done it on trailers. We burned a tag axle last time we were heading east. We stayed in Longview, and I had to fly to Auburn to do a show acoustic. Then I rented a car and drove to Atlanta to do a show acoustic before the band caught up.

Hurricane Sandy closed down sold-out shows in Washington and New York.

It teaches you to roll with the punches.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE CURRENT STATE OF COUNTRY MUSIC?

Pop music - the stuff for 14-year-olds - people in their 20s and 30s have always called that bad. I don't think anything has changed.

When I first started getting into music, it was really cool to get into Jerry Jeff, Gary P. Nunn, Ray Wylie and the guys who we wanted to find out where it came from.

Now this day and age, it seems like they've already started to emulate pop: "We've heard you, now on to the next."

We try to stay relevant and push ourselves and make better music than we did when we were young. People heard the energy, the angst and the vitality of it, then they followed us through all the years and journey we've been on.

It's going on 14 years. We just now recorded an album basically the way we recorded "Pearl Snaps." It was straight to tape. It's not enhanced or pitch-shifted, not pieced together. The same original four of us and now Nick Worley with us on fiddle and mandolin - the fact that we can still get together and record music is pretty cool.

I'd rather it sound like this than everything else that's out right now.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE FUTURE OF TEXAS COUNTRY?

I don't see anything but it to keep getting bigger. The main thing that keeps anything going in a music scene, art scene or food scene is the people. The people in Texas are proud of their music and the Okies from the north. ...

This scene is always going to be great and have tons of bands and tons of bars and you can go see anything - western swing, singer/songwriters, rock 'n' roll, southern, four-piece bands - it all falls under the umbrella of being original and rootsy.

WHAT'S THE NICEST THING ANYONE'S EVER SAID ABOUT YOUR MUSIC?

This last album, "Rancho Alto," we got Country Music Album of the Year, from the Lone Star Music Awards. I believe that's still voted on by the fans online.

You think that'd be all the younger bands names. To be in it this long and our last album to get this award, that's one of the great ones.

Or when someone says the music does this or got them through something. That's why everybody puts it out there originally. You just want to put out a song that resonates with people.

IS SONGWRITING THERAPEUTIC FOR YOU?

They all come about from some situation. It's also just as important to capture something that inspires you in a good mood.

It's very easy to sit down with a guitar and start complaining. When the sun is shining, it's easier to get out and throw the football.

They all take grabbing their own inspiration in their own way. I've always been able to write tragedies and darker songs, but now for example, I got married June 11, and my wife has been an inspiration for a lot newer and lighter side of songwriting: "Lucky I Guess," "Only One," but also "Between 11 to 2"

THROUGH THE HARD TIMES AND THE GOOD, WHAT KEEPS YOU WRITING MUSIC?

It is naturally what I gravitated toward: creative writing. This is just a way I found my niche in creative writing. I wrote a few songs and people enjoyed them. So you sit around and keep trying to be honest with yourself.

Mike McClure, Bob Childers, Tom Skinner, Red Dirt Rangers - I think the spirit of all of it is just be yourself and something interesting will be created in the process. You might even amaze yourself.

I'm amazed we still get to do it. I listen to old recordings, and I don't know what people were listening to. Maybe they heard the angst and the passion. Every album I think we sound better and better. We're at nine albums now.

GOT ANYTHING PLANNED FOR THE SHOW AT SCHROEDER?

If people want to see the real thing still standing, go out to Schroeder Hall. It's an oasis out there, just like it ought to be. It's what it should be. There's not a lot of them left.

• • WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday

  • WHERE: Schroeder Hall, 12516 Farm-to-Market Road 622, Goliad

  • COST: $12 advance, $15 door

  • FOR MORE INFO: SchroederDanceHall.com, 361-573-7002

Source: http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2013/feb/27/mc_jason_boland_022813_202533/

Boy Meets World elizabeth taylor cam newton danielle fishel FedEx Gabriel Aubry cyber monday deals

Stringer wins 900th as Rutgers tops South Florida

Not much has come easily for C. Vivian Stringer during her Hall of Fame coaching career.

So it was fitting that it took her five tries to become the fourth women's basketball coach to have 900 victories. She finally reached the milestone Tuesday night with Rutgers' 68-56 win over South Florida.

"When I look back on my life, this team, probably this year, best reflects what 900 has been," she said. "It helped me to remember that it was never easy. But unless you really have a passion, unless you really know how fortunate you are not to have had a lot of major injuries to a lot of players, which is what happened to this team, and unless you remember how fortunate you are to be able to get to those special places."

Stringer joined Pat Summitt, Jody Conradt and Sylvia Hatchell in the exclusive club. Maybe a half dozen more women's coaches might gain entrance over the next few years. Only three Division I men's coaches have reached 900 victories: Mike Krzyzewski, Bob Knight and Jim Boeheim.

"I am fortunate to call Vivian my friend and could not be happier that she has reached the 900-win milestone in her career. I have great respect and admiration for Vivian and consider her one of the great pioneers of our game," Summitt said in a statement. "She has had an incredible journey, and I hope she adds many more to her 'W' column!"

Stringer, who was the first coach in men's or women's basketball to take three different schools to the Final Four ? including Rutgers in 2000 and '07 ? fought back tears as her team celebrated their coach's achievement.

"I think it's beyond words," said Stringer, whose record stands at 900-330 in 42 seasons. "I'm happy that it's over. I can hardly breathe. It's over and now I can just coach and smile, and get back to what I love to do because it's never been about numbers."

During the four-game losing streak, Stringer admitted she was tired of talking about when she'd get No. 900. She was getting worn out by it, even snapping at reporters during a media session.

Her demeanor changed after a loss to St. John's on Saturday, the game before Tuesday's landmark victory. Stringer said she received a call from Hatchell, who reached 900 wins on Feb. 7.

The longtime friends talked about the pressures their players faced while trying to get that 900th win. It took Hatchell's team two tries to get her that victory.

"She is probably one of the few people I would talk to about it," Stringer said, "and she was just saying it was highly stressful for her, too. Finally when they were over it, (the players) were much better because they were really uptight."

With the weight of the milestone lifted, Stringer can only hope her team will use it as a springboard for the rest of the season. Stringer, in her 18th season at Rutgers, has been focused on making an 11th-straight trip to the NCAA tournament. Beating a surging South Florida team will definitely help the Scarlet Knights' resume.

"Everything will take care of itself," Stringer said, dismissing a question related to her team's postseason fate. "This was a major win, and it's important to win down the (stretch) as it is right now."

The Scarlet Knights (15-12, 6-8 Big East), who are 10th in the conference, finish off the regular season against Cincinnati and Pittsburgh ? two of the bottom teams in the league.

As the game ended, a crowd of 1,304 at the Rutgers Athletic Center saluted Stringer with chants of "900" and "C-V-S" and Scarlet Knights athletic director Tim Pernetti was among the first to greet her with a framed No. 900 jersey. Rutgers' cheerleaders unfurled a banner that read "Congratulations Coach Stringer - 900 wins," and her players took turns hugging their emotional coach at midcourt.

"If it's something special for all the generations of players and coaches that I've been a part of, then, yeah, I'm happy," she said. "But I'm looking forward to more."

Rutgers had lost four straight games since beating Cincinnati for Stringer's 899th career victory.

"It's more than a game, it's about a preparation for life," said Stringer, who is in her 18th season at Rutgers. "It's about understanding that when things are rough you may get knocked down and there may be doubters but you'll still rise."

Senior guard Erica Wheeler scored 24 points to lead Rutgers.

"It's almost a little heartbreaking because she gives her heart out when she coaches," Wheeler said. "So to not get her that 900th win as soon as we needed to, I cried a couple times at night. It was important tonight to definitely get her that win."

___

Follow Doug on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinberg

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stringer-wins-900th-rutgers-tops-south-florida-023755887--spt.html

Adairsville Ga ashley judd Alois Bell Donna Savattere deer antler spray Jason London coachella

Calling All Startups, Get Ready For TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco

For the fourth year in a row, TechCrunch Disrupt will take over the San Francisco Design Center Concourse, and we're bringing the hottest startups and best minds in the industry with us. Block off September 7-11 on your calendar, because you're not going to want to miss Disrupt SF 2013. The Disrupt Hackathon kicks everything off the weekend before, where companies like GroupMe?and Docracy first started as a gleam in some hacker's eye.?Then comes the main event, which starts every morning with one-on-one chats featuring TechCrunch writers and editors, special guest speakers and judges, along with panels of leading venture capitalists and entrepreneurs addressing the most pressing topics facing today?s tech industry.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/gWzoi-bXa0g/

guild wars 2 adrian gonzalez Jerry Nelson Foo Canoodle Isaac path Tropical Storm Isaac path

CentreForum: Three tax changes to help rebalance the economy

Vince Cable this month launched our new publication on helping small and medium sized businesses access stock market finance. Here, I?d like to concentrate on three tax changes that could address the broader challenge of ?rebalancing the economy? away from an over-reliance on debt and unproductive investment.

I?m all for a highly progressive tax system that doesn?t privilege ?capital income?, but that doesn?t mean the current system works in a fair or sensible way, as these three bizarre distortions show.

Corporation tax

As George Osborne said in opposition:

Our corporate sector?s excessive dependence on debt is deep rooted in the structure of our economy. In particular, economists have long pointed out that our corporate tax system favours debt financing over equity. Interest costs are fully deductible with very limited restrictions, while the returns on equity receive little or no tax relief.

We should indeed ?look again at the generosity of [this] interest deductibility? and the party?s tax policy working group is doing so. But this is not ideal and would kill off many investments that would otherwise go ahead, debt finance being indispensable for many firms. An economically ideal alternative would be to add an equivalent for the cost of equity finance, as is done in Belgium and elsewhere. A revenue-neutral approach, however, may be to partially reduce the debt relief generosity while introducing an equivalent for equity at the same level. We should also look at measures to tackle particular abuses of interest deductibility.

Stamp duty on shares

The UK already has a financial transaction tax in the form of stamp duty on shares. This is a tax with no economic rationale; only that ? along with the ?hat tax? ? it was once the best the taxman could manage.

What?s worse, this transaction tax applies only to certain assets ? shares in UK (or UK-listed) companies. This ?has helped fuel the market for derivatives contracts, which don?t attract the same tax. [...] By promoting trade in share-substitutes, the tax increases ?financial leverage and risk??. Whether the aim is higher taxes on UK companies, pensions, ISAs, or ?bankers?, this is an absurd way to do it.

The reasons why this hasn?t yet been abolished or reduced are simply public perception and possible cost (though Osborne has found money for the poorer choice of corporation tax cuts). In our report, we suggested a cheap, next-best option would be abolition of stamp duty only for smaller, high-growth companies.

Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on shares

I support taxing capital gains at the same rates as labour, provided that we don?t tax the ?normal? rate of return. But there?s a strong case that shares should get a preferential rate to take account of corporation tax ? just as is done for dividend income.

To illustrate this, imagine someone invests ?100 in gold: it gains in value by ?50 and they pay, say, 28% CGT on that gain, getting back ?136. If they invest in a company and it makes ?50 profit, the profit is taxed under corporation tax at 24%, and then the remaining capital gain taxed again at 28%: they get back ?127. So ? even ignoring stamp duty ? an expanding company making exactly the same return as some unproductive asset speculation is made unattractive to investors.

Depending on what broader CGT reforms we opt for, fixing this bias could mean lowering rates for shares (and again we could do this just for small and medium enterprises (SMEs)), or increasing them for second homes and other non-share assets.

It?s not easy to ?rebalance the economy? or improve the tax system at a time of budget-tightening and poor growth, but we must rise to the challenge. On this same theme, in another post I?ll look at ending the taxation of regular bank account interest, and later at the favoured investment treatment of real estate. In the meantime, our report looking especially at SME finance is available at centreforum.org.

* Adam Corlett is a researcher at CentreForum.

Source: http://www.libdemvoice.org/centreforum-three-tax-changes-to-help-rebalance-the-economy-33384.html

the villages florida egoraptor gisele bundchen turbotax the bourne legacy roland martin suspended lake vostok

Relatives add drama to King Richard III saga

The bones of Richard III, who reigned for two years, have been discovered in Leicester, England, and they indicate that his spine was twisted by scoliosis and that he received eight head wounds in battle. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.

By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News

Nine distant relatives of King Richard III are demanding that the British government reverse its decision to have his skeleton reburied at Leicester Cathedral, near the parking lot where it was found, and give it a resting place in York instead.

The open letter, published late Sunday by British newspapers such as The Telegraph and the Daily Mail, is just one of several efforts seeking a burial at York Minster for the more than 500-year-old remains, which were discovered last year by researchers from the University of Leicester. This month, the researchers said DNA analysis and other forensic tests proved "beyond reasonable doubt" that the skeleton was that of Richard III.

The English monarch reigned for just two years before he was killed in battle in 1485, but he was immortalized in William Shakespeare's play, "Richard III," in which he was portrayed as a hunchbacked villain. Richard III's legions of modern-day fans say he wasn't really all that bad ? and the row over what to do with his bones has added a new twist to the drama.

---

"We, the undernamed, do hereby most respectfully demand that the remains of King Richard III, the last Plantagenet King of England and our mutual ancestor, be returned to the city of York for formal, ceremonial reburial," the statement from his relatives says. "We believe that such an interment was the desire of King Richard in life and we have written this statement so that his wishes may be fully recognised and upheld. King Richard III was the last King of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty which had ruled England since the succession of King Henry II in 1154.

"We, the undernamed blood descendants, unreservedly believe that King Richard is deserving of great recognition and respect and hereby agree to dutifully uphold his memory.

"With due humility and affection, we are and will remain His Majesty?s representatives and voice."

The statement was signed by nine individuals who have traced their ancestry back to Richard III's siblings. The nine signers are?Charles E. Brunner, Stephen Guy Nicolay, Vanessa Maria Roe, Jacob Daniel Tyler, Paul Tyler, Raymond Torrence Bertram Roe, Linda Jane Roe, Eleanor Bianca Lupton and Charlotte Jane Lupton. Richard died childless and thus has no direct-line descendants.

Even before the remains were found, the British Ministry of Justice granted a license putting the University of Leicester in charge of the parking-lot dig and the disposition of any remains found there."The University of Leicester specified in its application that reinterment would occur in Leicester Cathedral if the remains were proved to be those of King Richard III," the institution said in a statement.

The university is currently working with the cathedral and Leicester's city council on plans for his reburial by August 2014. In the meantime, researchers are continuing to study the remains.

The long lead time means that the tug of war between Leicester and York, two cities that are 100 miles (160 kilometers) from each other, could continue for months. There are even those who want to see the remains interred in London's Westminster Abbey. But the nine relatives behind this week's open letter have no more standing than the other descendants of Richard III's family, who doubtless number in the thousands by now.

In that light, Leicester seems to have the strongest case, by virtue of legal grounds as well as the less rigorous "finders, keepers" rule and the dictum that possession is nine-tenths of the law. Do you disagree? Feel free to weigh in with your comments below.

More about Richard III:

---

Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's?Facebook page, following?@b0yle on Twitter?and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

Source: http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/25/17090654-relatives-add-drama-to-the-plans-for-king-richard-iiis-final-resting-place?lite

nfl scores Devon Walker Tom Cruise ryan reynolds Star Trek: The Original Series Carlton Morgan Freeman Dead

Make a Candle Out of Toilet Paper and a Stick of Butter

Whether the power's out and you need a light source or your romantic evening won't be complete without the scent of butter, this DIY candle from Instructables user The King of Random will give you both in minutes.

The project looks pretty easy, as you can see in the video above. Just cut a stick of butter in half, quarter a square of toilet paper, twist a quarter of the paper towel to make a wick, and use a toothpick to make room for the wick inside the butter. When you're done, you have a candle that'll actually burn for hours. Butter may not seem like a likely source for light, but it'll do the trick.

Make a Butter Candle - Emergency Candle McGyver Style! | Instructables

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/UWDQoGXBavM/make-a-candle-out-of-toilet-paper-and-a-stick-of-butter

kim kardashian anderson cooper kim kardashian pregnant chicago bears adrian peterson tony romo kennedy center honors

Laser mastery narrows down sources of superconductivity

Feb. 24, 2013 ? Identifying the mysterious mechanism underlying high-temperature superconductivity (HTS) remains one of the most important and tantalizing puzzles in physics. This remarkable phenomenon allows electric current to pass with perfect efficiency through materials chilled to subzero temperatures, and it may play an essential role in revolutionizing the entire electricity chain, from generation to transmission and grid-scale storage. Pinning down one of the possible explanations for HTS -- fleeting fluctuations called charge-density waves (CDWs) -- could help solve the mystery and pave the way for rapid technological advances.

Now, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have combined two state-of-the-art experimental techniques to study those electron waves with unprecedented precision in two-dimensional, custom-grown materials. The surprising results, published online February 24, 2013, in the journal Nature Materials, reveal that CDWs cannot be the root cause of the unparalleled power conveyance in HTS materials. In fact, CDW formation is an independent and likely competing instability.

"It has been difficult to determine whether or not dynamic or fluctuating CDWs even exist in HTS materials, much less identify their role," said Brookhaven Lab physicist and study coauthor Ivan Bozovic. "Do they compete with the HTS state, or are they perhaps the very essence of the phenomenon? That question has now been answered by targeted experimentation."

Custom-grown Superconductors

Electricity travels imperfectly through traditional metallic conductors, losing energy as heat due to a kind of atomic-scale friction. Impurities in these materials also cause electrons to scatter and stumble, but superconductors can overcome this hurdle -- assuming the synthesis process is precise.

For this experiment, Bozovic used a custom-built molecular beam epitaxy system at Brookhaven Lab to grow thin films of LaSrCuO, an HTS cuprate (copper-oxide) compound. The metallic cuprates, assembled one atomic layer at a time, are separated by insulating planes of lanthanum and strontium oxides, resulting in what's called a quasi-two-dimensional conductor. When cooled down to a low enough temperature -- less than 100 degrees Kelvin -- strange electron waves began to ripple through that 2D matrix. At even lower temperatures, these films became superconducting.

Electron Sea

"In quasi-two-dimensional metals, low temperatures frequently bring about interesting collective states called charge-density waves," Bozovic said. "They resemble waves rolling across the surface of a lake under a breeze, except that instead of water, here we actually have a sea of mobile electrons."

Once a CDW forms, the electron density loses uniformity as the ripples rise and fall. These waves can be described by familiar parameters: amplitude (height of the waves), wavelength (distance between waves), and phase (the wave's position on the material). Detecting CDWs typically requires high-intensity x-rays, such as those provided by synchrotron light sources like Brookhaven's NSLS and, soon, NSLS-II. And even then, the technique only works if the waves are essentially frozen upon formation. However, if CDWs actually fluctuate rapidly, they may escape detection by x-ray diffraction, which typically requires a long exposure time that blurs fast motion.

Measuring Rolling Waves

To catch CDWs in action, a research group at MIT led by physicist Nuh Gedik used an advanced ultrafast spectroscopy technique. Intense laser pulses called "pumps" cause excitations in the superconducting films, which are then probed by measuring the film reflectance with a second light pulse -- this is called a pump-probe process. The second pulse is delayed by precise time intervals, and the series of measurements allow the lifetime of the excitation to be determined.

In a more sophisticated variant of the technique, largely pioneered by Gedik, the standard single pump beam is replaced by two beams hitting the surface from different sides simultaneously. This generates a standing wave of controlled wavelength in the film, but it disappears rapidly as the electrons relax back into their original state.

This technique was applied to the atomically perfect LaSrCuO films synthesized at Brookhaven Lab. In films with a critical temperature of 26 degrees Kelvin (the threshold beyond which the superconductivity breaks down), the researchers discovered two new short-lived excitations -- both caused by fluctuating CDWs.

Gedik's technique even allowed the researchers to record the lifetime of CDW fluctuations -- just 2 picoseconds (a millionth of a millionth of a second) under the coldest conditions and becoming briefer as the temperatures rose. These waves then vanished entirely at about 100 Kelvin, actually surviving at much higher temperatures than superconductivity.

Ruling out a Suspect

The researchers then hunted for those same signatures in cuprate films with slightly different chemical compositions and a greater density of mobile electrons. The results were both unexpected and significant for the future of HTS research.

"Interestingly, the superconducting sample with the highest critical temperature, about 39 Kelvin, showed no CDW signatures at all," Gedik said.

The consistent emergence of CDWs would have bolstered the conjecture that they play an essential role in high-temperature superconductivity. Instead, the new technique's successful detection of such electron waves in one sample but not in another (with even higher critical temperature) indicates that another mechanism must be driving the emergence of HTS.

"Results like this bring us closer to understanding the mystery of HTS, considered by many to be one of the greatest problems in physics today," Bozovic said. "The source of this extraordinary phenomenon is slowly but surely running out of places to hide."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory.

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

---

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/R3e5kmat5ag/130224142911.htm

mega millions winner holy thursday chris stewart evo 4g lte marlins new stadium arnold palmer augusta national

Kim Kardashian: I Always Thought Marriage Came Before Baby

"This is where I probably always should have been ... [marriage] is something I know that we both want in our future, but I don?t have this sense of urgency about it," she says.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/GvPUjvCuQLs/

octomom dan savage new world trade center kellen moore ryan braun bryce harper may day

CSU women?s basketball loss at New Mexico follows familiar script

By Haleigh Hamblin
February 23, 2013

Saturday night must have felt like deja vu for the CSU women?s basketball team.

Traveling to the Pit to take on 13-11 New Mexico, the Rams came in on a 2 game win streak against Air Force and UNLV.

It seemed like it was just yesterday that CSU played New Mexico at home and fell to double digits in the second half in January.The Rams fell 56-71 New Mexico in Albuquerque, which dropped their record to 9-16 overall and 5-7 in the Mountain West.

In both games against the Lobos, the Rams fell after a strong first five minutes and were unable to counter the deficit in the second half.

CSU trailed 9-10 with 15:53 left in the first half, but New Mexico went on a 9-3 run over the next two and a half minutes to establish some breathing room.

Looking for a comeback with 3:45 left in the second half, CSU could not overcome the 65-50 deficit and ended up 15 points down.

New Mexico made 48.2 percent of its shots from the field compared to the Rams? 35.4 percent.

?I thought we answered really well,? CSU coach Ryun Williams said. ?They were shooting like crazy.?

Sophomore Antiesha Brown lead the Lobos with 16 points on the night on 6-11 shooting.

Giving a lot of credit to New Mexico and their explosive drives on offense, CSU looks forward to their next against on the road against Mountain West second place Fresno State.

?We didn?t score consistently in the second half,? Williams said. ?I am proud of the team? need to work on offense and defense in the upcoming game.?

Freshman Caitlin Duffy scored 17 points to bounce back from a nine point showing in the team?s initial meeting. She hit four of eight shots from behind the arc and had three rebounds.

?I wish I could have hit a few more,? Duffy said. ?Towards the end of the season it is nice to grow and make those extra shots, but it is a lot better to win.?

New Mexico now moves to a 14-11 overall record and 6-6 in the Mountain West, controlling the fourth spot in the league standings.

Next, CSU will travel to Fresno State to take on the second place team in the MW.

?Tough teams and need a tough mentality,? junior Sam Martin said. ?Need to look past this.?

About Haleigh Hamblin

Collegian writer Haleigh Hamblin is majoring in Journalism and Technical Communications with a minor in Political Science. She can be reached at news@collegian.com

Source: http://www.collegian.com/2013/02/23/csu-womens-basketball-loss-at-new-mexico-follows-familiar-script/

john derbyshire kinkade thomas kinkade paintings easter bunny navy jet crash virginia beach isiah thomas passover

LSU Alumnus Lonnie J. Dore Appointed to College?s Advisory Board

BATON ROUGE ? Lonnie J. Dore, former vice president of sales and vice president of information technology with Kellogg?s, has been appointed to LSU University College?s Advisory Board.

?I am excited to be named to University College?s Advisory Board,? Dore said. ?LSU helped me lay down a solid foundation that helped me throughout my business career. I truly do not think I would have been half as successful without gaining my experience and education from our great university. After 36-years in the work place, I am excited to help young people achieve their goals. I believe we are very lucky to have such a great university in our state that really cares for its students. I look forward to giving back to LSU and University College as it afforded me a solid foundation to start my professional career.?

LSU University College?s Advisory Board is comprised of 26 business executives and community leaders. It is a strong and active board, and members participate in a number of activities and events, such as an Annual Meeting and Pigskin Preview hosted by LSU Football Coach Les Miles, selection of University College?s more than 50 scholarship recipients, and host/hostess to various LSU recruitment receptions.

?Lon Dore, an accomplished alumnus of LSU, has shared his enthusiasm for University College and the programs we offer. I am delighted to have him join our advisory board. His professional experience and perspective as a former student will be a solid foundation for his support and involvement,? said Paul Ivey, executive director of LSU University College.

Dore, LSU 1976 graduate of the General College, began his industrious 34-year career at Kellogg?s as a retail sales representative with great accomplishments managing international sales in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Dore held many notable positions with Kellogg?s and oversaw a USA retail team of 325 sales professionals. In 2010, Dore retired from Kellogg?s and returned to Louisiana as vice president of sales for Bruce Foods.

Dore enjoys his life in Louisiana with his lovely wife of 35-years, Carol Simpson Dore, a LSU 1977 graduate of the General College.? Carol too held many professionals positions, yet her devotion lies with community activism and volunteerism. She spends a great deal of time contributing to the Episcopal Church, serving as Sunday School teacher to Senior Warden.? Other organizations she has supported through decades of volunteer service include the PTA, Band Boosters, Village De Bon Temps Mardi Gras Krewe, Junior Theater Board, Painted Chair Fundraiser, Student Council Advisor Board, and Make a Difference Day. Carol was honored as Sustainer of the Year for her devotion to developing women as community leaders in the Junior League.

Lon and Carol Dore have two daughters, Ann and Christine, and recently celebrated the birth of their first grandchild, Caroline Christine.

Since 1933, LSU University College has served as the portal of entry for students enrolled at LSU. Academic and personal success is the hallmark of a well-rounded student, and University College provides a foundation of support services for students beginning their academic careers at LSU. University College has two enrollment divisions: The Center for Freshman Year and The Center for Advising and Counseling. Additionally, University College offers retention-specific programs: Student Support Services, Ronald E. McNair Research Scholars, and Summer Scholars. These academic support programs focus on particular student populations and are a significant part of the role and mission of University College.

For more information on LSU University College, visit www.uc.lsu.edu or follow the conversation at www.facebook.com/LSU.UniversityCollege.

?

Copyright 2013?WAFB. All rights reserved.

Source: http://ebreast.wafb.com/news/news/56899-lsu-alumnus-lonnie-j-dore-appointed-colleges-advisory-board

Colorado Shooting News joe paterno British Open MC Chris Colorado shooting suspect accuweather Finding Nemo 2

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)

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)

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

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

leap year moratorium dwts season 14 cast leap day michigan primary results olympia snowe davey jones dead

WATCH: Gay Couple Turned Away By Wedding Venue 'Because Of God'

A Texas-based gay couple is crying foul after they say they were turned down by a reception venue who refused to host their forthcoming wedding.

As WFAA News 8 reports, Ben Allen and Justin Hudgins hoped to book a reception for 150 guests at the All Occasion Party Place near Fort Worth. But the couple says they were told by phone and email that the venue wouldn't host a same-sex wedding.

?It is because of God that I will not be a part in your reception, and I know he loves you, but not what you are doing,? All Occasion Party Place employee Robin Hearne is quoted by the news channel as having written to Hudgins in an e-mail. ?I simply said I can not rent to you which is also my right.?

The couple, who will tie the knot in Mexico on April 6, say they were "floored" by the encounter.

"It almost felt like a sucker-punch to the face," Allen told NBCNFW. "I thought, in today's day and age, for someone to deny you simply because you date someone of the same sex, it doesn't really make sense to me."

As NBCNFW points out, the All Occasion Party Place is located outside the Fort Worth city limits, and therefore doesn't fall under the city's anti-discrimination code. Still, the case has nonetheless sparked the ire of local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights advocates.

Notes Chuck Smith of Equality Texas, "Refusing to provide services or public accommodations to anyone solely because of their sexual orientation or gender identity is wrong."

Allen and Hudgins' case follows that of an Oregon-based lesbian couple, who were turned away by a local bakery after they sought a wedding cake.

"I apologized for wasting their time and said we don?t do same-sex marriages,? Sweet Cakes by Melissa owner Aaron Klein is quoted by KATU as saying. ?I honestly did not mean to hurt anybody, didn?t mean to make anybody upset, [it?s] just something I believe in very strongly.?

In October 2012, a New York-based lesbian couple were similarly turned away by a rural farm where they hoped to tie the knot.

Robert Gifford, who owns Liberty Ridge Farm with his wife Cynthia, confirmed the news, telling WNYT: "I think it's our right to choose who we market to, like any business...we are a family business, and we just feel we ought to stay down the family path."

Also on HuffPost:

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

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/22/ben-allen-justin-hudgins-texas-gay-reception-hall_n_2741503.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices

Zayn Malik miss america 2013 Oscar Nominations oscars ABC Family social security social security

The mystery above: Military's X-37B mission

ULA

An Atlas 5 rocket blasts off on Dec. 11, 2012, beginning the Air Force's third X-37B classified space plane mission.

By Leonard David
Space.com

The U.S. Air Force's mysterious X-37B space plane is quietly chalking up mileage in space more than two months after its latest launch into orbit.

The robotic?X-37B space plane?soared into orbit atop an Atlas 5 rocket from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Dec. 11. The mini-shuttle's mission is known as Orbital Test Vehicle-3 (OTV-3), since it is the third classified mission under the Air Force's X-37B program.

How long OTV-3 will remain in Earth orbit is unknown. The hush-hush?space plane?mission is officially on Air Force space tracking books as USA-240.

"The mission is ongoing," Air Force Maj. Eric Badger, a spokesman for the X-37B program, told Space.com. "As with previous missions, the actual duration will depend on test objectives, on-orbit vehicle performance and conditions at the landing facility." [Photos: U.S. Military's X-37B Space Plane]

NASA / MSFC

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center image shows on-orbit functions for the reusable X-37 space plane, now under the wing of the U.S. Air Force.

A new reusable space plane
The current flight under way has attained one known major milestone ? that of reusability.

This same vehicle was flown on the maiden voyage in the X-37B program back in 2010. That OTV-1 mission lasted nearly 225 days in orbit and then zoomed back to Earth on autopilot over the Pacific Ocean, gliding down onto a specially prepared runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The OTV-2 mission, which used a different X-37B vehicle, also made a Vandenberg touchdown on June 16 of last year after remaining in orbit for 469 days, more than doubling its sister ship?s stay.

There's a possibility that OTV-3 may not land in Vandenberg. There have been discussions about bringing the space plane down at the space shuttle landing strip at NASA's?Kennedy Space Center, next door to Cape Canaveral, as a possible cost-cutting measure.

"The possibility of using the former shuttle infrastructure for future X-37B landing operations is still being investigated," Badger said.

Boeing

Stretching 29 feet in length and weighing 11,000 pounds, the second Boeing-built X-37B became the longest on-orbit space vehicle on June 16, 2012 when it completed a 469-day mission with an autonomous landing at Vandenberg Air Force Station in California.

Space test platform
The X-37B looks a bit like a miniature?space shuttle. The vehicle is 29 feet (8.8 meters) long and 15 feet (4.5 m) wide, with a payload bay about the size of a pickup truck bed.

Only two X-37B space planes have been constructed for the Air Force by Boeing Government Space Systems, officials say. Flights of the space plane are conducted under the auspices of the Air Force?s Rapid Capabilities Office.

According to an Air Force fact sheet, the Rapid Capabilities Office is working on the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle "to demonstrate a reliable, reusable, unmanned space test platform for the United States Air Force."

Mission control is handled by the 3rd Space Experimentation Squadron, 21st Space Wing, of the Air Force Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Skywatcher insight
While little is known regarding what OTV-3 is toting in its cargo bay, amateur skywatchers offer some insight into the mission.

"All does seem quiet," said Ted Molczan of Toronto, a leader in an ever-vigilant, worldwide satellite sleuthing network.

"OTV-3 remains in its initial orbit, maintaining altitude with periodic engine firings," Molczan told Space.com. "Unlike the first two missions, its ground track does not closely repeat at the frequent intervals that would suggest an imaging reconnaissance mission."

Confusion and speculation
While missions of X-37B remain obscure, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., criticizes the program as a less-than-cost-effective way to conduct space activities.

UCS space experts assert that, while the space plane is versatile and capable, there are better, more efficient and more cost-effective ways of carrying out the X-37B's possible missions.

"And because it is an Air Force project and its details are classified, the plane has generated confusion, speculation and, in some cases, concern about its actual purpose" a UCS document issued prior to the OTV-3 mission launch said.

Leonard David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. He is former director of research for the National Commission on Space and a past editor-in-chief of the National Space Society's Ad Astra and Space World magazines. He has written for Space.com since 1999.Follow Space.com on Twitter?@Spacedotcom. We're also on?Facebook?and?Google+.?

Copyright 2013 Space.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/22/17057900-the-mystery-above-militarys-x-37b-mission?lite

halo 4 jewel san francisco earthquake san francisco earthquake terminator salvation terminator salvation deron williams

Boeing proposes full 787 battery fix to FAA

Reuters ? ? ? 4 hrs.

Boeing gave U.S. aviation regulators its plan to fix the volatile battery aboard its new 787 Dreamliner on Friday, even before investigators know what caused the batteries to overheat on two planes last month.

Boeing will not propose abandoning the lithium-ion batteries, however, and is not working on a backup or longer-term fix for the problem that has grounded its entire fleet of 50 787 Dreamliners, three sources familiar with the plan said.

The proposal, made to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, includes specific measures aimed at addressing possible causes of short-circuits that prompted one of the lithium-ion batteries on board a 787 to catch fire at a Boston airport in January, the sources said. A second battery smoldered during a flight in Japan a few days later, leading to an emergency landing and evacuation.

The proposal includes insulation between the cells of the battery and a stronger, stainless steel box with a venting tube to contain a fire and expel fumes outside the aircraft should a battery catch fire again, the sources said.

"I have talked to a number of people who are working directly on these batteries. No one is on the Plan-B team," said a person familiar with Boeing's efforts who was not authorized to speak publicly about them.

Boeing's proposal to the FAA is not a temporary "band-aid" that would be supplanted by another solution later, said a second source, who also was not authorized to speak publicly.

The FAA said in a statement Friday that it is reviewing Boeing's proposal. "The safety of the flying public is our top priority and we won?t allow the 787 to return to commercial service until we?re confident that any proposed solution has addressed the battery failure risks," the statement said.

Boeing declined to comment specifically on its proposal, and reiterated that hundreds of engineers and technical experts are working "around the clock" to return the 787 fleet to service. "Everyone is working to get to the answer as quickly as possible and good progress is being made," spokesman Marc Birtel said.

Five weeks after U.S. authorities grounded the worldwide fleet of 787s, U.S., Japanese and French investigators are still not certain what caused the battery fire aboard an All Nippon Airways 787 in Boston and an overheated, smoking battery on a Japan Airlines 787 in Japan.

The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the Boston fire and the Japan Transportation Safety Board is investigating the battery failure in Japan. Neither have found a root cause for the problems.

The sources said it is possible the NTSB might never determine the root cause.

Information from NBC News was included in this report.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/boeing-proposes-full-787-battery-fix-faa-1C8504962

associated press foster friess new orleans hornets ghost rider spirit of vengeance hornets prince johan friso windows 8 logo