Monday, April 22, 2013

Newtown families: We'll keep fighting for gun law

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Disappointment. Disgust. Grossly unfair.

That's how some families who lost loved ones in December's massacre at a Connecticut elementary school view the Senate's defeat this past week of the most far-reaching gun control legislation in two decades, as they pledged to keep fighting for measures to prevent gun violence.

Neil Heslin, Erica Lafferty and Carlee Soto were among the Newtown, Conn., family members who spent a week on Capitol Hill describing how their loved ones died at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14. But their stories of horror and heroism were no match for a threat from the National Rifle Association to rate the vote, and concern from Republicans and a small band of rural-state Democrats.

Lafferty, whose mother, school principal Dawn Hochsprung, lunged unarmed at the gunman to stop him from firing the assault weapon, said she was "honestly disgusted that there were so many senators that are doing nothing about the fact that my mom was gunned down in her elementary school, along with five other educators and 20 6- and 7-year-old children."

The Senate rejected on Wednesday a series of gun control bills that would have tightened background checks for buyers, banned assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, and loosened restrictions on carrying concealed weapons across state lines, the last measure backed by the NRA.

Within hours of the votes, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords accused senators who opposed the new regulations of "cowardice" in a piece published in the New York Times' op-ed page. Giffords was among 13 people wounded two years ago when a lone gunman opened fire as she met with constituents in a Tucson, Ariz., shopping mall, killing six others. She and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, had lobbied for the bills' passage.

On CBS' "Face the Nation," moderator Bob Schieffer asked Heslin, Lafferty and Soto Sunday whether the words "cowardice" and "cowards" were appropriate to describe Wednesday's vote.

"I do," said Heslin, who's 6-year-old son Neil Lewis died at Sandy Hook. "I feel they're not standing up for what they should be."

Carlee Soto, recounted her sister Victoria's courage to try to save her students, Neil Lewis among them.

"My sister wasn't a coward that day. My sister pushed the kids up against the wall, out of sight," she said, adding, "She protected her kids. Why aren't they protecting us?" referring to the senators who voted against the gun bills.

The families say the gun legislation would have strengthened laws already in effect rather than undercut the Second Amendment, which provides a constitutional right to bear arms.

"It's beyond me how these congressmen cannot stand up and support something that would prevent ? or help prevent ? something like this from ever occurring again," Heslin said.

"We aren't going to go away. I know I'm not," he added. "We're not going to stop until there are changes that are made."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/newtown-families-well-keep-fighting-gun-law-175611300.html

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Clippers beat Grizzlies 112-91 in playoff opener

Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph shoots under pressure by Los Angeles Clippers forward Lamar Odom during the first half of Game 1 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Los Angeles, Saturday, April 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph shoots under pressure by Los Angeles Clippers forward Lamar Odom during the first half of Game 1 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Los Angeles, Saturday, April 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul, left, tries to get past Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley during the first half of Game 1 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series in Los Angeles, Saturday, April 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin, second from left, goes up for a shot as Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph, left, and center Marc Gasol, right, of Spain, defends while guard Tony Allen looks on during the first half of Game 1 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Los Angeles, Saturday, April 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol shoots against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half of Game 1 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Los Angeles, Saturday, April 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

(AP) ? The Los Angeles Clippers played above the rim, not enough to live up to their Lob City moniker but enough to beat Memphis at its own rebounding game.

Chris Paul led seven players in double figures with 23 points, Eric Bledsoe had 15 and the Clippers dominated the boards in a 112-91 victory over the Grizzlies in their Western Conference playoff opener on Saturday.

Chauncey Billups scored 14 points, and Caron Butler and Jamal Crawford had 13 apiece on a night when Blake Griffin was held to 10 points and five rebounds before fouling out with 3:32 left. The high-flying Clippers had just one dunk, but enjoyed a 47-23 advantage on the glass.

"I just decided not to dunk that often," Paul said, jokingly. "Just shoot floaters. I don't know what Blake's problem was."

Griffin bantered back, saying, "I just wanted to foul."

"They're tough inside and in the end our guys made shots. We don't live for the dunk. It just happens sometimes ? a lot of the time," he said.

Just not this time.

Griffin missed a dunk in the first quarter, when Tony Allen and Ed Davis had Memphis' only two. DeAndre Jordan's driving one-handed slam midway through the fourth was the Clippers' first, and the big man's first and only basket of the game.

"We were able to get in front of them before they take off," said Jerryd Bayless, who led the Grizzlies with 19 points.

Marc Gasol had 16 points and two rebounds, and Zach Randolph had 13 points and four boards in the rematch of last year's first-round series, won by the Clippers in seven games. Randolph finished with five fouls and Bayless was one of four Grizzlies with four fouls.

"That's not acceptable," Gasol said about the rebounding difference. "Once we made a stop, they kept running in and getting offensive rebounds and second-chance points. We have to be better than that. The rebounds were the difference."

Game 2 is Monday night at Staples Center.

"We've got to really, really step up and execute better," Gasol said. "They cannot outhustle us."

The Grizzlies closed within a point early in the fourth on a 3-pointer by former Clipper Keyon Dooling. Los Angeles answered with a 15-3 run to go up 92-79, equaling the 13-point lead it had in the first half. Eric Bledsoe, who had seven points, opened and closed the spurt with layups as the reserves helped the Clippers outscore the Grizzlies 37-22 in the period.

"Bled is that blur," Paul said. "It gave us more versatility. They didn't know who to guard."

The game was slowed by the referees, who called Memphis for 29 fouls and the Clippers 28.

Memphis owned a 48-46 edge in scoring in the paint, while the Clippers dominated 25-5 in second-chance points.

Griffin and Randolph staged a wrestling match within the game. Griffin said his back, which had spasms in the regular-season finale on Wednesday, felt good.

"I'm ready for however many games it's going to take," Griffin said. "If that's the way he wants to play, let's do it."

Randolph said: "It's not that big of a deal right now. We want to win the next one. If we can't win the next one, then it's a big deal."

The Grizzlies never led, and it didn't help that Randolph picked up two fouls and Mike Conley Jr. had three in the first half. Besides Griffin, Jordan had four fouls, while Matt Barnes, Lamar Odom and Ronny Turiaf had three apiece for the Clippers.

"They had two or three guys going to the glass every time," Conley said. "They were jumping over us and using their athleticism."

Paul scored his team's first seven points in the third, extending the lead to 64-53.

The Clippers led 57-51 at halftime after Barnes tipped in Paul's miss just before the buzzer. They led by 13 points early in the second before the Grizzlies cut it to two points twice in the final 1:24.

NOTES: The Clippers have won eight straight games, including their final seven of the regular season. ... Los Angeles is in the playoffs for the second straight year, the first time that's happened since 1991-92 and 1992-93. ... Memphis led the NBA in points allowed with 89.5 per game in the regular season.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-21-BKN-Grizzlies-Clippers/id-df917072b05645caac2294653fb5dbe1

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90% Beyond The Hills

All Critics (77) | Top Critics (30) | Fresh (69) | Rotten (8)

The final shot, with windshield wipers struggling to clean away a torrent of muddy water, suggests that no human agency is great enough to handle this world's misery.

"Beyond the Hills" seethes with astonishment and rage at a broken society marooned between the 21st century and the 16th.

It is a haunting movie, dealing with superstitions, possession, even exorcism, one in which Mungiu poses no easy answers, because there are none to be found.

If you long for the bleak intelligence of an Ingmar Bergman film, where humankind is deeply flawed and God is indifferently silent and the landscape is cloaked in perpetual winter, then Beyond the Hills promises to be your cup of despair.

There are no easy villains or heroes in this sad and slow but forcefully told tale, which exhibits the same humanity Mungiu brought to 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, his abortion drama that won the 2007 Palme d'Or.

A film that asks its viewer to consider the nature of good and evil, love and trust - and trust that turns into something like blind faith.

(Writer-director Christian) Mungiu balances his film's more disturbing content with peaceful shots of the idyllic, surrounding countryside and of intimacy between the two women while slowly building to an inevitable conclusion.

When the ill and unstable Alina returns to the monastery, just so she can be with her beloved, Beyond the Hills becomes a species of those exorcism movies that audiences gorge on, only done with a realism and ambiguity usually missing from the genre.

What makes this movie unique is that it holds literally everyone in the film accountable for the unfortunate goings on.

It's an exorcism movie for everyone who thought, after Mungiu's gruelling abortion buddy-movie 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, that this guy should do an exorcism movie

It's an enigmatic and austere film from a region where political, sexual and religious repression are as stifling as the sooty air.

Mungui's rigorous approach to filmmaking isn't a ton of fun to watch, but his ideas stick with you.

It delivers an emotional punch, in what its director has called a story about the sin of indifference.

Such is the rigorous and high-minded nature of Romanian cinema that even a real-life exorcism story can inspire something loftier than a horror movie.

Heartbreak at a Romanian convent

...Cristian Mungiu has taken a real life event...to consider deeply human philosophies such as freedom vs. discipline, love vs. security, the choices facing those without financial recourse and the hypocrisies of organized religions.

I found it riveting to watch and fascinating to think about afterwards.

An undeniably tough watch.

Stark, deadpan, and darkly dry.

With this viscerally involving drama, acclaimed Romanian filmmaker Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) tells another strikingly original story of women caught between old and new world beliefs.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/beyond_the_hills_2012/

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Sunday, April 21, 2013

Gillmor Gang Live 04.20.13 | TechCrunch

Gillmor Gang ? Robert Scoble, Kevin Marks, John Taschek, and Steve Gillmor. Recording for today has concluded. Check Techcrunch soon for replay.


Robert Scoble is an American blogger, technical evangelist, and author. He is best known for his popular blog, Scobleizer, which came to prominence during his tenure as a technical evangelist at Microsoft. Scoble joined Microsoft in 2003, and although he often promoted Microsoft products like Tablet PCs and Windows Vista, he also frequently criticized his own employer and praised its competitors like Apple and Google. Scoble is the author of Naked Conversations, a book on how blogs are changing...

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Kevin Marks is a software engineer. Kevin served as an evangelist for OpenSocial and as a software engineer at Google. In June 2009 he announced his resignation. From September 2003 to January 2007 he was Principal Engineer at Technorati responsible for the spiders that make sense of the web and track millions of blogs daily. He has been inventing and innovating for over 17 years in emerging technologies where people, media and computers meet. Before joining Technorati,...

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John Taschek is vice president of strategy at salesforce.com. He is responsible for corporate product strategy, corporate intelligence and market influence. Taschek came to company in 2003, bringing over 20 years of technology evaluation experience. Taschek currently is also the editorial director for CloudBlog - an independent blog run as an adjunct to salesforce.com?s web properties. He occasionally is on Steve Gillmor?s The Gillmor Gang enterprise web video-cast. Previously, Taschek ran the testing labs at eWEEK (formerly PC Week) magazine....

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Steve Gillmor is a technology commentator, editor, and producer in the enterprise technology space. He is Head of Technical Media Strategy at salesforce.com and a TechCrunch contributing editor. Gillmor previously worked with leading musical artists including Paul Butterfield, David Sanborn, and members of The Band after an early career as a record producer and filmmaker with Columbia Records? Firesign Theatre. As personal computers emerged in video and music production tools, Gillmor started contributing to various publications, most notably Byte Magazine,...

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Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/20/gillmor-gang-live-04-20-13/

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Saturday, April 20, 2013

The Globe's front page (Washington Post)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/300381768?client_source=feed&format=rss

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BISHOP ADVOCATES FOR PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH

Special to the Journal

WASHINGTON, D.C. ? Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA) spearheaded a bipartisan letter with Congressman Peter King (R-NY) in support of the Department of Defense (DoD) Peer-Reviewed Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP). The funds will be directed to identify new methods to diagnose prostate cancer, develop new targeted Medicare and vaccines, and increase access to clinical trials. Seventy-one of his colleagues, including Congressman King, signed the letter in support of the initiative.

(File photo)

?The Peer-Reviewed Prostate Cancer Research Program has produced some of the most cutting edge research on prostate cancer in the United States,? said Congressman Bishop. ?Without sufficient funding, this innovative and vital program will be unable to conduct important clinical trials that will help to translate the program?s important research into treatments for the disease.?

This year, nearly 238,590 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and over 29,000 men will die from the disease. African American men are at special risk for the disease, with the highest rate of prostate cancer in the world. Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed non-skin cancer in the United States and the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men. Although prostate cancer results in 15 percent of cancer deaths in men annually, only 5 percent of our nation?s cancer research budget is devoted to the study of this disease.

Since 1996, the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee has been instrumental in advancing prostate cancer research by funding the DoD Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program for prostate cancer. The DoD has a long history of performing medical research studies and because of its administrative structure has demonstrated an ability to be flexible and quickly adjust responses to changing needs and priorities. The PCRP is the gold standard in prostate cancer research and an integral part of the national fight against this deadly disease.

To read the letter to the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, please click here.

Source: http://thealbanyjournal.com/2013/04/bishop-advocates-for-prostate-cancer-research/

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90% Caesar Must Die

All Critics (42) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (38) | Rotten (4)

There's barely a wasted moment in the film, which runs a brisk 76 minutes and contains no female roles.

There's an intensity and emotional accuracy to the performances that's just stunning, particularly Striano's Brutus, as he longs for death and release.

It's an arresting, playful and moving film ...

Prison theatricals are nothing new in the movies, but Caesar Must Die, a quasi-documentary featuring hardened convicts acting out Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, is in a class by itself.

Ranks among the most involving adaptations of Shakespeare ever put on screen ...

What works best is what's readily accessible, the startling power of performers who understand the drama all too well.

Destined to lose years in prison, the actors seem to take pride -- and solace -- in their association with something as seemingly immortal as Shakespeare's words.

As they find issues and themes they can relate to, the action is never remotely static despite the frequent nature of the close-ups and the plastic sword.

The problem with the film, which somewhat inexplicably won the Golden Bear at Berlin last year, is that it scarcely transcends the basic novelty of its premise.

The juxtaposition of Shakespearean text and prison cell life is a particularly poignant one.

It is difficult to understand exactly where documentary ends and fiction begins, but the finale, again in colour, of the triumphant first night of the production can't fail to move.

It's never anything less than interesting, though I felt it didn't quite fulfil its potential, and the repetition of material at the beginning and end is disconcerting.

It is uncanny how Italy's film-makers keep failing to nail, or effectively to satirise, their country's strident political shortcomings.

Deeply felt melancholy lingers long after the credits roll.

Delivers a compelling and considered take on immemorial themes.

[It] has plenty of wit and punch, although compared to the best of the medium - Man On Wire, for instance - it sometimes comes off as guileless and clunky.

[An] inventive, urgent and humane prison drama, in which real-life Mafia and Camorra prisoners act in a version of Julius Caesar.

If you're looking for an adventurous thought-provoking film, "Caesar Must Die" more than fits the bill.

In just 76 minutes, the Taviani brothers treat us to a deeply affecting adaptation of this ancient play, embedded with even deeper meaning on account of its unconventional stars.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/caesar_must_die_2012/

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Friday, April 19, 2013

PFT: Revis' return? Bucs-Jets set for Week 1

Denver Broncos v New England PatriotsGetty Images

Schedule-release day! It?s one of the sneaky-good pro football events of the year.

When I ponder the schedule, I look for clues for where a team may soar, wobble or plummet. The following 12 games all look like they could teach us something important about the teams on the field. I generally focused on games earlier in the season than later; it?s tough enough to speculate on how a team could play in September, but projecting a team?s late-December form is even more challenging.

Here are 12 games that particularly interest me:

49ers at Seahawks (Sept. 15) ? Appointment viewing. End of story. To paraphrase Mike Mayock, put on the tape of Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick from the postseason. Just do it. I?ll be watching for many reasons, but mainly to see whether either West power looks significantly better than the other.

Giants at Panthers (Sept. 22) ??This is the sort of game the upstart Panthers will win if they are going anywhere. And it?s precisely the sort of game Tom Coughlin?s team pulls out when in top form.

Lions at Packers (Oct. 6) ??The Lions have the offensive might to give any defense fits and were a legitimate playoff entrant two years ago. Can they bounce back after a disappointing 2012 performance? This looks like a big class test for them.

Seahawks at Colts (Oct. 6) ??I love out-of-conference battles between two talented clubs. A win for either team is a real nice item to have on the r?sum?. The Seahawks are capable of winning in a tough venue, but the Colts were very, very tough at home a season go.

Redskins at Cowboys (Oct. 13) ? Dallas did not fare well in its first two tries against Robert Griffin III and Alfred Morris.

Eagles at Buccaneers (Oct. 13) ? The Buccaneers had a strong run defense a season ago, and the Eagles? Chip Kelly-designed offense is talent- and potential-laden. This should be fun.

Ravens at Steelers (Oct. 20) ? For years, this has been one of the NFL?s compelling rivalries, and doesn?t figure to change in 2013, not with Baltimore the depending champion and Pittsburgh trying to regain its footing among the AFC elite.?The Steelers won in Baltimore last season, one of the highlights of a disappointing campaign.

Dolphins at Patriots (Oct. 27) ??Last year, the Bills were the chic pick to make a run at New England?s AFC East supremacy. This year, the Dolphins are the East sleeper. Can Miami live up to the hype? The Dolphins are likely to be underdogs in Foxborough; if that?s the case, how the Dolphins play may trump whether they win or lose, in my view. If the Dolphins give a strong Patriots team a game, it?s a good sign for Miami.

Colts at Texans (Nov. 3) ??For the Texans, getting to the playoffs doesn?t constitute great success anymore. For the Colts, a step backwards after a surprising 2012 season would be a big disappointment.

Chiefs at Broncos (Nov. 17) ??Who?s going to push Denver in the AFC West? Kansas City might have the best shot. Let?s see how the Chiefs measure up.

Saints at Falcons (Nov. 21) ? A weakened Saints team managed to split the season series in 2012. Now, Sean Payton is back, and New Orleans could be ready to seriously contend once again in the NFC South. With both teams again likely to field strong offenses, the play of the defenses could tell the tale.

Broncos at Patriots (Nov. 24) ? Including the playoffs, this is the fourth meeting between the teams in the last three seasons ? and Denver has had no good answers for New England?s powerful offense. The Patriots have won all three meetings, averaging 39 points in the victories. The Broncos have the ability to be strong contenders, but their problems with the Patriots can?t be overlooked.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/18/return-of-revis-bucs-at-jets-set-for-week-one/related/

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Thursday, April 18, 2013

'Man Of Steel' Trailer: Is Superman Finally Getting It Right?

Everyone loves the trailers for the reboot, so here's our take on why Zack Snyder is escaping the snark.
By Kevin P. Sullivan


Henry Cavill in "Man of Steel"
Photo: Warner Bros

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1705842/man-of-steel-trailer-new.jhtml

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PFT: Pat Summerall dies at age 82

St. Louis Rams v Pittsburgh SteelersGetty Images

The Bills are moving Aaron Williams from cornerback to safety.

Talk is heading up that the Dolphins may try to trade up from No. 12 to draft Oklahoma OT Lane Johnson.

The Patriots still have high hopes for TE Jake Ballard, but they?re taking it slowly 14 months after he suffered a serious knee injury in the Super Bowl.

Calvin Pace is back with the Jets, and they think he can help mentor the younger defensive players.

Ravens DE Chris Canty is speaking out about preventing domestic violence.

The Bengals have some doubts about whether LB James Harrison can make the transition into their 4-3 defense after playing in a 3-4 with the Steelers throughout his career.

Browns offensive coordinator Norv Turner hopes he can do for Trent Richardson in Cleveland what he did for Emmitt Smith in Dallas.

Notre Dame TE Tyler Eifert could be the Steelers? target with the 17th overall pick in the draft.

The Texans would like to draft a receiver with a ?wow factor.?

Colts QB Chandler Harnish will give up No. 8 for Matt Hasselbeck after Hasselbeck agreed to give $8,000 to Harnish?s favorite charity as part of a bet that included Harnish hitting a half-court shot.

Jaguars coach Gus Bradley likes what he sees from QB Blaine Gabbert.

Titans CB Jason McCourty and his twin brother, Patriots DB Devin McCourty, are raising awareness for a campaign against sickle cell disease.

Said QB Peyton Manning of the atmosphere at the Broncos? offseason workouts, ?I know that John Elway wants to sort of set a kind of an attitude and an edge around here ? kind of an uncomfortable atmosphere around here which is something I believe in. Last year was good, but it wasn?t great. We?re looking for that great season and to finish off with a championship season. We have so much work that we have to do.?

Asked about the absence of LT Branden Albert, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, ?I understand the business. But we don?t really concentrate on the guys that aren?t here. We concentrate on the guys that are.?

Former Raiders coach Jon Gruden thinks G.M. Reggie McKenzie is laying the foundation for the team to turn things around.

Chargers G.M. Tom Telesco thinks this is a uniquely unpredictable year in the Top 10 of the draft.

The Cowboys are still looking at RT Eric Winston.

After the death of his old Giants teammate Pat Summerall, Frank Gifford said that when you?re a football player in your 80s, you feel like you?re running out of teammates.

With all the attention in Philadelphia on coach Chip Kelly, G.M. Howie Roseman is flying under the radar.

Redskins QB Robert Griffin III will make an appearance at the team?s draft party.

The Bears are picking up the pace under new coach Marc Trestman.

Lions DE Willie Young will end up playing for less money this year than he would have made if he had signed the second-round tender offer the team originally gave him.

Packers S Jerron McMillian believes he?ll be a starter this year.

The Vikings expect to add two starters with the 23rd and 25th picks in the draft.

Five architecture firms are competing to design the Falcons? new stadium.

Former Panthers QB Jeff Lewis died of an accidental overdose of morphine and Ambien.

Saints QBs Luke McCown and Seneca Wallace will do battle for a roster spot as Drew Brees?s backup.

Buccaneers DT Gerald McCoy doesn?t want to be referred to as a Pro Bowler, because he views his selection last year as the past.

The Cardinals think they have the makings of a strong offensive line.

Alabama RB Eddie Lacy could be the man to carry the load for the Rams.

Reading the tea leaves on the schedule, it looks like the 49ers will open at home and play a Sunday afternoon game in Week One.

ESPN?s Todd McShay thinks the Seahawks? first pick (No. 56 overall) could be Missouri Southern DT Brandon Williams, Kansas State LB Arthur Brown or Connecticut CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/16/pat-summerall-dies-at-82/related/

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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Check Out Beyonce's Wild Tour Outfits!

Nobody knows how to put on a show like Beyonce. The pop star launched her Mrs. Carter World Tour in Serbia on Monday, and while the songs were familiar, the eye-popping costumes were brand new. Below, check out all of Beyonce's fresh tour looks (which we've nicknamed for our amusement --er, your convenience).

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/photos-beyonces-wild-mrs-carter-tour-costumes/1-a-533455?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aphotos-beyonces-wild-mrs-carter-tour-costumes-533455

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Oil slides below $88 per barrel

BANGKOK (AP) ? The price of oil fell below $88 a barrel Tuesday as shaky economic recoveries in China and the U.S. raise the prospect of weaker demand.

Benchmark oil for May delivery was down $1.05 to $87.66 per barrel at midday Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract dropped $2.58, or 2.8 percent, to finish at $88.71 a barrel on Monday after hitting $87.86 earlier in the session. Crude has dropped nearly 10 percent this month.

The Chinese government on Monday said growth in the world's second-largest economy slowed to 7.7 percent in the first quarter from 7.9 percent in the final quarter of last year. Growth was expected to accelerate slightly to 8 percent. Analysts have warned that China's recovery from its deepest slump since the 2008 global crisis is weak.

That slowdown, combined with weak employment and manufacturing reports from the U.S., suggests that demand won't be strong enough to absorb the ample supplies on the world market.

"This isn't a fall just because the global economy is shifting down, this is about a world that has enough oil," said Carl Larry of Oil Outlooks and Opinions in a market commentary.

Brent crude, which is used to price oil used by many U.S. refiners to make gasoline, fell $1.01 to $99.62 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

In other futures trading on the Nymex:

? Wholesale gasoline fell 2.4 cents to $2.736 a gallon.

? Heating oil dropped 2.8 cents to $2.802 a gallon.

? Natural gas rose 0.7 cent to $4.144 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oil-slides-below-88-per-barrel-055049230--finance.html

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Tuesday, April 16, 2013

ForexLive Americas Wrap: Explosions Rock Boston | Benzinga

The following article is from one of our external contributors. It does not represent the opinion of Benzinga and has not been edited.

Forex trading headlines for April 15, 2013:

Two explosions at the Boston Marathon
Gold falls $143 to $1339 -- biggest % drop since 1983
Empire Fed manufacturing index +3.05 vs +7.0 exp
Draghi says ECB doesn't have a life-preserver for failing banks
NAHB US homebuilder sentiment 42 vs 45 exp
Bill Gross doubles-down on gold, bad idea
S&P 500 down 2.3% to 1552
JPY leads, commodity FX lags

Our thoughts are with the people in Boston as we try to understand why anyone would bomb a marathon.

For those of you just waking up, the slump in markets started long before the attacks. The crushing declines in gold spread to other commodities, then stocks and then to forex.

As sentiment deteriorated, commodity currencies began to wilt. Once USD/JPY broke 97.50 the market rushed into yen.

Late in the day, news of the explosions hit and market participants scrambled into bonds and yen.

Source: http://www.benzinga.com/news/13/04/3498432/forexlive-americas-wrap-explosions-rock-boston

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Farrah Abraham: James Deen Exploited Me, Doesn't Respect Women, Has Small Junk

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/farrah-abraham-james-deen-is-exploiting-me-doesnt-respect-women/

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Monday, April 15, 2013

Iraqis prepare for first vote since US withdrawal

BAGHDAD (AP) ? Even the dead are not spared the campaigning for Iraq's upcoming local elections.

Brightly colored placards blanket major streets and hang around the vast cemetery in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, appealing to the hundreds of mourners who stream through each day.

The April 20 vote for provincial governing councils will be the first election since the U.S. military withdrawal in December 2011. Even though elections for federal positions such as prime minister and parliament are not scheduled until next year, this will nevertheless be a key test for Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's dominant political bloc.

Members of the police and army cast their ballots early in special voting on Saturday.

"I am looking for real change," said Ali Talib, a 27-year old policeman who was voting for the first time at a heavily guarded school in Baghdad. "This is the first election where we totally depend on ourselves to run and protect the election process."

The results will be an important gauge of support for various political blocs heading into 2014 national elections. Al-Maliki has not ruled out seeking a third term next year despite charges from opponents that his administration is a dictatorship in the making.

A vote without major violence would be a victory in itself for the police and army, who face a reviving al-Qaida insurgency.

Militants are making sure they are heard in the run-up to the polls. At least 13 candidates have been killed so far. In one attack earlier this month, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a lunch hosted by a Sunni candidate in the city of Baqouba. The candidate survived.

More than 8,000 candidates from a dizzying array of dozens of electoral blocs, including many little-known small parties, are in the running.

In the southern Iraqi city of Najaf, the fierce competition among them is evident. Posters of the candidates hang in the narrow spaces among the crowded tombs and mausoleum walls.

Some would-be voters, including 46-year-old retired government employee Haider Khazim, say that is in poor taste. He came across the posters while burying a relative there about a month ago.

"Even the dead become part of this electoral farce," he said.

"We know that the people running for this election are after the huge salaries, privileges and a share in (government) contracts. The last thing that crosses their mind ... is to end the suffering of the people in their provinces," Khazim added.

Public anger over poor services, corruption and dim job prospects is common across Iraq. Many cities, including the capital, lack steady electricity and suffer from crumbling streets and rickety sewage systems.

Local councils tussle with national leaders in Baghdad over how to spend money allocated to develop the provinces. Provincial councils repeatedly complain that they are tied up by restrictions issued by the central government over how to spend the funds.

That lack of progress a decade after the 2003 U.S. invasion has left many voters apathetic ? if not downright cynical.

On some Baghdad streets, vandals have removed one Arabic letter in the widely used slogan "My province first" so the defaced signs now read: "My wallet first." Satirists online have rejiggered the electoral slogan of al-Maliki's bloc from "Construction and Determination" to "Explosion and Exclusion" ? a reference to the feelings of many Sunnis that they have been marginalized by the Shiite-led government.

Candidate Murtada al-Bazouni, from al-Maliki's State of Law bloc, said he understands voters' frustrations. But he urged them to participate nonetheless, because "boycotting only means that old faces will return" to office.

The last time Iraqis voted, in national elections in 2010, al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated State of Law coalition faced a strong challenge from the Iraqiya bloc, which sought support from Sunnis as well as secular-minded Shiites.

Majority Shiites have headed the succession of Iraqi administrations that followed the ouster of Saddam Hussein and his Sunni-led regime in 2003.

Iraqiya is running in this election too, but it is now fragmented. Prominent figures such as Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi and Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq ? who previously banded with Iraqiya ? are fielding their own slates of candidates rather than running under the Iraqiya banner.

In Baghdad and the Shiite-dominated south, al-Maliki's State of Law also will face a challenge from Shiite rivals ? the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council and anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Sadrist Trend ? both of them closely allied with Shiite Iran. A strong showing by them could mobilize their political base and undermine support for al-Maliki's bloc heading into next year's national elections.

Six of the country's 18 governorates are not voting in this election.

Voters in three provinces that make up the largely autonomous northern Kurdish region, which operates its own regional government, are expected to cast ballots in local elections later this year.

Voters in the ethnically disputed and oil-rich province of Kirkuk have not had a chance to elect local officials since 2005 because residents cannot agree on a power-sharing formula there.

Iraq's Cabinet, citing security concerns, decided to postpone elections for up to six months in Sunni-dominated Anbar and Ninevah provinces, where anti-government protests have raged for months. The delay has not been welcomed by many voters and raises questions about the credibility of the vote.

So does the fact that the police and army are voting a full week before the rest of the country, which means their ballots will have to be safeguarded for a longer period of time. In the past, the police and army voted just a couple days before the general public.

Members of the security forces interviewed Saturday said their superiors encouraged them to vote, though they denied being pressured to vote for any particular bloc.

One police officer voting in Baghdad, Adnan Hameed, said he expects all of his comrades will cast ballots and many will be for al-Maliki's bloc.

"They have the strength and resolve to defeat terrorism, and they are honest people," he said.

This time around, Iraqi electoral officials will allocate seats using a new formula that more closely translates the percentage of votes into a percentage of seats, said Jose Maria Aranaz, the chief electoral adviser at the United Nations mission to Iraq.

Previously, parties that failed to reach a minimum threshold saw their votes discarded, while top vote-getters often secured a disproportionately large number of seats even if they did not win a majority outright.

"The provincial councils should be more representative, and there will be less wasted votes," Aranaz said.

Political analyst Hadi Jalo predicted that half of the more than 16 million registered voters would cast ballots. Many, he forecast, will do so out of loyalty rather than a belief that their votes will bring about meaningful change.

"Those voters believe that it is a ... duty to vote for people from their own sect or tribe," he said.

___

AP writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed.

___

Follow Adam Schreck on Twitter at http://twitter.com/adamschreck

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iraqis-prepare-first-vote-since-us-withdrawal-161950380.html

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Sunday, April 14, 2013

Police: 3 found shot to death inside Kansas home

(AP) ? Police say three people have been found shot to death inside a home in Topeka, Kan.

Topeka police Lt. Scott Gilchrist says officers and emergency medical responders arrived after getting a 911 call around 9:15 p.m. CDT Friday from a woman at the home reporting that several people had been shot. He declined to give any identifying information about the three people who were found dead, including whether they lived in the house.

Gilchrist tells the Topeka Capital-Journal (http://bit.ly/10Sm6CZ ) that police were searching for a person of interest. He says the person isn't believed to be a threat to the general public.

The city of Topeka had recorded only two homicides this year prior to Friday, the newspaper reported.

___

Information from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, http://www.cjonline.com

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-04-13-Fatal%20Shootings-Kansas/id-f11c13727e90416182d0e8b4a22b7bde

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News in Brief: Questions raised about lithium-ion cell?s claim to fame

A user?s charging habits may affect battery after all

By Andrew Grant

Web edition: April 14, 2013

Inaccurate estimates of a lithium-ion battery?s remaining juice can come from failing to fully charge and discharge the battery, a new study reports. The surprising finding, published April 14 in Nature Materials, could affect the up-and-coming electric vehicle industry, given the need for accurate estimates of how far a car owner can drive before needing to recharge.

Some rechargeable batteries, such as nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal-hydride batteries, lose capacity over time when a user repeatedly recharges them without allowing them to fully discharge. But lithium-ion batteries, which are widely used in laptops, smartphones and electric cars, were thought to be unaffected by a user?s charging habits.

Physicist Tsuyoshi Sasaki of Toyota Central R&D Labs in Japan and colleagues at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland measured the voltage across one of the electrodes as a battery repeatedly charged and discharged. After a charge that wasn?t complete, the next charge produced a surprising voltage spike. A sensor might measure that voltage blip and overestimate how much juice is left in the battery.

Fortunately this effect is manageable, says Paul Braun, a materials scientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who was not involved in the study. There is no long-term impact on the battery?s capacity, Sasaki?s team found, and fully charging the battery eliminates the anomalous voltage readings. Braun says understanding this phenomenon will allow car battery manufacturers to design better battery packs and sensors that accurately measure miles until empty.


D. Castelvecchi. Energy forest. Science News. Vol. 173, January 12, 2008, p. 30. [Go to]

A. Cunningham. Wired viruses: New electrodes could make better batteries. Science News. Vol. 169, April 8, 2006, p. 212. [Go to]

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/349648/title/News_in_Brief_Questions_raised_about_lithium-ion_cells_claim_to_fame

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5 bodies found after northern Idaho house fire

OROFINO, Idaho (AP) ? Authorities in northern Idaho say five bodies have been found inside a house that caught fire Saturday morning.

The Clearwater County Sheriff's Office says the fire was reported at 1:38 a.m. in Orofino.

Authorities say the names and ages of those killed have not been determined.

The Idaho State Fire Marshal, Orofino Police Department and Idaho State Police are investigating.

Orofino is a town of just more than 3,000 people next to the Clearwater River in a mountainous part of the state known for its rugged beauty. The house where the fire took place is just a few blocks from the river.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/5-bodies-found-northern-idaho-house-fire-222117099.html

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CuCu Diamantes Opens the 14th Havana Film Festival In New York On A Journey To Explore Cuba (VIDEO)

  • Jennifer Lopez

    Is there anyone more independent than La Lopez? We think not!

  • Shakira

    The Colombian superstar knows that in order to make a difference in the world, you have to do it yourself. Shaki is one of the greatest philanthropists of this, or any other generation!

  • Eva Longoria

    Her highly publicized divorce from Tony Parker didn't slow Eva down one bit. The "Desperate Housewives" star is now a producer and her first show ("Devious Maids") is heading to Lifetime in 2013! Eva is also a national co-chair for Barack Obama's re-election campaign. Not too shabby!

  • Penelope Cruz

    The Oscar-winning Spanish actress is a creative force to be reckoned with!

  • Cameron Diaz

    She's one of the biggest movie stars in the world and part of the reason is that the half-Cuban actress never settled for the role of "girlfriend" or "long-suffering wife." Cameron Diaz is a versatile actress and a badass on-screen and off!

  • Salma Hayek

    When Salma wanted more Latinos on TV, she took matters into her own hands and produced ABC's "Ugly Betty." She also produced the 2002 film "Frida," which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Salma is the quintessential independent woman!

  • Rebecca Lobo

    The New York Liberty Center was one of the most popular basketball players who helped launch the WNBA in its inaugural season. She's also a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.

  • Michelle Rodriguez

    Michelle dies in every movie she's in--by choice! Is there a bigger badass than the half-Puerto Rican, half-Dominican actress in Hollywood? We think not!

  • Sofia Vergara

    The Colombian star is as opinionated and outspoken in real life as she is on ABC's "Modern Family" and we love her for it!

  • Jessica Alba

    There's no harder role than being a mom and Jessica Alba is a great one!

  • Zoe Saldana

    She's the female star of the highest grossing movie of all time (James Cameron's "Avatar") as well as the big-budget "Star Trek" franchise. Translation? Zoe is a Hollywood A-lister!

  • Eva Mendes

    The beautiful Cuban actress is reportedly dating the world's sexiest man (Ryan Gosling!) but she isn't the type to depend on a man--Eva is a movie star and one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood!

  • Selena Gomez

    Like Eva, Selena has a super famous boyfriend (Justin Bieber). But Selena is an independent girl and with a hot movie career, a music career, a clothing line ("Dream Out Loud" at K-Mart) and a new perfume, Selena might just be busier than her man!

  • Demi Lovato

    Brave--that's the best way to describe the new "X-Factor" judge. Last year, Demi opened up to the world about her struggle with depression and bipolar disorder in the hopes that her story would help others. She's both independent and brave!

  • Victoria Justice

    The 19-year-old actress already has a hot career as the star of Nickelodeon's hit show "Victorious" and she's getting ready to add a debut album to her resume.

  • Bella Thorne

    She's only 14, but Bella already talks like an adult and she's great at balancing her busy career with her life as a normal, down-to-earth teenager!

  • Naya Rivera

    The half-Puerto Rican actress/singer has made it her mission to help the LGBT community by being a strong advocate for gay rights both on-screen (as Santana Lopez on "Glee") and off.

  • Jessica Sanchez

    She may not have won "American Idol" season 11, but powerhouse singer Jessica Sanchez will always be a winner to us!

  • Jasmine Villegas

    Her Twitter followers call themselves "Jasminators" and they follow Jasmine's every move. Why? Because the half-Mexican singer is sweet, talented and a great example of what it means to be an independent woman!

  • America Ferrera

    Whether she's playing the lead on a hit show ("Ugly Betty") or endorsing a candidate for President (Hillary Clinton), America Ferrera is a natural born leader and an independent thinker!

  • Aubrey Plaza

    She's simply hilarious!

  • Seychelle Gabriel

    The "Falling Skies" star is equal parts talent and beauty.

  • Madison de la Garza

    The 10-year-old "Desperate Housewives" star is wise beyond her years.

  • Alexa Vega

    The "Spy Kids" actress isn't afraid to take on challenging roles like that of real-life teenager Gaby Rodriguez, who faked her pregnancy during her senior year of high school, in the Lifetime movie "The Pregnancy Project."

  • La La Anthony

    She's married to NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony, but La La Anthony has always had her own things going on. A successful MTV VJ, La La is now an actress and she has her own cosmetics line for Afro-Latinas!

  • Josie Loren

    She stole the show on ABC Family's hit show "Make It Or Break It" as gymnast Kaylie Cruz and it's obvious why: Josie Loren is fearless!

  • Nathalia Ramos

    The star of Nickelodeon's first telenovela ("House of Anubis") Nathalia Ramos is a free spirit and one of the brightest young stars in Hollywood.

  • Maiara Walsh

    The "Desperate Housewives" star is a human rights activist, and spends much of her time volunteering and putting together community projects.

  • Sara Paxton

    She kicks major ass in movies like "Last House on the Left" and "Shark Night: 3-D," which makes sense, since Sara has a kick-ass personality in real life!

  • Dominik Garcia-Lorido

    She's Andy Garcia's daughter, but Dominik Garcia-Lorido isn't relying on her father to make her a star. The independent Latina landed a role on the Starz drama "Magic City" all on her own.

  • Francia Raisa

    Independent spirit? CHECK! "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" star is free-spirited and confident.

  • Camila Belle

    Want to know why the Brazilian beauty always looks the best on the red carpet? It's because her style is all her own. Camila is very much her own (independent) woman.

  • Rebecca Black

    OK, so her song "Friday" wasn't exactly well-received. But Rebecca Black doesn't seem fazed by criticism...she's pretty badass if you ask us!

  • Christina Milian

    The actress and Socia Media Correspondent for NBC's "The Voice" is beautiful and sweet, but she's also a tough and hardworking single mom who does a great job of balancing her career and motherhood.

  • April Lee Hernandez

    April Lee Hernandez not only survived a life-threatening experience with domestic violence, but now the "Dexter" star is helping other women do the same thing by speaking out about her experience. She is a role model, an inspiring Latina and a free spirit.

  • Kat Von D

    Is there anyone in Hollywood who's as opinionated and independent as the Argentinean tattoo artist? We think not!

  • Alexis Bledel

    She charmed millions as the sweet and intelligent Rory Gilmore on the hit dramedy "Gilmore Girls," and in real life, Alexis is just as bright as her bookworm TV character.

  • Odette Annable

    Odette has starred in comedies ("You Again"), thrillers ("The Unborn") and hit TV dramas ("Brothers and Sisters," "House'). So how does she get so many great roles? It's because Odette is loveable, sweet, and beautiful!

  • Rocsi Diaz

    The former "106 & Park" host takes mentoring young girls very seriously. Rocsi donates her time to teaching young women about careers in journalism and she's also part of Barack Obama's re-election campaign. We love her!

  • Rosario Dawson

    She started Voto Latino and followed through on it. 'Nough said!

  • Sara Ramirez

    Sara has said that she's "not very cookie cutter" and that's what we love most about her. Sara is sweet, kind and she's always willing to stand up for what's right, like when she appeared in PSA's for the LGBT community.

  • Ana Ortiz

    Like Sara, Ana Ortiz has also used her celebrity to help support the LGBT community. She's a great role model and human being.

  • Lauren Velez

    The "Dexter" star is always looking for ways to support the Latino community, whether it's representing for Afro-Latinas on television or starring in an off-Broadway play about the life and times of Latina icon, La Lupe!

  • Cristina Aguilera

    Just call her Ms. Independent!

  • JoAnna Garcia Swisher

    She's an American sweetheart!

  • Jamie-Lynn Sigler

    Jaimie is a wise Latina. In fact, she actually wrote a book called: "Wise Girl: What I've Learned About Life, Love, and Loss," in 2002.

  • Valerie Cruz

    She's had roles on hit shows like "Nip Tuck," and "True Blood" and Valerie Cruz has always delivered great performances!

  • Camille Guaty

    Regardless of how busy she's been in her career, Camille has always found time to donate money and goods to various charities.

  • Julie Gonzalo

    This proud Latina is known for her scene-stealing roles in "Freaky Friday" and on TV's 'Veronica Mars."

  • Lana Parrilla

    She plays the evil queen on ABC's hit drama "Once Upon A Time,' but in real life Lana Parrilla is sweet as candy!

  • Morena Baccarin

    Mention her name to any sci-fi fan anywhere, and you'll see that Morena Baccarin is the ultimate badass!

  • Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/13/cucu-diamantes-havana-film-festival_n_3072647.html

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    Foreclosures - Not listed - Zillow Real Estate Advice

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

    Source: http://www.zillow.com/advice-thread/Foreclosures-Not-listed/487577/

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    Saturday, April 13, 2013

    Xeneta Raises $1.6M To Crowdsource Price Comparisons For Sea Freight

    logo_xenetaXeneta, which offers a crowdsourced price comparison service for sea freight, has raised a ?1.2 million (~$1.6m) seed round led by the Stockholm VC Creandum, with participation from Norwegian private investment firm Alden. The new funding will be used to expand into new markets, specifically adding to the breadth of coverage for its comparisons in terms of the number of "trade lanes" in and out of Europe. Up until now, the 2012-founded company had been bootstrapped.

    Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/rRJWL-rlE_0/

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    Friday, April 12, 2013

    Chris Brown And Rihanna Bust Breakup Rumors With Convertible Photo

    Rihanna posted sun-splashed image of them riding with top down in California.
    By Gil Kaufman


    Rihanna and Chris Brown
    Photo: Rihanna, via Instagram

    Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1705414/rihanna-chris-brown-convertible-instagram-photo.jhtml

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    What happens in the brain to make music rewarding

    Apr. 11, 2013 ? A new study reveals what happens in our brain when we decide to purchase a piece of music when we hear it for the first time. The study, conducted at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital -- The Neuro, McGill University and published in the journal Science on April 12, pinpoints the specific brain activity that makes new music rewarding and predicts the decision to purchase music.

    Participants in the study listened to 60 previously unheard music excerpts while undergoing functional resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning, providing bids of how much they were willing to spend for each item in an auction paradigm. "When people listen to a piece of music they have never heard before, activity in one brain region can reliably and consistently predict whether they will like or buy it, this is the nucleus accumbens which is involved in forming expectations that may be rewarding," says lead investigator Dr. Valorie Salimpoor, who conducted the research in Dr. Robert Zatorre's lab at The Neuro and is now at Baycrest Health Sciences' Rotman Research Institute. "What makes music so emotionally powerful is the creation of expectations. Activity in the nucleus accumbens is an indicator that expectations were met or surpassed, and in our study we found that the more activity we see in this brain area while people are listening to music, the more money they are willing to spend."

    The second important finding is that the nucleus accumbens doesn't work alone, but interacts with the auditory cortex, an area of the brain that stores information about the sounds and music we have been exposed to. The more a given piece was rewarding, the greater the cross-talk between these regions. Similar interactions were also seen between the nucleus accumbens and other brain areas, involved in high-level sequencing, complex pattern recognition and areas involved in assigning emotional and reward value to stimuli.

    In other words, the brain assigns value to music through the interaction of ancient dopaminergic reward circuitry, involved in reinforcing behaviours that are absolutely necessary for our survival such as eating and sex, with some of the most evolved regions of the brain, involved in advanced cognitive processes that are unique to humans.

    "This is interesting because music consists of a series of sounds that when considered alone have no inherent value, but when arranged together through patterns over time can act as a reward, says Dr. Robert Zatorre, researcher at The Neuro and co-director of the International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research. "The integrated activity of brain circuits involved in pattern recognition, prediction, and emotion allow us to experience music as an aesthetic or intellectual reward."

    "The brain activity in each participant was the same when they were listening to music that they ended up purchasing, although the pieces they chose to buy were all different," adds Dr. Salimpoor. "These results help us to see why people like different music -- each person has their own uniquely shaped auditory cortex, which is formed based on all the sounds and music heard throughout our lives. Also, the sound templates we store are likely to have previous emotional associations."

    An innovative aspect of this study is how closely it mimics real-life music-listening experiences. Researchers used a similar interface and prices as iTunes. To replicate a real life scenario as much as possible and to assess reward value objectively, individuals could purchase music with their own money, as an indication that they wanted to hear it again. Since musical preferences are influenced by past associations, only novel music excerpts were selected (to minimize explicit predictions) using music recommendation software (such as Pandora, Last.fm) to reflect individual preferences.

    The interactions between nucleus accumbens and the auditory cortex suggest that we create expectations of how musical sounds should unfold based on what is learned and stored in our auditory cortex, and our emotions result from the violation or fulfillment of these expectations. We are constantly making reward-related predictions to survive, and this study provides neurobiological evidence that we also make predictions when listening to an abstract stimulus, music, even if we have never heard the music before. Pattern recognition and prediction of an otherwise simple set of stimuli, when arranged together become so powerful as to make us happy or bring us to tears, as well as communicate and experience some of the most intense, complex emotions and thoughts.

    Listen to the music excerpts used in the study: http://www.zlab.mcgill.ca/science2013/

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    Story Source:

    The above story is reprinted from materials provided by McGill University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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


    Journal Reference:

    1. V. N. Salimpoor, I. van den Bosch, N. Kovacevic, A. R. McIntosh, A. Dagher, R. J. Zatorre. Interactions Between the Nucleus Accumbens and Auditory Cortices Predict Music Reward Value. Science, 2013; 340 (6129): 216 DOI: 10.1126/science.1231059

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

    Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

    Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/consumer_behavior/~3/gQFErDKzIiI/130411143056.htm

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    Kim Kardashian: Still Obsessed With Kate Middleton!

    Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/kim-kardashian-still-obsessed-with-kate-middleton/

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    Texas college knife attack suspect to be in court

    Dylan Quick, who is a suspect in the multiple stabbings on the Lone Star Cy-Fair Campus, right, is escorted by Harris County Sherrif's Office investigators after being questioned, Tuesday, April 9, 2013, in Houston. Quick, a student at the school, allegedly went on a building-to-building stabbing attack at the Texas community college Tuesday, wounding at least 14 people ? many in the face and neck ? before being subdued and arrested, authorities and witnesses said. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Cody Duty)

    Dylan Quick, who is a suspect in the multiple stabbings on the Lone Star Cy-Fair Campus, right, is escorted by Harris County Sherrif's Office investigators after being questioned, Tuesday, April 9, 2013, in Houston. Quick, a student at the school, allegedly went on a building-to-building stabbing attack at the Texas community college Tuesday, wounding at least 14 people ? many in the face and neck ? before being subdued and arrested, authorities and witnesses said. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Cody Duty)

    Dylan Quick, 20, is seen in an undated photo provided by the Harris County, Texas, Sheriff's Office. The Harris County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that Quick used a razor-type knife in a rampage Tuesday at the Lone Star College System's campus in Cypress, a Houston suburb, hurting more than a dozen people. Quick was charged Tuesday night, April 9, 2013 with three counts of aggravated assault. It wasn't immediately clear if additional charges would be filed, though he is scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday. (AP Photo/Harris County Sheriff's Office)

    (AP) ? A man accused of stabbing more than a dozen people at a Houston-area college is set to make his first court appearance since being charged in the attack.

    Dylan Quick was to be in a Houston courtroom Thursday morning.

    The 20-year-old is charged with three counts of aggravated assault in the Tuesday attack at Lone Star Community College in Cypress.

    Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia said Wednesday that Quick told authorities he had fantasized about stabbing people since he was 8 years old.

    Officials say 14 people were wounded; all are expected to survive.

    Garcia says Quick indicated he had been planning the attack for some time. Garcia says authorities are still trying to determine a reason for the attack and that the investigation is ongoing.

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-04-11-Texas%20College-Stabbing/id-3f562d8355844fa8977451c3b45d6f22

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