Landing On an a Asteroid Might Cause an Avalanche

Maybe we already have the materials, but the convention is to stick (ha) with what works.

We don't, though. In order to make the ship significantly stronger we have to spend more mass. Carbon fiber might one day be the right material, but right now it's still prone to cracking in many terrestrial applications.

Perhaps also a little static generator could polarize dust so it is more attracted to the asteroid than a craft.

That's a good or even great idea, but it won't help with rocks for the foreseeable future.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/5mqeAfNf4Mw/story01.htm

grenada Sikh Sanya Richards Ross decathlon Honey Boo Boo Child Nathan Adrian London 2012 Synchronized Swimming

Allergic Lisicki awaits Bartoli, Wimbledon grass

LONDON (AP) ? Sabine Lisicki is allergic to Wimbledon, sort of.

Not the town in southwest London, and not the All England Club. But she does have hay fever, making her hypersensitive to the very grass for which the tournament is so famous.

That affliction, of course, won't stop her from playing in the Wimbledon final Saturday, when either she or Marion Bartoli will end up with a first Grand Slam title.

"I learned how to cope with that," Lisicki said Friday. "In the beginning, the first time I was here, which was, what, five years ago, I really was struggling with the allergies. But by now I know what to do, what to take, to calm those allergies down. I'm on medication."

She also knows what to do on the tennis court when she steps onto the finely manicured lawn on Centre Court.

On Thursday, the 23rd-seeded German rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the third set to beat Agnieszka Radwanska and reach her first major final. She did the same thing in the fourth round, when she eliminated defending champion Serena Williams.

"I had a lot of challenges on my way to the finals with players being aggressive, players who were very solid, moving very well," Lisicki said. "So it will be another challenge."

Saturday's match will be only the second time in the 45-year Open era that two women who have never won a Grand Slam trophy will play for the championship at the All England Club. And it's difficult to say who has the edge.

Bartoli has been in this position before, reaching the 2007 Wimbledon final before losing to Venus Williams. And she hasn't lost a set so far this year, winning all six of her matches in straight sets. But Lisicki is 3-1 against Bartoli, including a win at Wimbledon two years ago when the 23-year-old German reached the semifinals.

"A final of a Grand Slam is always a matter of details. Maybe a point here, a point there will make the difference," said Bartoli, now 28 and much more experienced than the last time she made it this far. "Maybe someone who is a bit more gutsy than the other player, someone who is having a better day than the others.

"Sabine is definitely serving faster than me, especially on the first serve," Bartoli added. "I might take the ball a bit earlier. But obviously we both have the same thing, playing fairly flat and from the baseline and trying to hit some winners."

Lisicki's power game is something to note. Her hard serves have earned her the nickname "Boom Boom Bine," a moniker she shares with another German tennis great, three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker.

On Friday, "Boom Boom Bine" took a moment to seek out some advice from "Boom Boom Becker."

"I asked him a couple of questions, how it was for him," Lisicki said. "He won the first final he was in, so that's pretty good."

Lisicki has also been receiving well-wishes from Steffi Graf, the last German woman to win the Wimbledon title in 1996. But Bartoli has Amelie Mauresmo on her side, a 2006 Wimbledon champion who now coaches France's Davis Cup team.

After years of disagreements and disputes with the French tennis federation, Mauresmo has brought Bartoli back into the national team fold. And she has been watching Bartoli during her run to the final, even extending her stay at Wimbledon as Bartoli extended hers.

"She's helping me with the way I need to deal with my stress and with my energy out of the court. Sometimes I was losing too (much) energy being too focused for too long, especially a lot of times before the matches," Bartoli said. "I felt when I was going on court, I was already tired from it."

Part of her relaxation routine ? and Lisicki's, too ? entails music. Both said they listen to certain tunes when they are gearing up for a match.

"Bob Sinclar, 'Summer Moonlight.' The same track over and over," Bartoli said.

"When I walk on court, probably 'Play Hard,'" Lisicki said, referring to the David Guetta song.

Soon enough, the music in their ears will give way to the thwack of the racket and the sound of the crowd. That's when one of the two will start on the path to being a Wimbledon champion.

"I just want to be better than my opponent," Lisicki said. "That's all I'm thinking about."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/allergic-lisicki-awaits-bartoli-wimbledon-grass-161442521.html

march 30 rimm pauly d project adrienne rich autism cesar chavez day raspberry ketone

Islamists protest in Egypt demanding Morsi return

Supporters of ousted Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi chant slogans during a protest near the University of Cairo, Giza, Egypt, Friday, July 5, 2013. Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood called for a wave of protests Friday, furious over the military's ouster of its president and arrest of its revered leader and other top figures, raising fears of violence and retaliation from Islamic militants. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Supporters of ousted Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi chant slogans during a protest near the University of Cairo, Giza, Egypt, Friday, July 5, 2013. Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood called for a wave of protests Friday, furious over the military's ouster of its president and arrest of its revered leader and other top figures, raising fears of violence and retaliation from Islamic militants. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A supporter of ousted Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi cries during a protest near the University of Cairo, Giza, Egypt, Friday, July 5, 2013. Arabic reads, "Yes for the legitimacy." Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood called for a wave of protests Friday, furious over the military's ouster of its president and arrest of its revered leader and other top figures, raising fears of violence and retaliation from Islamic militants. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Egyptian army soldiers stand guard on the border with Egypt in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, July 5, 2013. Egyptian official said the country's border crossing with Gaza Strip in northern Sinai has been closed indefinitely, citing security concerns. The decision comes hours after suspected Islamic militants attacked four sites in northern Sinai, targeting two military checkpoints, a police station and el-Arish airport, where military aircraft are stationed. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

Egyptian army soldiers man a watch tower on the border with Egypt in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, July 5, 2013. Egyptian official said the country's border crossing with Gaza Strip in northern Sinai has been closed indefinitely, citing security concerns. The decision comes hours after suspected Islamic militants attacked four sites in northern Sinai, targeting two military checkpoints, a police station and el-Arish airport, where military aircraft are stationed. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

An Egyptian protester flashes v signs for military aircrafts forming a heart shape trails in the sky over Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, July 5, 2013. Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood called for a wave of protests Friday, furious over the military's ouster of its president and arrest of its revered leader and other top figures, underlining the touchy issue of what role the fundamentalist Islamist movement might play in the new regime. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

CAIRO (AP) ? Tens of thousands, mainly Islamists, chanted "down with military rule" in protests around the country Friday, venting their fury at the military for ousting President Mohammed Morsi and vowing to restore him to office. The first major attack by militants, in Sinai, hiked fears that the Islamists' extreme fringe will turn to violent retaliation for Morsi's ouster.

A crowd of Morsi supporters filled much of a broad boulevard outside a Cairo mosque, vowing to remain in place until the Islamist leader who was Egypt's first freely elected president is returned to his position. The protesters railed against what they called the return of the regime of autocrat Hosni Mubarak, ousted in early 2011.

"The old regime has come back ... worse than before," said Ismail Abdel-Mohsen, an 18-year old student among the crowds outside the Rabia al-Adawiya Mosque. He dismissed the new interim head of state sworn in a day earlier, senior judge Adly Mansour, as "the military puppet."

The crowd began to march on the headquarters of the Republican Guard, many chanting, "After sunset, President Morsi will be back in the palace."

The military forced Morsi out Wednesday after millions of Egyptians turned out in four days of protests demanding his removal and saying he had squandered his electoral mandate by putting power in the hands of his own Muslim Brotherhood and other, harder-line Islamists. In the 48 hours since, the military has moved against the Brotherhood's senior leadership, putting Morsi under detention and arresting the group's supreme leader and a string of other figures.

The Brotherhood called for Friday's protests, which took place at several sites around the capital and in other cities. Brotherhood officials underlined strongly to their followers that their rallies should be peaceful.

But there are serious fears that more extremist groups who gain considerable influence during Morsi's year in office will lash out with a campaign of violence.

In the early hours Friday, masked assailants launched a coordinated attack with rockets, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns on the airport in el-Arish, the provincial capital of northern Sinai, as well as a security forces camp in Rafah on the border with Gaza and five other military and police posts. At least one soldier was killed in nearly four hours of clashes that ensued.

Islamic militants hold a powerful sway in the lawless and chaotic northern Sinai. They are heavily armed with weapons smuggled from Libya and have links with militants in the neighboring Gaza Strip, run by Hamas. After the attack, Egypt indefinitely closed its border crossing into Gaza, sending 200 Palestinians back into the territory, said Gen. Sami Metwali, director of Rafah passage.

Morsi supporters say the military has wrecked Egypt's democracy by carrying out a coup against an elected leader. They accuse Mubarak loyalists and liberal and secular opposition parties of turning to the army for help because they lost at the polls to Islamists. But many supporters have equally seen it as a conspiracy against Islam.

Many at Friday's protests held copies of the Quran in the air, and much of the crowd had the long beards of ultraconservative men or encompassing black robes and veils worn by women, leaving only the eyes visible. One protester shouted that the sheik of Al-Azhar ? Egypt's top Muslim cleric who backed the military's move ? was "an agent of the Christians" ? reflecting a sentiment that the Christian minority was behind Morsi's ouster.

The protesters set up "self-defense" teams, with men staffing checkpoints touting sticks and home-made body shields. There was no significant presence of military forces near the protests.

The night before, the military spokesman issued a statement urging all protesters to remain peaceful. In a message to Morsi's opponents, Col. Ahmed Mohammed Ali warned against "gloating," vengeance or attacks on Brotherhood offices, saying there must not be an "endless cycle of revenge."

The military has a "strong will to ensure national reconciliation, constructive justice and tolerance," he wrote in an official Facebook posting. He said the army and security forces will not take "any exceptional or arbitrary measures" against any political group.

But the Brotherhood has been furious over the arrests of its top leaders, as well as the closure of its TV station Misr25, its newspaper, and three other Islamist television stations. It called to move a return to Egypt's " dark, repressive, dictatorial and corrupt ages."

"We refuse to participate in any activities with the usurping authorities," the Brotherhood said in a statement, read Thursday by senior cleric Abdel-Rahman el-Barr to the crowd outside the Rabia al-Adawiya Mosque.

Morsi has been under detention in an unknown location since Wednesday night, and at least a dozen of his top aides and advisers have been under what is described as "house arrest," though their locations are also unknown.

Besides the Brotherhood's top leader, General Guide Mohammed Badie, security officials have also arrested his predecessor, Mahdi Akef, and one of his two deputies, Rashad Bayoumi, as well as Saad el-Katatni, head of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, and ultraconservative Salafi figure Hazem Abu Ismail, who has a considerable street following.

Authorities have also issued a wanted list for more than 200 Brotherhood members and leaders of other Islamist groups. Among them is Khairat el-Shater, another deputy of the general guide who is widely considered the most powerful figure in the Brotherhood.

The arrest of Badie was a dramatic step, since even Mubarak and his predecessors had been reluctant to move against the group's top leader. The ranks of Brotherhood members across the country swear a strict oath of unquestioning allegiance to the general guide, vowing to "hear and obey." It has been decades since a Brotherhood general guide was put in a prison.

Badie and el-Shater were widely believed by the opposition to be the real power in Egypt during Morsi's term.

The National Salvation Front, the top opposition political group during Morsi's presidency and a key member of the coalition that worked with the military in his removal, criticized the moves, saying, "We totally reject excluding any party, particularly political Islamic groups."

The Front has proposed one of its top leaders, Mohammed ElBaradei, to become prime minister of the interim Cabinet, a post that will hold strong powers since Mansour's presidency post is considered symbolic. ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace laureate who once headed the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, is considered Egypt's top reform advocate.

"Reconciliation is the name of the game, including the Muslim Brotherhood. We need to be inclusive," Munir Fakhry Abdel-Nour, a leading member of the group, told The Associated Press. "The detentions are a mistake."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-07-05-Egypt/id-c2245b752fe74b4caa7531455d1b3b0e

obama birth certificate nick cannon lindsay lohan saturday night live snl lindsay lohan valley fever project x the lorax

Schedule slips for 1,000mph car

4 July 2013 Last updated at 10:32 ET By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News

The UK team building a car capable of driving beyond 1,000mph (1,610km/h) says the project is taking longer than anticipated to pull together.

The Bloodhound project expects now to roll out its vehicle in 2015, with the aim of breaking the current land speed record in the latter half of that year.

It is a slip of about 12 months on the present schedule.

Driver Andy Green, the only man ever to take a car through the sound barrier, says it is simply more realistic.

"When you look at the timescale that it took to put the Eurofighter together, which by the way at ground level will not go 1,000mph - it took them twice as long with thousands of people and a budget of billions," the RAF Wg Cdr told BBC News.

"By comparison, we are using the tiniest fraction of that money and a core engineering team of just 34 people."

Announced in 2008, Bloodhound was originally envisaged to be running in 2011/12. But just finding an aerodynamic shape that would keep the car stable on the ground took two years. The detailed design had to wait until that solution was found.

Drawings for most of the car have now been released to industry, and many components are starting to arrive at the project's new HQ for assembly.

"It's not that anything has gone wrong; it's just that some things have been harder than we thought," explained chief engineer Mark Chapman.

"The lower structure, for example, we initially thought would take us six-to-eight weeks to put together. It took us five months."

On Thursday, the Science Minister David Willetts formally opened the Avonmouth, Bristol, technical facility, and ceremonially tightened a bolt linking the carbon-fibre cockpit to the lower-chassis.

He also announced that a further ?1m from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council would go towards the education initiative associated with Bloodhound. Currently, more than 5,450 schools are using curriculum resource materials based on the science of a supersonic car.

"In the government, we are great admirers of this project," Mr Willetts said.

"We're backing it for two reasons. One is the sheer brilliance of the engineering and the quality of the R&D. But it is also the quite extraordinary outreach activities. It's one of the most ambitious schools outreach programmes going, perhaps the biggest ever centred around a single engineering challenge."

Although, the government has given considerable in-kind support to Bloodhound, including the loan of the Eurofighter jet engines that will help power the car, the project is fundamentally a privately funded venture.

So far, it has cost some ?12m and is likely to require another ?6-7m to finish the build.

Further money will then be needed to run the vehicle at its specially prepared race track, Hakskeen Pan in South Africa.

Some 200 UK companies are involved in the construction, including big aerospace concerns such as Rolls-Royce, Lockheed Martin UK, and Hampson Industries.

A number, like Rolls, are not just offering free technical support but are actively sponsoring the project.

Speaking of the slip in the schedule, Bloodhound director Richard Noble said the team had sought an independent assessment from an engineering consultancy on what was a credible timeline.

"I think we'd lost sight to some extent of the sheer scale of this thing," he told BBC News.

"From my point of view, it's not great because I've got to get out there and raise another year's worth of money. But we're getting a lot of people now chasing us, wanting to sponsor us, and that's really great. And having the likes of Rolls-Royce onboard is a tremendous signal."

The intention was always to run the car over two years.

This means, assuming no further delays are encountered, the finished vehicle will probably do some low-speed tests on a runway at Newquay in Cornwall in Q2, 2015. It will then be shipped to South Africa on an Antonov heavy-lift aeroplane for high-speed running in Q3.

The plan is first to raise the world land speed record from its current mark of 763mph (1,228km/h), and then return in 2016 for an attempt to go beyond 1,000mph (1,610km/h).

Bloodhound will use a rocket in addition to a Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine to generate thrust.

It will also carry a Cosworth Formula 1 engine, although this will have no direct involvement in driving wheels as it does on a racing car. Instead, the F1 power unit will turn the pump that forces liquid oxidiser into the rocket's fuel chamber.

Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23184687#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

The Bible History Channel Melissa King Heat Harlem Shake mediterranean diet chase kim kardashian pregnant papa johns

Perfect Scherzer has Tigers purring

By Steve Keating

TORONTO (Reuters) - Max Scherzer's perfect season continued on Wednesday as the Detroit Tigers' big righthander improved his record to a sparkling 13-0 and confirmed his status as an elite pitcher with a 6-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

No-hitters and perfect games are pitching's great personal milestones but Scherzer's run of perfection that began in the chill of early April and has carried on into the heat of the North American summer is something not seen in major league ballparks since 1986 when Roger Clemens began his campaign 14-0.

A four-run burst in the second inning, keyed by a three-run homer from Alex Avila, was all the cushion Scherzer needed on a muggy night at the Rogers Centre to move him within two wins of the best undefeated start to a season by a pitcher since 1920.

"The record is kind of overblown in a sense just because I'm part of a great team here," Scherzer told reporters. "Every time I start they are always picking me up, they're always making plays so that's the reason I'm 13-0.

"I don't judge my season on being 13-0, I judge my season based on how I've pitched.

"I've pitched through the season very well, I'm doing a lot of things right. Am I going to be 13-0 every time I do that? No.

"But at the same time I've given my team a chance to win and they gone out every time and won."

Through much of his six-year major league career, Scherzer has been more reliable than spectacular.

He began to emerge as something more than a useful part of a solid rotation late last season, posting a career best mark of 16-7, but this year, as Detroit manager Jim Leyland points out, his righthander has been "as good as it gets".

High praise from someone who has the luxury of managing one of baseball's stingiest pitching staff featuring former-Cy Young winner Justin Verlander.

In Detroit the spotlight usually follows Verlander, a former-American League most valuable player, who became baseball's highest paid pitcher last March signing a seven-year $180 million deal.

But with Verlander (8-5) struggling this season, the humble Scherzer has stepped forward to become 'King of the Hill'.

He has not lost since September 23 last year and with his win on Wednesday tied the franchise record for most consecutive starts without a defeat, 18, set by Bobo Newsom in 1940.

"I don't want to make a big deal about it but it's hard to believe that somebody is 13-0 in this day and age," Leyland told reporters. "But he is and we'll take it, we'll accept it and we'll be happy for him and hopefully he goes 14-0."

It has been the type of performance that is certain to land Scherzer not only an invite to his first All Star Game but the honor of starting it later this month.

Looking further ahead, a Cy Young award could also be in Scherzer's future along with a massive raise with free agency on the horizon in 2014.

Drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks and traded to the Tigers in December 2009, Scherzer came into the major leagues with a limited but effective repertoire of pitches relying on a fastball/changeup.

With excellent command and the velocity to overpower hitters, Scherzer was able to get the job done but with the addition of a curveball the 28-year-old has found a place among the game's elite.

"I don't put too much stock into the win-loss record. For me at times it can be a fluky stat," said Scherzer. "Tonight my team really picked me up. Only one walk through six plus innings tonight and when you do that you give your team a chance to win.

"Everyone did their job tonight and that's what's exciting."

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/perfect-scherzer-tigers-purring-034746702.html

new york auto show khalid sheikh mohammed masters par 3 gwen stefani overeem laron landry mary j blige burger king

Google Maps Street View Now Lets You Explore Thomas Jefferson's Digs

Nobody wants to spend their vacation day studying history, but if you're feeling particularly patriotic tomorrow, you can head on over to Google Maps where Thomas Jefferson's Monticello residence is now available to explore using Google Street View.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/vS63LgQuSOQ/google-maps-street-view-now-lets-you-explore-thomas-jef-658138751

notre dame notre dame football Bcs Bowl Chuck Hagel ncaa football CES russell wilson

Wash. officials: Impaired teen crashes into 4 cars (Providence Journal)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/317054903?client_source=feed&format=rss

Prism Governors Ball nsa Purge Annabel Tollman Yasiel Puig henry cavill

Alec Baldwin GOES OFF on Daily Mail Reporter: I'm Gonna Eff You Up!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/06/alec-baldwin-goes-off-on-daily-mail-reporter-im-gonna-eff-you-up/

DNS Changer ernest borgnine ESPYs 2012 venus williams Freeh Report direct tv Savages

'Sopranos' co-star: Gandolfini was a great actor

Celebs

Randee Dawn TODAY contributor

13 hours ago

James Gandolfini will long be remembered by fans, friends, co-stars and critics for his indelible portrayal of Tony Soprano on HBO's "The Sopranos." On Wednesday, New York Times TV writer Bill Carter and "Sopranos" co-star Federico Castelluccio joined TODAY's Matt Lauer to share some of their memories and to assess the late actor's lasting impact.

"He was a soft-spoken guy, but a warm guy," said Carter. "When he hugged you, it was genuine."

Lauer quoted from a statement given by "Sopranos" creator David Chase that noted that "a great deal of genius resided in those sad eyes," a statement Castelluccio, who played Furio on the series and was a friend of Gandolfini's, agreed with. "I couldn't have said it better myself," he said. "James Gandolfini was one of the greatest actors of our time.... He was a really well-nuanced actor."

Still, both agreed that Gandolfini battled demons, and once ended up in rehab for drug addiction. "He did have some problems dealing with his fame," said Carter. "He believed himself to be just a guy who emerged with a career he didn't expect."

Remembered Castelluccio, it wasn't unusual for Gandolfini to disappear for days at a time while making the show. One particular scene in which Furio wants to kill Tony prompted such a vanishing. "No one knew where he was for a few days," he said. "He wrote me a wonderful letter after that saying, 'You were there for me and I wasn't there for you and I apologize, but it's something I needed to do."

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/sopranos-costar-gandolfini-was-one-greatest-actors-our-time-6C10390722

Olympic medal count Medal Count 2012 London 2012 Fencing olympics chariots of fire Medal Count Sam Mikulak

Stocks stall on tepid US economic growth

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2013, photo, Specialist Michael O'Mara, left, and trader Fred Demarco work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. World stock markets fell Friday April 26, 2013 after Japan faced an unwelcome drop in consumer prices. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

In this Tuesday, April 16, 2013, photo, Specialist Michael O'Mara, left, and trader Fred Demarco work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. World stock markets fell Friday April 26, 2013 after Japan faced an unwelcome drop in consumer prices. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The stock market stalled Friday after the U.S. economy didn't grow as much as hoped and earnings from a handful of big companies failed to rev up investors.

The economy grew at a 2.5 percent annual rate in the first three months of the year, the government said. That was below the 3.1 percent forecast by economists.

The shortfall reinforced the perception that the economy is grinding, rather than charging, ahead. Investors have also been troubled by reports in the last month of weaker hiring, slower manufacturing and a drop in factory orders. Many economists see growth slowing to an annual rate of around 2 percent a year for the rest of the year.

U.S. government bonds, where investors seek safety, rose after the report.

"There are some concerns as we head into the summer," said JJ Kinahan, chief derivatives strategist for TD Ameritrade. "In the last three weeks, we've seen numbers that weren't exactly what you'd love to see."

Corporate earnings this week have also contained worrisome signs. Many companies missed revenue forecasts from financial analysts, even as they reported higher quarterly profits. For example, Goodyear Tire slipped 3.3 percent to $12.51 Friday after revenue fell short of analysts' estimates, hurt by lower global tire sales.

Of the companies that have reported earnings so far, 70 percent have exceeded Wall Street's expectations, compared with a 10-year average of 62 percent, according to S&P Capital IQ. But 43 percent have missed revenue estimates. Just over half of the companies in the S&P 500 have reported quarterly results.

The S&P 500 index dropped 2.92 points, or 0.2 percent, to close at 1,582.24.

The Dow rose 11.75 points, or 0.1 percent, to 14,712.55. The index got a big lift from Chevron. Profit for the U.S. oil company beat expectations of financial analysts in the first quarter, pushing shares up 1.3 percent to $120.04.

Three stocks fell for every two that rose on the New York Stock Exchange.

Both indexes were up for the week and remain slightly below their all-time highs reached April 11. The Dow index rose 1.1 percent this week while the S&P gained 1.7 percent.

The market has been bolstered by the Federal Reserve's easy money policy. The disappointing growth figure for the economy will ensure that the Fed sticks with its stimulus policy, providing support for stocks, said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital.

"The economic data that we've been getting points to no early exit for the Fed's stimulus," Cardillo said.

The Nasdaq composite fell 10.72 points to 3,279.26, a decline of 0.3 percent. The index is 2.3 percent higher this week.

The tech-heavy index has lagged the Dow and the S&P 500 this year, but it led the way higher this week, boosted by Microsoft. The software giant, which makes up 5.3 percent of the Nasdaq, recorded its biggest weekly gain since January of last year ? up 6.8 percent. It reported earnings April 19 that beat Wall Street expectations. The company also began an aggressive push into the computer tablet market.

Apple, the largest stock in the Nasdaq, also had a good week. The stock rose 6.8 percent to $417.20, its best weekly gain since November, despite posting a decline in quarterly profit Tuesday. Apple accounts for 7.6 percent of the Nasdaq composite.

Among other big names investors focused on:

Amazon.com fell 7 percent to $254.81 after the company warned of a possible loss in the current quarter. The online retailer also reported lower income for the first quarter as it continued to spend heavily on rights to digital content.

Expedia fell 10 percent to $58.56 after the online travel company reported a quarterly loss.

Homebuilder D.R. Horton surged 8.7 percent to $26.66 after its income nearly tripled thanks to a continuing recovery the housing market. The results handily beat the forecasts of financial analysts who follow the company.

J.C. Penney jumped 12 percent to $17 after the billionaire financier George Soros disclosed that he had taken a 7.9 percent stake in the struggling company.

In government bond trading, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note slipped to its lowest rate of the year, 1.67 percent, from 1.71 percent the day before. The yield has fallen from 2.06 percent six weeks ago as traders move money into lower-risk investments.

The dollar weakened against the euro.

The European currency bought $1.3029 at the end of day, compared with $1.3002 the day before. The ISE dollar index, which measures the U.S. currency against a group of other world currencies including the Japanese yen and the euro, dropped 0.3 percent, to 82.48.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-04-26-Wall%20Street/id-934af8b9474346b08eebcdf7cf9fd194

nyc marathon nyc marathon willie nelson khloe kardashian Wreck It Ralph Movember USC shooting

Utah Mormon bishop brandishes Samurai sword to defend neighbor

By Jennifer Dobner

SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - A Mormon bishop armed with a Samurai sword came to the defense of his neighbor on Tuesday in a Salt Lake City suburb by helping to chase away a man who had accosted the woman, police said.

The 37-year-old suspect, Grant Eggertsen, later turned himself in to authorities and was booked into jail on suspicion of robbery, burglary, trespassing and stalking, said local police spokesman Lieutenant Justin Hoyal.

The Samurai sword-wielding Mormon bishop, Kent Hendrix, 47, said his son alerted him on Tuesday morning that a woman neighbor was in trouble outside Hendrix's home in the Salt Lake City suburb of East Millcreek.

Eggertsen had approached the woman as she exited her home, Hoyal said. He grabbed her house keys and tried to get into the house, police said.

The woman ran away, screaming for help, and several neighbors responded to her plea, Hoyal said.

Hendrix, who teaches martial arts, grabbed the 29-inch (74-cm) carbon steel Samurai sword he keeps next to his bed and ran to the woman's aid. He said that when he came face to face with the suspect, the man stopped in his tracks.

"He was kind of taken aback to have this sword drawn on him and he jumped back," said Hendrix, who is a bishop in charge of his local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregation.

"He said, 'I'm leaving,' and turned and ran, so I ran after him. I didn't want him to get away anonymously," Hendrix said.

The man then fled in his car, Hendrix said.

Hoyal confirmed that Hendrix used the Samurai sword to come to the defense of his neighbor.

Eggertsen and the woman, who has not been identified, had previously worked at the same company, Hoyal said. Their professional relationship had turned sour and the woman had obtained a protective order against the man, he said.

The woman suffered only minor injuries, Hoyal said.

Eggertsen was in jail on bail of $555 and could not be reached for comment. It was unclear if he has an attorney.

Hendrix called the incident an "interfaith effort" to apprehend the suspect, saying that Catholic and Protestant neighbors were also involved.

(Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis and Eric Beech)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/utah-mormon-bishop-brandishes-samurai-sword-defend-neighbor-032432621.html

where the wild things are birdsong teresa giudice atlanta hawks 2012 white house correspondents dinner forrest gump bernard hopkins

Putin: Boston bombing shows West's mistake

MOSCOW (AP) ? The Boston bombings should spur stronger security cooperation between Moscow and Washington, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, adding that they also show that the West was wrong in supporting militants in Chechnya.

Putin said that "this tragedy should push us closer in fending off common threats, including terrorism, which is one of the biggest and most dangerous of them."

The two brothers accused of the Boston bombings are ethnic Chechens who had lived in the U.S. for more than a decade.

Putin warned against trying to find the roots for the Boston tragedy in the suffering endured by the Chechen people, particularly in mass deportations of Chechens to Siberia and Central Asia on Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's orders. "The cause isn't in their ethnicity or religion, it's in their extremist sentiments," he said.

Speaking in an annual call-in show on state television, Putin criticized the West for refusing to declare Chechen militants terrorists and for offering them political and financial assistance in the past.

"I always felt indignation when our Western partners and Western media were referring to terrorists who conducted brutal and bloody crimes on the territory of Russia as rebels," Putin said.

The U.S. has urged the Kremlin to seek a political settlement in Chechnya and criticized rights abuses by Russian troops during the two separatist wars since 1994, which spawned an Islamic insurgency that has engulfed the entire region.

It also provided humanitarian aid to the region during the high points of fighting there in the 1990s and the early 2000s.

Russian officials have repeatedly claimed that rebels in Chechnya have close links with al-Qaida. They say dozens of fighters from Arab countries trickled into the region during the fighting there, while some Chechen militants have gone to fight in Afghanistan.

Putin said the West should have cooperated more actively with Russia in combatting terror.

"We always have said that we shouldn't limit ourselves to declarations about terrorism being a common threat and engage in closer cooperation," he said. "Now these two criminals have proven the correctness of our thesis."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/putin-boston-bombing-shows-wests-mistake-101701441.html

60 minutes go daddy Tom Kenny Long Island Medium Alfonso Ribeiro adam sandler College Football Scoreboard

Obama administration had advance warning on Fisker

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Newly released documents show that the Obama administration was warned as early as 2010 that electric car maker Fisker Automotive Inc. was not meeting milestones set up for a half-billion dollar government loan, nearly a year before U.S. officials froze the loan after questions were raised about the company's statements.

An Energy Department official said in a June 2010 email that Fisker's bid to draw on the federal loan may be jeopardized for failure to meet goals established by the Energy Department.

Despite that warning, Fisker continued to receive money until June 2011, when the DOE halted further funding. The agency did so after Fisker presented new information that called into question whether key milestones ? including launch of the company's signature, $100,000 Karma hybrid ? had been achieved, according to a credit report prepared by the Energy Department.

The December 2011 credit report said "DOE staff asked questions about the delays" in the launch of the Karma "and received varied and incomplete explanations," leading to the suspension of the loan. Fisker had received a total of $192 million of the $529 million loan before it was suspended.

In the June 2010 email, Sandra Claghorn, an official in DOE's loan program office, had written that Fisker "may be in limbo due to a lack of compliance with financial covenants" set up by the Energy Department to protect taxpayers in the event of default. Another document, from April 2010, listed milestones that Fisker had not yet met.

Aoife McCarthy, a spokeswoman for the Energy Department, said the June 2010 email was taken out of context.

"The document shows that one person at a meeting discussed the possibility that Fisker might not meet a financial commitment" required by the Energy Department, McCarthy said in an email late Tuesday. DOE received the needed certification five days later and subsequently made the loan payment, she said.

The Associated Press obtained the Fisker documents ahead of a House hearing scheduled for Wednesday on the federal loan to the troubled car maker, which has laid off three-fourths of its workers amid continuing financial and production problems.

The potential loss of $171 million would be largest loss of federal loan money since the 2011 failure of solar panel maker Solyndra, which declared bankruptcy and laid off all its workers after receiving a $528 million loan from the Energy Department.

The Energy Department seized $21 million from Fisker this month as it continued to seek repayment from the car maker for the 2009 loan. A payment from Fisker was due Monday, but was not made, a DOE official said.

Henrik Fisker, the company's namesake and founder, was scheduled to testify at Wednesday's hearing. Fisker, who was forced out as CEO as the company's troubles mounted, said in prepared testimony that he remained proud of the company's "cutting edge technology," which he said could "pave the way for a new generation of American car manufacturing."

Fisker disputed claims by some critics that the Anaheim, Calif.-based company needed the federal loan to survive. Fisker said a high-ranking Energy Department official approached him in 2008 and asked him to apply for the loan, which is intended to boost electric cars and other advanced vehicles.

"At that time, we already had significant financial backing from private investors," Fisker said in the prepared testimony. In all, the company received more than $1 billion in private financing, he said.

The company met initial milestones set up by the Energy Department before informing the department that it would not meet future goals on time, Fisker said. He denied that any political influence was used to obtain the loan or in negotiations over its terms.

"I am not aware and do not believe that any improper political influence was used in connection with the company's loan application or subsequent negotiations with the Department of Energy," Fisker said.

Vice President Joe Biden announced in late 2009 that Fisker would reopen a shuttered former General Motors factory in Wilmington, Del., to produce plug-in, electric hybrid vehicles. The plant was never completed and never produced any cars.

Fisker said the company was hurt badly by the 2008 recession and by the bankruptcy of A123 Systems, a Massachusetts company hired by Fisker to make batteries for the Karma. A bankruptcy judge granted Fisker $15 million in a claim against A123 for breach of warranty, a fraction of Fisker's initial claim.

Fisker has not built a vehicle since last summer and has failed to secure a buyer as its cash reserves have dwindled.

___

Follow Matthew Daly on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-administration-had-advance-warning-fisker-062250966--finance.html

elisabeth hasselbeck Mothers Day 2013 World Baseball Classic time change Joy Behar Hangover 3 yvette prieto

Mild blast injury causes molecular changes in brain akin to Alzheimer

Apr. 24, 2013 ? A multicenter study led by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine shows that mild traumatic brain injury after blast exposure produces inflammation, oxidative stress and gene activation patterns akin to disorders of memory processing such as Alzheimer's disease.

Their findings were recently reported in the online version of the Journal of Neurotrauma.

Blast-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI) has become an important issue in combat casualty care, said senior investigator Patrick Kochanek, M.D., professor and vice chair of critical care medicine and director of the Safar Center for Resuscitation Research at Pitt. In many cases of mild TBI, MRI scans and other conventional imaging technology do not show overt damage to the brain.

"Our research reveals that despite the lack of a lot of obvious neuronal death, there is a lot of molecular madness going on in the brain after a blast exposure," Dr. Kochanek said. "Even subtle injuries resulted in significant alterations of brain chemistry."

The research team developed a rat model to examine whether mild blast exposure in a device called a shock tube caused any changes in the brain even if there was no indication of direct cell death, such as bleeding. Brain tissues of rats exposed to blast and to a sham procedure were tested two and 24 hours after the injury.

Gene activity patterns, which shifted over time, resembled patterns seen in neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's, Dr. Kochanek noted. Markers of inflammation and oxidative stress, which reflects disruptions of cell signaling, were elevated, but there was no indication of energy failure that would be seen with poor tissue oxygenation.

"It appears that although the neurons don't die after a mild injury, they do sustain damage," he said. "It remains to be seen what multiple exposures, meaning repeat concussions, do to the brain over the long term."

Co-authors include researchers from the Safar Center for Resuscitation Research and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; University of California, San Diego; ORA Inc., of Fredericksburg, Va.; Walter Reed Army Institute of ResearchDyn-FX Consulting Ltd, Amherstburg, ON; Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD; and Integrated Services Group, Inc., Potomac, MD.

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 University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Patrick M. Kochanek, C. Edward Dixon, David K. Shellington, Samuel S. Shin, Hulya Bayir, Edwin Jackson, Valerian Kagan, Hong Qu Yan, Peter V Swauger, Steven Parks, David V. Ritzel, Richard A Bauman, Robert Clark, Robert H. Garman, Faris Bandak, Geoffrey S.F. Ling, Larry W. Jenkins. Screening of Biochemical and Molecular Mechanisms of Secondary Injury and Repair in the Brain after Experimental Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats. Journal of Neurotrauma, 2013; : 130317122119004 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2013.2862

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/most_popular/~3/jLqhtFJvKNU/130424103128.htm

donovan mcnabb donovan mcnabb lottery ticket megga millions what is autism the giver march 30

Use of anti-epileptic drug during pregnancy associated with increased risk of autism

Apr. 23, 2013 ? Maternal use of valproate (a drug used for the treatment of epilepsy and other neuropsychological disorders) during pregnancy was associated with a significantly increased risk of autism in offspring, according to a study in the April 24 issue of JAMA. The authors caution that these findings must be balanced against the treatment benefits for women who require valproate for epilepsy control.

"Anti-epileptic drug exposure during pregnancy has been associated with an increased risk for congenital malformations and delayed cognitive development in the offspring, but little is known about the risk of other serious neuropsychiatric disorders," according to background information in the article.

Jakob Christensen, Ph.D., of Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark, and colleagues evaluated the association between maternal use of valproate during pregnancy and the risk of autism spectrum disorder and childhood autism in offspring. The population-based study included all children born alive in Denmark from 1996 to 2006. National registers were used to identify children exposed to valproate during pregnancy and diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (childhood autism [autistic disorder], Asperger syndrome, atypical autism, and other or unspecified pervasive developmental disorders). Data were analyzed and adjusted for potential confounders (factors that can influence outcomes) such as maternal age at conception, paternal age at conception, parental psychiatric history, gestational age, birth weight, sex, congenital malformations, and parity. Children were followed up from birth until the day of autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, death, emigration, or December 31, 2010, whichever came first.

The analysis included 655,615 children born from 1996 through 2006. The average age of the children at end of follow-up was 8.8 years. During the study period, 5,437 children were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, including 2,067 with childhood autism. The researchers identified 2,644 children exposed to antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy, including 508 exposed to valproate. The authors found that use of valproate during pregnancy was associated with an absolute risk of 4.42 percent for autism spectrum disorder and an absolute risk of 2.50 percent for childhood autism.

"In this population-based cohort study, children of women who used valproate during pregnancy had a higher risk of autism spectrum disorder and childhood autism compared with children of women who did not use valproate. Their risks were also higher than those for children of women who were previous users of valproate but who stopped before their pregnancy," the researchers write.

"Because autism spectrum disorders are serious conditions with lifelong implications for affected children and their families, even a moderate increase in risk may have major health importance. Still, the absolute risk of autism spectrum disorder was less than 5 percent, which is important to take into account when counseling women about the use of valproate in pregnancy."

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 The JAMA Network Journals.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Jakob Christensen et al. Anti-Epileptic Drug During Pregnancy Associated With Increased Risk of Autism. JAMA, April 23, 2013

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/w-OeQJ8eV_c/130423161855.htm

my fair lady conversion disorder the chronicle spinal stenosis the forgotten man mike jones just friends

PFT: Chiefs, Dolphins reportedly still talking Albert

Getty Images

As this year?s crop of incoming players, especially those taken in the first two rounds, celebrate their new circumstances, they need to keep one thing in mind.

Several months from now, there?s a chance they will think those circumstances stink.

Rams running back Isaiah Pead fell right into that category last season, despite being the 50th overall pick in the 2012 draft.? Presumed to be the heir apparent to Steven Jackson, Pead became largely forgotten last year, sliding behind seventh-rounder Daryl Richardson.

?Honestly, I would call it miserable,? Pead said of his rookie season, via the University of Cincinnati official website. ?Miserable life.? Miserable four-five months.?

When the season finally ended, Pead packed up and left.

?I took off and I didn?t come back until it was time to,? Pead said.? ?I just wanted to stay out of this area, I came back for a couple days to pack up then all the memories and walking back into my house by myself, had a couple days by myself, I just needed to get out of that area.?

Pead is partially responsible for his misery.? He didn?t deal well with being demoted behind a guy taken 202 spots later, showing up late for a pair of meetings.

?I was literally fed up with football,? Pead said.? ?Not a quitter, not quitting, I was just tired of football.? Tired of practice for the day and I would just lay there play video games and whatnot because it was so miserable, so stressful.?

With a fresh opportunity coming from the departure of Jackson, Pead is ready to turn the page.

?Whole new era, whole new attitude, whole new team, whole new Pead,? Pead said. ??I?m not going to sit and linger on something, but I am one to not forget about a situation.? I am moving on from last year, last year is last year, but I have not forgot about last year.? I wouldn?t call it revenge, but the chip that I put on my shoulder is just a little bigger.?

He needs to perform more than a little better to erase the head start that Richardson earned in 2012.? While Pead finished with 10 carries for 54 yards, Richardson had 98 carries for 475 yards.

Pead also needs to hope the Rams don?t use one of their high draft picks on a rookie who?ll get a chance to in 2013 that which Pead couldn?t in 2012.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/24/report-dolphins-chiefs-resume-dialogue-about-branden-albert/related/

Tom Daley Leryn Franco The Campaign Kinesio tape randy travis Allyson Felix Kourtney Kardashian Baby Girl

On Earth Day 2013: 13 excellent books to consume

Environmentalists are sometimes seen as modern-day apocalyptic prophets ? a group of seers doing their best to wake the rest of us up before it's too late.

The environmental movement started out with transcendentalism and conservationism and efforts to protect natural sites. Nowadays, however, many environmentalists tend to focus on the food industry and modern consumerism ? areas that are closer to home for the average reader. To celebrate Earth Day, here are 13 classic environmental titles to help reconnect you with nature.

- Ben Frederick,?Contributor

1. "Silent Spring," by Rachel Carson

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. Rachel Carson's book about the effect of DDT and pesticides on the environment sparked the modern environmental movement. Even without the historical context, it's still a fantastic read and surprisingly relevant. First published in 1967, it put Carson on the list of Time's 100 most influential people of the century list.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/2Hdd0Ly1EsY/On-Earth-Day-2013-13-excellent-books-to-consume

animal house invincible jesse jackson whitney houston funeral video tyler perry whitney houston r kelly r. kelly

Stocks recover slightly, ending tough week

NEW YORK (AP) ? Strong earnings from a pair of technology giants helped the stock market recover some of its losses Friday, a positive end to Wall Street's worst week in five months.

Microsoft and Google both beat earnings expectations, yields of government bonds ticked up and copper ? a key industrial metal ? continued its fall, losing 2 percent.

Microsoft gained 3 percent to $29.77, leading the Dow Jones industrial average higher. The software giant reported earnings late Thursday that beat analysts' forecasts and showed solid results from its Office, software tools and Xbox divisions.

Google's stock climbed 3 percent to $799.87. The leader in Internet search boosted prices for ads distributed to smartphones and tablet computers.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 13.64 points to 1,555.25, an increase of 0.9 percent. The Dow rose 10.37 points to 14,547.51, a gain of 0.1 percent. The Dow spent most of the day down, pulled lower by disappointing results from IBM.

Traders, like everyone else, were following the news out of Boston, where police were hunting for one of two brothers suspected to be behind Monday's Boston Marathon bombings. One brother was killed in a gun battle with police overnight. But the news had no impact on markets, traders said.

Friday's slight gains couldn't overcome a tough week for the market, when both the S&P 500 and the Dow lost 2.1 percent. That's their biggest weekly drop since last November.

"Compared to the rest of the week, it looks like we're going to slide into the weekend on a quiet note," said Jim Baird, Partner and Chief Investment Officer for Plante Moran Financial Advisors

By many measures, the financial markets have endured a rough five days. News that economic growth had slowed in China set off a plunge in commodity prices on Monday, leading the stock market to its worst day of the year. Gold dropped below $1,400 an ounce for the first time in two years.

The stock market bounced back the next day, then fell again on Wednesday, its third worst day this year.

Most big corporations have managed to beat analysts' low expectations for first-quarter profits. Of the 104 companies that turned in results through Friday morning, 70 have trumped forecasts, according to S&P Capital IQ.

Analysts estimate that earnings for companies in the S&P 500 inched up just 2 percent over the previous year, a slowdown from the 7.7 percent rise in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Next week marks another big week for earnings as 10 members of the Dow and 181 companies in the S&P 500 report results.

On Friday, IBM fell 8 percent to an even $190. Quarterly earnings for the country's largest provider of computer services fell short of forecasts for the first time since 2005. IBM said delays in closing several large software and mainframe computer deals hindered sales.

Chipotle Mexican Grill surged 12 percent to $366.25, the best gain in the S&P 500. Chipotle's results easily topped Wall Street expectations late Thursday as the burrito-maker said new restaurants drove sales higher.

The Nasdaq composite index gained 39.69 points to 3,206.06, up 1.3 percent.

In the market for U.S. government bonds, Treasury prices slipped, nudging yields up from their lowest levels of the year. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note inched up to 1.70 percent from 1.68 percent late Thursday.

Traders cautiously returned to buying certain key commodities on Friday, including gold and oil, after big sell-offs earlier this week. But copper continued its fall, losing 2 percent to $3.16 per pound.

Rex Macey, the chief investment officer at the Wilmington Trust Investment Advisors, said markets are bound to encounter turbulence as long as the economy continues to advance at a slow pace. Forecasts say the U.S. economy will expand 2 percent this year. In practice, Macey said, that means there will be times when the economy looks ready to stall and others when it looks ready to steam ahead.

"You'll hear that Europe's in trouble again and we'll get a pullback in the market," Macey said. "Then you'll go through periods when we're off to the races again. I say, 'Get used to it.'"

Even after a rough week, Macey and others said the basic storyline for investors hasn't changed. The economy and corporate profits are still headed in the right direction. And as long as that's true, the stock market will follow their lead.

"We're going to have a stronger 2013 than 2012," said Joseph Tanious, the global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Funds. "But the recovery is going to be much more bumpy than people thought."

Among other companies making big moves:

? SeaWorld Entertainment soared in its first day of trading as a public company. The theme park operator raised $702 million in its initial public offering, with the bulk of the money going to the Blackstone Group, the private equity firm that still controls the company. SeaWorld's stock jumped 24 percent to $33.52, up from its IPO price of $27.

? Dell sank 4 percent to $13.40 following news that the Blackstone Group withdrew its bid to buy the computer maker. That left Dell with two remaining bidders: a group led by Michael Dell, the company's founder and CEO, and Carl Icahn, the well-known investor.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stocks-recover-slightly-ending-tough-week-211911846--finance.html

obama open mic jefferson county colorado extenze tenacious d steve smith zou bisou bisou tim tebow press conference

Family says accused ricin mailer is mentally ill

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) ? The stories from family and acquaintances of a Mississippi man charged with sending ricin-laced letters to the president and other officials describe a caring father and enthusiastic musician who struggled with mental illness and pursued a conspiracy theory to its farthest reaches.

Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, wrote numerous Web posts over the past several years describing the event he said "changed my life forever": the chance discovery of body parts and organs wrapped in plastic in small refrigerator at a hospital where he worked as a janitor more than a decade ago.

He tried to talk to officials about and publicize what he claimed was an elaborate conspiracy theory to sell body parts on the black markets, but he thought he was being railroaded by the government. Authorities say the efforts culminated in letters sent to President Barack Obama, a U.S. senator and a judge in Mississippi. "Maybe I have your attention now even if that means someone must die," the letters read, according to an FBI affidavit.

"He is bipolar, and the only thing I can say is he wasn't on his medicine," his ex-wife, Laura Curtis, told The Associated Press.

Jim Waide, an attorney for the Curtis family, said Paul Kevin Curtis was prescribed medication three years ago. "When he is on his medication, he is terrific, he's nice, he's functional," Waide said. "When he's off his medication, that's when there's a problem."

Curtis' brother, Jack Curtis, issued a statement Thursday evening saying his brother's mental problems cause him to believe he does not require medical treatment. The statement said that Paul Kevin Curtis refuses to take his medication, and that the family has been told there is no legal way to force him to do so.

Waide represented Curtis in a lawsuit he filed in August 2000 against North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, where he had worked from 1998 until he was fired in 2000. Waide said he withdrew from the case because Curtis didn't trust him. The suit, claiming employment discrimination, was dismissed.

"He thought I was conspiring against him," Waide said. "He thinks everybody is out to get him."

Curtis made a brief court appearance Thursday, wearing shackles and a Johnny Cash T-shirt. Attorney Christi R. McCoy said he "maintains 100 percent" that he is innocent. He did not enter pleas to the two federal charges against him. He was due back in court Friday afternoon.

In several letters to U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, and other officials, Curtis said he was writing a novel about black-market body parts called "Missing Pieces."

Curtis also posted similar language on his Facebook page. The documents indicate Curtis had been distrustful of the government for years. In 2007, Curtis' ex-wife called police to report that her husband was extremely delusional and felt the government was spying on him with drones.

Laura Curtis said she doesn't believe the allegations against him. "He just likes to speak out."

"What they say he did is so unlike him, it's unreal," she added. "Until I hear him say he did it, I would not ... I could not believe it."

During their 10-year marriage, the couple lived in Booneville in north Mississippi. Laura Curtis said she moved to a house next door after the split. Her ex-husband moved to Birmingham, Ala., but eventually back to Mississippi, most recently the small town of Corinth, where he was arrested Wednesday. Laura Curtis said he would visit their four children ? ages, 8, 16, 18 and 20 ? almost every day. He recently bought his youngest child a bicycle.

Others said Curtis' behavior was often erratic.

Tupelo attorney David Daniels said Curtis was in a show he helped organize about 10 years ago. Daniels said he was sitting in his vehicle one night after rehearsal when Curtis walked up.

"He started beating on the windows and screaming and hollering," Daniels said. "I thought he was kidding, but he was serious. He was throwing a fit like I've never seen a grown man throw before."

Daniels said Curtis was holding a beer bottle and threatening him with it. Daniels said he pointed the pistol he kept in his car: "I told him, 'If you try to hit me with that bottle, Kevin, I'm going to shoot you.'"

But he said Curtis stayed by the vehicle for as long as 15 minutes. "He was screaming and ranting and raving about body parts being sold," Daniels said.

Daniels eventually filed simple assault charges and he said the judge who handled the case was Sadie Holland ? one of the three people who received a letter suspected of containing ricin, according to authorities. Records show she sentenced Curtis to six months in the county jail.

Daniels was an assistant district attorney at the time. "He launched a smear campaign against me, saying I attacked him and tried to shoot him," Daniels said.

"It made my life miserable for almost two years, having to deal with this guy," he said.

On Thursday, North Mississippi Medical Center confirmed Curtis' employment and said in a statement he was not terminated in response to allegations about the facility.

Under the name Kevin Curtis, multiple online posts describe the conspiracy Curtis claimed to uncover when working there. The posts say the conspiracy began when he "discovered a refrigerator full of dismembered body parts & organs wrapped in plastic in the morgue of the largest non-metropolitan health care organization in the United States of America."

The hospital's statement says it works with an agency that specializes in harvesting organs and tissue from donors, and then immediately transports those organs for donation. The hospital says it does not receive payment for the donated organs.

In one post, Curtis said he sent letters to Wicker and other politicians.

"I never heard a word from anyone. I even ran into Roger Wicker several different times while performing at special banquets and fundraisers in northeast, Mississippi but he seemed very nervous while speaking with me and would make a fast exit to the door when I engaged in conversation ... "

Wicker said Thursday in Washington that he had met Curtis when he was working as Elvis at a party Wicker and his wife helped throw for an engaged couple about 10 years ago.

Wicker called him "quite entertaining" but said: "My impression is that since that time he's had mental issues and perhaps is not as stable as he was back then."

Early Thursday evening, the FBI said lab tests confirmed the presence of ricin in the letters mailed to Obama and Wicker.

At least a dozen armed officers wearing gas masks and hazardous-material suits went into Curtis' home Thursday evening in Corinth. There was no immediate word on what they found inside. No neighbors have been evacuated.

Raymond Zilinskas, a chemical and biological weapons expert at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in California, called the process to make ricin elaborate. He said it would not be difficult to create a low-concentration version using instructions from the Internet, but a finer and more concentrated version would require laboratory equipment and expertise.

Laura Curtis said she doesn't think her ex-husband has the knowledge required to make ricin. She said he collects a monthly disability check and she did not know where he would get ricin.

She said she cried when she heard about the arrest.

"It's more sinking in today, because you see the longer picture," Curtis said. "It's just me and the kids."

___

Associated Press Photographer Rogelio Solis in Corinth; writers Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson; and Eric Tucker and Jessica Gresko in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/family-says-accused-ricin-mailer-mentally-ill-082405406.html

where the wild things are birdsong teresa giudice atlanta hawks 2012 white house correspondents dinner forrest gump bernard hopkins

The Basic Steps For The Best Home Based Business

The Internet could be a very efficient way to market your business to your target audience. You can find out what you need to know about a strong Internet strategy for your business in the article below. Just use these ideas to harness the power of online marketing.

You should invest time to learn how to design websites. You can look up a lot of information online about learning HTML, CSS or other things that go into web design. Set aside half an hour a day, and you will soon be ready to tackle the design.

Your affiliate marketing should create further internet marketing. It does sound unorthodox, but the idea is such that you want to create a pattern of customers finding your business, purchasing something and repeating the cycle.

Most every cellular carrier will let you use your device for a dedicated business number, as well as your personal one. So get a dedicated number for your best home based business.

It can be hard to know how to go about the content on your site. Analyze your primary interests and what really makes you tick before deciding which one to focus on. Your chosen niche should be one that you are knowledgeable in and will take pleasure in pursuing. Marketing your website will be easier when you have a definite goal.

Make a plan for your site and stick to the plan. Decide which article directory you wish to write for, and choose the type of articles you will create. Depending on the particular directory in question, you may have to write articles that have a particular length or use a certain tone of voice. Keep a list of the various guidelines, like work from home no scams, that you can refer to before writing.

Offer at least one free service for your customers. Offering something free will give folks incentive to visit your site. For example, if you have a financial website, consider providing a tax return calculator.

As part of your website marketing strategy, you should include some type of money back guarantee. This helps give your customers security and shows that you stand by the quality of your product. Assuming the risks and giving your costumers a level of security will build your trust level with them.

Consider giving people different options on your site and once a week promote your products for wholesale price to give you some extra profits. You should still be making a profit on wholesale items you sell but this is a great way to increase the amount of product you sell.

You may want to offer incentives to your customers, to encourage them to order products faster. Some ways to do this include offering free or speedier shipping. You could offer free shipping to anyone who buys your product within 24 hours. This is just one of the many great ways you can find to entice visitors into becoming customers.

Do not give up on things that were not initially successful. Your idea that failed to catch on in the past, may work now. The Internet is a place that changes constantly and people find new uses for it regularly. Do not invest your time and capital in ideas that did not work, but save them for later use.

It is important to research how people feel about your product or brand, specifically if you are promoting an online event or sale. When you have launched an event online, initiative or promotion, look on blogs, forums and other sites to get feedback on how your visitors have responded. You can grow your customer?s respect for your business if you use some of their ideas in the future.

Perform searches for online conversations and comments regarding your company?s brand, then incorporate the information you?ve learned into new strategies for your online marketing campaigns. This will enable you to connect more deeply with people by using terms they are familiar and comfortable with. You?ll be surprised at how much better your connection is with your target audience when you mirror their language.

Good leads are the key to good sales generation. Real-time leads are more valuable than other types of leads because if they are searching for products in your niche, they are likely in a buying mood. Once they fill out the information form, you have instant access to their information.

Get people excited about your product. Emphasize on the benefits that your product will provide to your visitors. Point out what accomplishments they can achieve when they buy your product. If you exude confidence in your customers, they will pick up on that.

People will relate to your product more if you utilize emotional descriptions within your advertisements. An emotional connection with your product gives it an identity and contributes to its appeal. Using words like ?protection? or ?relief? will make a customer feel a sense of security from your product and a desire to purchase it.

The Internet can be very useful when marketing. It might seem hard, but it can be done. A good website and increased visibility will bring more traffic to your site and increase your sales.

Tagged as: best home based business, best home based internet businesses, home based business franchise, home based internet businesses, make money from home blog, work from home no scam

Source: http://liveamericandreamnow.com/?p=7072

ufc 145 results orrin hatch marlon byrd charles colson humber raffi torres michael mcdonald