Flamboyant Texas swindler Billie Sol Estes dies

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) ? Billie Sol Estes, a flamboyant Texas huckster who became one of the most notorious men in America in 1962 when he was accused of looting a federal crop subsidy program, has died. He was 88.

Estes, whose name became synonymous with Texas-sized schemes, greed and corruption, died in his sleep at his home in DeCordova Bend, a city about 60 miles southwest of Dallas, his daughter said Tuesday. A local funeral home confirmed it would be handling the services.

Estes reigned in the state as the king of con men for nearly 50 years. At the height of his infamy, he was immortalized in songs by Allan Sherman (in "Schticks of One and Half a Dozen of the Other") and the Chad Mitchell Trio (in "The Ides of Texas"). Time magazine even put him on its cover, calling him "a welfare-state Ponzi ... a bundle of contradictions and paradoxes who makes Dr. Jekyll seem almost wholesome."

"He considered dancing immoral, often delivered sermons as a Church of Christ lay preacher," the magazine wrote. "But he ruthlessly ruined business competitors, practiced fraud and deceit on a massive scale, and even victimized Church of Christ schools that he was supposed to be helping as a fund raiser or financial adviser."

Estes was best known for the scandal that broke out during President John F. Kennedy's administration involving phony financial statements and non-existent fertilizer tanks. Several lower-level agriculture officials resigned, and he wound up spending several years in prison.

"I thought he would meet a very violent end. We worried about him being killed for years," his daughter, Pamela Estes Padget, said Tuesday, adding that her father died peacefully in his recliner, with chocolate chip cookie crumbs on his lips.

Estes' name was often linked with that of fellow Texan Lyndon Johnson, but the late president's associates said their relationship was never as close or as sinister as the wheeler-dealer implied.

Johnson, then the vice president, and Agriculture Secretary Orville Freeman came under fire during the scandal, though the scheme had its roots in the waning years of President Dwight Eisenhower's administration, when Estes had edged into national politics from his West Texas power base in Pecos.

Estes was convicted in 1965 of mail fraud and conspiracy to defraud. An earlier conviction had been thrown out by the U.S. Supreme Court over the use of cameras in the courtroom. Sentenced to 15 years in prison, Estes was freed in 1971 after serving six years.

But new charges were brought against him in 1979, and later that year he was convicted of mail fraud and conspiracy to conceal assets from the Internal Revenue Service. He was sentenced to 10 more years but was freed a second time in 1983.

Former Associated Press correspondent Mike Cochran, who covered Estes' trials and schemes throughout the 1970s and '80s, recalled writing about how Estes made millions of dollars in phone fertilizer tanks ? and noting, "how many city slickers from New York or Chicago can make a fortune selling phantom cow manure?"

"Billie Col was a character's character," Cochran said. "I spent literally years chasing him in and out of prison and around the state as he pulled off all kinds of memorable shenanigans."

A go-getter since he was a boy, Estes was one of the Junior Chamber of Commerce's 10 most outstanding men of 1953 and became a millionaire before he was 30. Many of his deals involved agriculture products and services, including irrigation and the fertilizer products that later led to his downfall.

Before his release from federal prison for a second time in 1983, Estes claimed he'd uncovered the root of his problems: compulsiveness. "If I smoke another cigarette, I'll be hooked on nicotine," he said. "I'm just one drink away from being an alcoholic and just one deal away from being back in prison."

One of the strangest episodes in his life involved the death of a U.S. Department of Agriculture official who was investigating Estes just before he was accused in the fertilizer tank case.

Henry Marshall's 1961 death was initially ruled a suicide even though he had five bullet wounds. But in 1984, Estes told a grand jury that Johnson had ordered the official killed to prevent him from exposing Estes' fraudulent business dealings and ties with the vice president. The prosecutor who conducted the grand jury investigation said there was no corroboration of Estes' allegations, though a judge ruled that it was "clear and convincing" that the death was not self-inflicted.

In 2003, he co-wrote a book published in France that linked Johnson to John F. Kennedy's assassination, an allegation rejected by prominent historians, Johnson aides and family members.

A 2007 search for correspondence between Johnson and Estes found a 1953 form letter and only sporadic correspondence during Johnson's Senate years, said Claudia Anderson, supervisory archivist at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum in Austin. In a 1962 memo prepared by longtime Johnson aide Walter Jenkins, Johnson recalled meeting Estes once and said he had never talked to him on the phone.

While he admitted to being a swindler, Estes also portrayed himself as a "kind of Robin Hood" and hoped to be remembered for using his money to feed and educate the poor. He was an advocate of school integration in Texas long before it was fashionable.

Estes' wife Patsy died in 2000. He later moved to Granbury, a picture-postcard town southwest of Fort Worth, and remarried.

Services for Estes are set for 2 p.m. Saturday at Acton United Methodist Church in Acton, east of Granbury.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/flamboyant-texas-swindler-billie-sol-estes-dies-174736454.html

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What Dr. Ashton Wants You to Take Away From Angelina Jolie's Double Mastectomy

May 14, 2013 10:57am

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By DR. JENNIFER ASHTON

By going public with her prophylactic double mastectomy, actress Angelina Jolie has again shone the spotlight on breast cancer and the genetic mutation known to increase the risk of getting it by 60 percent.

(Jolie wrote that her doctor told her she had an increased risk of 87 percent, adding that the risk is different for each woman. An NIH?study?found this number to be too high.)

Although Jolie, 37, has the potential to save lives by raising awareness, facts about testing for the mutation and undergoing preventative care can be confusing. Here?s what you need to know:

The test for the genetic mutation, called BRCA, is a simple blood test, but it?s not for everyone. It?s not always covered by insurance and can cost about $3,000, so you should know whether you?re one of the 2 percent of women who have a family history that makes them more likely to have the BRCA mutation.

This is cancer.gov?s list of family history to consider before undergoing BRCA testing:

• For women who are not of Ashkenazi Jewish descent:
  • two first-degree relatives (mother, daughter or sister) diagnosed with breast cancer, one of whom was diagnosed at age 50 or younger;
  • three or more first-degree or second-degree (grandmother or aunt) relatives diagnosed with breast cancer regardless of their age at diagnosis;
  • a combination of first- and second-degree relatives diagnosed with breast cancer and ovarian cancer (one cancer type per person);
  • a?first-degree relative?with cancer diagnosed in both breasts (bilateral?breast cancer);
  • a combination of two or more first- or second-degree relatives diagnosed with ovarian cancer regardless of age at diagnosis;
  • a first- or second-degree relative diagnosed with both breast and ovarian cancer regardless of age at diagnosis; and
  • breast cancer diagnosed in a male relative.

• For women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent:
  • any first-degree relative diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer; and
  • two second-degree relatives on the same side of the family diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer.

In all, between 0.125 and 0.25 percent of women will test positive for the BRCA mutation, and it varies by ethnicity. These women have an increased risk of getting breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

If you do test positive for BRCA, you have options, and you don?t necessarily have to go the Jolie route.

Some women choose not to have surgery. Instead, they increase cancer surveillance with imaging tests. These include regular mammograms to test for breast cancer, and regular pelvic sonograms and blood-tests to watch for ovarian cancer.

It is important to note that surveillance or screening does not reduce risk, but rather potentially improves early detection of cancer should it occur.

Other options include chemo-prevention, or taking certain medications to reduce cancer risk. For example, some women take a drug called tamoxifen to prevent breast cancer and others take birth-control pills to prevent ovarian cancer.? These decisions are individual, highly personal and often times very difficult ones for a woman and her family to make.

Like Jolie, some women choose surgery when they learn they have the BRCA mutation. The decision to surgically remove the breasts and ovaries is an individual one and must take into account the woman?s age, fertility and reproductive wishes, psychological factors and cost. Her general medical condition for undergoing elective surgery should be taken into consideration, too.

Often, the reconstructive process is done in stages for a few months and can cost as much as $50,000. Fortunately, since 1998, women without medical insurance have increased options and mandatory coverage for undergoing breast reconstruction after mastectomy.

Because these decisions are complex, patients can seek consultations with oncologists, general gynecologists, gynecologic oncologists, breast surgeons and reconstructive plastic surgeons.

While studies have shown a significant risk reduction and likely survival benefit in women with a BRCA mutation who undergo preventive surgery, their risk does not drop to zero. There is still a low chance of developing breast cancer in the chest wall, and ovarian cancer in the pelvic cavity.

Men carry the BRCA mutation, too, so if a woman with a mutation has a son, he has a 50 percent chance of being a carrier and having the mutation.? Men with the mutation face increased risks of breast cancer, certain kinds of pancreatic cancer, testicular cancer and prostate cancer.

While the information presented here represents he medical tip of the iceberg, the hope is that? it can begin the process of informing, educating and empowering both women and men about this kind of genetic mutation and cancer risk.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/05/14/what-dr-ashton-wants-you-to-take-away-from-angelina-jolies-double-mastectomy/

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Detroit emergency manager says city 'clearly insolvent'

By Nick Carey and Steve Neavling

(Reuters) - Detroit is clearly insolvent and could face a possible bankruptcy if talks with labor unions and creditors do not make substantial progress on easing the city's cash crunch, the city's emergency financial manager said on Monday.

In his first official report, Emergency Financial Manager Kevyn Orr presented a grim view of Detroit's problems. The city faces a $162 million cash shortfall because of pension deals that outstrip its ability to pay, and a $60 million operating deficit, all amidst a cityscape of abandoned homes and businesses, broken streetlights and fractured services, the report said.

Orr said talks would begin promptly with unions and creditors, and he told the Detroit Free Press editorial board that he should know by the end of June whether the city's finances can be repaired without a bankruptcy filing.

Speaking to reporters later, Orr was matter of fact about prospects for keeping Detroit out of bankruptcy. "We can achieve what we have to achieve without going in. If we can't, then we have to" file for bankruptcy, Orr said.

Detroit had $64 million in cash on hand on April 26, but only because it has deferred $226 million in payments on pensions, loans and other obligations. Orr's report projected the city could get through the end of December without running out of money.

"If we keep going the way that we're going, we're going to hit some bumpy ground in December," Orr said.

In issuing his report to the state Treasurer, Orr declared Detroit is far from solving the problems that caused Governor Rick Snyder in mid-March to appoint him as emergency manager.

"The City of Detroit continues to incur expenditures in excess of revenues despite cost reductions and proceeds from long?term debt issuances," Orr wrote. "In other words, Detroit spends more than it takes in - it is clearly insolvent on a cash flow basis."

Legal experts indicated the declaration of insolvency is important because the city cannot make a bankruptcy filing without an official declaration of insolvency.

Some matters will immediately press on Orr. For example, investors who hold $377 million in interest-rate swap contracts obtained the right to demand immediate payment the moment Snyder appointed Orr to the job, Orr disclosed.

James Spiotto, an expert in municipal restructuring and partner at Chapman and Cutler in Chicago, said Detroit could avoid bankruptcy if Orr could work with the state and other parties to address deeply entrenched problems.

"Obviously, there is an urgency, but it's not time to panic," Spiotto said. "You need a sustainable, affordable recovery plan."

In the past, New York City, Philadelphia and Cleveland avoided bankruptcy with loans and grants designed to keep the cities afloat while a long-term recovery plan was worked out.

Orr said it was important to put out facts so all parties know what they were facing.

Operating expenditures have exceeded revenues by about $100 million a year since 2008, Orr's report found, bringing the accumulated unrestricted deficit to $326.6 million. Payments of Detroit's long-term debt are eating up nearly 20 percent of Detroit's budget.

Orr is looking to renegotiate or restructure Detroit's $8.65 billion in long-term debt. He may reschedule payments, reduce the principal, renegotiate interest rates or issue new debt guaranteeing bondholders payment on Detroit's existing obligations, the report stated.

Patrick O'Keefe, chief executive of turnaround specialists O'Keefe and Associates Consulting, based in suburban Bloomfield Hills, said Orr likely intends to use Detroit's fiscal distress as a weapon in negotiating with unions and debt holders.

"My guess is they (Detroit) don't have the money so they are not that worried," O'Keefe said. "It's a little bit like fighting the ugly kid in the school yard in that he can't get any uglier."

Pension payments to city workers are one of the largest drains on the city's finances. Detroit will make $31 million in pension payments this year, but will defer another $108 million. The city also has $5.7 billion in unfunded retiree benefit obligations, more than previous estimates, the report found.

To catch up on pension and health benefits to retirees, the city would need to spend $339 million, about a third of its fiscal 2013 revenues, Orr estimated. Orr said a city task force was reviewing actuarial assumptions Detroit uses to estimate its obligations.

Detroit has liabilities totaling $9.4 billion from special revenue bonds, revolving loans, pension obligations and other financial instruments.

At investment firm BlackRock in New York, Orr's report was only a small step toward addressing Detroit's major problems.

"The identification of these items are still far from the resolution of these items, and that is ultimately what has to take place here", said Peter Hayes, head of BlackRock's municipal bonds group, which has $114 billion in assets under management.

Labor is among the city's largest challenges. Noting that state law authorized him to "reject, modify or terminate" any of the city's 48 collective bargaining agreements, Orr said he was considering all options.

"This power will be exercised, if necessary or desirable, with the knowledge and understanding that many City employees already have absorbed wage and benefit reductions," the report said.

The report also noted that a review of police, fire and other emergency services was ongoing and that Detroit's "infrastructure and public safety fleet are aged and decrepit, which, in turn, increases the City's operating and repair costs and decreases its productivity."

The Detroit NAACP on Monday filed a federal lawsuit against Snyder and other state officials calling for reversal of the state law that allows emergency managers like Orr.

Emergency managers in Benton Harbor, Pontiac and other Michigan cities have attracted controversy with their turnaround plans, and Rev. Wendell Anthony, head of the Detroit NAACP, said the law was applied unevenly by focusing primarily on cities and school districts with black residents.

(Reporting by Nick Carey and Steve Neavling.; Additional reporting by Bernie Woodall and Deepa Seetharaman.; Editing by David Greising, Sofina Mirza-Reid, Leslie Gevirtz, Toni Reinhold)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/detroit-emergency-manager-says-city-clearly-insolvent-202324348.html

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Why AP Phone Records Were Seized: Yemen Story - Business Insider

Flikr Attorney General Eric Holder

The Justice Department has secretly obtained two months of phone records for some Associated Press reporters and editors, in what the news company said was likely due to a May 7, 2012, story on a thwarted terror plot.

The May 7, 2012 story deals with the CIA's thwarting of an al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen's plot to detonate an upgrade of the so-called "underwear bomb" on a U.S.-bound airliner. The attack was set to occur on the one-year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden.?

John Brennan, who is now the CIA Director, said in testimony in February that the release of information related to the thwarted terror plot was?"unauthorized and dangerous disclosure of classified information."

According to its article last year, the AP learned about the CIA's foiling of the plot the week before the Obama administration was going to announce it publicly. It ended up publishing the story a day before the Obama administration announced it publicly, despite protests from the administration to wait for an official announcement. The AP said it published the story because it was assured from officials that it did not pose a threat to national security.

The May 7, 2012, story was written by reporters Matt Apuzzo and Adam Goldman, and Kimberly Dozier, Eileen Sullivan, and Alan Fram contributed. Ted Bridis edited the story.

In its report today, the AP said that the Justice Department's seizure of phone records included those five reporters.

From the AP:

In the letter notifying the AP received Friday, the Justice Department offered no explanation for the seizure, according to [AP CEO Gary] Pruitt's letter and attorneys for the AP. The records were presumably obtained from phone companies earlier this year although the government letter did not explain that. None of the information provided by the government to the AP suggested the actual phone conversations were monitored.

Among those whose phone numbers were obtained were five reporters and an editor who were involved in the May 7, 2012 story.

The Obama administration has aggressively investigated disclosures of classified information to the media and has brought six cases against people suspected of leaking classified information, more than under all previous presidents combined.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/why-ap-phone-records-seized-yemen-story-cia-al-qaeda-2013-5

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Amtrak's new locomotives usher in new era

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Amtrak has unveiled at a plant in California the first of 70 new locomotives, marking what the national passenger railroad service said it hopes will be a new era of better reliability, streamlined maintenance and more energy efficiency.

On a broader scale, the new engines displayed Monday could well be viewed as emblematic of the improving financial health of Amtrak, which has long been dependent on subsidies from an often reluctant Congress.

More than 31 million passengers rode Amtrak in the 2012 fiscal year, generating a record $2.02 billion in ticket revenue. Amtrak said it will be able to pay back a $466 million federal loan for the locomotives over 25 years using net profits from the Northeast Corridor line, where ridership hit a record high last year for the ninth time in 10 years.

"The new Amtrak locomotives will help power the economic future of the Northeast region, provide more reliable and efficient service for passengers and support the rebirth of rail manufacturing in America," Amtrak President Joseph Boardman said in a statement. "Built on the West Coast for service in the Northeast with suppliers from many states, businesses and workers from across the country are helping to modernize the locomotive fleet of America's Railroad."

Robert Puentes, a senior fellow in the Brooking Institution's metropolitan policy program, said Amtrak isn't the same organization it was a few years ago, relying on federal handouts.

"Even though Washington is mired in debt and dysfunction, Amtrak is reinventing itself," Puentes said.

The new engines will be used on the Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C., and Boston and on Keystone Corridor trains that run between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pa. Three were unveiled Monday before being sent out for testing. The first is due to go into service by this fall, and all 70 are expected to be in service by 2016.

Amtrak awarded the contract in 2010 to Munich-based Siemens AG, which has made a big investment in the American rail industry over the last decade. The company makes about one of every three light-rail vehicles in North America and is building light-rail vehicles for Minneapolis, Houston and San Diego at the Sacramento plant where Amtrak's locomotives are being produced.

Among the improvements in the new locomotives are computers that can diagnose problems in real time and take corrective action and a braking system capable of generating 100 percent of the energy it uses back to the electric grid, similar to the way a hybrid automobile's motor acts as a generator when braking, according to Michael Cahill, CEO for Siemens Rail Systems. That could produce energy savings of up to $300 million over 20 years, the company estimates.

The locomotives also feature crumple zones, which are basically cages built onto the front end of the train that can absorb impact from a collision. The new models will be the first in North America to use them, in compliance with new federal safety guidelines, Cahill said.

The locomotives, called Amtrak Cities Sprinters, are based on Siemens' latest European electric locomotive and will replace Amtrak equipment that has been in service for 20 to 30 years and has logged an average of 3.5 million miles.

Simply having the same type of locomotive in operation should cut costs, Amtrak spokesman Steve Kulm said. Amtrak now uses three locomotive models, requiring slightly different maintenance, parts and training.

"Now, we will have one model, one inventory and one training program, and all that will help efficiency," Kulm said.

About 750 people are employed at Siemens' Sacramento plant. The locomotive project also involves Siemens plants in Columbus, Ohio, Richland, Miss., and Alpharetta, Ga.

The ripple effect spreads farther. As a condition of the Department of Transportation loan, the majority of the products and materials used to build the locomotives must be made in the U.S. As a result, some lighting parts are coming from Connecticut, the driver's seat from Wisconsin, insulation from Indiana, electronics from Texas and hydraulic parts from California. In all, 70 suppliers in 23 states are providing components, Siemens said.

Amtrak must still seek federal funding for a long list of planned and ongoing improvements, including replacing sections of pre-World War II electrical systems on the Northeast Corridor that cause regular disruptions. The fact that Amtrak has reduced its debt by 60 percent over the last 10 years and its federal operating subsidy to 12 percent could make it an easier sell.

"Ten years ago we were in a tougher spot," Boardman, the Amtrak president, said last week. "Now Amtrak on the Northeast Corridor is in a much healthier position. We're trying to maximize that, to the extent we can, to pay for what we should pay for on the Northeast Corridor."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/amtrak-unveils-locomotives-replace-aging-174941862.html

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Ask the Experts: Credit score matters even for non-borrowers ...

If you're not applying for a loan or a credit card, does your credit history really matter?

This week, certified financial planner Kimberly Foss, owner of Empyrion Wealth Management in Roseville, Calif., has the answer.

QUESTION: Should I care about my credit rating? I don't owe anything and have no plans to move or buy a house. I have a pension that takes care of all my needs and $300,000 in savings. I use a Costco American Express credit card and pay it off monthly. Does my credit rating matter?

ANSWER: That is a great question. While there are many areas where your credit rating is not a factor (as you mentioned above), there are other areas where credit ratings may be a factor. That's why it is important to not only maintain a solid credit score, but to understand your score and have confirmation that your credit rating is good.

There is a difference between your credit score and your credit report. Your credit score is a three-digit number, typically from 300 (low) to 850 (high). It is based on your credit reports, which are a history of your credit card use, loan payments and other bill-paying habits.

By federal law, you are entitled to a free credit report once a year from each of the three credit reporting bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. To get a copy, go to AnnualCreditReport.com or call 877-322-8228.

There are times when a credit score can come into play. While these might not affect your specific situation, it is important for everyone to understand how our credit scores can impact our lives. Here are some examples:

1. Getting a job: Generally, under federal law, an employer must obtain your permission to pull your credit report. The risk is that if you decline, it can create questions in the employer's eye.

Some states have adopted stricter controls over when employers can look at your credit history. California is one of eight states where employers cannot pull your credit report, unless the job involves working in finance, law enforcement or certain other managerial positions.

2. Student loans: Your credit score is a factor when qualifying for a student loan from a private institution or bank. Lenders are required to do a credit check to see if you have bad credit history. It helps them determine your overall credit worthiness and reduce their risk of a loan default. The better your credit score and history, the better chance you have to get the loan, as well as repay it.

3. Renting an apartment: Fair or not, your credit score affects your ability to rent a home or apartment. Landlords may look at your credit score, past rental history payments and current income (among other factors) when determining if you are a viable candidate to rent or lease. Not all landlords check credit histories, but it's wise to be prepared just in case.

Otherwise, even if you're not applying for a job or renting an apartment, it can be helpful to check your credit history once a year to be sure there are no errors that could cause problems. You can guard against identity theft by checking to see if there was fraudulent activity or accounts wrongly opened in your name.

A credit score does matter. With each passing year, there are some things we would like to go down (like our weight) and some things we would like to go up (like our credit score).

Source: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2013/05/13/3484275/ask-the-experts-credit-score-matters.html

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TV's greatest ? and not-so-good ? moms

May 11, 2013 at 10:39 AM ET

Ah, Mother's Day. Have your flowers? A card? Dinner reservations? Well, if you'd been brought up by some of TV's best mother figures, you'd be all prepared for Sunday.

On the other hand, there are some TV mamas out there who never got the memo on raising kids right. According to a recent Harris Poll, June Cleaver (of "Leave it to Beaver") may remain the iconic image of television motherhood -- she's topped their list for the second year in a row, followed by "The Cosby Show's" Clair Huxtable and "The Brady Bunch's" Carol Brady -- but we came up with our own list of favorites. Plus a few whose methods leave much to be desired.

Enjoy, and call your mother!

The Best

Clair Huxtable, 'The Cosby Show'

She hasn't been on TV for 20 years, but her shoulder-padded, 1980s-jumpsuit-rocking self remains the mom who tops all moms, the queen who will never be dethroned. She was beautiful, yes, and had an angel?s voice (just watch her sing solo in the ?Hillman? episode). She was smart -- though we didn?t see as much of Clair?s lawyering as we did Cliff?s baby-delivering -- and she could take down Theo?s junior-high bluster with the same devastating debate tactics you imagine she used in the courtroom. She loved her kids like a lioness, but was never afraid to tell them when they were being idiots. And that went for their significant others, too -- Sondra?s bozo boyfriend-eventual-husband Elvin learned quickly never to make assumptions around his soon-to-be mother-in-law, as in a classic clip where Clair explained the give-and-take of marriage while at the same time blasting his anti-feminist attitudes. Do not mess with Queen Clair. -- Gael Fashingbauer Cooper

Roseanne Conner, 'Roseanne'

With her loud mouth, blue-collar clothing and no-nonsense attitude, Roseanne Conner was certainly no June Cleaver. Yet like the idyllic TV moms that came before her, Roseanne was attentive, caring and would do anything necessary to take care of her family, whether that meant taking a mind-numbing job at a plastics factory or wearing a ridiculous waitress outfit to serve burgers at the mall. She gave everything she had to her family, including the occasional snide remark or snarky comment, and made sure they knew they were loved, as in the "Mall Story" episode, episode where she explained to Becky that they couldn't afford an expensive dress for her to wear to the dance ... and then got Dan to return a pair of shoes he spent the day shopping for so that ultimately they could pony up for Becky's special night. -- Ashley Majeski

Tami Taylor, 'Friday Night Lights'

Tami made all women look bad because she was so gosh-darned perfect. As the loyal, loving wife of a high school football coach, Tami was the heart and soul of her household and a generous mother who always put her two daughters first -- and backed them all the way. When she took daughter Julie to visit Boston College and Julie snapped that it was Tami's dream, not her own, Tami reminded her that her dream already came through because she had her family. Beautiful, sexy, witty and always present, Tami is the one Taylor the household never could do without. -- Maria Elena Fernandez

Kristina Braverman, 'Parenthood'

Kristina Braverman's valiant fight against cancer this season only served to show what an amazing mother she is. Despite rigorous chemotherapy treatments and a life-or-death struggle in the hospital, Kristina made sure her eldest daughter was worry-free at college, her autistic son got some undevoted attention, and her baby girl got plenty of cuddle time. Kristina is the epitome of a selfless mother who loves unconditionally. -- MEF

Alicia Florrick, 'The Good Wife'

Despite the show's name, "The Good Wife" is also about a good mom in Alicia Florrick, who has proved to be a terrific role model for her two teenaged children. After being cheated on, she dusted off her law degree, got a job and in a matter of years was made partner at her firm. But beyond that, she's a mom who actually listens to her kids and treats them -- however hesitantly -- like the adults they're slowly becoming. When her daughter Grace develops an interest in religion, she's not thrilled but keeps a watchful eye to ensure it doesn't turn into a cultlike devotion, and when her son Zach stands up to a corrupt police officer she's there to back him all the way into court. -- Randee Dawn

The Not-So-Good

Gemma Teller Morrow, 'Sons of Anarchy'

Oh sure, Gemma may have killed Jax's dad, but she had her reasons. (At least, better reasons than Queen Gertrude in "Hamlet," on which "Sons" is loosely based.) Jax wouldn't be president of SAMCRO without its matriarch's help, and her mama grizzly protectiveness extends to her grandsons. Her methods may be unorthodox (like forcing Jax's baby mama to attempt suicide), but no one can question her fierce devotion to her family. -- Dru Moorhouse

Betty Francis, 'Mad Men'

Let's be real: Betty Draper Francis will never win the Mother-of-the-Year Award. That was established early in season one, when she expressed more concern about her clothes than her daughter potentially suffocating in a dry cleaning bag. She's selfish, childlike and connects more deeply with other children (like the creepy Glen) than her own. However, as January Jones told TODAY before the start of season six, Betty and Sally shared a "very sweet" moment last season, "when Sally got her period and she went to her mother. You see that they do have a connection -- it's just a work in progress." -- DM

Sarah Linden, 'The Killing'

AMC

Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) from "The Killing."

Clap. Clap. Clap. Linden, you are unofficially the the worst mother currently on scripted TV. For this obsessed detective, the job always came first, and she routinely handed off her son to anyone who would have him. As a single mom she always ensured Jack had some kind of shelter (even if it's a shabby hotel) and food (even if it came out of a snack machine). Fortunately (for Jack's sake), her routine neglect -- including abandoning the 13-year-old alone at a motel with a 103-degree fever -- will apparently find her losing custody in the upcoming third season. -- DM

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/moms-word-tvs-greatest-mothers-few-who-need-retraining-1C9875178

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Future of house where Ohio victims held debated

FILE - In this Tuesday, May 7, 2013 file photo, members of the FBI evidence response team carry out the front screen door from the house where three women were held captive, in Cleveland. Cleveland officials are trying to keep the house intact until the trial of the women's suspected abductor is concluded. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)

FILE - In this Tuesday, May 7, 2013 file photo, members of the FBI evidence response team carry out the front screen door from the house where three women were held captive, in Cleveland. Cleveland officials are trying to keep the house intact until the trial of the women's suspected abductor is concluded. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)

FILE - This undated file photo provided by Cuyahoga County Jail shows Ariel Castro. Cleveland officials are trying to keep Castro's house, where three women were imprisoned for a decade, intact until his trial is concluded. (AP Photo/Cuyahoga County Jail, File)

CLEVELAND (AP) ? An imposing, 10-foot privacy fence will soon guard the home of Cleveland rape and kidnapping suspect Ariel Castro, with windows and doors boarded shut to keep people out of the place that police say was once meant only to keep people in.

The run-down house has become a two-story piece of evidence in the abduction and imprisonment case of three women, but neighbors who remain shaken by the horrors alleged inside want it torn down and erased from the landscape of Seymour Avenue.

"The girls that was in that house, when they ride by there, if they ever ride by there again, they won't have to see that, to remind them or maybe scare them," said Johnny Wright, 54, who can see the back of the house from his front door. "What they went through, I don't think any human being should ever been through that."

The house and what becomes of it will be a daily talking point for the Seymour community, as city officials deal with the irony of keeping the dreaded site of the women's imprisonment safe while neighbors almost uniformly want it torn down.

The issue isn't a simple one.

First and foremost, it's evidence against Castro, who investigators say kept the women in chains in a basement before eventually allowing them to live under close control upstairs. The 6-year-old daughter of one victim, Amanda Berry, was also freed; DNA tests showed Castro was her father, a dark twist on years of captivity during which Castro is also alleged to have induced multiple miscarriages in one of the women by repeatedly punching her belly.

The nondescript white house with a red-and-white tile roof sits on a street of other boarded-up houses, victims of the foreclosure crisis which hit the city hard. The house has thousands of dollars in unpaid tax liens, which would have to be sorted out as the city attempts to control the property. County records show it was built in 1890 and updated in 1950. Forty-two years later, Castro bought it for $12,000.

Workers over the weekend began boarding up windows and doors and erecting a metal fence around the house.

The plywood and fence have a two-fold purpose, said Councilman Brian Cummins: preserving the scene as evidence and protecting it from the threats already circulating on the streets to burn it down in a stroke of vigilante justice.

It's a decision for neighbors and also for the women, said Cummins, whose ward encompasses the property and who is in close contact with police and city officials about the situation.

"The issue is how do we respect the wishes of the survivors in this case and it's too premature to know what their wishes would be," Cummins said Saturday.

There's precedent for tearing down scenes of terrible crimes.

In 2011, Cleveland tore down a house on the city's east side where 11 women were killed over several years by a serial murderer now on Ohio's death row.

But first it served as evidence against Anthony Sowell: in June 2011, jurors walked through the house wearing face masks to ward off the smell of decay as Sowell's trial got under way.

That house also had to be protected before trial from people furious at Sowell's crime.

As with the Sowell house, both prosecutors and the defense will want Castro's home still standing until the trial ends, said Michael Benza, criminal law professor at Cleveland's Case Western Reserve University.

"The prosecutors are going to want to preserve it so they can take jurors into it to view, and the defense would want it preserved so at least they could do their own investigation," Benza said.

It's unlikely the house would be needed once the trial ends; typically only evidence like weapons or fingerprints are preserved for appeals, he said.

Almost 30 years ago in Chicago, the vacant house where John Wayne Gacy killed at least 33 teenage boys and young men was demolished.

More recently, a panel in Connecticut voted Friday to tear down Sandy Hook Elementary School where 20 first-graders and six educators were gunned down in December and build a new school on the same site.

Demolition isn't always the answer. Columbine High School, site of a 1999 school shooting that killed 12 students and a teacher, replaced the library where most of the killing happened with a new library. Chardon High School in northeastern Ohio, where three teens were killed in February, repainted the cafeteria where the shooting happened and put in new tables.

Evidence is crucial in such cases and can be an issue when considering demolition.

Last year in Connecticut, parents of three girls killed in a 2011 Christmas morning fire served notice they planned to sue the city of Stamford, accusing officials of intentionally destroying evidence when they demolished the shoreline home a day after the fire.

Victims' wishes aren't always responded to when it comes to such crime scenes. Cinemark reopened a theater in Aurora, Colo., earlier this year that was the site of 12 people killed in a July shooting.

Relatives of several of the victims rejected an invitation to attend its planned reopening, calling it a "disgusting offer" that came at a terrible time ? right after the first Christmas without their loved ones.

Betsy Medina, a nurse's aide who lives behind Castro's house with her three children and her fiance, says tearing it down would spare the three women having to see it again.

Elsie Cintron, who lives three houses down from the house, rejected any idea of keeping it up.

"It'd be a horrifying thing for anybody to go through there thinking something else might happen with the house still standing," she said. "It could be boarded up, locked up ? don't mean somebody can't get in from the back and do something else."

Pastor Horst Hoyer, who leads the nearby Immanuel Lutheran Church, said he took comfort in knowing the women would have heard the bells of his nearby church during their captivity. He agrees with neighbors, calling it "a house of shame."

He said the bells of his church, which once rang to call parishioners to worship, are the only good memory he can have of what happened just down the street.

"They served a real purpose," he said Saturday. "I'm sure they must have given those good ladies hope and what day of week it is and what holiday it is, and were the one thing Mr. Castro couldn't stop going into that house ? those sounds."

___

Andrew Welsh-Huggins can be reached at https://twitter.com/awhcolumbus

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-05-13-Missing%20Women%20Found-The%20House/id-0591d3c3206947ab8eb18b702fabbd8e

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Son donates late mom's $100,000 Precious Moments collection to ...

GRANBY, Mo. ? A southwest Missouri woman's 2,000-piece Precious Moments figurine collection has been donated to a breast cancer foundation.

Jon Stouffer donated his late mother's collection of Precious Moments figurines to the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks. Shirley Stouffer died of heart problems in 2007 at age 67, he said, and she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992.

He said she collected Precious Moments figurines for about 25 years.

Illustrator Sam Butcher began marketing the figurines in 1978. In 1989, the Precious Moments Inspiration Park and Precious Moments Chapel opened in Carthage, and the company eventually moved its headquarters there.

?They're going to a good cause,? Jon said of the childlike angel figures. ?She would be pleased that they're going to help somebody.?

At its peak, he estimated his mother may have had as many as 4,000 figurines. The 2,000-piece collection could still be worth at least $100,000, and possibly more, said Steve Roark, a board member with the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks.

The foundation provides a variety of services, including short-term, non-medical financial assistance to women diagnosed with breast cancer. The foundation also offers free mammograms for qualified applicants at hospitals in the region.

Roark said inventory is being done on the extensive collection and when it's complete, staff members will input the description of each piece into a database that determines market value. That will give the foundation an idea of the range of prices it can ask when marketing the figurines.

?We will take our time and do our due diligence as to the best way to market them,? said Kristi Seibert, outreach director for the foundation.

Source: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/12/4231537/son-donates-late-moms-100000-precious.html

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Column: Benghazi and the Republican abandonment of the center

By Nicholas Wapshott

(Reuters) - In World War Two, the Libyan port of Benghazi was hard fought over, changing hands five times between Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps and the Allied forces. Seventy years on, the city has again become the focus of a fierce battle, this time between Republicans and Democrats over the terrorist attack that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans on September 11, 2012.

This week the U.S. House committee resumed the fight, with GOP members eager to show the Obama administration at fault. Because Hillary Clinton has already emerged as the 2016 Democratic frontrunner, determining what exactly happened in Benghazi that day has become the first scuffle in the next presidential election.

In the weeks running up to President Barack Obama's re-election, conservative commentators thought that in the Benghazi deaths they had found an explosive issue that would shock the nation. Despite their best efforts, which elicited an admission of responsibility from the Secretary of State, the Benghazi campaign did not move the pollsters' needle. The campaign to implicate the president and Clinton was long on innuendo and short on facts. There was no smoking gun. As a result, voters did not grasp what they were being urged to be indignant about.

Despite this indifference, Republicans are pressing on. The former presidential hopeful and Fox News host Mike Huckabee has high hopes Benghazi will lead to impeachment. "I believe that before it's all over, this president will not fill out his full term," he said. "This is not minor. It wasn't minor when Richard Nixon lied to the American people and worked with those in his administration to cover up what really happened in Watergate."

But even after the House revisited Benghazi and took evidence from three State Department whistleblowers this week, the most alarming front-page headline Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal could come up with was: "Diplomat Airs Attack Details." And its low-key editorial, "The Benghazi Awakening," was a quiet plea for more information, not a cry for impeachment.

Even the most eager conspiracy theorists may be excused for stifling a yawn. Once again, Republicans have raced off in their own direction, leaving the rest of us wondering what all the fuss is about.

The Benghazi boondoggle has wider implications. The eternal rule of politics is that elections are won and lost in the center ground. It is in the middle that the undecided and uncommitted are to be found. Those who only think about politics every four years are open to persuasion in a way devoted partisans are not. So why, when week after week it has failed to gain traction with Benghazi, is the GOP still cracking the whip at this long-dead nag?

Benghazi is not the only subject that excites the GOP but leaves voters cold. A party set on achieving government looks at what is concerning moderates and formulates policies to meet their needs. Exit polls show 56 percent of "moderates" voted for Obama, which ensured his re-election. This does not mean the GOP must kowtow to focus groups and pollsters, but it does mean being open enough to hear what voters are saying, not putting on headphones and ploughing on regardless with pet obsessions.

Gun control is a case in point. Soon after 20 children were shot dead in Newtown, Connecticut, 90 percent of voters wanted universal background checks and 60 percent tighter restrictions on guns. Nearly five months later, the anger and despair has abated, but still half the electorate want Congress to pass a new gun control law.

An indication of how guns have become a key issue for many is the way the gun control campaign group around Gabby Gifford, the gun-owning "blue dog" Democrat House member shot in the head in 2011, has in such a short time attracted 366,000 members and raised $11 million.

A party eager for power would take note of the strength of public passions around the shooting of schoolchildren and work to find a compromise that would preserve gun rights while keeping weapons out of the hands of criminals and crazies.

Yet Republicans know better. In the name of the Second Amendment, accompanied by Democrats from rural, gun-toting states, they resist approving even the most temperate measure in the Senate and will not even allow the House to vote. They let their case be made by divisive, implausible figures like the NRA's tone-deaf Wayne LaPierre. To middle-ground voters, on this issue Republicans appear unreasonable and closed-minded.

Immigration reform follows a similar path. Armed with exit polls showing Hispanics voting 71 percent for Obama and 27 percent for Romney, a party intent on winning the White House would overwhelmingly back immigration reform.

As Ronald Reagan put it, "Latinos are Republican. They just don't know it yet." But Republicans cannot even agree what addressing the nation's 11 million undocumented workers would cost if, as is certain, the vast majority were allowed to stay. Looking at the abuse heaped upon those, like Marco Rubio, who lead GOP efforts at reform, middle-ground Hispanics would rightly conclude that the party does not yet deserve their affection.

Some in the GOP leadership recognize that they are seen as unbending and out of touch. Having tried to blame the press for "shoving us in the corner," House Majority Leader Eric Cantor concedes his party's leadership is to blame.

"We also want to speak to the people who, frankly, have begun to turn us off because they don't feel we have an agenda that speaks to them," he said. "What are we doing for that assistant manager of a fast-food restaurant?" Little wonder that a majority of Republican voters disapprove of the party's leaders, and fewer than one in five independents rate them.

To become so detached from the wishes of ordinary middle-ground voters is particularly strange for a party that favors business and champions the free market. There are companies who successfully nurture a narrow niche and turn a decent profit. Fox News comes to mind. But those who do best from market forces are those who take note of the appetites of all their potential customers and design their goods accordingly.

Those who ignore what the public wants and introduce unpopular products, like Ford and the Edsel, Coca-Cola and New Coke, and most recently Microsoft and Windows 8, must make amends quickly or be forever tainted.

Right now the Republicans leadership is peddling unpopular policies to a loyal minority. To win in 2016, pandering to a niche is not enough; it needs to please more than half of America. Any business leader will tell them the same.

If the GOP were a company, it would be going bust.

(Nicholas Wapshott is a Reuters columnist)

(Nicholas Wapshott is the former New York bureau chief of The Times of London. Previously, he was editor of the Saturday Times of London, and founding editor of The Times Magazine. He is a regular broadcaster on MSNBC, PBS, and FOX News. He is the author of "Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher: A Political Marriage" (2007). His "Keynes Hayek: The Clash That Defined Modern Economics" was published by W.W.Norton in October. )

(Nicholas Wapshott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/column-benghazi-republican-abandonment-center-172241738.html

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Solid Advice To Help Ensure That You Have A Successful ...

While pregnancy is a wonderful time in a woman?s life, it is not without its harder moments, such as pains, heartburn and nausea. The information in this article can help you to deal with some of the problems that you may deal with during pregnancy. Read every tip to determine which can make your pregnancy run a little smoother.

If you want to have better sleep when you?re pregnant, you should drink less fluids because you have a smaller bladder capacity. Be sure that you?re taking in enough water throughout the day, but take it slow after you eat dinner and before bed. This should limit the number of times you have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.

Exercise and being active are important to a healthy pregnancy and an easier birth and recovery. This has a variety of effects, including preventing miscarriages, reducing labor time, and making it easier to slim down after giving birth.

Maintain regular contact with your OB/GYN. The intervals at which you see your doctor are important to monitor the progress of your pregnancy and the development of the fetus. Making your appointments keeps both you and the baby in good shape.

Be more conservative about your sunscreen use than you were when you were not pregnant. Don?t go near a tanning bed. The hormones that occur because of your pregnancy will make it easier to get sun damage. The key is to remember to use a sunscreen that is free from harmful chemicals that could affect the baby.

You need more calories when you?re pregnant. You and your baby need food when you?re pregnant. Try eating healthy foods like fresh produce and lots of lean protein.

Eating smaller meals can help your stomach during pregnancy. Be sure never to go hungry. This will help keep your stomach settled. The foods you consume should be both fresh and light. Fresh fruits, meats, and vegetables are very helpful.

Get a doula. A doula is someone who is trained to be a birth coach. They are able to give you tips and support when you are in labor. They make you feel relieved since a professional is in the same room as you, and they can help a lot.

Visit the hospital where you will be giving birth. Tour the facility and become acquainted with the staff. This will help you relax and get answers to many of your questions. The father will find great benefit from this as he?ll be talking with staff members while you?re giving birth.

Take a home pregnancy test as soon as you think you might be pregnant. Sometimes women neglect to do this in a timely manner and may find that their pregnancy is complicated because they didn?t get the care they needed soon enough.

It is very important to know the symptoms of premature labor early in your pregnancy. Learn as much as possible about this, so you are sure about the times when you will have to call a doctor.

When you find out you are pregnant, it is important to get tested to see if you have a sexually transmitted disease. STD?s can affect your health and your baby?s health, if you do not take care of them. Tests for STDs can be conducted through blood, urine or a pap smear. If you are diagnosed with an STD, you may need to deliver your baby via C-section.

Converse with your unborn baby every day. Studies have shown that a baby has the ability to respond to your touch at around ten weeks of pregnancy. Shortly thereafter, the baby can hear sounds, including voices and reading, as well as respond to light. Talking with your growing baby will give you a stronger bond.

Jot down what you eat and create a food diary. Keeping a record of your dietary intake will help to make sure you meet all your nutritional requirements. This is a great item to bring to your physician visits, to review.

Sleep is not only critical for your health and energy level during pregnancy but also the baby?s health, as well. To set the right environment for a restful night?s sleep, you should wear comfortable sleepwear and keep the temperature of your room at a comfortable level.

You may have lots of swelling during your pregnancy. Attempt to minimize your salt intake.

Look at thrift stores and consignment shops if you want to get a good deal on maternity clothes. You don?t need to spend a lot for clothing you?ll wear less than a year. You will save your money, plus you will do the environmentally friendly thing about re-using materials.

Adequate iron is essential during pregnancy. If you are deficient in iron, you will tend to be tired during pregnancy, and your baby may weigh less than optimal at birth. Take a prenatal supplement that contains iron, and eat foods that are high in iron, such as spinach or red meat.

If you take the time to absorb all of the provided information, you are likely to find the information to help you make this an awesome time of your life. In many cases women will quickly forget the pains and ailments that they experienced during pregnancy, but hopefully this article will help you reduce them dramatically and you will make your pregnancy memorable.

As soon as you decide to get pregnant start making the necessarily lifestyle changes. Stop smoking and drinking, eat healthier and start a fitness routine. It can take up to a year for you to get pregnant. When you practice a new way of living, that will help.

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1. Solid Advice To Help Ensure That You Have A Successful Pregnancy
2. Solid Advice For First Time Pregnant Women
3. Advice To Ensure A Healthy Pregnancy
4. The Best Pregnancy Advice For Future Moms!
5. Moms-To-Be Can Get Your Best Pregnancy Advice Here!

Source: http://www.babybluelaces.org/solid-advice-to-help-ensure-that-you-have-a-successful-pregnancy-2/

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UN rights chief alarmed over Syrian troop buildup

BEIRUT (AP) ? The top U.N. human rights official expressed concern Friday that Syrian troop buildup around a besieged, rebel-held town in the country's west could lead to more atrocities if the area is overrun.

The area of Qusair is strategically important to the regime because it links the capital, Damascus, with the coastal region, where regime loyalists are concentrated. This includes Alawites, followers of an offshoot of Shiite Islam to which the Assad family also belongs.

The rebellion against President Bashar Assad is largely driven by Syria's majority Sunni Muslims.

Last week, regime forces were blamed for killing dozens of civilians in two predominantly Sunni communities in western Syria, which is also near the border with Lebanon.

Navi Pillay, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said Friday her team has reported a troop buildup around the town of Qusair, which is just 10 kilometers (six miles) from the Lebanese border in Syria's Homs province.

Qusair has been ringed by Syrian troops for several weeks and has been shelled by their backers from the Lebanese Hezbollah militia.

On Friday, the Syrian military dropped leaflets over Qusair, urging rebel fighters to surrender, but did not set a deadline for them to do so, said the office of the Homs governor.

Pillay said in a statement that it appears the regime is preparing for a large-scale attack, adding that "local people clearly fear a possible repeat of last week's killings of civilians."

Rebels have lost ground in the area since the government launched an offensive there last month, backed by Hezbollah.

Bassan al-Dada, an official in the rebels' Free Syrian Army, confirmed Friday that more pro-regime forces have been streaming to the area of Qusair, a town of more than 20,000 people south of the city of Homs.

Hezbollah fighters have been shelling the town, hitting the main water tank and filtration station, and rebel fighters have responded, al-Dada said by phone from Turkey. On Thursday, several rockets overshot their targets and hit Lebanon, causing no casualties.

Pillay said she has received reports that the local population in the area of Qusair is increasingly being displaced, but it was not clear if civilians can leave the town itself. Al-Dada said the siege is tight and roads in and out of the city are not safe.

In other developments, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan alleged that the Assad regime has fired about 200 missiles tipped with chemical weapons but did not provide detailed proof.

Erdogan said in an interview with the U.S. TV network NBC that his claim is based on remains of missiles, photographs, intelligence reports and medical reports of victims of such alleged attacks being treated in Turkey.

President Barack Obama has said the use of chemical weapons in Syria is a "red line" for the U.S. and would have serious consequences. There have been repeated allegations that the regime has used chemical weapons, but the administration says it is still investigating.

Erdogan said the regime crossed Obama's red line "a long time ago," adding that Turkey wants the U.S. "to assume more responsibility and take further steps."

Turkey is a major ally of the Syrian opposition.

In the Philippines, meanwhile, a top official said Filipinos should pull out of a U.N. peacekeeping contingent in Syria after Filipino troops were kidnapped by Syrian rebels twice over the past two months.

The most recent abduction took place earlier this week, when four Filipino peacekeepers were seized. The contingent patrols a buffer zone between Syria and the Golan Heights, a plateau Israel captured from Syria in 1967.

Syrian rebels seized the four along the U.N.-patrolled demarcation line on Tuesday, only two months after 21 Filipino peacekeepers were abducted and held for three days by the rebels in the same area.

"We have sent a recommendation to the president and as soon as he says go, we will undertake to do that as soon as possible," Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said.

President Benigno Aquino III has the final word on whether to pull out the Filipino troops.

Nearly 1,000 U.N. peacekeepers are patrolling the Golan Heights. Other major contributors are India and Austria. Croatia has recently withdrawn its contingent.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/un-rights-chief-alarmed-over-syrian-troop-buildup-130746504.html

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Ammonia leak detected outside International Space Station

Thu May 9, 2013 9:18pm EDT

(Reuters) - An ammonia leak was detected in the cooling system outside of the International Space Station on Thursday, but no crew members are in danger and the station is operating normally, the U.S. space agency NASA said on its website.

Crew members at the orbital outpost spotted white flakes of ammonia floating away from the space station at about 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT) on Thursday, NASA said, and fixing the leak might require that a portion of the station's cooling system be shut down for about 48 hours.

"The station continues to operate normally otherwise and the crew is in no danger," it said.

In an audio exchange posted on the agency's website, Commander Chris Hadfield, who is Canadian, said he could see "a very steady stream of flakes or bits" coming from the area of one of several cooling loops.

Officials said the leak appeared to be getting worse.

The ammonia flakes were seen floating away from an area of the space station's P6 truss structure, the agency said. It was not clear whether it was related to a previous leak in late 2012.

Ammonia is used to cool the equipment that provides power to the station's systems, NASA said. Each array of solar battery cells has its own cooling loop.

The space station, which is staffed by rotating crews of six astronauts and cosmonauts, is a $100 billion research outpost owned by the United States and Russia in partnership with Europe, Japan and Canada.

(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/scienceNews/~3/IVyQ7hvffuk/story01.htm

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NEWPORT BEACH, California -- Fourteen Filipino martial artists, including former...

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Source: http://www.facebook.com/abscbnNEWS/posts/10151376275440168

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How a Design-led Approach Can Influence Sustainability Efforts ...

Home???How a Design-led Approach Can Influence Sustainability Efforts

May 9, 2013

How a Design-led Approach Can Influence Sustainability Efforts

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Dancer says she gave warnings about Jackson health

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? A dancer who worked with Michael Jackson throughout his career testified on Wednesday that she told the director of Jackson's ill-fated concert tour that she was worried about the singer's health.

Witness Alif Sankey told a jury deciding a lawsuit that the pop star appeared thin and unprepared in 2009 for the rigors of his planned comeback concerts known as "This Is It."

The singer showed up at one rehearsal with shoes that had holes in the soles, missed rehearsals and appeared much thinner than earlier in his career, Sankey testified.

Sankey showed jurors an email she wrote to tour director Kenny Ortega in early June 2009, urging him to try to improve Jackson's health and spirits. She never got a direct reply but testified that Ortega raised the concerns with concert promoter AEG Live.

"Please help me help you to get him back into that Magical Light, please let me help you help him find what was lost, his GRAIL," Sankey wrote to Ortega, who she had worked closely with for a number of years.

Testimony showed Ortega copied Sankey on several email messages that he sent to AEG executives about Jackson's condition and the need for him to receive physical therapy and better nutrition.

"He requires more attention and management," Ortega wrote in one email. "I truly believe he needs nourishment guidance and physical therapy (massage) for his fatigued muscles and injuries. He is not in great physical shape. I believe he's hurting."

Sankey met Jackson while working on his 1987 video for "Smooth Criminal" and was an associate producer and planned to dance onstage during "This Is It."

She was testifying at the trial of a negligent hiring lawsuit filed by Jackson's mother against AEG Live LLC. Katherine Jackson claims AEG failed to properly investigate the doctor who was caring for her son and later administered a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol to the singer in June 2009.

The promoter has denied wrongdoing and its attorneys have said the singer hid his addiction to propofol. Jackson's former physician, Conrad Murray, was convicted in 2011 of involuntary manslaughter.

Plaintiff's attorney Brian Panish asked Sankey about one message in which AEG executive Paul Gongaware told Ortega that he planned to talk to Murray.

"We want to remind him that it is AEG, not MJ who is paying his salary," the message said. "We want him to understand what is expected of him."

Sankey said she based some of her impressions of Jackson over the years on how he felt when they hugged.

"When I hugged him, he just felt like marble," Sankey said about Jackson early in his career. "But when I hugged, when I saw him briefly in 2006, he didn't feel like that anymore. He felt thin."

On cross-examination, Sankey acknowledged that her impressions were formed from brief interactions with the singer and she never had a long conversation with him.

She was, however, trusted enough to be around Jackson's children, whose privacy he fiercely protected.

Sankey testified that Paris Jackson once shared a secret, saying she didn't want her father to find out about candy stuffed inside her purse.

There were also several tiny pictures inside her purse ? all of her father.

___

Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dancer-says-she-gave-warnings-jackson-health-202515122.html

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T-Mobile US sells 500,000 iPhones in a month

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) ? T-Mobile US Inc., the last of the major U.S. carriers to start carrying iPhones, is selling them at a brisk pace, it reported Wednesday.

T-Mobile US, the No. 4 U.S. carrier, said it has sold half a million iPhones since it started on April 12. That puts its sales at roughly the same rate as Sprint Nextel Corp., the No. 3 carrier, which has far more customers.

The company said late last year that it planned to sell the iPhone, which helped it keep customers in the first three months of the year. As previously reported, it saw a small increase in customers under its own brand for the first time in four years. Analysts believe the customers were holding out for the iPhone.

T-Mobile US's parent Deutsche Telekom AG, discussed the U.S. business as it reported a 3.5 percent increase in net profit in the first quarter to 564 million euros ($739 million) from 545 million euros in the same quarter a year ago. Earnings rose in part because the company saw smaller deductions for the depreciation of its U.S. business.

Deutsche Telekom completed a merger of T-Mobile USA with MetroPCS Communications Inc. on April 30, creating the new T-Mobile US Inc. Deutsche Telekom owns 74 percent of the new company, while the rest went to MetroPCS shareholders.

T-Mobile USA, which had been losing contract customers, switched to a new "Un-carrier" approach in March and started selling phones on installment plans.

Deutsche Telekom AG also said it had 300 million euros less in accounting-related reductions related to the merger, which is part of a turnaround effort. As the No. 4 mobile provider, T-Mobile USA has struggled against bigger competitors.

Otherwise, sales and earnings slipped at Deutsche Telekom.

Revenue fell 4.5 percent to 58.7 billion euros, while adjusted operating earnings ? which exclude financial items such as depreciation related to the merger ? declined 4.3 percent to 4.29 billion euros. That still exceeded the analyst predictions for 4.24 billion euros compiled by financial information provider FactSet.

At T-Mobile USA, the company made 5.32 billion euros in operating earnings, down 5.6 percent in euro terms, as revenue slipped 8 percent to 15.37 billion euros. The company said service revenue fell as more customers opted for the new contracts, reducing operating earnings.

Elsewhere, the company said its subsidiaries in Europe battled a slow economy and increased regulation. The company's expenditure on capital investments rose some 40 percent to over 3 billion euros as it spent money on acquiring radio frequencies in the Netherlands.

Deutsche Telekom shares rose 3.4 percent to 9.44 euros in morning trading in Frankfurt.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-05-08-Germany-Earns-Telekom/id-9e8bd92bb1d64e48a289fa9e9949b73d

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