Your Afternoon Cry: Photographer Hauntingly Documents Late ...

If you only read one wrenching, touching, tearjerker of a story today, please make it this one.

Five months after New Yorkers Angelo and Jen Merendino were married, Jen was diagnosed with breast cancer. As the next four years of treatment and medications passed, which left then-39-year-old Jen fatigued, in a walker, staying for long stints in the hospital.

With each challenge we grew closer. Words became less important. One night Jen had just been admitted to the hospital, her pain was out of control. She grabbed my arm, her eyes watering, "You have to look in my eyes, that's the only way I can handle this pain." We loved each other with every bit of our souls.

Jen taught me to love, to listen, to give and to believe in others and myself. I've never been as happy as I was during this time.

Angelo, a photographer, began to document her (and their) trials with intimate, powerful shots initially meant for their friends and family. The result is a chronological series of photographs of Jen throughout the course of her illness: laughing, sleeping, grimacing with pain, pushing the painkiller drip, putting on makeup, swimming in the ocean.

My photographs show this daily life. They humanize the face of cancer, on the face of my wife. They show the challenge, difficulty, fear, sadness and loneliness that we faced, that Jennifer faced, as she battled this disease. Most important of all, they show our Love. These photographs do not define us, but they are us.

Jen passed away a year and a half ago of Stage IV breast cancer. If you're not already crying, this blog post about an alert Jen set on Angelo's phone for the 22nd of every month, just a short time before she passed away ("Jennifer thinks Angelo is hot!"), should do you in. Fucking devastating.

The Battle We Didn't Choose [My Wife's Fight With Breast Cancer]

Source: http://jezebel.com/5993000/your-afternoon-cry-photographer-hauntingly-documents-late-wifes-battle-with-breast-cancer

martin luther king jr baltimore ravens ravens Ravens vs Patriots 49ers Vs Falcons Mama Movie flyers

How Ancient Life May Have Come About

A family tree unites a diverse group of individuals that all carry genetic vestiges from a single common ancestor at the base of the tree. But this organizational structure falls apart if genetic information is a communal resource as opposed to a family possession.

Some evidence suggests that early evolution may have been based on a collective sharing of genes. A group of researchers are now searching for clear genetic vestiges from this communal ancestry.

But it's hard to shake our fascination with family trees.

My father used to travel for work, and when he arrived in a new city, he'd open up the phone book and check for anyone listed with our uncommon last name. Occasionally he'd get a hit and brazenly call them up to ask: "Are we related?"

The answer was always yes, with the common link often being my great grandfather.

Like my father, biologists are curious about family ties, but they go about it in a more systematic way. Rather than phone books, they sift through genetic codes from humans to bacteria and a lot in between. The main question is: Are the commonly held genes similar enough to point to a common origin?

The answer has always been yes. The implication is that we all belong to some universal tree of life. And at the base of this tree ? some have imagined ? there sits a mild-mannered microbe that lived more than 3 billion years ago, unaware that its genes would be the starting point of an entire planet's worth of highly differentiated life.

However, this organism, the so-called last universal common ancestor (or LUCA), may be just a fantasy.

"Our perspective is that life emerged from a collective state, and so it is not at all obvious that there is one single organism which was ancestral," said Nigel Goldenfeld from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The organisms belonging to this collective state would have shared genetic information from neighbor to neighbor, rather than solely from parent to offspring. Goldenfeld is leading a new NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) team that aims to provide a clearer understanding of this early stage of evolution.

"We are hoping to find fossils of the collective state in the genomes of organisms," Goldenfeld said.

Goldenfeld's team will be performing genetic studies that will try to tease out signatures of community-based evolution. They will complement this field and laboratory work with theoretical modeling and computer simulations.

"The ultimate goal is to understand how our planet's biochemistry is an instantiation of the universal laws of life, thus addressing the question of whether life is an inevitable and thus widespread outcome of the laws of physics," Goldenfeld said.

A time before Darwinism

It might sound strange that an organism's genetic code could be the result of "crowdsourcing." We are more familiar with traditional reproduction, as practiced by the birds and the bees. [Code of Life: 10 Animal Genomes Deciphered]

In so-called "vertical gene transfer," an organism inherits its genome from its parents, but it does not receive an exact copy. Small changes enter the code through reproductive mixing and mutations. This "descent with modification," as Darwin put it, eventually allows a population of interbreeding organisms (or species) to evolve.

If every snippet of DNA was solely the product of descent with modification, then every organism could be placed on a tree of life stemming from a single ancestor. But as it turns out, "different genes go back to different ancestors," said Peter Gogarten of the University of Connecticut, who has done extensive work on comparative genetics.

How is that possible? It can happen if organisms share genes. Imagine a gene belonging to members of a specific family tree. One day, this gene becomes isolated and gets picked up by another organism with a different family tree. No reproduction between partners takes place ? only an "adoption" of a specific gene.

This so-called "horizontal gene transfer" is quite common among bacteria and archaea, as exemplified by antibiotic resistance. When a specific bacterium develops a defense against some drug, the corresponding gene can pass horizontally to others in the same colony.

A 2008 study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found that 80 percent of the genes in bacteria were horizontally transferred at some point in the past.

Complex organisms also exhibit evidence of horizontal (or lateral) gene transfer, albeit to a lesser extent. Researchers have shown that ancient ancestors of plants and animals "swallowed up" other bacteria to form symbiotic relationships, which eventually resulted in specialized cellular components, such as mitochondria and chloroplasts.

In his work, Gogarten has shown that horizontal gene transfer turns the tree of life into a thick bush of branches that interweave with each other. Many of these branches terminated long ago due to extinction, but some of their genes live on in us, thanks to horizontal gene transfer.

Several studies suggest that horizontal gene transfer was more prevalent in the past when nothing but single-celled organisms inhabited the Earth.

"I like to think of early life as being more like an undifferentiated slime mold," Goldenfeld said. "Such a communal form of life would have no meaningful family tree, because it is the community that varies in descent, not individual organismal lineages." [[7 Surprising Theories on the Origin of Life]

Evolving evolution

The late Carl Woese, a colleague of Goldenfeld, was one of the first scientists to propose that early life leaned heavily on horizontal gene transfer. Woese passed away in December of last year. He is perhaps best-remembered for classifying life into the now-well-accepted domains of bacteria, eukaryotes (plants, animals, fungi and protists) and archaea.

In 1987, Woese wrote about the consequences of rampant horizontal gene transfer. In such a scenario, "a bacterium would not actually have a history in its own right: It would be an evolutionary chimera."

A "chimera" is the name of a creature from Greek mythology that mixed together features of a lion, a goat and a snake. This hybridization presumably gave the chimera an advantage over its "competitors."

In a 2006 PNAS paper, Kalin Vetsigian, Woese and Goldenfeld showed that microbial chimeras may also have an advantage over their biological counterparts. The researchers used computer models to demonstrate that the genetic code could evolve more efficiently if organisms shared their genes collectively. Horizontal gene transfer turned out to be a better "innovation-sharing protocol" than vertical (Darwinian) transfer.

Now, with his NAI team, Goldenfeld wants to confirm these simulations with genetic studies. Specifically, they will target archaea, whose genes have yet to be scrutinized as closely as those from the other domains, Goldenfeld said.

The group is particularly interested in the question of how the ability to evolve originally developed. The "evolution of evolution" sounds like a chicken-and-egg problem ? especially if you think, as Goldenfeld does, that life is by definition something capable of evolving.

However, evolution can utilize different mechanisms to achieve the same goal. Goldenfeld's team will try to recover some of life's former evolutionary phases by stressing cells and then seeing how their genomes rearrange in response.

Universal biology

However, DNA evidence is just one aspect of this five-year research project.

"We want to understand how evolution works before there were species or maybe even genes," Goldenfeld said. "So this is going beyond 'origin of species' approaches to evolution, such as population genetics."

How does one study evolution without genetics? One considers the "rules of the game" that the genetic code is just one manifestation of. Goldenfeld calls this "universal biology." It is an attempt to distill from our specific biochemistry the general physical laws that animate matter.

Being a physicist, Goldenfeld gives the example of thermodynamics. Life must obey conservation of energy and the law of increasing entropy, which will certainly influence how organisms optimize their use of resources.

Other rules involve how to control the amount of variation in the genome from one generation to the next. Too little variation, and organisms can't adapt to changes in the environment. Too much variation, and organisms can't retain useful traits.

The team can place different sets of rules into a computer simulation and see what sort of artificial life appears. Goldenfeld believes that formulating the principles of universal biology may help answer one of the biggest questions of all.

"We would like to have a better understanding of why life exists at all." Goldenfeld said. "Is it a phenomenon that should be generic, like the formation of a crystalline solid, or is it something rare and bizarre?"

This is of special interest to astrobiologists, who wonder about the likelihood that we are not alone. If life is eventually found elsewhere, Goldenfeld thinks we'll have a few things in common. [Mars Discovery Raises Question: What Is Life?]

"The principles of universal biology should be applicable to all life irrespective of whether it is carbon chemistry-based or something stranger," he said.

Something stranger? Okay, so maybe that means they won't be in the phone book.

This story was provided by?Astrobiology Magazine, a web-based publication sponsored by the NASA astrobiology program.

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

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ancient-life-may-come-181314142.html

beltane ryan o neal dark knight rises trailer dark knight rises trailer vince young vince young evan longoria

GWH News and Notes: Ohio Valley Wrestling Episode 710 Recap

From Jimmie Daniel:

This is the recap for Ohio Valley Wrestling TV Episode 710 to air in Louisville 3/30. Next Saturday 4/6, not only does the next Saturday Night Special take place but also OVW TV is moving to a new station in Louisville, WBNA-21 the ION affiliate and will air Saturdays at noon ET. OUR OVW Announce Team this week is Dean "San Juan" Hill", "Anchorman" Gilbert Corsey and "Rocky Mountain Mouth" Michael Titus, who also is doing the ring announcing.

The Coalition ( "The Washington Generals" Crimson & Jason Wayne, "Squad Alpha" Jack Black & Joe Coleman, "Squad Alpha" Shiloh Jonze & Raul Lamotta, plus the Spanish Moss Guy) comes to the ring. Wayne lines up the troops then Crimson calls out OUR OVW Champion Doug Williams. Crimson states that he is the number one contender for Williams' title since he defeated Jamin Olivencia last week (albeit with help from Williams). Crimson brings up Williams' deal with the Coalition that was agreed upon in a secret meeting a few weeks ago, where whoever from the Coalition prevented Olivencia from getting a one-on-one match with Williams, that person would get a title shot. Crimson is impatient and wants his title shot now! Williams takes issue with "now", saying he is like a Swiss clock and needs time to properly prepare. Crimson stops him, saying time was not addressed in any of their negotiations! Crimson shows us a survival knife as Williams again states that he needs to warm up and stretch but reluctantly agrees to do the match later tonight. Wayne then takes the mic, proclaiming the Coalition as the greatest anti-terrorist force ever assembled! He then asks the four squad members individually (and with long nicknames for everyone) why they joined up the group. The answers generally revolved around eliminating terrorists. Wayne then asks Spanish Moss Guy (who he calls "Gilley-man" -like Mickey Gilley?) the same question and gestures his response, implying he is looking out for something or someone. The Coalition salutes and leaves.

Match #1: "VIP" Joe Rosa (w/The Entourage) vs "White Kryptonite" Eddie Diamond (w/Timmy Danger)

Entourage consists of four unidentified others, one of whom is holding a champagne bucket. Diamond reminds Danger that this is all about Epiphany, whom Diamond is carrying a picture of as he enters the ring. Titus accuses Danger of copying his hairdo, lol. Rosa has his way early as Diamond seems unfocused despite Danger's best efforts, including climbing up on the apron to show Diamond the picture.

Rosa grabs the picture and kisses it before ripping it in two. This angers Diamond, who Thesz presses Rosa and beats on him. An Entourage guy hand Rosa the bucket and hits Diamond with it but ref Josh Ashcraft is distracted as Danger is confronting the other three entourage guys. Epiphany runs in and clotheslines Rosa then Diamond covers him for the pin.

In the back, Williams is talking to Jay Bradley about possibly having his back later but Jonze and Lamotta sneak up on them as they are doing recon on Williams, who runs away. Dean is not sympathetic to Williams' plight since he did make a deal with Crimson (who Dean refers to as a snake) and the Coalition. Titus says that Williams was desperate to make sure he didn't have to face Jamin Olivencia again and was willing to do anything to make sure that happened.

Rudy Switchblade comes to the ring with a ref Jordan Barker. Rudy is tired of all the running and hiding by Jesse Godderz and wants their ongoing match/saga/tiff/squabble to end tonight! Gilbert opines that the 24/7 match got paused. Rudy says he didn't think it would take this long to kick Jesse's butt.

Match #2:"Best Rudy Ever" Rudy Switchblade vs "Mr. Pec-tacular" Jesse Godderz

Jesse wanders out to ringside and Rudy dives on him for 2 as they commence brawling all around ringside. Back in, Jesse yanks Rudy out of the corner and poses but Rudy rolls him up for 2 then neckbreakers him. Jesse tries to leave and Rudy follows but Jesse pops back through the curtain and hits Rudy with a stagelight for 2. Jesse rams Rudy into the announce table and covers him for 2 then drags him around ringside and gives him some kneelifts. Jesse applies an abdominal stretch until Rudy hiptosses out. Jesse grabs a chair and slides it in the ring and has a seat in front of Rudy, who is on his back. Rudy drop toeholds him into the chair then hits him in the ribs with it. Meanwhile, Jay Bradley and James "Moose" Thomas brawl their way to ringside and are joined by "Smooth" Johnny Spade. Titus says Spade makes coffee nervous. All five men get mixed together and brawl to the back.

Paredyse is on the phone with Brandon "Espy" Espinosa, who has apparently slipped and fell in the bathtub, so he won't be there for Paredyse's match. Paredyse asks about Just Chris but is told Chris tripped over her tutu and won't be there either. Paradyse thinks this is an omen.

Match #3: Paredyse vs Albert Einstein Baxter II

Albert is intro'd as being from Princeton then trips as he climbs into the ring. Paredyse taunts Albert a lot, even pulling off Albert's bowtie and sticking it down the front of his tights. Titus notes that Paredyse has a vicious side and is showing it here. Gilbert says the Ivy League-educated Lambda Lambda Lambda (Albert and his brother Stephon J Baxter III) have studied wrestling a lot but it hasn't transferred to any success thus far. Paredyse gives Albert a wedgie then removes Albert's glasses as a video comes up of Brittany Devore bathed in red light. The Mobile Homers (Adam Revolver & "Man-Beast" Ted McNaler) keep sticking their heads in the picture to wonder what's going on, lol. Anyway, Brittany declares that she will hunt down Paredyse, Espy, and Chris!. Back to the match, Albert fires up on the spooked Paredyse, who manages to pull out a win via a legsweep.

Williams seeks out OUR OVW Director of Operations Michael (not PS) Hayes but instead encounters Trailer Park Trash. Williams asks about procedures for contender matches but TPT brushes him off, saying he only does paperwork around here now. Coleman and Black sneak up on Williams, who slips off into another room.

Match #4: "Diamond Steel" Ryan Howe (w/guitar) vs OUR OVW TV Champion Rockstar Spud

Dean compares Spud to Bill Dundee and suggests that Howe and Spud would be quite a team! Spud opens with a flurry and dropkicks Howe out but pulls up on a dive when Howe moves out of the way. Spud holds the ropes open so Howe can climb back in. Spud escapes a headlock but Howe catapults him into the corner. Howe drops and pops for 2 but Taeler Hendrix wanders out. She cheers for Howe as the discussion turns to her thinking Howe has been sending her gifts but he hasn?t confirmed or denied it. Howe slams Spud to the mat and "tunes up the band" before dropping an elbow on Spud for 2. Heidi Lovelace comes out to confront Taeler, since Heidi also is enamored with Howe. Taeler gestures for her to talk to the hand! "King of Pink" Dylan Bostic comes out to also confront Taeler, thus completing the "love box" (as opposed to a love triangle) and leading to a Dean and Gilbert breaking the seal on some soap opera puns! Howe steps out to argue with Bostic and gets counted out. Howe yells at Taeler, she is sad but Heidi is happy. Meanwhile Spud talks to the ref and gets him to restart the match, since it is assumed that he doesn't want to win the match this way. So Howe yelled at poor Taeler for nothing! Spud opens up with another flurry as it is noted that the fans are not sure who to cheer for. Back from break, Howe suplexes Spud for 2 then kneelifts him. Spud rolls out as Gilbert notes both the 10-minute limit and the $1000 for the successful title defense. Back in, Howe tries a sleeper but Spud rolls him up for 2. Dean says Spud has gained respect in his eyes for agreeing to restart the match. Howe slams Spud and goes for the blockbuster but Spud gets up and Howe leapfrogs him. Spud tiltawhirls Howe out then somersaults out onto him. Back in, Spud top-rope splashes Howe for 2 but takes a neckbreaker. Howe comes up empty on a swanton and Spud DDTs him for the pin.

In the back, Tony Gunn & "Triple R Superstar" Randy Royal have watched all this. Apparently Royal is going to challenge Spud for the title next week as Gunn states that "we're going to win the TV title". the fun is interrupted by "The Great" Cliff Compton (still carrying the retired belt) who says that HE will have a rematch with Spud next week and once again become OUR OVW Multimedia TV Champion! Compton says it will be so exciting that Royal will have another heart attack!

Match #5: Crimson (w/The Coalition) vs OUR OVW Champion Doug Williams

Bell rings but before we get any action, out comes Jamin Olivencia in street clothes followed by Ashcraft and Hayes (who is sporting a bow tie). Jamin has some breaking news for Williams then turns the mic over to Hayes. According to Hayes, there is good news and great news for Williams: the good-that this match isn't going to happen, and the "great"-since Williams did such a good job explaining the rules a few weeks ago when he got the OVW Board of Directors to overturn his title loss to Jamin that Hayes applied the same rules here. After Ashcraft affirms that Williams did indeed physically assault him last week, Hayes rules that Crimson should have been disqualified, making Jamin the winner of the match and number one contender! Williams storms off as Crimson gets all up in Hayes' face and demands to know why he changed the decision. Jamin steps in but Crimson shoves him. Jamin spears Crimson but gets bum rushed by the Coalition. OUR OVW Tag Team Champions "New School Gut Checkers" (Alex Silva & Sam Shaw) hit the ring to help Jamin out, quickly followed by "Welsh Colossus" Rob Terry, Gunn, and Royal. Mucho brawling occurs as the show goes off.

THOUGHTS: I'll admit it, I spent the first 53 minutes wondering where Michael Hayes was. I enjoyed seeing Williams getting the tables turned on him and also the Coalition getting some collateral damage. Liked Danger motivating Diamond, it was nice to see some sort of positive acknowledgement from Epiphany. Perhaps the ongoing Switchblade/Godderz feud may survive a nuclear war? Can't wait for Brittany's revenge on Paredyse while the Mobile Homers wonder what the heck is going on, lol. Have mixed feeling about Spud, no mic work, he just showed up and won the TV title but he has no comments or anything? I guess "love square" might be more appropriate, because when I hear "love box" I recall reading letters to Penthouse! Nothing has been set in stone for Saturday Night Special. Anyway, I found this show quite entertaining, so it's another thumbs up.

Source: http://www.gwhnews.com/2013/03/ohio-valley-wrestling-episode-710-recap.html

janoris jenkins john edwards trial brandon weeden felicia day nfl 2012 draft st louis rams miami dolphins

Business, labor groups reach immigration deal

By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Prospects for a broad U.S. immigration overhaul brightened on Saturday after major U.S. business and labor groups reached an agreement on a guest-worker program, a source familiar with the deal said.

The agreement was reached on Friday night in a conference call between the head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Tom Donohue, and the president of the AFL-CIO labor organization, Richard Trumka, with New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer acting as the mediator, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A guest-worker program has been a major stumbling block to efforts by a bipartisan group of senators known as the Gang of Eight to reach a compromise on a way to create a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States, most of whom are Hispanics.

Labor unions have argued against a guest-worker program, worrying that a flood of low-wage immigrant laborers would take away jobs from Americans. The agreement covers the pay levels for low-skilled temporary workers and the types of jobs that would be included.

Schumer briefed White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough on Saturday on the breakthrough, the source said.

The agreement still must be approved by the Gang of Eight senators, four Democrats and four Republicans. If they do so as expected, Senate legislation on a broad new immigration law would be advanced in the Senate in the coming weeks.

In recent days, the immigration effort had been stalled by failure to forge an agreement on the guest-worker program, although the White House insisted that progress was being made.

President Barack Obama wants to fulfill a campaign pledge by gaining passage of a law that would create a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants currently in the country. He has vowed to do what he can on immigration through executive actions in the absence of legislation.

Immigration long has been a controversial issue in the United States and previous efforts to craft a comprehensive overhaul of American immigration laws have failed, with Democrats and Republicans remaining far apart.

Many Republicans previously had taken a hard position against illegal immigrants. Obama's unsuccessful Republican challenger last year, Mitt Romney, had advocated "self-deportation" of illegal immigrants. Republicans in Arizona and other states passed tough laws cracking down on illegal immigrants.

But the mood for a deal is ripe because Republicans saw Hispanic Americans vote overwhelmingly for Obama and other Democratic candidates in last November's elections and they need to woo this increasingly important voting bloc.

Many Republicans see gaining favor with the Hispanic voting bloc, which accounts for 10 percent of the U.S. electorate and is growing, as a matter of political survival.

Republicans want to ensure that security along the U.S.-Mexican border is improved before immigrants can get on a path to citizenship. Obama feels security is sufficient but this disagreement is not seen as a deal-breaker.

"We're seeing right now a good bipartisan spirit," Obama told Spanish-language network Univision on Wednesday. "I want to encourage that and hopefully we'll be able to get it done."

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Will Dunham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/business-labor-groups-reach-immigration-deal-overhaul-advances-193136796.html

Herman Melville Books Kyna Treacy megan fox Bb&t Lane Goodwin Romnesia eminem

Video: Obama tries to console Miami basketball fans (cbsnews)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295475120?client_source=feed&format=rss

Aly Raisman Oscar Results Jennifer Lawrence Fall Ang Lee les miserables jennifer lawrence Oscar Winners 2013

Bradford issues a report on child protection in Muslim religious

An attempt is being made in Bradford to safeguard the estimated 9,000 children who attend Muslim religious schools in the city. But the NSS says it is not enough and that a legal framework is urgently needed to control the network of madrassas.

Bradford Council for Mosques, Bradford Safeguarding Children Board, NSPCC, and West Yorkshire Police worked together over the last 12 months to produce Children Do Matter. The study looks at issues including child protection, staff recruitment, bad practice and child abuse.

The usual spin is put on the value of madrassas, the so-called "schools" that indoctrinate children in Islamic teachings (for instance, Kath Tunstall, Strategic Director of Children's Services in Bradford, writes: "Masajid and Madaaris play a significant role in promoting the spiritual and social development of children, enhancing their self-esteem and positive identity.").

But there is no escaping the fact that these institutions are unregulated, secretive and often provide cover for child abuse.

There have been several cases over the last few years that have reached the courts of children being beaten and sexually abused in madrassas and as alarm begins to grow about what is going on behind the closed doors of these places, the Muslim community is gradually coming to realise that it cannot simply disregard the law in relation to the treatment of children.

The report admits that madrassas vary in quality and care ("There is no uniformity or consistency", it says). Some are run in multi-million pound complexes, others in private homes. The teachers are mostly unqualified volunteers. Some give a good quality religious education, others simply force the children to learn the Koran by rote, often using physical punishment to reinforce the indoctrination.

None have any outside regulation.

The report admits: "There is an apparent level of secrecy surrounding the running of Masajid and Madaaris due to negative representations of Muslims and Islam in the media. This is not to suggest that there is anything wrong or sinister about them but this level of 'closeness' does give rise to suspicion and hinders wider community engagement."

It also admits that employment procedures and health and safety considerations are sometimes "minimal": some of these places "tend to be satisfied by a minimalist approach to ensuring proper policies, procedures and practice are in place."

The report also says:

While in some of the larger Madaaris English has become the principle medium of education alongside one of the community languages, such s Arabic, in many other Madaaris teaching is delivered in one of the community languages often by teachers with little or no command of English.

This poses considerable difficulty for children who access mainstream education in English and with very basic or no command of their mother tongue or that of the teacher.

Teachers who have no or very little command of English also tend to have least understanding of safeguarding issues, legal requirements or of the responsibilities that impact on their role. They also tend to practice the traditional methods of teaching/ discipline.

More than often, Faith teachers in Madaaris are employed for their knowledge of the faith and not for their teaching skills.

By and large, there is little provision for teachers to learn and upgrade their teaching, behaviour and class management skills. This is partly due to lack of understanding of the need for such training partly due to lack of knowledge of resources available.

Mohammed Rafiq Sehgal, the senior vice-president of Council For Mosques Bradford and the chairman of its safeguarding working group, said: "The report is an uncompromising and honest account. I hope that messages and suggestion contained in the report will be taken seriously and acted upon by those concerned."

The study was started in 2011, after religious teacher Sabir Hussain, 60, was sentenced to ten weeks in prison for assaulting pupils at the Markazi Jamia Mosque in Lawkholme, Keighley.

The key conclusions of the report include:

• Religious schools must stipulate the need for Criminal Records Bureau checks.
• There should be a register of all teachers and others at the schools.
• Parents should be more involved.
• Learning should be structured.
• Women should have greater involvement in the schools.
• There should be openness to counter prejudiced ideas of secrecy within the schools.

Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, said: "Reports like this are all very well and I'm sure full of good intentions, but the Muslim community cannot be permitted to go its own way and remain unregulated in areas where others are forced to act within the law. It is not good enough that these 'schools' are allowed to be so secretive and that there is no legal framework in which they must operate. Children are entitled to better than that. It is their safety and their welfare that must come first, not the desire of community leaders to simply indoctrinate them."

Source: http://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2013/03/bradford-issues-a-report-on-child-protection-in-muslim-religious-schools

f 18 jet crash in virginia beach john tortorella nicki minaj beez in the trap video food network good friday f/a 18

N.D. gears up for legal dispute on abortion laws

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) ? North Dakota's governor positioned the oil-rich state Tuesday as a primary battleground in the decades-old fight over abortion rights, signing into law the nation's toughest restriction on the procedure and urging lawmakers to set aside cash for an inevitable legal challenge.

Minutes after Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed three anti-abortion measures ? one banning them when a heartbeat can be detected, which is as early as six weeks into a pregnancy ? unsolicited donations began pouring into the state's lone abortion clinic to help opponents prove the new laws are unconstitutional.

"Although the likelihood of this measure surviving a court challenge remains in question, this bill is nevertheless a legitimate attempt by a state legislature to discover the boundaries of Roe v. Wade," Dalrymple said in a statement, referring to the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion up to until a fetus is considered viable ? usually at 22 to 24 weeks.

In an interview later Tuesday, Dalrymple told The Associated Press that the courts opened the door for a challenge by picking a specific moment in the timeline of gestation. He also said he studied the fetal heartbeat bill and "educated myself on the history and legal aspects as best I could. My conclusion is not coming from any religious belief or personal experience."

Dalrymple seemed determined to open a legal debate on the legislation, acknowledging the constitutionality of the measure was an open question. He asked the Legislature to set aside money for a "litigation fund" that would allow the state's attorney general to defend the measure against lawsuits.

He said he didn't know how much the likely court fight would cost, but he said money wasn't the issue.

"The Legislature has decided to ask these questions on additional restrictions on abortions, and I think they have the legitimate right to ask those questions," he said.

He also signed into law measures that would makes North Dakota the first state to ban abortions based on genetic defects such as Down syndrome and require a doctor who performs abortions to be a physician with hospital-admitting privileges.

Lawmakers endorsed a fourth anti-abortion bill last week that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy based on the disputed premise that fetuses feel pain at that point. The governor stopped short of saying he would sign it, but said: "I've already signed three bills. Draw your own conclusion."

The signed measures, which take effect Aug. 1, are fueled in part by an attempt to close the Red River Women's Clinic in Fargo ? the state's only abortion clinic.

Tammi Kromenaker, the clinic's director, called the legislation "extreme and unconstitutional" and said Dalrymple "awoke a sleeping giant" by approving it. The clinic, which performs about 3,000 abortions annually, was accepting cash donations and continued to take appointments Tuesday, she said.

"First and foremost, abortion is both legal and available in North Dakota," she said. "But anytime abortion laws are in the news, women are worried about access."

The Center for Reproductive Rights announced Tuesday that it has committed to challenging the fetal heartbeat bill on behalf of the clinic. The New York-based group already represented the clinic for free in a lawsuit over a 2011 law banning the widely accepted use of a medication that induces abortion. A judge has temporarily blocked enforcement of the law, and a trial is slated for April in Fargo.

Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem told the AP that lawyers from his office would defend any lawsuits that arise but an increase to the agency's budget would likely be necessary. He did not have a dollar amount.

The state has spent about $23,000 in legal costs to date defending the 2011 legislation, according to agency records obtained by the AP.

Julie Rikelman, litigation director for the Center for Reproductive Rights, said the group has provided three attorneys to argue that case. But in the recent round of legislation, the fetal heartbeat measure is the priority because it would effectively ban abortion in the state, she said.

"The impact is very, very clear," she said. "It would have an immediate and very large impact on the women in North Dakota."

Rikelman said the center also would support the clinic in other litigation, if need be and at no cost.

Kromenaker said other states have spent millions of dollars defending legislation, if the case reaches the nation's highest court. Rikelman said it's impossible to put a dollar amount on the impending legal fight in North Dakota.

"Litigation is so unpredictable," she said. "It could be very quick with a ruling in our favor."

North Dakota's law, since it would ban most abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, goes further than a bill approved earlier this month in Arkansas that establishes a 12-week ban ? prohibiting them when a fetal heartbeat can be detected using an abdominal ultrasound. That ban is scheduled to take effect 90 days after the Arkansas Legislature adjourns.

A fetal heartbeat can generally be detected earlier in a pregnancy using a vaginal ultrasound, but Arkansas lawmakers balked at requiring women seeking abortions to have the more invasive imaging technique.

North Dakota's legislation doesn't specify how a fetal heartbeat would be detected.

Doctors performing an abortion after a heartbeat is detected could face a felony charge punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Women having an abortion would not face charges.

The legislation to ban abortions based on genetic defects also would ban abortion based on gender selection. The Guttmacher Institute, which tracks abortion laws throughout the country, says Pennsylvania, Arizona and Oklahoma also have laws outlawing abortion based on gender selection.

The Republican-led North Dakota Legislature has endorsed a spate of anti-abortion Legislation this year. North Dakota lawmakers moved last week to outlaw abortion in the state by passing a resolution defining life as starting at conception, essentially banning abortion in the state. The measure is likely to come before voters in November 2014.

Dalrymple attended a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday for a new diesel refinery in western North Dakota and made no public appearance to explain his signing of the abortion legislation.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nd-gears-legal-dispute-abortion-laws-222233847.html

muhammad ali Opening ceremony London 2012 Google Fiber Olympics Schedule 2012 Olympic Medal Count 2012 Olympics 2012 Olympic Schedule 2012

Better-educated parents feed children fewer fats and less sugar

Mar. 27, 2013 ? The level of education of parents has an influence on the frequency with which their children eat foods linked to obesity. The children of parents with low and medium levels of education eat fewer vegetables and fruit and more processed products and sweet drinks.

An international group of experts from eight European countries have analysed the relation between parents' levels of education and the frequency with which their children eat food linked to overweight.

The Identification and prevention of dietary- and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants (IDEFICS) study includes data from 14,426 children aged between two and nine from eight European countries: Italy, Estonia, Cyprus, Belgium, Sweden, Hungary, Germany and Spain.

The results published in the journal Public Health Nutrition confirm that parents with a lower level of education feed their children food rich in sugars and fats more often than those parents with a higher level of education, who feed their children more products of a higher nutritional quality, including vegetables, fruit, pasta, rice and wholemeal bread.

"The greatest differences among families with different levels of education are observed in the consumption of fruit, vegetables and sweet drinks," explains Juan Miguel Fern?ndez Alvira, the author of the work and researcher from the University of Zaragoza to SINC.

For the authors, this implies a greater risk of developing overweight and obesity in children from less advantaged socio-cultural groups. "The programmes for the prevention of childhood obesity through the promotion of healthy eating habits should specifically tackle less advantaged social and economic groups, in order to minimise inequalities in health," concludes Fern?ndez Alvira.

Childhood nutrition

Childhood, from two to fourteen years old, is a growth period during which the requirements for energy and nutrients increase. Nevertheless, the World Health Organisation warns of the importance of monitoring the diet of the youngest members of society, as almost 40 million children under the age of five suffered from overweight in 2010.

In fact, recommendations for children over two do not differ greatly from those for adults. Their diet should include cereals, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, lean meats, fish, poultry, eggs and nuts.

Dieticians and nutritionists recommend that parents offer children a wide variety of foods and avoid using food as a method to award or punish behaviour. Experts believe that this age group can decide how much to eat, provided the food is always healthy and nutritious.

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 Plataforma SINC, via AlphaGalileo.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Juan Miguel Fern?ndez-Alvira, Theodora Mouratidou, Karin Bammann, Antje Hebestreit, Gianvincenzo Barba, Sabina Sieri, Lucia Reisch, Gabriele Eiben, Charalampos Hadjigeorgiou, Eva Kovacs, Inge Huybrechts, Luis A Moreno. Parental education and frequency of food consumption in European children: the IDEFICS study. Public Health Nutrition, 2012; 16 (03): 487 DOI: 10.1017/S136898001200290X

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/health_medicine/nutrition/~3/iB5hZbA7BQU/130327092742.htm

mark jenkins super bowl commercials 2012 mia amar e stoudemire m.i.a. adrianne curry hoekstra

McIlroy texts with Tiger after losing top ranking

Golfer Rory McIlroy, center, of Northern Ireland, watches the match between Caroline Wozniacki, of Denmark, and Garbine Muguruza, of Spain, during the Sony Open tennis tournament in Key Biscayne, Fla., Saturday, March 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Golfer Rory McIlroy, center, of Northern Ireland, watches the match between Caroline Wozniacki, of Denmark, and Garbine Muguruza, of Spain, during the Sony Open tennis tournament in Key Biscayne, Fla., Saturday, March 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Tiger Woods waves to fans as he walks off the 18th hole after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament, Monday, March 25, 2013, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

HUMBLE, Texas (AP) ? Rory McIlroy sent a text message to Tiger Woods on Tuesday, congratulating him on winning at Bay Hill and taking over the No. 1 world ranking again.

Woods responded by telling McIlroy to get going and win this week's Houston Open. A victory would put McIlroy back at No. 1, a spot he held for 32 weeks before Woods' latest win.

McIlroy says losing the top ranking allows him to focus on his game. He's had a rough start to the year, with the low point coming when he walked off the course at the Honda Classic. He wants to build on the 65 he shot in the final round at Doral and says "everything's great" with his new clubs. McIlroy signed with Nike in the offseason.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-26-GLF-Houston-Open-McIlroy/id-427d0b82dd254d18b2ea074021006693

meredith vieira prop 8 larry bird maria menounos proposition 8 ricky martin chauncey billups

Men's Golf - Memphis Intercollegiate

3/25/2013, All Day

---

---

Source: http://calendar.vanderbilt.edu/calendar/2013/03/25/mens-golf-memphis-intercollegiate.176295

greg mcelroy new york post bob costas bowl projections Jovan Belcher Charlie Batch Miguel Calero

Fashion Flash March 25, 2013 | Aging Backwards

Posted by Jackie on March 25th, 2013

?

This week?s Fashion Flash host is Shawna from Female Fat Loss Over 40. Discover a treasure trove of fashion, beauty, health, fitness and anti-aging info from some of the best bloggers in the business. Click read more for the links.

Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Source: http://www.agingbackwards.com/2013/03/25/fashion-flash-march-25-2013/

minnesota vikings looper New Years Eve new years washington redskins New Year Outback Bowl

Microsoft announces Build 2013 to be held June 26-28 in San Francisco

Developers, virtually mark your Windows Phone calendars: Microsoft announced that Build 2013, the company's developer conference, will be held from June 26th to 28th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Specifically, Microsoft announced that it will be sharing details and future plans for Windows, Azure, Visual Studio "and more," so there'll be plenty of goodies to be had during the event. Registration opens on April 2nd, but in the meantime, head to the official sites below for more information.

Filed under: Mobile, Microsoft

Comments

Source: The Official Microsoft Blog

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/26/microsoft-build-2013/

2012 kids choice awards kansas ohio state wrestlemania results womens final four josh hutcherson google april fools office space

When laughing at an epic fail is no laughing matter

By Rob Walker

The other day I was chortling at a viral GIF, which is not unusual. This one showed a young woman, apparently at a concert, rocking out with the completely unselfconscious abandon that is part of attending live-music events. She?s lost in the moment, blissed out. But although that moment had passed, someone had made a video of it, and this ephemeral instance of transcendence was now a meme-worthy chunk of digital-culture material for the fleeting amusement of others.

If you?re looking for a link to this GIF, you won?t find it here. That?s because, mid-laugh, I considered this woman as an actual human being, moving through the world somewhere, possibly embarrassed that documentation of her genuine enjoyment had been repurposed into a nutty-looking punch line. I felt clammy.

We laugh at strangers, refracted through digital windows, all the time. ?The Global Village now anoints a new Global Village Idiot every other week,? as Mark O?Connell puts it in his recent mini-e-book, ?Epic Fail: Bad Art, Viral Fame, and the History of the Worst Thing Ever.? While others, including me, have explored the more serious contexts of online humor, particularly when it tilts into the grim and mean, in ?Epic Fail? O?Connell makes a useful addition to what I?ll refer to as Lulz Studies by attempting to put this variety of Schadenfreude in cultural-historical perspective.

O?Connell is interested in mockery sparked by ?a particular misalignment of confidence and competence??it?s not just the failure that?s funny, it?s failure set against the backdrop of a certain sort of pretension. Rebecca Black?s ?Friday? (one of O?Connell?s subjects) was bad, but what made it an epic fail, and thus a staggering viral phenomenon, was the general idea that this teenager had wildly over-estimated her own talent and potential for fame as a singer. Set aside for the moment the fact that this general idea was somewhere between grossly exaggerated and simply wrong. The gap separating aspiration from execution is where lulz live.

Or at least that?s what I take from the Web-era and pre-Web examples O?Connell spends time on. Notable among the latter are Amanda McKittrick Ros (whose unintentionally hilarious purple prose delighted the likes of Aldous Huxley and J.R.R. Tolkien for reasons Ros clearly did not appreciate) and Tommy Wiseau (whose cult ?disasterpiece? film ?The Room? has been called The Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made). Musing on Wiseau?s hard-to-read persona?just how serious was he??O?Connell points out that our belief in the sincerity of his intent is crucial to enjoyment of its failure: ??The Room? wouldn?t be half as much fun to watch were it not a real person?s effort to make art.?

Intent aside, nobody produces a film, or publishes a novel, without a fair amount of concentrated effort. The epic fails of the Internet can be quite different: Youthful indiscretions, passing whims, or even (in the case of that euphoric concert-goer) random moments of life that were never intended for mediated consumption. ?Epic Fail? considers ?Friday,? as well as the ill-fated efforts of 81-year-old Cecilia Gim?nez to restore an ?ecce homo? fresco in the Spanish town of Borja. Surely there?s a disconnect between the aspirations of such individuals and the global scale of the rebukes their efforts received.

O?Connell concludes with a personal anecdote involving a rather clueless aspiring rapper he used to know, and apparently regrets the delight he once took in savoring the sheer awfulness of the fellow?s creations. ?The culture of the Epic Fail,? he writes, ?in its rituals of comic sacrifice, is a culture of sublimated predation.?

There?s something eternal in that: The perverse comfort in watching others over-reach converts easily to reassuring lesson learned. A recent New Yorker piece by Giles Harvey on failure-centric memoirs makes a similar point: ?If narratives of personal unraveling afford us a frisson of danger (?Look how bad things can get!?), they also reaffirm our sense of relative achievement and security (?At least I didn?t end up like that?).? Maybe a short clip of Icarus? wings bursting into flames would make an awesome GIF.

But what?s most useful about ?Epic Fail? is that it points to a darker side of the Internet?s familiar role as democratization machine. Previously unimaginable success stories made possible by online mechanisms are now celebrated routinely, and that?s great. But if the role of Global Village Idiot can be democratized too?awarded, even, to people who were simply going about their very nonglobal lives?we should try to keep that from feeling routine.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/when-laughing-at-an-epic-fail-is-no-laughing-matter-192024292.html

zac brown band aubrey born to run pranks pregnancy test april fools day 2012 ja rule

AAA Mich.: Gas prices rise 3 cents from last week

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) -- AAA Michigan says gasoline prices have risen about 3 cents during the past week to a statewide average of about $3.80 per gallon.

The auto club says Monday the average is about 17 cents per gallon less than last year at this time.

Of the cities it surveys, AAA Michigan says the cheapest price for self-serve unleaded fuel is in the Flint area, where it's about $3.73 a gallon. The highest average is in the Lansing area at about $3.84.

Dearborn-based AAA Michigan surveys 2,800 Michigan gas stations daily.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/aaa-mich-gas-prices-rise-150209101.html

Grammy nominations 2013 Lynsi Torres Fall Out Boy Alabama hostage mta Beyonce Superbowl weather.com

Carlucci: Prescriber Prevails Restored to State Budget - New City ...

?

Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed eliminating prescriber prevails protections in his executive budget.

Prescriber prevails ensure that doctors can make final decisions in prescribing covered medications rather than insurance companies.

?I am pleased that we were able to restore prescriber prevails protections in this year?s budget, and in doing so we have sent a clear message that we cannot substitute cost for care," said State Sen. David Carlucci, Chairman of the Senate Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Committee.? "In light of a renewed emphasis focused on improving one's mental health, we recognize that mental illnesses are truly unique to each individual.??In the end, we were only as successful as the people who stood behind us all the way through.??This was a collaborative effort that would not have been possible without the assistance of countless advocates who believe that decisions medical decisions should be made by those with an M.D. next to their name.?

Prescriber prevails was restored for atypical antipsychotic drugs, anti-depressants, anti-retroviral, anti-rejection, seizure, epilepsy, endocrine, hematologic and immunologic theraputic drugs.

According to a release from Carlucci's office, in addition to improving the quality of life for patients, appropriate medication also helps lead to fewer emergency room visits and incidents of hospitalization.

Carlucci met with advocates urging Cuomo to restore precriber prevails to the budget in Feb. at the Mental Health Association of Rockland County in Valley Cottage.

Source: http://newcity.patch.com/articles/carlucci-prescriber-prevails-restored-to-state-budget

Hurricane Sandy path sandy Time Change 2012 Marcus Lattimore news 12 world series Natina Reed

Sandusky speaks again, maintains innocence

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Nine months after being convicted of sexually abusing 10 boys ? a scandal that destroyed the once unimpeachable reputation of Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno ? Jerry Sandusky is again claiming he did nothing wrong.

Sandusky has rarely spoken about the allegations, although he has consistently maintained his innocence since his November 2011 arrest. The latest statements came Monday in portions of a taped interview aired on NBC's "Today" and transcripts posted on the web site of a filmmaker who aims to clear Paterno's name.

In the interviews, the former Penn State assistant coach denied having inappropriate contact with the boys, although he acknowledged he may have "tested boundaries."

"Yeah, I hugged them," Sandusky said, according to transcripts posted on the filmmaker's site. "Maybe I tested boundaries. Maybe I shouldn't have showered with them. Yeah, I tickled them.

"I looked at them as being probably younger than even some of them were. But I didn't do any of these horrible acts and abuse these young people. I didn't violate them. I didn't harm them."

Although Sandusky's comments aired and posted Monday were given to a man endeavoring to clear Paterno's name, the late coach's family has distanced themselves from the statements.

Wick Sollers, a Paterno family lawyer, said in a statement that Sandusky's statements are "transparently self-serving and yet another insult to the victims."

"The Paterno family would prefer to remain silent on this matter, but they feel it is important to make it clear that they had no role in obtaining or releasing this recording," Sollers said. "Moreover, they believe that any attempt to use this recording as a defense of Joe Paterno is misguided and inappropriate."

Sandusky told filmmaker John Ziegler he was not sure whether Paterno, who was fired after Sandusky's arrest, would have let him keep coaching if he suspected Sandusky was a pedophile. Sandusky was investigated by university police for a separate shower incident in 1998, but remained one of Paterno's top assistants through 1999.

"If he absolutely thought I was, I'd say no," Sandusky said in the audio recording. "If he had a suspicion, I don't know the answer to that."

Not long after his arrest, Sandusky also denied wrongdoing in an interview on NBC's "Rock Center." In halting statements, he acknowledged showering with young boys and engaging in what he called "horseplay."

On the eve of his sentencing in October, Sandusky told a Penn State radio state he was the victim of a "well-orchestrated effort" by his accusers, the media, Penn State, plaintiffs' attorneys and others.

"I speak today with hope in my heart for a brighter day, not knowing if that day will come," Sandusky said in October. "Many moments have been spent looking for a purpose. Maybe it will help others, some vulnerable children who might have been abused, might not be, as a result of the publicity."

Ziegler said the interviews were conducted during three sessions, and told the AP on Monday that additional excerpts will be posted online over the coming days. The transcripts were posted by Ziegler on his site, www.framingpaterno.com.

He describes himself as an author, broadcaster, commentator and maker of films, including the 2009 movie "Media Malpractice: How Obama Got Elected and Palin Was Targeted."

Along with the Sandusky interview material, Ziegler posted a piece about himself that anticipates critical media coverage of his background. As an example, he noted he has been "fired in radio lots of times for saying things which seem outrageous."

Penn State, which funded an investigation by former FBI director Louis Freeh that concluded Paterno and other top university officials covered up allegations against Sandusky in order to protect the school's reputation, issued a statement that said Sandusky's latest remarks "continue to open wounds for his victims, and the victims of child sexual abuse everywhere."

Attorneys for the boy whose assault was witnessed by McQueary said their client ? identified as Victim 2 in court documents ? "have heard enough from Jerry Sandusky."

The lawyers ? Joel Feller, Matt Casey, Justine Andronici and Andrew Shubin ? issued a statement Monday saying Victim 2 and their other clients are focusing on "healing and holding Penn State accountable for choosing to protect Jerry Sandusky and themselves instead of protecting children from years of horrific sexual abuse."

Sandusky, 69, is serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence after being convicted last year of 45 counts of child sexual abuse. He is pursuing appeals.

___

NBC is controlled by Comcast Corp.

___

Scolforo reported from Harrisburg, Pa.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sandusky-speaks-again-maintains-innocence-181145730.html

ketamine ground hogs day 2012 goundhog day punxsutawney egypt soccer riot facebook ipo facebook ipo

Advantages Of Researching About The Airline Reviews

Choosing to travel by air is something that many travelers are after these days. This is because people not only can reach a destination within a short span of time, but travelling by air is comfortable too. However, there are many air travelers who often have complains about the poor services offered by any particular airlines and also about the lack of comfort throughout the trip. Nowadays, good or bad but everybody has their own story to share about their airline services. Now, if the travelers properly research about the airline reviews before purchasing their tickets, many such bad experiences can be avoided.

Furthermore, researching on airline seat reviews can greatly improve your comforts as well as the air travel experience. A good way to research about any airline rankings is by reading the airline passenger reviews available on the websites where real people often share their experiences and decides upon the airline ratings. While deciding the ratings and rankings of any particular airline, many concerns including the quality of food, staff efficiency and customer service, comforts, etc. are addressed and rated by real travelers who have availed their services.

Thus, it would be clear by now that prior researching for airline passenger reviews can bring a lot of benefits and help you in having the satisfying flying experience. However, it is often ignored by many careless travelers.

If you are travelling with family, you need to understand that just a few minutes of research can save you money and vastly improve the travel experience making it completely joyful for you and your family. This is because as an additional advantage of researching upon airline rankings is the convenience it can add to your trip.

Nowadays, there are numerous online portals that render air travelers an opportunity to share their experiences and opinions about the services offered by the different airlines so as to assist others in picking the right and best one. However, you need to depend upon the honest and trusted resource that maintains transparency in order to promote airline excellence and customer satisfaction in the airline industry like the whotoflywith.com. Who To Fly With Airline Excellence Award is itself considered as the ultimate sign of quality approval.

About the Author:
Shayne Poole is an author of whotoflywith.com. Visit the site ( http://www.whotoflywith.com ) for more information about Airlines Seating Reviews

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Advantages-Of-Researching-About-The-Airline-Reviews/4501648

great pacific garbage patch ben affleck and jennifer garner google privacy changes windows 8 preview leap year moratorium dwts season 14 cast

Jessie Ware's 'Wicked' Year: A$AP Rocky And MTV's Artist To Watch Honors

The much-buzzed singer is one of MTV's picks for 2013, and she's already winning over audiences in the U.S.
By James Montgomery

Jessie Ware
Photo: MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704312/jessie-ware-mtv-artist-to-watch.jhtml

mc hammer pecan pie recipe Hector Camacho Jill Kelly McKayla Maroney gronkowski jeremy renner

Jessica Upshaw Found Dead - Business Insider

JessicaUpshaw.com

A photo from Jessica Upshaw's website

Mississippi state lawmaker Jessica Upshaw?was found dead in a residence on Sunday with a bullet wound to her head, the Clarion Ledger reports, citing unnamed sources at the state capitol.

Upshaw, a 53-year-old Republican, was found in the home of former Mississippi State Rep. Clint Rotenberry, Simpson County Sheriff Kenneth Lewis told the Clarion Ledger.

Lewis told the Clarion Ledger that the case had been turned over to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, and that he doesn't know whether her death was a suicide.

Upshaw, who was single, had been a Mississippi state representative since 2004. A lawyer by trade, she chaired the legislature's Natural Resources Committee.

Rotenberry was elected to the house in 1994 and lost a Republican runoff in 2007, according to the Clarion Ledger.

It's not clear why Upshaw was at Rotenberry's house.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/jessica-upshaw-found-dead-2013-3

winning numbers mega millions megamillions drawing olbermann mega millions march 30 lucky numbers odds of winning mega millions mary mary

Obamacare isn?t forever, but what?s next is worse (Powerlineblog)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/294098283?client_source=feed&format=rss

cyprus cyprus Bracketology Erin Go Bragh St Patrick school closings lisa vanderpump

An update on Iran?s nuclear program (Powerlineblog)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/294098284?client_source=feed&format=rss

roses flower delivery e cards kate upton sports illustrated outback chaka khan taylor swift safe and sound

Meteor sightings flood in from East Coast, setting off a media scramble

This security camera footage, from Kim Fox of Thurmont, Md., shows the Friday night flash in the sky.

By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News

A Friday night flash of light in the skies over the East Coast sparked a rash of meteor sighting reports, followed by a mad dash to track down photos and videos of the event.

The American Meteor Society logged more than 300 reports from a region ranging from ?North Carolina to Washington to New York to New England to Canada. Hundreds more registered their observations on Twitter. ?One Twitter user, known as @Married2TheNite, reported from New Jersey that he saw ? and heard?? the object pass by. "It was making almost a hissing noise as it flew brightly overhead," he wrote. "I saw it around 7:55 p.m. EDT."

That time frame meshed with the many other reports. Some witnesses said they saw flashes of green, red and blue as the object streaked past.

The reports were consistent with a fireball?? similar to the one that flashed over Russia on Feb. 15, but much, much smaller.

---

"It's not an incredibly rare event, but it is very unusual to have that many people observe it, and also it was unusually bright," Ron Dantowitz, director of the Clay Center Observatory, told NBC station WDHD-TV?in Boston. "These types of meteors happen once or twice a year. The unusual thing is that it was so well observed not so long after sunset."

Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environmental Office told The Associated Press that the flash appeared to be "a fireball that moved roughly toward the southeast, going on visual reports."

"Judging from the brightness, we're dealing with something as bright as the full moon," Cooke said. "The thing is probably a yard across. We basically have (had) a boulder enter the atmosphere over the Northeast."

For a while, Twitter buzzed with tweets and retweets highlighting pictures that falsely purported to show the Friday night light ? but eventually, bona fide views surfaced. The paucity of honest-to-goodness meteor shots contrasted with the wealth of dashboard videos that came to light after last month's Russian meteor blast.

"The meteor has taught us one thing tonight," Cara Lynch tweeted, "the East Coast needs more dash cameras."?

One of the most widely distributed videos of Friday night's flash came from someone who didn't actually see it when it happened. "I wish I would have seen it for real," said Kim Fox, a first-grade teacher from Thurmont, Md.

Fox told NBC News that she checked her security-camera system after hearing about the meteor. At around the time that news reports said the meteor was widely sighted, she saw a bright flash on one of the camera views. She took out her mobile phone, recorded a video of the video, and posted it to her Facebook page. From there, the video went viral on the Web and on TV newscasts.

"The phones have been ringing all night," Fox said.

Did you see the flash? Add your sighting report to the American Meteor Society's log, and tell me about it in the comment space below. Got pictures? Feel free to post them to the Cosmic Log Facebook page.

Update for 1:22 a.m. ET March 23: In one reference, I mistakenly placed Thurmont in New Jersey rather than Maryland. Sorry about that! Also, more video views of the flash have come in. Hopkins Automotive Group posted this flashy security camera video on its Facebook page. There's also this dashcam view from WUSA9 photojournalist Kurt Brooks.

More about meteors:

---

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

This story was originally published on Sat Mar 23, 2013 12:09 AM EDT

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/29e4a330/l/0Lcosmiclog0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C230C1742180A40Emeteor0Esightings0Eflood0Ein0Efrom0Eeast0Ecoast0Esetting0Eoff0Ea0Emedia0Escramble0Dlite/story01.htm

steven tyler tropic thunder carnie wilson missing reese witherspoon pregnant billy joel bent

LIVE UPDATES: What's Happening at the Senate Vote-A-Rama

4:33 a.m.

A fitting end. With a vote on the budget imminent, Mitch McConnell declares, at 4:33 a.m., "This is one of the Senate's finest days in recent years."

4:31 a.m.

The final amendment vote belongs to Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., and it passes.?

4:05 a.m.

Patty Murray thanks all the Senate pages. Standing ovation.

3:54 a.m.

The vote-a-rama has hit the 12-hour mark.

The Senate has been steadily working through -- and defeating -- amendments offered by some of the chamber's most conservative members for about half an hour.?

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, briefly stumbled over the Bill of Rights, citing the First Amendment for the right to bear arms. He quickly corrected himself, and blamed the late hour.

3:27 a.m.

Vitter amendment fails 44-54.

3:21 a.m.

Sen. David Vitter, R-Louisiana, bring up a bill to require photo ID to vote -- a hot-button issue.

3:15 a.m.

Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., requested to use electronic devices on the floor during the final set of votes. Reid objected. But the reality is that iPhones, Blackberries and iPads are already strewn about the chamber.

Sen. Robert Mendendez, D-N.J., who heads the foreign relations committee, warns senators about setting foreign policy "at 3 in the morning," saying it could set "dangerous" precedents and create instability in the Middle East.

3:05 a.m.

After an hour break in voting as staff and senators huddled over what to do next, the Senate has announced it will proceed on a batch of about a dozen votes. Patty Murray requested senators sit in their seats, a relatively rare request, to speed up the process and cut the total time per vote to only seven and a half minutes.

?The end is in sight, folks,? tweeted Adam Jentleson, Harry Reid?s spokesman.?

1:45 a.m.

Harry Reid pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes during the exchange between Patty Murray and Jeff Sessions over further amendments. Murray accused the Republicans of "filibustering by amendment." Sessions said of his GOP colleagues, "This may be their only opportunity."

Murray pleaded for an end, citing the Senate's "elderly" members.?

1:41 a.m.

Patty Murray says more than 60 amendments have been considered and urges colleagues to consider wrapping it up. "We had amendments on virtually every topic here tonight, including the budget," she said.

Jeff Sessions and David Vitter answer for the minority: No.

1:33 a.m.

On voice vote, senators agree to take 20 percent of their salaries and dedicate to a charity of their choice so that lawmakers can feel what workers furloughed by sequestration are feeling. (A few loud "no" votes caused King to reorder the voice vote not once but twice.)

1:28 a.m.

Patty Murray?s working hard, and knows it. Asked by another senator how many more tranches of amendments would be seen, she indicated people just need to remain cool and let the process keep working itself through. ?I don?t think anybody here can say I haven?t been working my tail off? to get what have been dozens of amendments considered quickly.

1:08 a.m.

Angus King seems tired. He just miscalled a voice vote (no instead of yes), leading Republicans to threaten a more time-consuming roll call. Patty Murray steps in and claims, to laughter, that she hadn?t heard it properly, so they do it all again. Onward.

12:41 a.m.

Senate Republicans try to unsuccessfully pass another amendment that defunds, in some way, the Affordable Care Act: one of the president's signature policy accomplishments. Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa compares their ongoing efforts to dismantle the health care law to a magical cloak from the Harry Potter novels that just makes objects disappear. This comparison makes everyone on the floor, including Sen. Murray, laugh. As it gets late, people are getting a little punchy. Onward to more amendments!

12:31 a.m.

Sessions? immigration bill fails, 43-56.

12:29 a.m.

Mike Lee on Twitter promising a late night/early morning: "Votes on one Lee amendment, several more to go. It's going to be a late night as we do the work we were sent to do."

12:06 a.m.

Fun fact: As you watch Sen. Murray manage the floor over the next few hours and organize amendments, remember: She taught pre-school before she was elected to Congress.

12:04 a.m.

#Votearama is trending on Twitter in D.C.

12:00 a.m.

Potentially interesting immigration marker due soon. Expecting to see Jeff Sessions offer a measure aimed at ensuring illegal immigrants granted any legal status under whatever immigration reform emerges from Congress, should it emerge, are denied access to free health care either under Medicaid or ?Obamacare?.

11:59 p.m.

Heading into the early hours of Saturday morning, this is the next batch of amendments:

• ? Cardin #706 (carbon emissions);

• ? Inhofe #359 (green house gases);

• ? Menendez #705 (immigration-health care-side-by-side to Sessions );

• ? Sessions #614 ( immigrants/health care);

• ? Merkley #696 (prosecutions of financial institutions);

• ? Roberts #187 (prohibit promotional materials PPACA);

• ? Menendez #619 (Flood loss mitigation);

• ? Portman #152 (medical malpractice reconciliation instructions);

11:47 p.m.

Tim Scott union dues bill failed (not because he didn't talk more about it).

11:36 p.m.

Picking up speed again. Voice vote approval of Sherrod Brown?s, D-Ohio, manufacturing amendment. Then Tim Scott, R-S.C., introduced his measure to prohibit automatic deduction of union dues from federal workers? paychecks, but didn?t use up any time explaining or defending it.?

11:15 p.m.

These are the next four amendments up:

• McCaskill #366 (federal and state credentialing)
• Johnson (WI) #213 (Social Security/Medicare)
• Brown #455 (manufacturing)
• Scott #597 (federal workers-union fees)

11:08 p.m.

Majority Leader Reid on the floor praises the progress, but notes how much farther vote-a-rama has to go if all senators insist on a vote for their amendments. ?We?re doing fine. We?re not at carnival stage yet. Let?s proceed and try to reach this with a lot of dignity.?

Patty Murray asks senators to ?continue cooperating.?

11:07 p.m.

Mike Lee, R-UT, amendment requiring budgets spend more on Defense than on debt interest payments goes down, 46-53.

10:59 p.m.

Rand Paul goes to Twitter to thank Mitch McConnell for supporting his failed balanced budget amendment.

10:15 p.m.

Some amendments aim to make a political point and garner media attention. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Tex., authored one to withhold pay for top staff at the president?s Office of Management and Budget for every day the president?s budget is late. It got Cornyn on Fox News on Thursday because it?s a finger-in-the-eye of President Obama, who still hasn?t authored a budget plan this year. The measure passed with a voice vote on Friday night.

9:44 p.m.

So, why do the votes on these amendments matter? Well, they lay down markers for future, tough policy discussions on everything from tax reform to the Keystone pipeline to the estate tax. Here are some interesting articles to peruse on the policy implications of these votes and amendments:

-- Why Keystone Wins Big

-- The Senate's Support for an Internet Sales Tax

-- Budget Votes that Highlight Immigration Debate

9:35 p.m.

Among the interesting amendments that have come up in the last 30 minutes: the Senate voted in favor of an amendment to reduce or repeal the estate tax, an idea put forward by Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia. But, the Senate did not vote in favor of eliminating the estate tax entirely, as Republican Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina suggested.

The Senate also voted in favor (again, non-binding) of not touching benefits for disabled veterans if and when the debate over chained CPI re-emerges. That was Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders amendment. Chained CPI would tweak the cost-of-living calculation for federal benefits, including Social Security, and would result in less generous allotments for people. President Obama has put $130 billion in chained CPI changes on the table as part of a grand budget deal, much to the chagrin of his more liberal counterparts in Congress like Sanders.

Majority Leader Reid also is not a big fan of chained CPI and sat beside Sanders on the floor following the vote on that amendment.

8:44 p.m.

Wanna know why this vote-a-rama will last into the wee hours of the night? So far, 562 amendments have been filed, according to a Senate Democratic aide.

For context, the leadership aide writes: "The average number of votes on amendments and motions to recommit during Senate consideration of the last 10 Budgets is 32. And according to CRS, between 1993 and 2009, an average of 78 amendments to the budget resolution were offered per year during floor consideration." So, the 562 amendments far exceeds what we've seen historically on budget resolutions.

8:32 p.m.

Other topics coming up in amendments: Estate tax; chained CPI; funding for embassy security and law enforcement; something on mercury, more details as we get them; and an amendment from Maryland's Democratic Senator Cardin on pediatric dental care.

8:28 p.m.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid warns senators that, ?This is not going to go on forever.? He continued, ?We have 400 amendments that have been offered. We?re not going to do that.?

8:10 p.m.

Motion to waive Budget Act to consider Rubio's abortion measure fails.?

7:50 p.m.

The vote-a-rama seems to be moving a bit faster. The senators are now debating an amendment by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio that would prohibit people, apart from parents, from taking minors into another state to receive an abortion. Upcoming: An amendment from North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan on veterans (she's in a vulnerable seat in 2014) and an amendment about biennial budgeting i.e. moving the budget process to once every two years.

7:29 p.m.

All the vote-a-rama roll call votes have had 99 senators voting. That's because 89-year old Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-New Jersey, is absent.

7:25 p.m.

Alaska?s bipartisan pair of senators, Mark Begich, the Democrat, and Lisa Murkowski, the Republican, both back an amendment requiring labeling of a genetically modified ?fake fish,? as Begich calls it. It passes with a voice vote.

7:08 p.m.

The amendment on taxing internet sales passed 75 to 24. Non-binding, of course, but interesting marker for future fights over overhauling the tax code.

7:01 p.m.

Lots of the amendments in this vote-a-rama include the phrase "deficit-neutral funds." What the heck does that mean? As Dylan Matthews of the Washington Post's Wonkblog explains: The words "deficit-neutral funds" offers "a way to discuss budget-irrelevant topics without violating budget reconciliation rules." In other words, they're a technical workaround that allows lawmakers to score? political points on a wider range of topics.

6:49 p.m.

How do Republicans sustain themselves ahead of a long evening of votes? BBQ. That?s what?s getting dished out in Sen. Mitch McConnell office during the sales tax debate: meat, baked beans, corn bread and salad.

6:30 p.m.

If you want a better sense of why overhauling the tax code may be difficult politically, just tune into the debate unfolding now on the Senate floor over a possible sales tax on internet purchases. The Senate has been fiercely debating this amendment for the past 30 minutes or so.

This amendment, put forth by Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin and Republican Sen. Mike Enzi, would express support for letting states collect sales taxes on internet purchases--even if those companies were headquartered out-of-state. And, the amendment pits the business interests of typical retail stores against internet competitors. Among others, the amendment is backed by big lobbying money including the country's largest retail trade association that says it is "strongly supporting this legislative effort aimed at leveling the sales tax playing field for all retailers."

Like many fights over taxes, the split between those in favor of the amendment and those against it does not fall along typical party lines. Among the biggest critics of the bill: Democratic Sens. Max Baucus and Ron Wyden and Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte

6:18 p.m.

The Senate is now in the midst of debating an amendment from Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, about states' ability to apply the sales tax to Internet purchases.?

6:03 p.m.

The Hoeven amendment supporting the Keystone XL pipeline passes 62-37, with the backing of 17, yes 17, Senate Democrats.

5:46 p.m.

?The hand-writing is on the wall. I see it,? Boxer says ahead of the next Keystone pipeline amendment vote, this one pushed by Hoeven, after she lost the first tally.

5:45 p.m.

Just how many amendments have been filed? As of 5:30, Senate Republicans have offered 371 budget amendments and Democrats have put together 154.

5:43 p.m.

Boxer?s Keystone amendment fails 33-66.

5:40 p.m.

Settling in for a long night here on the Senate side. For those just tuning into vote-a-rama, a reminder: This is Sen. Patty Murray's first time shepherding a Democratic budget to the floor. She's taken on other thankless tasks, like leading the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (when few thought the party would retain the Senate in 2012) and co-leading the super committee that failed to come up with a grand deficit deal. For background reading on Murray's political ascendance, I'd recommend two deep dives: an August 2011 look at her role leading the DSCC and a March 20 profile of her leadership on the Senate Budget Committee and as a foil to Rep. Paul Ryan, Chairman of the House Budget Committee and former Republican vice presidential candidate. Also, of note: Majority Leader Harry Reid really trusts her.

5:29 p.m.

Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, speaks against an amendment from Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., related to the Keystone XL pipeline. Boxer stands, arms crossed, steadily shaking her head in disagreement across the floor as Hoeven speaks.

5:20 p.m.

You know who seems to love vote-a-rama? Sen. Tom Coburn. The Oklahoma representative, who disdains wasteful government spending, has put forth over 50 amendments for this budget voting fest. If every senators did that, leadership would have to contend with 5,000 amendments. This doesn't mean that all of Coburn's amendments will make it to the floor, but it does show that Coburn is sticking with his usual playbook of digging into the budget and pointing out its myriad of flaws.

5:11 p.m.

The Whitehouse amendment falls short 41-58.?

5:04 p.m.

The vote on the Whitehouse amendment (#652) is the first of four in a row on energy and environment issues, including two related to the Keystone XL pipeline.

4:55 p.m.

Our first papal reference. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, cites Pope Francis in pushing his amendment related to a carbon tax. Whitehouse says that, ?We ignore carbon pollution at our peril? and cites God when suggesting that not taking care of the environment ?is an offense to His creation.?

Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, rises in opposition and declares, ?To have to oppose the pope is really ominous.?

4:18 p.m.?

Senate Budget Committee Chair Patty Murray, D-Wash., issues a warning to her colleagues who choose to wander off the floor amid the coming flurry of votes. "You leave at your own peril," she says.

4:00 p.m.

More than 400 amendments to the Senate budget have been filed for Friday's marathon session on the floor. More amendments can be offered through the night, although senators won't necessarily demand votes on every measure.

Under the rules, it all comes to end only when there is no senator on the floor seeking a vote on an amendment. Senator Reid has said he hopes senators will only ask for votes on 25 to 30 of the amendments put forth.

Even so, the chamber likely will not end this "vote-a-rama" until after midnight.

?

?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/live-updates-whats-happening-senate-vote-rama-210918702--politics.html

cape breton bowling green marysville tornados dr. seuss the temptations rush limbaugh sandra fluke