Sunday, August 4, 2013

Talking to Children about a Parent's Sex Addiction | World of ...

Talking to Children about a Parent's Sex AddictionWorking with sex addiction clients who are parents inevitably brings up the question, ?How and what do we tell the children??

The answer to this question varies from family to family and with the children?s ages and developmental level. Regardless of whether the children are young or adults, parents always want to do the best that they can to help their children through this process.

Children of any age in any family where addiction is present can present a unique challenge. Questions arise as to what, if and how much to tell children about the addiction. Another question that arises is how much the children have been affected by the sexual addiction.

Talking to children about a partner?s sex addiction can be an especially daunting task for a parent. Thoughtful consideration needs to be given as to how to present the information in an appropriate manner. Often, ?sweeping problems under the rug? has been an issue in the sex addict?s family or that of their partner?s family of origin, and secrets and lies have played a role in the addictive cycle for the adults involved. So communicating effectively in a way that benefits the children can be an important step toward breaking this negative cycle.

Parents? behaviors and the way they relate with each other affect children deeply and profoundly. When parents are in crisis, there can be times where a parent does not communicate well with their child, or exhibits depression and anxiety that the child senses. Poor relational skills on a parent?s part can be a source of upset and hurt for children, and can result in the child internalizing negative messages about relationships that follow them into their adult life.

As much as parents wish to shield children from their own mistakes, keeping secrets does not accomplish this.

Prior to disclosing information to children, it is very helpful to speak with a skilled therapist and give careful consideration to what is going to be said. It may be the best choice not to share information regarding the sex addict?s acting-out behaviors; the important thing is to engage in an honest dialogue for a child?s feelings to be heard and voiced.

Older or adult children may need to be told more information, so that their perception of what has occurred is validated, and they can build the coping strategies to manage their feelings surrounding what has happened in the family system.

Regardless, it is very important that parents model addressing problems directly, rather than covertly to propagate healthy strategies for dealing with life issues. A solid relationship with a skilled therapist trained in love and sex addiction can help guide parents through this process.

?

Alexandra Katehakis, MFT, CST, CSAT is the founder and Clinical Director of Center for Healthy Sex in Los Angeles, where she and her staff successfully treat a full spectrum of sexual disorders, ranging from issues of sexual desire and dysfunction to the treatment of sexual addiction. She is the author of Erotic Intelligence: Igniting Hot, Healthy Sex While in Recovery from Sex Addiction and co-author of Making Advances: A Comprehensive Guide for Treating Female Sex and Love Addicts. Her free Daily Meditations on healthy sex and love are open to the public at www.centerforhealthysex.com/sex-meditation. Since 2006, Ms. Katehakis has studied affective neuroscience with Allan N. Schore, incorporating regulation theory into her treatment of sexual addiction. Alex is the 2012 recipient of the Carnes Award, a prestigious acknowledgement for her contributions to the field of sex addiction. More information can be found on her website, centerforhealthysex.com.

Like this author?
Catch up on other posts by Alexandra Katehakis, MFT, CST, CSAT (or subscribe to their feed).



????Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 1 Aug 2013
????Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.

APA Reference
Katehakis, A. (2013). Talking to Children about a Parent?s Sex Addiction. Psych Central. Retrieved on August 4, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/08/02/talking-to-children-about-a-parents-sex-addiction/

?

Source: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/08/02/talking-to-children-about-a-parents-sex-addiction/

nnamdi asomugha Zimmerman trial Siberia kaley cuoco big brother Siberia Tv Show pharrell

Monday, June 3, 2013

Trial of U.S. soldier in WikiLeaks case to get under way

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The American soldier accused of providing more than 700,000 secret documents to the WikiLeaks website goes on trial in Maryland on Monday charged with the biggest leak of classified information in U.S. history.

Private First Class Bradley Manning, 25, faces a possible life sentence without parole if convicted for the 2010 leak that outraged the U.S. government.

Manning faces 21 counts, including the most serious one of aiding the enemy, as well as prosecution under the Espionage Act of 1917.

The court-martial at Fort Meade, Maryland, about 30 miles northeast of Washington, is expected to run until at least late August. Prosecutors have said they expect to call more than 100 witnesses.

Manning pleaded guilty in court in February to 10 lesser charges that he was the source of the WikiLeaks release. He said he had released the files to spark a domestic debate on the military and on foreign policy in general.

Prosecutors rejected the pleas and are pursuing their original charges.

The judge, Colonel Denise Lind, said last month she would close parts of the trial to the public to protect classified material.

Manning, an intelligence analyst, was arrested in May 2010 while serving in Iraq. He was charged with downloading intelligence documents, diplomatic cables and combat videos and forwarding them to WikiLeaks, an anti-secrecy website.

WikiLeaks began exposing the secrets the same year, stunning diplomats and U.S. officials who said the leaks endangered lives.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has taken refuge in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London since June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden for alleged sex crimes.

Civil liberties groups have argued that the court is restricting access to the case by withholding court documents and other information about proceedings from the public.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by David Brunnstrom)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/trial-u-soldier-wikileaks-case-under-way-090146443.html

Election results 2012 exit polls Presidential Polls California Propositions Electoral College chuck pagano A Gay Lesbian

Sunday, June 2, 2013

LG Optimus F3 for Sprint shows up in deep purple, predicts mild summer

LG Optimus F3 for Sprint shows up in deep purple, predicts mild summer

We already saw a rendered image of the LG Optimus F3 break cover. Now we can get slightly better look at the entry-level Android offering, in a purple hue that's reportedly heading to Sprint. There's nothing to suggest any advance on the reported 4-inch WVGA display, 2,460mAh battery and Jelly Bean (4.1.2) specifications. Pretty much the only other aspect to become clear is the textured rear. We're not reading too much into the June 24th date on scree, but if it does turn out to be mostly sunny in Chicago that day, we'll for sure pay more attention next time.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: evleaks (Twitter)

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/T70eWADr1rQ/

Perez Hilton Michelle Obama Oscars Wissam Al Mana seth macfarlane oscar winners anne hathaway Castel Gandolfo

Saturday, June 1, 2013

'Now You See Me' review: A magic-themed heist movie with maybe too much up its sleeve

By Alonso Duralde

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Ticketholders for both magic shows and caper movies are required to engage in a certain suspension of disbelief, so that they might enjoy the wonders unfolding before them without ruining things by asking too many questions.

"Now You See Me," a heist film peppered with onstage legerdemain, will test the limits of your willingness to go with the flow. The explanations behind the bank robberies defy logic, granted - but at least they're explanations.

The plot, on the other hand, takes a corkscrew spin that may or may not fling you out of the theater.

A quartet of magicians - a disgraced hypnotist (played by Woody Harrelson), a smug street illusionist (Jesse Eisenberg), an escape artist (Isla Fisher) and a pickpocket and lock-picker (Dave Franco) - are recruited by an anonymous benefactor to become the Four Horsemen, a glitzy and high-tech magic act that packs the big room at Las Vegas' MGM Grand for one night only.

(I don't include the characters' names because, frankly, the movie doesn't care about them; you won't know any more about them in the last scene than you do in the first.)

Their Vegas show involves teleporting an audience member into a French bank vault, getting away with 30 million Euros, and showering the bills onto their audience. This attracts the attention of an FBI agent (Mark Ruffalo) and a French sidekick (M?lanie Laurent of "Inglourious Basterds") assigned to him by INTERPOL.

But as Eisenberg (reprising his cleverer-than-thou bit from "The Social Network") tells Ruffalo, to accuse them of the crime would be to acknowledge that magic exists.

Also tagging along for two more performances-turned-heists are the magicians' wealthy producer (Michael Caine) as well as a professional magic-debunker (Morgan Freeman) out to expose the Horsemen as phonies.

Director Louis Leterrier ("The Transporter," the "Clash of the Titans" remake), working from a script by Ed Solomon, Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt, makes the first half of the movie pop, no mean feat when dealing with the essential paradox of magic on film - thanks to the most basic of special effects, going all the way back to Georges M?li?s, anyone in a movie can do magic, so there's no inherent thrill of seeing illusions, even ones that are exciting on stage, on the big screen.

There's an inclination to forgive these stock characters since all of these actors are capable of lifting them to a higher plane, but "Now You See Me" gets so enraptured in its double-twists and reversals that it doesn't give any of its cast members the time or space required to create something memorable out of the material.

What starts out as an engaging B-movie, one that tricks you and then shows you how it tricked you, sadly degenerates into an overly complicated mess with one or two twists too many. You can feel the energy leak out of this overlong (115 minutes) movie somewhere around the big car chase through Manhattan, and then "Now You See Me" wraps things up with a whammy of a plot twist that's momentarily unexpected but doesn't, upon any kind of reflection, pass the sniff test.

And if you're OK with the film playing you for a sap, you'll laugh and clap and wonder how that bird got into that hat. But if you think there's a difference between being tricked and being cheated, you may feel swindled.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/now-see-review-magic-themed-heist-movie-maybe-005349291.html

Danell Leyva Ye Shiwen OJ Murdock Olympics Live Mens Gymnastics Allison Schmitt Olympic Schedule

Saudi king leaves for vacation in Morocco

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) ? Saudi Arabia says King Abdullah has left for a vacation in Morocco, challenging recent claims that the 90-year-old monarch was seriously ill.

The official Saudi Press Agency said on Friday that Abdullah left the Red Sea city of Jiddah for what the service called a "private vacation." Abdullah and other members of the Saudi royal family have palaces in Morocco and travel there regularly.

The agency gave no details on Abdullah's health, but carried photos of him being greeted by officials before his departure.

Earlier this week, reports by Iranian media and others claimed Abdullah was critically ill.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/saudi-king-leaves-vacation-morocco-133021216.html

marlon byrd charles colson humber raffi torres michael mcdonald jon jones vs rashad evans earth day 2012

Friday, May 31, 2013

HTC T6 rumored to offer 5.9-inch 1080p display, 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800

HTC T6

If the HTC One is just too small for your needs, perhaps the latest rumor will perk you up: a 5.9-inch HTC device code-named the T6 is purportedly in development. Notable leakster @evleaks has dug up a few details about this handset, and -- if true -- this is going to be one heck of a refresh to the company's premier lineup. Here's what we've heard so far: it's consistent with the One's general look, sports a 1080p display, a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 chipset (MSM8974), BoomSound, an OIS-equipped UltraPixel camera, 2GB RAM and a 3,300mAh battery. The T6 will supposedly feature a dedicated pen / stylus as well as a biometric fingerprint scanner around the back. Curiously, it's also reported that the T6 will have a microSD slot -- an addition that would be inconsistent with HTC's current design strategy -- and will run on Android Key Lime Pie. The latter rumor seems unlikely, given the high chance that 4.3 will be a Jelly Bean release, but we suppose anything can happen between now and late summer / early fall (the T6's supposed launch timeframe). That said, all of the above rumors are making us very excited -- and hopeful -- for what HTC is cooking up, provided it still fits comfortably in our hands.

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Source: TheUnlockr

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/CIY_SCS07ss/

george h w bush Belk Led Zeppelin Ned Rocknroll Norman Schwarzkopf Avery Johnson kennedy center honors

Huawei Ascend P6 teased ahead of June 18 reveal

Ascend P6

Thin, metal-framed device to be shown in London next month

The Huawei Ascend P6 hasn't been announced yet, but the manufacturer has already given us the phone's name, along with a very good look at one of its corners. In images posted to Huawei's Facebook page today, the Ascend P6 appears to be a slim, aluminum-framed device with a flat glass front. If pre-release rumors are to be believed, it'll measure in at just 6.3mm thick.

In its Facebook post, the manufacturer promises "the thinnest, smallest, and one of the most compact smart phones with a screen that can rival it's competitors," seemingly confirming that there's a super-slim Huawei phone on the way. Today's shot also matches up with leaked images from @evleaks that have appeared in recent days.

Huawei says it'll "unleash an intimate experience" on consumers on June 18, which is the date the company's holding a big press event at a major London concert venue. We'll be reporting live from London to show you just how "intimate" things get.

Source: Facebook

    


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/GzgeoYf3mis/story01.htm

serena williams Espn Fantasy Football Grandparents Day 2012 army wives 60 minutes go daddy Tom Kenny

Outfitting Your Amateur Sports Team: Saving Cash On Sports Gear ...

If you are a member of an sports team, or if your children are participants on this type of team, you likely get from time to time seeking sporting equipment and apparel for your team or your children. With that in your mind, there are several ways you can save your self a great deal of money when shopping for these kind of products. Through this informative article, we will offer you some helpful suggestions when it comes to spending less in your purchase of amateur sports team gear and clothing.

First of all, as with therefore many other items in the 21st century, the Net has turned into a good location where you can start your shopping look for sports equipment and clothing items. Indeed, in this day and age, you truly can save your self a great of money by buying sports gear and clothing on the Internet and Web.

There are now several very reliable internet sites that have been established specifically to sell and market sports gear and clothing to amateur teams. Certainly, these day there are websites which were established to tailor to specific forms of amateur sports ? softball teams, Little League baseball teams and such.

In the mortar and brick world, many major malls carry different types of sporting equipment and clothing items on a seasonal basis. Certainly, some teams in real life are able to arrange for a department store to carry the whole array of things that are necessary to outfit a staff with clothing and gear.

As well as what is available in department stores in the brick and mortar world as it pertains to finding clothing and equipment for an amateur sports group, such items are also carryed by many discount retail stores on their shelves on a seasonal basis.

Additionally, there are a number of different organizations that offer purchasing venues in the stone and mortar world and on line that cater specifically and exclusively to amateur sports clubs. These businesses are solely in the commercial of outfitting amateur sports team with equipment and clothing products.

By using one or yet another of those retail possibilities, an individual can find exactly what he or she is looking for when it comes to clothing and equipment for amateur activities. Indeed, by doing your research, a person will manage to find these items at reasonable rates that simply will not break the budget in the method.

visit this link success

Share Google+ Article:

(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)


Source: http://www.freearticlezines.com/2013/05/outfitting-your-amateur-sports-team-saving-cash-on-sports-gear-and-clothing/

college board Skagit River Bridge Call Of Duty Ghosts alice eve kevin durant tumblr Oklahoma Tornado

Ted Cruz avoids controversy in NYC speech

Protestors outside the site of Ted Cruz's speech in Manhattan (John Moore/Getty Images)

NEW YORK? Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is a rising star Republican who has irked even members of his own party with his conservative views on immigration reform and gun control.

But Cruz made no mention of those hot-button topics in his official debut on the New York political stage Wednesday, using a speech before the state GOP to encourage Republicans to be optimistic about their party?s future and to continue the fight for ?economic growth? and ?freedom? because the nation?s future depends on it.

?It is very easy for Republicans to feel demoralized right now? but change happens fast, like lightning in politics,? Cruz declared during a 35-minute speech at a packed fundraising dinner for the Republican Party of New York State in Manhattan. But he argued that Republicans could win again by sticking to their ideals.

"I am profoundly optimistic for this country because our ideas work," Cruz said. "Freedom works.?

Cruz?s speech, which was littered with references to Ronald Reagan and generic calls for the party to stick to its economic principles, seemed aimed at being as non-controversial as possible?a notable move given the furor that preceded the senator?s appearance here, which included protests from two high-profile New York Republicans.

On Tuesday, Rep. Peter King announced he was skipping the annual dinner in protest of Cruz?s efforts to derail a bill giving federal aid to victims of Superstorm Sandy.

Asked about King?s boycott before he took the stage, Cruz replied, ?I have not met Mr. King, but I think it is unfortunate he couldn?t join us here tonight.?

But King wasn?t the only holdout. Rep. Michael Grimm, a Republican from Staten Island whose district was hard hit by Sandy, skipped the event?though he insisted he had never planned to attend. His announcement came after Democrats tried to make an issue of the dinner and called on Grimm to ?condemn? his party for inviting Cruz.

State party officials shrugged off the cancellations. One party official, who declined to be named, trashed King, saying the GOP congressman hasn?t attended a state GOP dinner ?since George Pataki was governor.? Meanwhile, Ed Cox, the state GOP chairman, said criticism of Cruz's opposition to the Sandy bill had been misinterpreted. "That was a vote against pork," he said. "It was not against Sandy aid."

Officials also insisted the protests had no impact on ticket sales for the annual dinner. According to NY GOP spokesman David Leska, 500 tickets were sold for the event, raising about $750,000 for the party?about the same that had been raised at dinners held in previous years.

?No impact at all,? Leska said of controversy over Cruz?s policy positions.

Indeed, many Republicans, who showed up early to wine and dine during a cocktail hour ahead of the speech, waved off criticism over Cruz?s appearance. ?Overblown,? one man said, as he took his seat inside a large ballroom at the Grand Hyatt, where the annual dinner was held.

But it was a different story outside, where several dozen people waved signs protesting Cruz?s stance on immigration and Sandy aid. ?Anti-Latino!? one sign, featuring a photo of Cruz, said.

Speaking to reporters, Cruz said he hadn?t seen the protestors, but welcomed their presence. ?It?s important that we have a civil dialogue on the issues that matter to all of us,? Cruz said.

But the senator carefully pushed back against his critics on immigration?though he did so while trying to offer as little specifics as possible. He told reporters he is fighting for a ?common sense? approach to immigration.

?I think the key to actually passing a bill is to focus on areas of bipartisan agreement,? Cruz said. He specifically cited ?securing the border? and efforts to ?expand, improve and streamline legal immigration.? Asked if he planned to filibuster an immigration bill championed by President Barack Obama, he declined to answer, saying only that he planned to introduce amendments to ?improve the bill so that it actually fixes the problem.?

?The current bill is utterly toothless when it comes to border security,? Cruz said.

Asked again if he would filibuster the current Senate bill, Cruz declined to answer, as an aide tried to usher reporters away. ?This is not a press conference!? the aide said, as Cruz turned away from the media.

Introduced as a ?rising star,? Cruz took the stage here to a standing ovation and wild applause from the audience. He bypassed the podium that had been used by speakers ahead of him, and instead wore a wireless microphone as he paced the stage, appearing less like a politician and more like a motivational speaker.

His speech was a boilerplate economic address?hitting on generic themes of ?free market? opportunity and warning about the nation?s growing federal deficit.

?It's morally wrong to bankrupt our country and saddle our children and grandchildren with debt,? Cruz declared at one point.

He won tepid applause for a round of jokes about the Justice Department?jokingly warning attendees that their phones were likely be tapped because they had attended the dinner. But the room went silent as he recounted his own personal story of growing up as the son of a Cuban immigrant who had come to America with nothing but $100 sewn into his underwear and took a job washing dishes for 50 cents an hour while he put himself through school.

?My dad has been my hero my entire life,? Cruz said. ?But what I find most incredible about his story is how commonplace it is. Every one of us in this room has a story just like his? Every one of us is the child of someone who risked everything for freedom. That?s what it means to be American: Love, liberty and opportunity.?

As Cruz continued to speak, a woman seated at a table near the back of the room turned to her husband and mouthed the word, ?Wow.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/ted-cruz-avoids-controversy-first-york-speech-013755573.html

david bradley david foster wallace pinterest attwireless taylor swift zac efron the scream stephen colbert

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Medical pot laws & treats may send more kids to ER

CHICAGO (AP) ? Increased use of medical marijuana may lead to more young children getting sick from accidentally eating food made with the drug, a Colorado study suggests.

Medical marijuana items include yummy-looking gummy candies, cookies and other treats that may entice young children. Fourteen children were treated at Colorado Children's Hospital in the two years after a 2009 federal policy change led to a surge in medical marijuana use, the study found. That's when federal authorities said they would not prosecute legal users.

Study cases were mostly mild, but parents should know about potential risks and keep the products out of reach, said lead author Dr. George Sam Wang, an emergency room physician at the hospital.

Unusual drowsiness and unsteady walking were among the symptoms. One child, a 5-year-old boy, had trouble breathing. Eight children were hospitalized, two in the intensive care unit, though all recovered within a few days, Wang said. By contrast, in four years preceding the policy change, the Denver-area hospital had no such cases.

Some children came in laughing, glassy-eyed or "acting a little goofy and 'off,'" Wang said. Many had eaten medical marijuana food items, although nonmedical marijuana was involved in at least three cases. The children were younger than 12 and included an 8-month-old boy.

The study was released Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.

Eighteen states and Washington, D.C., allow medical marijuana, though it remains illegal under federal law. Colorado's law dates to 2000 but the study notes that use there soared after the 2009 policy change on prosecution. Last year, Colorado and Washington state legalized adult possession of small amounts of nonmedical marijuana.

Some states, including Colorado, allow medical marijuana use by sick kids, with parents' supervision.

In a journal editorial, two Seattle poisoning specialists say that at least seven more states are considering legalizing medical marijuana and that laws that expand marijuana use likely will lead to more children sickened.

Also on Yahoo! News:?

___

Online:

JAMA Pediatrics: http://www.jamapeds.com

Medical marijuana: http://tinyurl.com/o2cu3be

___

AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/LindseyTanner

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/medical-pot-laws-treats-may-send-more-kids-202405747.html

whitney cummings maine caucus whitney houston has died whitney houston death the vow the voice season 2 ron paul maine

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Celebrate Scotland's Finest Ales with Aldi - Scotland Food and Drink

Celebrate Scotland?s Finest Ales with Aldi

Aldi?s second in-store Beer Festival will take place across Scotland this summer. The festival is back to due to the phenomenal success of the original festival and will feature 33 of Scotland?s finest ales.

Date:

Mon, 27 May 2013

Source:

Aldi

The festival launches on Thursday 30th May and will be available in all of Aldi?s 45 stores in Scotland for five weeks (or for as long as stocks last).

Aldi held its first in-store beer and ale festival in November 2012 and 55,000 bottles of Scotland?s finest ales and beers were sold, worth ?93,000. The summer festival will see over 70,000 bottles hit shop shelves, to keep up with consumer demand.

The summer Beer Festival will feature beers from thirteen new breweries including Eden Brewery, Highland Brewing Company, Houston Brewery, Oban Bay Brewery and West Beer. All the ales on offer are unique and benefit from the finest ingredients including pure Scottish water and superior malt barley.

The festival celebrates ales and beers produced all over Scotland, from the Highlands to the Borders, and includes:

  • Orkney Blast, Highland Brewing Co, 500ml bottle for ?1.99
  • Foxy Blonde ? Scottish Borders Brewery, 500ml bottle for ?1.69
  • Red Monk of Iona ? Isle of Mull brewery, 500ml bottle for ?1.89
  • California Common ? Knops Brewery, 500ml bottle for ?1.99
  • Brockville Pale ? Tryst Brewery, 500ml for ?1.79
  • Lightness ? Loch Ness Brewery, 500ml bottle for ?1.89


Richard Holloway, Scottish managing director at Aldi, commented: ?We were extremely pleased with the success of the first Aldi Beer Festival and we received some fantastic feedback from our customers. It feels right to bring the festival back ? just in time for summer and BBQ season kicking off. The festival is part of our ongoing commitment to work with local suppliers.?

Charlie Gorham, national manager at Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA), said: "We are delighted that Aldi has decided to run a second beer festival this summer. As it is our mission to support the independent brewing industry as much as possible, we are especially pleased to hear Aldi is working with a further thirteen breweries from across the country."

Aldi?s Scottish Beer Festival starts on Thursday 30th May and will be available while stocks last.

Source: http://www.scotlandfoodanddrink.org/news/article-info/4410/celebrate-scotlands-finest-ales-with-aldi.aspx

2013 NFL Mock Draft paleo diet paleo diet earth day Luis Suarez Earth Day 2013 westboro baptist church

Monday, May 27, 2013

'Crack baby' scare overblown, teen research says

CHICAGO (AP) ? Research in teens adds fresh evidence that the 1980s "crack baby" scare was overblown, finding little proof of any major long-term ill effects in children whose mothers used cocaine during pregnancy.

Some studies have linked pregnant women's cocaine use with children's behavior difficulties, attention problems, anxiety and worse school performance. But the effects were mostly small and may have resulted from other factors including family problems or violence, parents' continued drug use and poverty, the researchers said.

They reviewed 27 studies involving more than 5,000 11- to 17-year-olds whose mothers had used cocaine while pregnant. The studies all involved low-income, mostly black and urban families.

The review, led by University of Maryland pediatrics researcher Maureen Black, was released online Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

Widespread use of crack cocaine in the 1980s led to the "crack baby" scare, when babies born to crack users sometimes had worrisome symptoms including jitteriness and smaller heads. Studies at the time blamed prenatal drug use, suggested affected children had irreversible brain damage and predicted dire futures for them. These reports led to widespread media coverage featuring breathless headlines and heart-rending images of tiny sick newborns hooked up to hospital machines.

"The field of prenatal cocaine exposure has advanced significantly since the misleading 'crack baby' scare of the 1980s," the review authors said.

In recent years experts have mostly discounted any link, noting that so-called crack babies often were born prematurely, which could account for many of their early symptoms. Studies that tracked children beyond infancy have failed to find any severe outcomes.

In some studies included in the new review, crack-exposed teens had lower scores on developmental tests than other children but their scores were still within normal limits. Many studies found that the children's family environment or violence were directly related to the teen's performance regardless of whether their mothers had used cocaine during pregnancy, the researchers said.

The government's National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that it's tough to evaluate how drug use during pregnancy affects children's development because so many other factors play a role, including prenatal care, mothers' health and family environment.

____

Online:

Pediatrics: http://www.pediatrics.org

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/crack-baby-scare-overblown-teen-research-says-050533110.html

deion sanders creutzfeldt jakob disease the lone ranger mad cow pennsylvania primary jerome simpson hand sanitizer

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Chael Sonnen not retiring, eyes Wanderlei Silva

Chael Sonnen's loss to Jon Jones at UFC 159 put his career in question. At 36 years old, and with title losses in two different divisions, would Sonnen consider retiring? He answered that question on Fuel's "UFC Tonight," and that answer is no.

"I have a lot of goals I want to achieve still, and retirement won't help me get that done," Sonnen said.

He said the weight class is up for debate, though he liked the switch to light heavyweight after years as a middleweight. He would also be happy to fight at a catchweight, like Rich Franklin did for a few fights when moving up in weight. But there's no question about who he wants to fight.

"I'm not going anywhere until me and Wanderlei [Silva] straighten this thing out once and for all,"

Like Sonnen, Silva has moved between middleweight, light heavyweight and catchweights somewhere between. He is also 36, but the sensible match-up isn't why Sonnen is interested in this bout. Sonnen has a problem with this video from 2010:

Here is how Sonnen viewed this video.

"Wanderlei pulled a really dirtbag move on me one time. We're in a van, he mutters something at me, I can't understand what he's saying. He then puts it on YouTube with subtitles because he knows I can't understand him. He puts in these subtitles and I don't know if it's what he's said or not. Essentially, he tells me off, and it looks as though I'm conceding to him. That doesn't fly. If he calls you out, whether it's in a van or not, if you're a fighter, you must respond. I'm ready to respond."

Silva responded by tweeting this:

And then sharing the above video and saying, "Real men talk face to face."

Is this a fight you want to see, Cagereaders? Speak up on Facebook or Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/chael-sonnen-not-retiring-eyes-wanderlei-silva-182102684.html

NBC Olympics schedule 2012 Olympics Chad Everett London Olympics Kristen Stewart Rupert Sanders Photos 2016 Olympics TD Bank

23snaps, The Facebook For Families, Flicks The Monetization Switch With Printed Photo Books

ObT5FgXeW70ERpGDOdmXAUPcnpftyKtcV9xZ6xW0NlE23snaps, one of a number of mobile apps that target parents who want to share photos, videos and updates of their children within a private social network, has flicked the monetization switch today. It's launched an on-demand printing feature within the app to let users turn their uploaded photos into a physical printed product -- both photo books and individual prints.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/cstYoQbcyVY/

Barbara Palvin Yahoo Fantasy Football Nick Foles Auguste Rodin Breaking Amish Indianapolis explosion mike brown

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Company IDs 7 killed in Afghanistan plane crash

DETROIT (AP) ? Jamie Brokaw was an experienced navigator who was no stranger to dangerous flying situations and had the skills to stay cool in the face of danger, according to close friend Chris Connerton.

"He was a very good person and very smart person," Connerton told The Associated Press by telephone from Rochester, Minn.

Brokaw, 33, of Monroe, Mich., was among seven Americans killed Monday when their National Air Cargo plane crashed near an Air Force base in Afghanistan. Six of the victims were from Michigan and a seventh was from Kentucky, said Shirley Kaufman, National Air Cargo vice president.

Connerton said Brokaw was a key reason he was able to make it through flight school in Jacksonville, Fla., where they met.

Connerton also described a harrowing flight two years ago from Toledo, Ohio, to an international flight expo in Lakeland, Fla. Connerton said ice had built up on the plane to the point that he could no longer get it to climb.

"If it wasn't for Jamie's navigation and know-how ... we wouldn't have made it," Connerton said.

Killed along with Brokaw in the Afghanistan crash were maintenance worker Gary Stockdale, 51, of Romulus, Mich.; pilots Brad Hasler, 34, of Trenton, Mich., and Jeremy Lipka, 37, of Brooklyn, Mich.; first officer Rinku Summan, 32, of Canton, Mich.; loadmaster Michael Sheets, 36, of Ypsilanti, Mich.; and maintenance crewman Timothy Garrett, 51, of Louisville, Ky.

Building model planes and working on real ones comprised Stockdale's passion, filling the family's basement with models in his youth, jumping into aviation as a career at age 16 ? and later working at two Detroit-area airports.

Stockdale also knew the dangers of flying, his older brother said Tuesday.

"He always said it was dangerous," said Glenn Stockdale, 55. "He would always say, 'You either will die in a car crash or a ball of flame in a plane.'"

Lipka had flow in Iraq as well as Afghanistan and had close calls before, said his stepfather, Dave Buttman.

"There was risk there all the time. He knew the risks. He volunteered to take the trips," Buttman told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis. "Basically, you're taking your chances flying in there and he was just happy to be one of the pilots to do it."

The Dubai-bound Boeing 747-400 ? operated by National Air Cargo ? crashed just after takeoff Monday from Bagram Air Base around 11:20 a.m. local time, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement Tuesday.

The accident site is within the perimeter of Bagram Air Base.

The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for downing the plane, but NATO said the claims were false and there was no sign of insurgent activity in the area at the time of the crash.

The NTSB said it will lead a team of three investigators to assist the Afghanistan Ministry of Transportation and Commercial Aviation in investigating the crash. But a ministry spokesman, Nangoialy Qalatwal, said Tuesday the ministry is not involved with the investigation because it occurred at a military and not a civilian airport.

Kaufman said the plane ? owned by National Airlines, an Orlando, Fla.-based subsidiary of National Air Cargo ? was carrying vehicles and other cargo.

Elena Garrett, of Jeffersonville, Ind., just across the Ohio River from Louisville, said ex-husband Timothy Garrett would have turned 52 on Saturday. They have two daughters together, ages 11 and 12.

"We're all devastated," Elena Garrett said about his death. "We were still best friends. He's the best father I've ever seen (and) ready to help anybody. He would give the shirt off his back for anybody."

Bill Hasler said his family learned Monday morning that his brother, Brad, was one of the crash victims.

"Brad was a wonderful father to two young children, a beloved husband to a wife who is expecting another child, a loving son, and the most loyal and supportive brother I could have ever asked for," Bill Hasler said in a statement. "His influence in the lives of all of us who loved him is immeasurable, and our grief is indescribable."

National Airlines was based until recently at Michigan's Willow Run Airport, west of Detroit. It carries cargo both commercially and for the military, Kaufman said. She said the company employs about 225 people.

Summan had worked 2? years for National Air Cargo, said his wife, Rajnit Summan.

Rajnit Summan said she last spoke to her husband Sunday.

"I told him to be safe," she said.

___

Joan Lowy reported from Washington. Associated Press writers David N. Goodman in Detroit, Elizabeth Campbell in Louisville, Ky., and Patrick Quinn in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/company-ids-7-killed-afghanistan-plane-crash-224039256.html

the alamo anencephaly tesla model x lou gehrig toby mac blue ivy carter photos purple squirrel

200 jobs coming with turbine blade plant

WELLAND?-?

As many as 200 jobs will be coming to Welland after a wind turbine blade manufacturing plant opens as early as July.

?Yes, we?re coming to town,? said Helmut Herold, chief executive officer of Hamburg, Germany-based REpower Systems, during a Tuesday news conference at Welland Civic Square.

Herold said the company will be moving into the former Welland Pipe plant at 615 Rusholme Rd. to set up a facility to make wind turbine blades to supply projects throughout Ontario, western Canada and the U.S.

The new plant will be called PowerBlades Inc.

?It?s the first and only manufacturing facility of REpower in North America,? Herold said. ?It?s quite a big premier for us.?

Initially the company will manufacture 45-metre-long turbine blades with 125 employees, but in the months following, Herold said, the company plans to hire an additional 75 workers and manufacture 59-metre-long blades as well.

A job fair to hire the first 125 workers is taking place Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Job Gym at 225 East Main St.

Javier Martinez, REpower?s head of global blade manufacturing operations, said the company is looking for people with experience in metal working, plastic manufacturing and surface finishing.

?But we?re looking for any kind of skilled workers, to be honest,? he said. ?We know the industry is relatively young here in Canada, but ideally we?re looking for people with experience in composites or construction.

?Even if we don?t find people with the right specific skills, we are ready to train the people,? he added.

A team of seven to eight local people will also be hired to manage the new facility. The company will spend a few weeks in training at REpower manufacturing facilities in Germany and Portugal before returning to Welland to oversee operations, Martinez said.

In addition to the jobs being created at the plant itself, Herold said, the facility could create work for other local companies. For instance, he said, his company is in negotiations with TSB in Thorold to manufacture the towers the turbines will be mounted on.

?They are at the moment in the qualification process. They are one of the companies we?re looking at. In any case, it?s good news,? he said.

?If you put all this together, including small pieces we?re sourcing for the inside of the machine, you almost have 40% to 50% of the value coming out of Ontario,? Herold said, adding even the metal used to manufacture the blades will be produced in Ontario.

He said it is hoped that PowerBlades will produce blades for as many as 125 wind turbines a year once the plant is operational.

Martinez said he spent the past two years leading the company?s efforts to establish a facility in Welland, adding there were several reasons for choosing the city.

Welland, he explained, offers experienced and available workers, a suitable facility and access to highways, canal shipping and railways. City staff were also extremely helpful, he added.

?It?s an ideal location for the factory,? Martinez said, referring to the empty facility that was most recently home to a short-lived compost plant called Universal Resource Recovery that ceased operations in 2011.

?We are really excited with this project.?

Roy Timms from Timbro Construction said the new company has already led to employment for several of his workers who are renovating the facility just east of the Welland Canal.

Timms said he?s been able to call back three or four workers for a full complement of 25 workers who have been at the plant for the past few weeks. He also said two designers have been working on the project full time.

Welland economic development officer Dan Degazio said the company chose Welland ?because it?s a good place to do business.?

?The workforce is superior and so are the people,? he said.

Degazio called REpower a ?premier company.?

?This is not a one-trick pony. These guys have been in business for a lot of years, and they?re an established company. There?s a lot of credibility that comes with this company,? he added.

Mayor Barry Sharpe called the new plant ?a major step for all of Niagara to really prove that we are the Green Energy Capital of this country.?

He said he was encouraged to hear about the company?s long-term plans for the facility.

?It?s very significant. This will be REpower?s only North American manufacturing facility,? Sharpe said.

REpower Systems was founded in Europe in 2000, and set up its first Canadian offices in 2007. Its turbines are in use in several wind farm projects in Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario.

allan.benner@sunmedia.ca

?

0%

0 votes

Yes

0%

0 votes

No

0%

0 votes

Unsure

Source: http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2013/04/30/wind-turbine-manufacturer-coming-to-welland

steelers scarlett johansson survivor snl peter frampton Sandy Hook Elementary School Colors Cassadee Pope

Chris Dixon Plans On Investing In More Bitcoin Startups, Says More Entrepreneurs Are Getting Involved

TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2013 - Day 1Chris Dixon joined our co-editor Eric Eldon this morning at Disrupt NY 2013 to discuss his move out to San Francisco for a job at Andreessen Horowitz. One of the areas that interests him the most is the much-hyped Bitcoin space. The reason why Dixon is so interested is because it solves many problems for those who have tried to start a financial company in the past. He said: “There’s the whole problem of fraud online, which is a massive problem, along with all of the payment fees. The interesting thing with these math-based currencies is that you can do transactions without trusting the person at all.” He went on to discuss the beauty of Bitcoin, mostly the anonymous aspect of it, requiring no authentication or trust on either side of a transaction. Dixon stated: “The Internet is an anonymous network, but it requires authenticating identity. The exciting thing about these new currency schemes is that you have these anonymous payment systems grafted onto anonymous networks.” An example of the type of companies that Dixon is interested in investing in when it comes to Bitcoin are the companies like “Pay For Bits,” who would like to be the PayPal of Bitcoin. Due to regulations alone, there’s been a massive wall in between startups and doing something like this with actual money. Dixon feels like the best entrepreneurs on both coasts will probably start getting into Bitcoin and that means that we’ll see more innovation in the space. While top entrepreneurs won’t necessarily jump off of what they’re doing to start a Bitcoin company, but there are elements of the anonymous currency that could creep into existing products. For example, Reddit added Bitcoin as an option to purchase gold on the site, and we’ll have to see more of those types of things happen before the real products and investing starts.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/EWMYsyCnIWU/

Obama Acceptance Speech Prop 30 Election 2012 Michigan Election Results Missouri Election Results Amendment 64 marijuana

Can Be Your Vista Pc Running Slow ? Registry Cleaner Might Help ...

Speed of any computer happens to be a problem with typical PC users and same with the brand new launched Windows Vista os?s. D?

Frequently Internet surfers find their computer equipped with Windows Vista is working unexpectedly slow. There are lots of good reasons for a Windows Vista that cause run a system slow. This informative article will help you in find out why a Windows Vista computer work slow and what sort of Windows Vista registry solution provides income to the body.

Rate of any computer happens to be a concern with regular PC users and same with the new released Windows Vista operating systems. Do you know that many of the time Windows landscape when maybe not scanned through registry cleaner quickly and used through out are vulnerable to work slow. performance of the hard disk drive is affected if you have more computer software opened at once this really is mainly. And subsequently it affects the speed of the computer. Nonetheless it isn?t even possible to prevent such situation just what exactly perhaps is actually a solution then ? A Windows Vista Registry Cleaner!!!

As technology gets better and better there are many things you can do with a Vista PC, pay attention to music, chat, countless other things and post pictures. Demonstrably, it requires more resources to undertake such duties at same time and the speed of the computer is reduced, because the more resources are utilized. However, yet another important known reason why PC runs slow is a result of Spyware. Spyware is a invisible process system that gulps down all of your resources and your privacy can be often destroyed by it.

All of the Spyware applications are installed in the registry, as a lot of people aren?t much conscious of the registry utilization and in many case do not even know there?s something such as that. At this point, a suitable Windows Vista registry solution will help you!

How Do A Windows Vista Registry Solution Help You?

Even as we all understand that the spyware can be very hazardous as it can gather a lot of secret details and other exploring data of the owner and pass on to the one who had mounted it in the owner?s computer and also create a windows vista computer to operate slow. From the legitimate windows vista?s registry cleaner, the very best vista registry cleanup software will make sure that your registry of windows vista is free from all such hidden spies.

The Registry cleaner for windows vista operating system is usually equipped with more than 15 variations of cleaning tools to find & correct the registry dilemmas associated with Windows vista 64-bit. Research & repair stuck or broken key, unacceptable key, outdated key and other key. A Registry solution suitable or specially created for Windows vista can help to fix the registry files, that will be unable to refill.

Search for web sites that?s providing dedicated Windows Vista registry cleaner, to learn any reliable or authentic registry cleaner for windows vista. If you scan Internet many websites will be easily found out by you offering such vista registry to windows cleanup programs at no cost of charge. Remember, to find the one, which will be effective at washing all Spyware plans and prevents any future attack. As Spyware could be the most common phenomenon now days that may also hang or power down any PC obviously. house inspection del mar

Source: http://www.mikehorn.com/blog/?p=12353

alex o loughlin the godfather cape breton bowling green marysville tornados dr. seuss

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

America's Internship! (talking-points-memo)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/302347446?client_source=feed&format=rss

askew blue moon ann romney Paul Ryan Speech chris cooley chris cooley condoleezza rice

Car bombs, shootings kill 23 across Iraq

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 23 people were killed in Iraq on Monday in a series of car bombs in Shi'ite Muslim areas and militant attacks, medics and police sources said, taking the week's death toll to nearly 200 as sectarian violence intensifies.

Clashes have increased as the civil war in Syria puts strain on fragile relations between Sunnis and Shi'ites. The tensions are at their highest in Iraq since U.S. troops pulled out more than a year ago.

The latest bout of blood-letting began when security forces raided a Sunni protest camp near Kirkuk last week triggering clashes that quickly spread to other Sunni areas including the western province of Anbar, which borders Syria and Jordan.

Iraq decided on Monday to close a border crossing with Jordan for two days starting on Tuesday due to "organizational issues", the interior minister said without giving any details.

It is the second time this year that authorities have ordered the closure of the Traibil border post in Anbar where Sunnis have been protesting against Iraq's Shi'ite-led government since December.

The demonstrations had eased in the past month, but this week's army raid on a protest camp in Hawija, near Kirkuk, 170 km north of Baghdad, angered Sunnis and appears to have given insurgents more momentum.

Early on Monday, at least nine people were killed and 40 wounded in two car bomb explosions in Amara, 300 km (185 miles) southeast of Baghdad.

The first of two blasts in Amara, ripped through a market where people were meeting to eat breakfast, and the second hit an area where day laborers were gathering to look for work.

Another car bomb was detonated in a market in Diwaniya, 150 km south of Baghdad, killing two people, police said.

"I was preparing to go to work when a big explosion shook my house and broke the glass in all the windows," said witness Widy Jasim. "I ran outside, the explosion was near my house and bodies were everywhere".

A bomb in a parked car went off near a busy market in Kerbala, killing at least three people. A further six people were killed in an explosion near a Shi'ite worship site in Mahmudiya, about 30 km south of Baghdad.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but car and suicide bombings are trademarks of the Islamic State of Iraq, the Iraqi wing of Sunni Islamist al Qaeda which seeks to provoke sectarian conflict.

Violence is still well below its height in 2006-07, but provisional figures from rights group Iraq Body Count indicate about 1,494 people have been killed so far in 2013.

In Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, gunmen clashed with the army early on Monday, killing two soldiers and wounding three others, military sources said.

A sniper shot dead a soldier and wounded another while they were on patrol in Madaen in eastern Baghdad, police said.

The speaker of parliament Osama al-Nujaifi, himself a Sunni, proposed an initiative to avoid "the ghost of civil war and sectarian strife", calling on Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his Shi'ite-led government to resign, dissolve parliament and prepare for an early parliamentary election.

Iraqi politics are deeply divided along sectarian lines, with Maliki's government mired in crisis over how to share power among Shi'ite Muslims, the largest group, Sunnis and ethnic Kurds who run their own autonomous region in the north.

(Reporting by Aref Mohammed in Basra, Kareem Raheem and Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad and Emad al-Khuzaie in Diywaniya; Additional reporting by Ali al-Rubaie in Hilla and Ziad al-Sanjary in Mosul; Writing by Suadad al-Salhy; Editing by Jon Hemming)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/car-bombs-shootings-kill-23-across-iraq-143130081.html

Avery Johnson iTunes Alfred Morris weight watchers fandango google play Christmas Story

Monday, April 29, 2013

Adichie focuses on Nigeria's present for new novel

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) -- The traffic is there, grinding life to a halt as the middle class pound out messages on BlackBerry mobile phones and worry about Facebook. The heat, the sweat and the daily tragedy of unclaimed bodies lying alongside roadways, passers-by hurrying past for fear of someone else's misfortune becoming entangled in their own.

This is modern life in Nigeria's largest city, Lagos, which becomes almost a character of its own in novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's new book, "Americanah." And within its pages, one catches self-acknowledged glimpses of the writer herself, who shot to fame with her previous love story set during Nigeria's civil war called "Half of a Yellow Sun."

As that book is being made into a movie, more international attention will focus on Adichie, part of a raft of new Nigerian writers finding acclaim after years of military-induced slumber in a nation with a rich literary history. Yet Adichie, like her new book's heroine, finds herself straddled between a life in the United States and one in Nigeria, where even seemingly innocuous comments on hair care and wigs can stir resentment.

"I'm writing about where I care about and I deeply, deeply care about Nigeria," Adichie told The Associated Press. "Nigeria is the country that most infuriates me and it is the country I love the most. I think when you're emotionally invested in a place as a storyteller, it becomes organic."

That sense of place runs throughout "Americanah," ? make sure to stress the fourth syllable, says the daughter of a university professor and a university registrar. It's a term people use to describe the accents carried by some of the Nigerians now returning in droves to the country after it embraced an uneasy democracy after years of military rule. While oil and gas money continues to flow and other business opportunities abound, the nation's universities now sit in shambles, graduating more unqualified students than can be offered jobs.

That intellectual dulling has been challenged by a host of new writers, many of whom like Adichie live almost double lives abroad.

"She is part of the pack of novelists who have, after what you might call the two decades of silence, who have helped to tell Nigerian stories to the whole world again," writer Tolu Ogunlesi said. "It was the dictatorships and all that's associated with them. ... The '80s and '90s were dark ages of sorts for Nigeria."

It's that period where "Americanah" finds its beginning. Though dismissing the idea of being a "dutiful daughter of literary conventions," Adichie's new novel takes root in the vagaries and murmured promises of a love story like much of her other work. It also focuses largely on the slim percentage of Nigerians able to afford diesel generators in a country largely without electricity and who look at the poor through the chilled air and tinted-glass windows of luxury SUVs.

Despite that, her writing hits a nerve with Nigerian readers who identify with the descriptions of church worship services focused on getting foreign visas and the nervous wives of rich men in a nation notorious for philandering. Adichie describes herself as looking "at the world through Nigerian eyes," but she doesn't hold back on criticizing its culture that fosters widespread government corruption. Or what she perceives as the excessive, neutered politeness of "political-correct language" in the U.S.

"Nigeria wasn't set up to succeed, but the extent of its failure is ours. It's our responsibility," she said. "This country is full of so many intelligent people, so much energy, so much potential, so why are we here?"

That kind of truth telling isn't exactly welcome, even in a democratic Nigeria. Speaking Saturday night at a book signing, Adichie drew laughter and a few nervous looks from organizers by describing President Goodluck Jonathan as "not a bad guy, he just seems like he's floundering and has no clue."

It also leads to comparisons some make between Adichie and late author Chinua Achebe, who died in March at age 82. Both come from the Igbo people of Nigeria's southeast and Achebe's own praise of Adichie graces the cover of her new novel in Nigeria. Adichie said the rise of new writers served as a testament to the power of Achebe's writings and the works of others.

"I think there's just this wonderful flowering that's happening," she said.

Even more controversial, it seems, have been Adichie's comments on natural hair in Nigeria, where many spend huge sums of money on straight-banged wigs and weaves known as Indian hair. An online commenter on Twitter asserted that Adichie, whose natural hair sits in buns atop her head, said that those wearing weaves were insecure, sparking controversy. Adichie herself ended up responding to the criticism and gave a recent audience advice on finding hair conditioners with no sulfates.

"It's only black women for whom an entire industry exists which is geared toward specifically making sure that the hair that grows on their head looks different," she said. "I want natural black hair to be an equally valid option, not something interesting, not something you do when you're a jazz musician, but something you can do when you're a lawyer in a fancy firm in New York City or if you're a politician in Abuja," Nigeria's capital.

That, however, still remains a challenge. Adichie acknowledged it herself by pausing, and then adding: "My mother doesn't like my hair like that. She is still praying."

___

Jon Gambrell can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/adichie-focuses-nigerias-present-novel-135202005.html

philip humber red sox white sox chuck colson ufc 145 results orrin hatch marlon byrd

The Marketplace Fairness Act Will Support Small Businesses ...

Click if you like this column!

Republicans in Ohio last week took an important step toward broad tax reform when the state House of Representatives approved an across-the-board reduction in the personal income tax. That tax cut, however, is contingent upon Congress passing legislation that will allow Ohio and other states to have online-only retailers remit state sales tax just like any other business does. The U.S. Senate is now poised to grant states this power via the aptly named Marketplace Fairness Act. This legislation levels the economic playing field by putting small businesses on the same footing as online-only outfits. Conservatives should embrace this needed reform.

Under the current system, state governments collect sales tax from stores located in the jurisdictions if an outlet conducts an in-person sale or makes a transaction online with a state resident. When an individual makes an online purchase from a retailer outside their state, that person is supposed to report the purchase and pay the sales tax?commonly called a ?use tax??to his or her home state. As one might imagine, taxpayers rarely adhere to the requirements of use taxes.

The nationwide increase in online shopping has thus led to a sharp decline in sales tax compliance for state governments. States, which are legally forced to balance their budgets, have made up their revenue shortfalls through a mix of spending cuts, increasing marginal income tax rates and hiking other taxes or fees. The lack of a mechanism to have remote sellers collect and remit sales tax ultimately hurts small local business owners while increasing the overall tax burden on individuals and families who now pay for the higher taxes in other areas. This policy essentially amounts to a federal subsidy for online-only retailers and it threatens the creation of jobs for many local businesses.

The Marketplace Fairness Act is Congress? answer to a 1992 Supreme Court ruling that said states needed federal approval to have remote retailers remit sales tax the same way local retailers do. This legislation allows states to correct the tax imbalance and divide the burden they impose on their residents more sensibly. With the recovery of lost sales tax revenues, states will be able to reduce marginal income tax rates and other levies as they balance their budgets. Naysayers argue that this will not be done, but they are already being proven wrong.

Source: http://townhall.com/columnists/stephendemaura/2013/04/28/the-marketplace-fairness-act-will-support-small-businesses-n1579996

the bourne legacy roland martin suspended lake vostok montgomery county public schools the river dr dog ke$ha

French Socialists soften tone on Merkel

By Sybille de La Hamaide

PARIS (Reuters) - France's ruling Socialist party will remove strongly worded criticism of German Chancellor Angela Merkel from a draft text on Europe that revealed the level of hostility Berlin's focus on austerity, its coordinator for Europe said on Sunday.

Cooperation between France and Germany has long provided the main motor for decision-making in the European Union. But a debt crisis has strained those ties in the past year as ideologically opposed leaders have disagreed on points of economic policy.

A document to be presented at a June party brainstorming conference on Europe had described the German leader as "self-centered" and said her austerity policies were hurting Europe.

But this "stigmatizing language used towards Angela Merkel" would now be removed, Jean-Christophe Cambadelis, deputy-chairman of the Party of European Socialists (PES), said on his website.

French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault also stepped in to stress the importance of the Franco-German dialogue and praised the friendship between Paris and Berlin which he said was indispensable to the European project and economic recovery.

"We will not solve Europe's problems without an intense and sincere dialogue between France and Germany," Ayrault, a former German teacher, said in tweets posted both in French and German.

The tone of the initial document added to growing criticism of Berlin from France after Socialist National Assembly speaker Claude Bartolone this week raised the prospect of a "confrontation" with Merkel.

A source in President Francois Hollande's office said on Friday that the document represented only the party, but did not dispute its central message.

In its first reaction to the comments on Merkel, Berlin played down any tension between the two countries.

"We work very well together. We don't have the feeling that there is a change in policy," Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert told Le Monde newspaper.

ISOLATED

Hollande was critical of Merkel's insistence on budget consolidation while he was running for president last year, but has adopted a more conciliatory tone since becoming president.

He often describes France's ties with EU paymaster Germany as defined by "friendly tension" between equal partners but some Socialists, including Bartolone, think this friendliness overstated.

Senior opposition politician and former Prime Minister Alain Juppe said told Le Monde he thought the trust between France and Germany had been broken and said that France had lost the credibility for a tough dialogue with Berlin.

"France is totally isolated," he said.

Hollande must rely on a solid Socialist majority in parliament to pass structural reforms this year, including overhauls of the jobless and pension systems. But a small camp of dissidents is growing, threatening his Senate majority.

The left-wing of the party accepted the idea of a single text to be presented at a meeting of the European Socialist in late June, but several disagreements remained, Cambadelis said, without detailing them.

"The battle for an alternative majority to the governing right-wing in Europe has begun," he said.

(Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide; Editing by Jon Hemming)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/french-socialists-soften-tone-merkel-151724370.html

Bombing In Boston Rebel Wilson Patriots Day aubrey plaza boston marathon turbotax Catching Fire trailer