Monday, April 29, 2013

Today Is Virgin Galactic's First Rocket-Powered Test Flight

Earlier this month, Virgin Chairman Richard Branson announced at the launch of Virgin America's new route through Newark that his other flying endeavor would be hitting a huge milestone this month: Its first rocket-powered test flight.

From the looks of Virgin Galactic and Branson's Twitter feeds this morning, it looks like that time has come.

In late February, Virgin successfully tested the very rocket that would power its first rocket-powered test flight.

While neither account has specified that this test is, in fact, of the rocket-powered variety, Galactic PR did confirm to me earlier this month that the test would take place before the end of the month and, well, it's the end of the month. Not to mention all the buzz on Twitter from various Virgin groups and notable individuals, I think it's safe to say that this is the day the whole team at Galactic and space traveling enthusiasts have been looking forward to for some time.

Updating...

Looks like SS2 has been released but still no mention of a rocket being fired.

Scratch that. Here we go!

And she's back on the ground. We'll update with images and videos as soon as they become available.

There she is.

Pilots Stucky and Alsbury confirm that SpaceShipTwo broke the speed of sound on its test flight. Still waiting on official images and videos.

Well, this is rather interesting. Today's test touched on many a milestone for Virgin Galactic, but I didn't know that a commercial vehicle had never broken Mach 1.

As it turns out, Galactic is not, in fact, the first commercial vehicle to break Mach 1, it's just the first commercial spaceship to do so.

And here's your first shot of SpaceShipTwo firing its rocket.

Here's another shot of SS2. This is epic.

Source: http://gizmodo.com/today-might-be-virgin-galactics-first-rocket-powered-t-484341889

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Are lesbians more accepted than gay men? | The Salt Lake Tribune

ADVANCE FOR USE SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2013 AND THEREAFTER - Sarah Toce, editor of a daily online news magazine "The Seattle Lesbian," poses for a photo Friday, April 19, 2013, in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, in an alleyway that has been the site of fights and other violence against gay men. Even as society has become more accepting of homosexuality overall, longstanding research has shown more societal tolerance for lesbians than gay men, and that gay men are significantly more likely to be targets of violence. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Society ? Research shows more societal tolerance for lesbians, and gay men face more violence.

Chicago ? It may be a man?s world, as the saying goes, but lesbians seem to have an easier time living in it than gay men do.

High-profile lesbian athletes have come out while still playing their sports, but not a single gay male athlete in major U.S. professional sports has done the same. While television?s most prominent same-sex parents are the two fictional dads on "Modern Family," surveys show that society is actually more comfortable with the idea of lesbians parenting children.

And then there is the ongoing debate over the Boy Scouts of America proposal to ease their ban on gay leaders and scouts.

Reaction to the proposal, which the BSA?s National Council will take up next month, has been swift, and often harsh. Yet amid the discussions, the Girl Scouts of USA reiterated their policy prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, among other things. That announcement has gone largely unnoticed.

Certainly, the difference in the public?s reaction to the scouting organizations can be attributed, in part, to their varied histories, including the Boy Scouts? longstanding religious ties and a base that has become less urban over the years, compared with the Girl Scouts?.

But there?s also an undercurrent here, one that?s often present in debates related to homosexuality, whether over the military?s now-defunct "Don?t Ask, Don?t Tell" policy or even same-sex marriage. Even as society has become more accepting of homosexuality overall, longstanding research has shown more societal tolerance for lesbians than gay men, and that gay men are significantly more likely to be targets of violence.

That research also has found that it?s often straight men who have the most difficult time with homosexuality ? and particularly gay men ? says researcher Gregory Herek.

"Men are raised to think they have to prove their masculinity, and one big part about being masculine is being heterosexual. So we see that harassment, jokes, negative statements and violence are often ways that even younger men try to prove their heterosexuality," says Herek, a psychologist at the University of California, Davis, who has, for years, studied this phenomenon and how it plays out in the gay community.

That is not, of course, to downplay the harassment lesbians face. It can be just as ugly.

But it?s not as frequent, Herek and others have found, especially in adulthood. It?s also not uncommon for lesbians to encounter straight men who have a fascination with them.

story continues below

"The men hit on me. The women hit on me. But I never feel like I?m in any immediate danger," says Sarah Toce, the 29-year-old editor of The Seattle Lesbian and managing editor of The Contributor, both online news magazines. "If I were a gay man, I might ? and if it?s like this in Seattle, can you imagine what it is like in less-accepting parts of middle America?"

One of Herek?s studies found that, overall, 38 percent of gay men said that, in adulthood, they?d been victims of vandalism, theft or violence ? hit, beaten or sexually assaulted ? because they were perceived as gay. About 13 percent of lesbians said the same.

A separate study of young people in England also found that, in their teens, gay boys and lesbians were almost twice as likely to be bullied as their straight peers. By young adulthood, it was about the same for lesbians and straight girls. But in this study, published recently in the journal Pediatrics, gay young men were almost four times more likely than their straight peers to be bullied.

At least one historian says it wasn?t always that way for either men or women, whose "expressions of love" with friends of the same gender were seen as a norm ? even idealized ? in the 19th century.

"These relationships offered ample opportunity for those who would have wanted to act on it physically, even if most did not," says Thomas Foster, associate professor and head of the history department at DePaul University in Chicago.

Today?s "code of male gendered behavior," he says, often rejects these kinds of expressions between men.

We joke about the "bro-mance" ? a term used to describe close friendships between straight men. But in some sense, the humor stems from the insinuation that those relationships could be romantic, though everyone assumes they aren?t.

Call those friends "gay," a word that?s still commonly used as an insult, and that?s quite another thing. Consider the furor over Rutgers University men?s basketball coach Mike Rice, who was recently fired for mistreating his players and mocking them with gay slurs.

If two women dance together at a club or walk arm-in-arm down the street, people are usually less likely to question it ? though some wonder if that has more to do with a lack of awareness than acceptance.

"Lesbians are so invisible in our society. And so I think the hatred is more invisible," says Laura Grimes, a licensed clinical social worker in Chicago whose counseling practice caters to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender clients.

Grimes says she also frequently hears from lesbians who are harassed for "looking like dykes," meaning that people are less accepting if they look more masculine.

Still, Ian O?Brien, a gay man in Washington, D.C., sees more room for women "to transcend what femininity looks like, or at least negotiate that space a little bit more."

Next Page >

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/56228624-68/gay-lesbians-says-scouts.html.csp

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Michael's Genuine Food: Down-to-Earth Cooking for People Who ...

Michael's Genuine Food: Down-to-Earth Cooking for People Who Love to Eat book download

Michael's Genuine Food: Down-to-Earth Cooking for People Who Love to Eat JoAnn Cianciulli

JoAnn Cianciulli

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Source: http://qinykaar.typepad.com/blog/2013/04/michaels-genuine-food-down-to-earth-cooking-for-people-who-love-to-eat-ebook-downloads.html

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Ten years of iTunes



>>> years after apple started a digital download revolution, itunes has brought major changes in the way we consume music, movies and books. here's nbc's mike taibbi .

>> reporter: it was a revolution. a coup. a takeover. out with the old, in with itunes. is there itunes reshape our lives. it completely changed what it meant to buy music.

>> there it is, right there.

>> reporter: it was ten years ago today that apple's steve jobs opened the itunes store , 200,000 songs at 99 cents a piece. the whole album only if you wanted to pay for it. the hot song in the beginning, u2's "stuck in the moment." by year anticipated a swooning public downloaded 25 million songs. in '05 they combined tv shows , in '06 movies.

>> the technology keeps moving and lets us do more and more.

>> reporter: when jobs unleashed his iphone in '07, all that content could suddenly go wherever you were going and revolution had fully flowered.

>> itunes has changed our culture because it gives us everything now.

>> reporter: it was a digital world realized and delivered.

>> i can pick and choose what i want and do it any time. it is totally convenient.

>> i download at least an album or more songs every week.

>> reporter: whether any of you still have one of these, or these, or these, and can't bear to toss all that vinyl, those movies on vhs, the move to the new wave has ln almost irresistible. in 2012 i tune's total sales now including apps and ebooks, topped $4 billion with 35 million songs, 60,000 movies and approaching 2 million books available worldwide. the obvious question -- what next?

>> it may change that internet radio streaming market when it gets there the way that it changed the whole music market when it opened up ten years ago.

>> in the meantime, anyone know where you can get this two-inch tape converted? i know. that was then. this unquestionably is now. mike taibbi , nbc, los angeles .

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653351/s/2b480e34/l/0Lvideo0Bmsnbc0Bmsn0N0Cid0C51695873/story01.htm

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Iraq suspends Al-Jazeera and 9 Iraqi TV channels

BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraqi authorities suspended the operating licenses of pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera and nine Iraqi TV channels on Sunday after accusing them of escalating sectarian tension. The move signaled the Shiite-led government's mounting worries over deteriorating security amid Sunni unrest and clashes that have left more than 180 people dead in less than a week.

The suspensions, which took effect immediately, appeared to target mainly Sunni channels known for criticizing Prime Minister Nouri al-Malik's government. Apart from Al-Jazeera, the decision affected eight Sunni and one Shiite channels.

The government's action comes as Baghdad tries to quell rising unrest in the country that erupted last week after Iraqi security forces launched a deadly crackdown on a Sunni protest site in the central city of Hawija, killing 23 people, including three soldiers.

Since then, more than 180 people have been killed in gunbattles with security forces and other attacks. The recent wave of violence follows more than four months of largely peaceful protests by Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority against Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government.

Iraqi viewers will still be able to watch the channels, but the suspensions issued by Iraq's Communications and Media Commission state that if the 10 stations try to work on Iraqi territory they will face legal action from security forces. The decree essentially prevents news crews from the stations from reporting on activities in Iraq.

Sunni lawmaker Dahfir al-Ani described the move as part of the government's attempts "to cover up the bloodshed that took place in Hawija and what is going on in other places in the country."

Al-Jazeera, based in the small, energy-rich Gulf nation of Qatar, said it was "astonished" by the move.

"We cover all sides of the stories in Iraq, and have done for many years. The fact that so many channels have been hit all at once, though, suggests this is an indiscriminate decision," it said in an emailed statement. "We urge the authorities to uphold freedom for the media to report the important stories taking place in Iraq."

The channel has aggressively covered the "Arab Spring" uprisings across the region, and has broadcast extensively on the civil war in neighboring Syria. Qatar itself is a harsh critic of the Syrian regime. The nation is a leading backer of the rebels and is accused by many supporters of the Iraqi government of backing protests in Iraq too.

Newspapers and media outlets sprang up across Baghdad after the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003, yet Iraq remains one of the deadliest countries for reporters with more than 150 killed since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Iraq and other governments across the Middle East have temporarily shut down Al-Jazeera's offices in the past because they were disgruntled by its coverage.

The other nine channels whose licenses were suspended by the Iraqi media commission are al-Sharqiya and al-Sharqiya News, which frequently criticize the government, and seven smaller local channels ? Salahuddin, Fallujah, Taghyeer, Baghdad, Babiliya, Anwar 2 and al-Gharbiya.

The Baghdad-based Baghdad TV said the decision was politically motivated.

"The Iraqi authorities do not tolerate any opposite opinions and are trying to silence any voices that do not go along with the official line," said Omar Subhi, who directs the news section.

He added that the TV station was concerned about the safety of its staff, fearing that security forces might chase them.

In a statement posted on its website, the government media commission blamed the banned stations for the escalation of sectarian tension that is fueling the violence that followed the deadly clashes in Hawija.

Iraq's media commission accused the stations of misleading and exaggerated reports, airing "clear calls for disorder" and "launching retaliatory criminal attacks against security forces." It also blamed the stations for promoting "banned terrorist organizations who committed crimes against Iraqi people."

Osama Abdul-Rahman, a Sunni government employee from northern Baghdad, said the government is adopting a double-standard policy regarding media outlets by turning a blind eye on several Shiite channels that he claims also incite violence.

"The channels close to main Shiite parties and even the state-run television also broadcast sectarian programs promoting violence all the time, yet, nobody stops them," he added.

Erin Evers, a Mideast researcher for Human Rights Watch, called the government's claim that it moved against the channels because they were inciting sectarianism suspicious given its "consistent history of cracking down on media ? particularly opposition media ? during politically sensitive times."

"The cancellation of these stations' licenses is further evidence that the government seeks to prevent the coverage of news they do not like," she said.

She accused the Iraqi media commission of confusing coverage of a speech with sectarian overtones with the active promotion of sectarian violence. "These are two completely different things and the first is protected under international and Iraqi law," she said.

The decision to suspend the stations came as al-Maliki made a rare appearance at an official funeral for five soldiers killed on Saturday by gunmen in Sunni-dominated Anbar province. Local police in the province said the soldiers were killed in a gunbattle after their vehicle was stopped near a Sunni protest camp.

Authorities had given protest organizers a 24-deadline to hand over the gunmen behind the killing or face a "firm response." No one has been handed over and the deadline passed.

Wrapped in Iraqi flags, the five caskets were loaded on military trucks next to flower bouquets, as soldiers held pictures of the deceased and grieved families gathered outside the Defense Ministry building in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone.

In Saturday violence, gunmen using guns fitted with silencers shot dead two Sunni local tribal leaders in two separate drive-by shootings south of Baghdad.

___

Associated Press writers Adam Schreck and Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad contributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iraq-suspends-al-jazeera-9-192532145.html

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Economy picks up, but still disappoints: this week in the economy

GDP expanded at a 2.5 percent annual rate in the first quarter. Economists expect slowdown in GDP growth this summer as sequester takes hold, which already delayed air traffic briefly.

By Schuyler Velasco,?Staff writer / April 27, 2013

A worker counts US dollar bills, which are being exchanged for Philippine pesos, inside a money changer in Manila. US GDP expanded at a 2.5 percent annual rate in the first quarter, less than analysts had predicted.

Romeo Ranoco/Reuters/File

Enlarge

GDP good, but not great: Economic growth quickened in the first quarter of 2013, but not at the pace analysts expected or hoped for. US GDP (gross domestic product) expanded at a 2.5 percent annual rate in the first quarter, according to a report released by the Commerce Department Friday. The growth was propelled by an acceleration in consumer spending, housing, and business investment.

Skip to next paragraph Schuyler Velasco

Staff writer/editor

Schuyler Velasco is a writer and editor for the Monitor's business desk.? She writes about consumer issues, sports, and the occasional sandwich.

Recent posts

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Because the last quarter of 2012 was so stagnant, with GDP only expanding at a paltry 0.4 percent annual pace, many analysts expected first quarter GDP to rebound at least 3 percent.

The numbers were ?softer than our forecast and the consensus (both 3.0 percent),? Barclays economist Peter Newland wrote in an e-mailed analysis. ?That said, much of the pattern of growth within the expenditure components ? met broadly with our expectations, with a sharp rebound in inventory accumulation, a pickup in consumption growth, modest growth in business investment and another sizable drag from government spending.?

Analysts are warning, too, that this could be as good as it gets for 2013, as consumers and businesses start to feel the effects of the sequester and the expiration of the payroll tax holiday. For more, read Monitor Business Editor Laurent Belsie?s take on the GDP report.

Read more »
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TCM Fest: Robert Benton on "Bonnie & Clyde," the uberviolent ...

bonnie-clyde?You couldn?t grow up in Texas without knowing about Bonnie and Clyde. They were folk heroes. Kids would dress up as Bonnie and Clyde for Halloween,? said filmmaker and writer Robert Benton, a Waxahachie, Texas native, speaking before a screening of his highly influential 1967 movie at TCM Fest.?

Benton, who went on to direct [notably, Kramer vs. Kramer], co-wrote the screenplay about two Depression-era anti-heroes with David Newman. The gangster flick, which stars two of the more gorgeous creatives of sixties cinema, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, got a terrifying screening [I could not endure the tension and violence, so slipped from the theater before the serious maiming was unleashed] Friday afternoon at the Chinese Theatre.

Great To Be Nominated SeriesBenton reminisced with Dennis Bartok who interviewed him. ?I had been working as an art director at Esquire (magazine] and I got fired. I decided to write a screenplay.

?I am dyslexic. I cannot spell or punctuate. I knew a young editor at Esquire, a wonderful writer, David Newman. I sold him on the glamorous life of the Hollywood screenwriter.?

What interested the two was the idea that their characters were not just outlaws, ?but also outcasts,? said Benton. ?We set out to make an American French new Wave movie.?

?We got hold? of old detective stories, and [writing by] Clyde?s mother and Bonnie?s sister, a book which we leaned upon heavily. We wrote an 80-page treatment with no dialogue. Francois Truffaut worked with us for two days [on the treatment].

?For four years, [the project] was turned down by everybody [all the film studios]. Then one day, Warren Beatty [he would produce "B & C" and star as Clyde Barrow] called me. I offered to drop the screenplay at his hotel. Instead, he said he would come by the house [to pick it up].?

?Now, I forgot to tell my wife that Warren Beatty was coming by. She had no makeup, her hair was in rollers.

?I served in Korea but nothing compared what my wife gave me for not telling her Warren Beatty was coming over.

?Warren took over [producing the film]. He said we need an American director, not Truffaut or Godard. Arthur Penn came on [board]? and we started to shape the film. It was a kind of miracle, that collaborative process.

robert bentonAs for the film?s brand of violence (the infamous ?bullet-ballet? closes the movie), Benton said, ?We had a line:? In this movie it should look like people were really killed.?

Concerning Clyde Barrow?s sexual dysfunction [the character declines, in key scenes, to make love to Parker], Benton noted: ?We wanted to show a complex human being. Not just your average outlaw but someone more complicated.?

Bartok wrapped the interview by stating succinctly, ?Well, it?s a brilliant movie based on a brilliant screenplay.?

?Photo: TCM host Ben Mankiewicz interviews director Robert Benton inside the Roosevelt Hotel Friday at the 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, California. 4/26/13 ph: Edward M. Pio Roda

?

Source: http://artsmeme.com/2013/04/27/robert-benton-tcm-fes/

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Saturday, April 27, 2013

From the Editors

I grew up in a small house with a yard, a power mower, a used car, and a black-and-white television tuned every week to Leave It to Beaver and Father Knows Best. Then, it was clear what ?middle class? meant. My immigrant grandparents had started with nothing, and it took two generations? hard work for my parents to leave their row houses in Baltimore for tract housing just beyond the city line. Money wasn?t easy to come by, but we weren?t poor.

Thus, my family joined a rapidly expanding middle class that, in the wake of World War II, arguably turned this nation into the world?s dominant economic power. A consumer-driven market, a widening meritocracy hungry for new talent, a disciplined and usually satisfied workforce, an economic system conducive to democratic freedoms?a prosperous middle class has been the secret to (and the result of) all of this.

Now, it?s no longer clear what the middle-class idyll looks like. Many high earners don?t own a home?that totem of middle-classness?and many wage laborers have smartphones, that bourgeois essential. In reality, as we explore in these pages, possessions no longer suffice to define what it means to be middle class.

This special edition of National Journal is part of The Next Economy project, sponsored by Allstate and produced in collaboration with The Atlantic. It offers a comprehensive look at the state of the middle class in the wake of the Great Recession and an inert recovery. The story isn?t pretty, but it offers reasons to hope.

In the cover story, Amy Sullivan reports on a shift in the nature of the American Dream. As millions of people lost their homes, and multitudes of middle managers and union workers lost their jobs, Americans who had felt ensconced in the middle class learned they were only a pink slip or foreclosure away from a change in station. Middle-class Americans, she found, are thinking less nowadays about advancing and accumulating and more about just holding on to what they?ve got. A defensive sort of dream?and one that President Obama?s campaign advisers used to advantage last fall.

This subtle but consequential shift in middle-class sentiment is borne out by our own polling. In examining the latest Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll, Ronald Brownstein finds heightened concern about economic security?a fear of sliding out of the middle class?and widespread skepticism that any but the wealthy can send their children to college or save for retirement. Being middle class means ?treading water,? says one respondent, a graduate student and pizza-delivery man in Washington state.

How daunting. So is Derek Thompson?s elegy for the ?lost generation? of millennials, who have had the misfortune to emerge into the workforce while the economy is whimpering along and who may wind up paying for their poor timing?in lower earnings, fewer promotions?for the rest of their lives. The weaker the middle class, the weaker the economy in the long run.

But truly, there are grounds for optimism. Our 17-part Index of Middle-Class Well-Being finds that most of the vectors went south over the past dozen years, but a majority of them are now turning up. Sophie Quinton tells of the revolution in online education that could bring a college diploma within almost anyone?s reach. She also hunts up five innovative, proven?and replicable?solutions that are helping workers and businesses struggling to get ahead. Another source of hope comes from Alan S. Blinder, the former Federal Reserve Board vice chairman, who suggests in a Q&A that if and when the economy returns to full employment, the middle class?s troubles will ease.

And we have another, larger reason for optimism: the American character. As the good citizens around Boston just showed us again, Americans are resilient people, whose families were self-selected (unless they were Native Americans or African slaves) as ambitious, enterprising, often desperate immigrants who chose to leave homelands where the more timid stayed behind. Americans try harder when they have to, and sometimes when they don?t. This is what the terrorists have never understood: We fight back. Psychology counts.

It?s the national mood, as much as anything, that has been holding the economy and the middle class hostage. This sourness stops consumers from consuming, lenders from lending, investors from investing. All those graphs you puzzled over in Economics 101?supply and demand, inventory and prices, whatever?were simply expressions of mass psychology, an expectation of how groups of people will react in particular circumstances. In a wired, media-centric world, a nation?s psychology can change.

So, what will it take for the beleaguered middle class to thrive once again? It would help if the economy returns to full power, with investors, lenders, consumers, and employers acting in the economy?s best interests. And, if Americans keep believing that by getting an education and working hard, they?ll be able to buy a house with a yard and a power mower and a car or two?oh, and smartphones.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/editors-202503988--politics.html

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Boston Marathon bombing suspect out of hospital

(Ends first round) NEW YORK, April 25 (Reuters) - Selections in the first roundof the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday (picknumber, NFL team, player, position, college): 1-Kansas City, Eric Fisher, offensive tackle, Central Michigan 2-Jacksonville, Luke Joeckel, offensive tackle, Texas A&M 3-Miami (from Oakland), Dion Jordan, defensive tackle, Oregon 4-Philadelphia, Lane Johnson, offensive tackle, Oklahoma 5-Detroit, Ezekiel Ansah, defensive end, Brigham Young 6-Cleveland, Barkevious Mingo, linebacker, LSU 7-Arizona, Jonathan Cooper, guard, North Carolina 8-St. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/boston-marathon-bombing-suspect-hospital-103556356.html

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Obama consoles families, survivors of Texas blast

President Barack Obama speaks at the memorial for firefighters killed at the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, Thursday, April 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama speaks at the memorial for firefighters killed at the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, Thursday, April 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama attends the memorial for firefighters killed at the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, Thursday, April 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama speaks at the memorial for firefighters killed at the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, Thursday, April 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama bow their heads behind a photo of volunteer firefighter Capt. Cyrus Adam Reed, who was killed, as they attend the memorial for victims of the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, Thursday, April 25, 2013, at Baylor University in Waco,Texas. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Casket sit in front of the stage of a memorial for firefighters who were killed in the West, Texas, fertilizer plant explosion prior to President Barack Obama's arrival, Thursday, April 25, 2013, at Baylor University in Waco,Texas. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

WACO, Texas (AP) ? President Barack Obama consoled a rural Texas community rocked by a deadly fertilizer plant explosion, telling mourners Thursday they are not alone in their grief and they will have the nation's support to rebuild from the devastation.

"This small town's family is bigger now," Obama said during a memorial service at Baylor University for victims of last week's explosion in nearby West, Texas, that killed 14 and injured 200. Nearly 10,000 gathered to remember the first responders killed in the blast, a crowd more than triple the size of West's entire population of 2,700.

"To the families, the neighbors grappling with unbearable loss, we are here to say you are not alone. You are not forgotten," Obama said to applause. "We may not all live here in Texas, but we're neighbors too. We're Americans too, and we stand with you."

The April 17 explosion left a crater more than 90 feet wide and damaged dozens of buildings, displacing many residents from their homes. The Insurance Council of Texas estimates it caused more than $100 million in damage, and crews were sifting the rubble to search for clues to what caused the explosion or whether foul play was involved.

The blast came about 20 minutes after a fire was reported at West Fertilizer. Ten of those killed were first responders who sped out to the nighttime blaze.

The memorial service honored those first responders and two civilians who tried to fight the fire and were posthumously named volunteer first responders. Among the dead were brothers Douglas and Robert Snokhous, West High School graduates who volunteered together for the town's fire department for more than 13 years.

As Obama spoke, the gymnasium lit up with the flashes of cameras and cellphones, glimmering like stars in the dimly lit room. The president spoke for 16 minutes, quoting scripture and lauding the men whose flag-draped coffins laid before him. "When you got to the scene, you forgot fear and you fought that blaze as hard as you could, knowing the danger," Obama said.

The service opened with a photo slideshow set to country music and projected onto a movie screen. It showed images of the men from their childhood, their weddings and other moments throughout lives filled with children and friends. Mourners were given programs with full-page profiles of each of the victims, describing their lives, their values and their faith.

Both the president and first lady Michelle Obama wiped away a tear as bagpipes sounded "Amazing Grace."

"How does one find such love to be willing to lay down your life so that others may live?" asked Texas Sen. John Cornyn, speaking on behalf of the state's congressional delegation. "This will forever be the legacy of those who ran toward the fire last week."

Texas Gov. Rick Perry eulogized the unpaid first responders, lamenting that each had a personal story and journey that drew to a close too soon.

"These are volunteers. Ordinary individuals blessed with extraordinary courage and a determination to do what they could to save lives," he said. "They're the ones who proudly said 'not on my watch' in the moments immediately following that explosion."

Perry's remarks were followed by video of the victims' grim-faced family members remembering their lives and expressing pride for their heroism. The brother-in-law of Cody Dragoo, another volunteer firefighter, remembered how Dragoo would leave notes for his wife, Patty, when he was traveling, and how he loved hunting and NASCAR.

Obama added his appearance at the memorial service onto a long-planned trip to Texas for Thursday's opening of George W. Bush's presidential library at Southern Methodist University. Bush sent his sympathies in a statement read at the service by Baylor President Ken Starr, the former special prosecutor who investigated President Bill Clinton.

Obama's solemn reflections at the memorial required an abrupt shift in tone by the president, whose morning in Dallas was filled with smiles, music and pageantry as he and the other four living presidents celebrated one of their own. Less than an hour later, Obama was airborne over West, circling the scene of the explosion ? still a harrowing site more than a week after tragedy first touched the small Texas town.

From his helicopter, Obama saw what looked like a massive construction site, with cranes and dozens of vehicles dotting a wide swath of brown earth. Piles of burnt rubble and scorched earth were clearly visible. Obama could also see the school field first responders used as a staging ground.

Obama has made such a trip countless times before, touring damage and consoling survivors of other disasters including Hurricane Irene, Hurricane Sandy and a string of mass shootings. It was just one week ago that Obama was in Boston, offering solace to the nation at a memorial for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, another larger-than-life tragedy that compounded the nation's grief the same week as the explosion in West.

After the service, the president and first lady were planning to visit privately with relatives and friends of firefighters killed in the explosion, the White House said.

Fire trucks and other first responders' vehicles paraded through Waco en route to the ceremony at Baylor's sports arena. The vehicles entered beneath an archway formed by the ladders from two fire trucks with an American flag hung between them. Many of the mourners wore the uniforms of police, firefighters and paramedics and wiped tears from their eyes.

Brian Crawford, fire chief in the Dallas suburb of Plano, attended with 11 others from his department even though they live 100 miles from West.

"With these unfortunate circumstances, it's time to show we are all a family," Crawford said. "These were our brothers and they paid the price."

As the service drew to a close, a bell was rung once for each victim, reverberating through the hall and setting off a long moment of silence.

Then, with hushed sobs breaking the quiet, a loudspeaker re-enacting a dispatcher's radio identified the victims one by one, calling each firefighter to duty for the last time:

"Until we meet again. Dispatch clear."

___

Associated Press writer Nedra Pickler in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-04-25-Obama-Plant%20Explosion/id-9002600fb75d4c0f880d944cb43df86a

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Friday, April 26, 2013

Around the Web?

It’s Wednesday! Celebrate making it half-way through the week with these links: Gwyneth Paltrow: My family makes me feel beautiful — PEOPLE.com How having children can make you smarter — Just the Facts, Kid Julia Restoin Roitfeld: Before you’re a mom, you’re a woman — Pr?t ? Pregnant VIDEO: New Evian commercial features adorable dancing [...]

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/TPAkqtG9Mlg/

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Google Transparency Report shows censorship spike, details takedown requests

Google Transparency Report shows censorship spike, details takedown requests

Governments are getting nosier than ever, at least if you ask Google. The search firm has already noticed rapidly mounting censorship in recent months, but its latest half-year Transparency Report has revealed a 26 percent surge in takedown requests toward the end of 2012 -- at 2,285 total, more than twice as many as in 2009. Much of the jump can be attributed to Brazil, whose municipal election triggered a rush of anti-defamation requests from candidates, as well as a Russian blacklisting law that allows for trial-free website takedowns.

Whether or not the heat dies down in 2013, we'll have a better sense of just what happens when a YouTube request comes down the pipe. From now on, Google will say whether government-based demands to remove videos were based on YouTube's Community Guidelines or were directly linked to regional laws. Google isn't any more inclined to comply with such requests -- it argues those Brazilian clips are free speech, for example -- but we'll have a better sense of just how easy it is for the company to say no.

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Via: Google Official Blog

Source: Google Transparency Report

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/FRSwHF0SoNg/

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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Watch Ellen DeGeneres Meet Her 'SNL' Impersonator

If you're a fan of Kate McKinnon's impression of Ellen DeGeneres on Saturday Night Live -- and boy, is it spot on! -- then you'll love this. On yesterday's Ellen, McKinnon gamely accepted DeGeneres' offer to impersonate her right there on the show. Watch below, as the jaunty pair squirm in their seats and dance through the audience together:

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/snl-star-kate-mckinnon-impersonates-ellen-degeneres-ellen-show/1-a-534328?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Asnl-star-kate-mckinnon-impersonates-ellen-degeneres-ellen-show-534328

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LG starts to find its niche, ships a record 10.3 million smartphones in Q1

By Simon Evans WASHINGTON, April 24 (Reuters) - Landon Donovan's return to the U.S. squad for June's World Cup qualifiers is no certainty as the country's all-time top scorer dropped down the pecking during his break from the game, coach Juergen Klinsmann said on Wednesday. Donovan has already missed World Cup qualifiers against Honduras, Costa Rica and Mexico in recent months following his decision last December to take a break from the game. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lg-starts-niche-ships-record-10-3-million-000030774.html

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Lawmakers ask who knew what about bomb suspect

BOSTON (AP) ? Lawmakers are asking tough questions about how the government tracked suspected Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev when he traveled to Russia last year, renewing criticism from after the Sept. 11 attacks that failure to share intelligence may have contributed to last week's deadly assault.

Following a closed-door briefing on Capitol Hill with the FBI and other law enforcement officials on Tuesday, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said it doesn't appear yet that anyone "dropped the ball." But he said he was asking all the federal agencies for more information about who knew what about the suspect.

"There still seem to be serious problems with sharing information, including critical investigative information ... not only among agencies but also within the same agency in one case," said committee member Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

Lawmakers intensified their scrutiny as funerals were held Tuesday for an 8-year-old boy killed in the bombings and a campus police officer who authorities said was shot by Tsarnaev and his younger brother days later.

While family said that the older Tsarnaev had been influenced by a Muslim convert to follow a strict type of Islam, brother 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev remained hospitalized after days of questioning over his role in the attacks. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was killed in a shootout with police last week.

Conflicting stories appeared to emerge about which agencies knew about Tamerlan Tsarnaev's six-month trip to Russia last year how they handled it. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told the Senate Judiciary Committee on immigration legislation that her agency knew about Tsarnaev's journey to his homeland.

But Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said the FBI "told me they had no knowledge of him leaving or coming back."

Information-sharing failures between agencies prompted an overhaul of the U.S. intelligence system after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Meanwhile, evidence mounted that Tsarnaev had embraced a radical, anti-American strain of Islam. Family members blamed the influence of a Muslim convert, known only to the family as Misha, for steering him toward a strict type of Islam.

"Somehow, he just took his brain," said Tamerlan's uncle, Ruslan Tsarni of Montgomery Village, Md., who recalled conversations with Tamerlan's worried father about Misha's influence.

Authorities don't believe Tsarnaev or his brother had links to terror groups. However, two U.S. officials said that Tsarnaev frequently looked at extremist websites, including Inspire magazine, an English-language online publication produced by al-Qaida's Yemen affiliate. The magazine has endorsed lone-wolf terror attacks.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.

A memorial service was scheduled Wednesday for Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier, 26, who authorities said was shot to death by the Tsarnaev brothers three days after the bombings. Vice President Joe Biden was expected to speak.

Funerals were held Tuesday for Collier and 8-year-old Martin Richard. Martin, a schoolboy from Boston's Dorchester neighborhood, the youngest of those killed by blasts near the marathon finish line, was laid to rest after a family-only funeral Mass.

"The outpouring of love and support over the last week has been tremendous," the family said in a statement. "This has been the most difficult week of our lives."

The Richards family said they would hold a public memorial service for Martin in the coming weeks.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's condition was upgraded from serious to fair Tuesday as investigators continued building their case against him.

He could face the death penalty after being charged Monday with joining forces with his brother in setting off shrapnel-packed pressure-cooker bombs. Three people were killed and over 260 injured. About 50 were still hospitalized.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured hiding in a tarp-covered boat in a suburban Boston backyard on Friday.

Secretary of State John Kerry addressed Tsarnaev's travels during a brief session Wednesday with reporters in Brussels. "We just had a young person who went to Russia, Chechnya, who blew people up in Boston. So he didn't stay where he went, but he learned something where he went and he came back with a willingness to kill people," Kerry said.

In Washington, however, Senate Intelligence Committee member Richard Burr, R-N.C., said after his panel was briefed by federal law enforcement officials that there is "no question" that Tamerlan Tsarnaev was "the dominant force" behind the attacks, but that the brothers had apparently been radicalized by material on the Internet rather than by contact with militant groups overseas.

The brothers' parents are from Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim province in Russia's Caucasus, where Islamic militants have waged an insurgency against Russia.

Family members reached in the U.S. and abroad by The Associated Press said Tamerlan was influenced by Misha.

After befriending Misha, Tamerlan gave up boxing, stopped studying music and began opposing the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to family members, who said he turned to websites and literature claiming that the CIA was behind 9/11.

"You could always hear his younger brother and sisters say, 'Tamerlan said this,' and 'Tamerlan said that.' Dzhokhar loved him. He would do whatever Tamerlan would say," recalled Elmirza Khozhugov, the ex-husband of Tamerlan's sister. He spoke by telephone from his home in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The brothers, who came to the U.S. from Russia a decade ago, were raised in a home that followed Sunni Islam, the religion's largest sect, but were not regulars at the mosque and rarely discussed religion, Khozhugov said.

Then, in 2008 or 2009, Tamerlan met Misha, a heavyset bald man with a reddish beard. Khozhugov didn't know where they met but believed they attended a Boston-area mosque together.

Napolitano said Tuesday that her agency knew of Tamerlan Tsarnaev's trip to Russia. She said that even though the suspect's name was misspelled on a travel document, redundancies in the system allowed his departure to be captured by U.S. authorities in January 2012.

Meanwhile, a U.S. Embassy official said U.S. investigators traveled to southern Russia to speak to the brothers' parents, hoping to learn more about their motives.

In other developments:

? A lawyer for Tamerlan Tsarnaev's wife, Katherine Tsarnaeva, said his client "is doing everything she can to assist with the investigation," although he would not say whether she had spoken with federal authorities. Another lawyer for Tsarnaeva said the 24-year-old deeply mourned the loss of innocent victims in the bombings.

? The Massachusetts state House turned aside a bid by several lawmakers to reinstate the death penalty in certain cases, including the murder of police officers. In a 119-38 vote, the House sent the proposal to a study committee rather than advance it to an up-or-down vote.

? In New Jersey, the sisters of the suspects, Ailina and Bella Tsarnaeva, issued a statement saying they were saddened to "see so many innocent people hurt after such a callous act." Later, in brief remarks to several news outlets, Ailina described her elder brother as a "kind and loving man." She said of both brothers: "I have no idea what got into them" and also that "at the end of the day no one knows the truth."

? Phantom Fireworks of Seabrook, N.H., said Tamerlan Tsarnaev bought 48 mortar shells at the store in February. Company Vice President William Weimer, however, said the amount of gunpowder that could be extracted from the fireworks would not have been enough for the Boston bombs.

? Boylston Street, where the blasts occurred, was open to the public Wednesday morning. It had been closed since the bombings.

? A fund created to benefit the victims of the Boston Marathon attacks has generated $20 million. Mayor Thomas Menino said more than 50,000 donors from across the world have made donations to One Fund Boston.

___

Dozier reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Bridget Murphy and Bob Salsberg in Boston, Lynn Berry in Moscow, and Adam Goldman, Eric Tucker, Matt Apuzzo, and Eileen Sullivan in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lawmakers-ask-knew-bomb-suspect-064344186.html

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FlatIronsCarpet.com ? Use These Home Improvement Tips To Take ...

Home improvement projects don?t need to be any more complicated than a coat of paint, or you could completely knock down a wall. It doesn?t matter the scope of your project, this article will show you some tips to help you get it done.

Purchase some plastic bins, and start sorting things in your garage. Placing labels on each box will make it easy to find the category you seek when boxes are stacked. The project is inexpensive and keeps pests out of your belongings.

Pull your furniture away from your walls in order to give the room a bigger appearance. Not only does this create the illusion of extra square footage, it also lends a distinctively contemporary look and feel to even the most traditionally decorated rooms.

Be realistic about any project you start. You can never know how the project will go, and it?s good to be aware of any potential problems that may crop up. When you are prepared for the unexpected, you will be less stressed during the process.

When you need to improve the landscape, put in a new tree. Landscaping in the future is going to help to make the most of your home?s value. When you first plant a tree, it may be tiny, but over time, it?ll grow into a mature tree that offers lots of shade. This will keep your home cooler and reduce your cooling costs.

If you?ve got a deck, pour water on the floor after some sunny and dry days to see how water resistant it is. The water should bead up on the surface, not be absorbed. Reapply a water repellent if your deck fails the test. Be sure your deck is sealed prior to winter to minimize the damage.

Remember that home improvement doesn?t have to be difficult. A bit of knowledge goes a long way. Whether you choose to tackle your project on your own or are leaving this project in the hands of professionals, enjoy your renovations!

Source: http://flatironscarpet.com/use-these-home-improvement-tips-to-take-care-of-your-largest-asset/

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McClatchy goes to the White House Correspondents' Dinner (Washington Bureau)

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

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Kendrik HR boosts Angels over Rangers in 11

By JOE RESNICK

Associated Press

Associated Press Sports

updated 1:39 a.m. ET April 24, 2013

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - For the second time in three days, the Los Angeles Angels went extra innings and got a game-ending home run.

Howie Kendrick hit his second homer of the night in the 11th inning Tuesday and finished with four RBIs, leading the Angels to a 5-4 victory over the Texas Rangers.

On Sunday against Detroit, it was Mark Trumbo who provided the winning drive in the 13th.

"It's a great feeling to know that you can leave the other team on the field," Kendrick said. "But to get the victory is the most important thing. Every game against these guys is really tough because neither team lays down, and it seems like by the time the ninth inning rolls around, it's always a tie score."

In the series opener Monday, A.J. Pierzynski hit a go-ahead homer in the ninth against Angels closer Ernesto Frieri.

Kendrick, who hit a two-run shot in the sixth off Alexi Ogando and an RBI single in the first, drove a four-seam fastball from rookie Joe Ortiz (2-1) to left-center on a 1-1 count with one out for his third homer of the season.

"I was just trying to get a pitch to drive," Kendrick said. "He was trying to go in there and just left it out over the plate a little bit. He threw me a really good changeup the pitch before, and he was working pretty quick. So I was trying to take my time before I got back in the box."

Dane De La Rosa (1-0) pitched two perfect innings for his first major league win.

The Rangers tied it 4-all in the eighth with an unearned run against Scott Downs, following a couple of costly errors by the Angels - one physical and one mental.

Andrew Romaine, who replaced Brendan Harris at shortstop to start the inning, allowed Nelson Cruz's grounder to skip between his legs after Adrian Beltre's leadoff single. That put runners at the corners for Pierzynski, who hit a routine grounder to first base.

Trumbo saw Beltre break for the plate and immediately threw to catcher Chris Iannetta without looking the runner back to third, and Beltre alertly stayed put.

With the bases loaded, David Murphy grounded into a double play as Beltre scored the tying run. Downs minimized the damage by striking out Mitch Moreland after an intentional walk to Craig Gentry.

The Rangers had a runner at third with two outs in the ninth against Frieri, but left fielder Mike Trout robbed Beltre of an extra-base hit with a full-out diving catch on the warning track.

"That was phenomenal. That saved the game right there," Kendrick said. "I mean, with guys like him and Peter Bourjos out there covering that much ground, two of the fastest guys in baseball, not much really falls out there. And then to have him come up with a clutch play like that was huge for our team."

Beltre couldn't believe that Trout was able to catch up with the ball.

"When I hit it and I saw where he was playing, I thought he had no chance to get there because it was hooking away from him. But I was wrong," Beltre said. "It's not fair to have three center fielders playing outfield here (Trout, Bourjos and Josh Hamilton). I tried right-center field the first at-bat and Bourjos got over there. I don't know how. Then in the ninth inning, I hit what I thought was a double for sure and then that guy got there. It's not fair. I mean, where am I supposed to hit it?"

Someone suggested over the fence, to which Beltre replied: "That sounds like a good idea. I'll try that tomorrow."

The Angels had a golden opportunity to win it in the 10th with the bases loaded and one out, but Beltre turned Albert Pujols' grounder to third into a force at the plate and Hamilton grounded out to second.

Jason Vargas, winless in four starts for the Angels, allowed three runs and seven hits over seven innings. The left-hander, working on six days' rest, pitched with runners on base in each of the first six innings and gave up a three-run homer by Cruz in the sixth after getting staked to a 4-0 lead.

Cruz drove Vargas' 3-2 pitch to left-center for his 23rd career homer against the Angels. It was only the second by the Rangers against a left-handed pitcher this season.

"He's a really good hitter and he's given me some problems in the past," Vargas said. "I was trying to throw a slider there and bury it. But I hung it up there for him and he took advantage of it."

Ogando allowed four runs - two earned - and six hits in seven-plus innings.

The Angels took the lead in the first with two-out RBI singles by Trumbo and Kendrick. It could have been worse for Ogando had it not been for a sensational catch by left fielder Jeff Baker, who raced full speed toward the corner on Hamilton's slicing drive and caught the ball as he slid across the foul line. But he bruised his left knee crashing into the short wall fronting the grandstand, and was replaced by Murphy.

Kendrick made it 4-0 in the fourth with his first home run since a solo shot against Cincinnati's Mat Latos in the second game of the season.

"Howie came through big for us tonight. That's what you expect out of these guys in the lineup," Vargas said. "When you've got one through nine like this, you come to expect those things. And we look for more of it."

NOTES: Baker, who has played four positions this season, made his second start in left. ... The Rangers are the only team that hasn't lost consecutive games.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Plenty to prove still

HBT: Justin Upton may lead the majors in home runs, but most of them have been solo shots. He still needs to prove he can drive in runners.

MLB-best Braves sweep?day-night with Rockies

DENVER (AP) - Jeff Francis was beaten by the home run ball in the opener of the day-night doubleheader. Jon Garland didn't fare much better for the Colorado Rockies in the nightcap against the Atlanta Braves.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/51641651/ns/sports-baseball/

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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Taking Care of Yourself Helps You Grieve | Hello Grief

The first week after my husband passed away, I showered, brushed my teeth, did my hair, and wore clean clothes every day. My house was overrun with friends and family and every five minutes another delivery of flowers or food arrived on my doorstep. With all these people around, peering with concern at me over the top of the glasses, I had no choice but to maintain appearances and keep myself together. In truth, I had never had so much time to brush my hair or put on make-up. My endless to-do list kept me busy enough, but lying awake all night long gave me plenty of time to spare.

As soon as the funeral was over, however, all bets were off.

I went from daily showers to one every other day. Then every third day. Then? well, you get the idea. Doing laundry meant looking at my husband?s clothes lying on the laundry room floor. So I just didn?t do the laundry. Problem solved.

The very thought of food made me nauseous and I couldn?t bear the idea of cooking a meal for just me. Besides, groceries required leaving the house and interacting with other humans. Most days I opted for cereal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When the milk ran out, dry cereal tasted just fine. One day when I inadvertently knocked an entire box off the counter, scattering cheerios cross the kitchen floor, I crumpled into a sobbing pile on top of them. I spent over a week with them crunching under foot before I swept them up.

I refused to wash the sheets, sick over the thought of washing my husband?s smell out of his pillowcase or blanket. In fact, I refused to even lie on his side of the bed for months, desperate to preserve the indent where he slept as long as I possibly could.

Not having to go to work for a couple weeks made it easy to avoid leaving the house (except to dash out to the mailbox) and a trip to the gym seemed downright ludicrous. My days were filled with endless grief work ? crying, filling out paperwork, returning phone calls, and crying some more.

I knew I wasn?t taking care of myself and I didn?t care.

Eventually I had to return to work and things like brushing my teeth resumed out of necessity (and what little spark of vanity I had left). However it wasn?t until I joined a local grief group that I began to understand the importance of self-care. That being gentle with myself, and making sure I was physically okay,? actually made me feel better.

So I began to explore ways that I could take care of myself. Outside of the obvious hygiene care like showering and washing the dishes, I found a perfect avenue for working out my thoughts. I began slipping on headphones and pounding the pavement, taking longer and longer walks every evening when I came home from work. This helped me physically vent my frustration and gave me some much-needed quiet time where I could be alone. Often these walks turned into silent conversations between me and my husband that lasted for hours. When the walking wasn?t enough for me anymore, I began seeing a personal trainer, rollerblading, and eventually took up hot yoga.

With an increase in my activity level, I was also forced to smarten up about how I was eating and how much water I was drinking. While my love for cooking had taken a bit of a downturn, I found throwing together a salad was so little work, it was almost like not cooking at all. Of course I still enjoyed cereal for dinner from time to time. I think even my husband would have understood.

I also began seeking outlets for my grief. I started writing and playing music again. I took up my clarinet again and even sourced out a new saxophone that I could play to my heart?s content. While I played I imagined my husband sitting across from me, eyes closed, enjoying the music as much as I was.

I got serious about improving my sleep situation and visited my doctor to get some medication to help me out. Instead of lying awake anxiously thinking about my husband?s accident, I could drift off to sleep with the hopes of dreaming about him instead.

As time went on, the more I took care of myself, the more manageable I found my grief. If I was rested and content, the grief somehow didn?t feel so big. It gave me the strength I needed to tackle my grief each day and create lasting changes in my life. Eventually my itch to change things inspired me to try out new adventures as often as I could ? I travelled to places I had never been, made new friends, and even took up archery.

Now self-care has almost become second nature to me. I?m always looking for new ways to improve my mental and physical health ? whether it be through mediation, a massage, or just curling up with a good book. I?ve had to learn to make myself my own priority and, as a result, have found a better way of living with my grief.

Our thanks to guest author Emily Clark for sharing her story here with us.? You can read more of Emily?s journey through young widowhood on?her blog.

Photo credit.

Source: http://www.hellogrief.org/taking-care-of-yourself-helps-you-grieve/

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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Indian "24" will work like slow poison: Anil Kapoor

By Shilpa Jamkhandikar

MUMBAI (Reuters) - He's starred in several Bollywood blockbusters, an Oscar-winning film and played a Middle Eastern leader on the American TV series "24".

Anil Kapoor is now wooing Indian audiences with an adaptation of the hit thriller series about a counter-terrorism agent.

Kapoor, the remake's producer and lead actor, says he wanted to bring the "discipline and professionalism" of U.S. television to India.

The 53-year-old spoke to Reuters on the sets of his new show, describing his experience with the U.S. series and how "24" will hook Indian audiences like slow poison.

Q: When you did the original "24" in the U.S., how different was the experience?

A: When I went to the shoot, I was totally taken aback by the scale. My only experience of an international film at that time was "Slumdog Millionaire" which we shot in India. Now I was shooting in America ? It was much bigger than "Slumdog" - vanity vans and cars and the whole paraphernalia. It was huge. I went inside and saw the set. That day it was the U.N. set and I noticed the detailing. It was an exact replica. Exact. The detailing and everything was perfect.

I couldn't put the script down. We are not used to reading scripts (in India), we are used to narration. But I just had to finish reading this script. I thought this is like shooting a big commercial film. Everybody was well-prepared and completely immersed in the work culture. The way we shot it, the two camera set-up, the way it was. Slowly, I got completely sucked into it and started enjoying the whole process.

Q: Indian TV audiences are used to very different fare. Do you think you've taken a big risk?

A: Whatever I have done in my career - you like something, you go for it ? You stick your neck out and I have stuck my neck out. I am not playing it safe, I am playing the lead. And I'm a movie star.

Q: When you conceptualized the show, was (director) Abhinay Deo part of the plan?

A: The written material was already there, but I needed to get an international scale and feel. Then I happened to see "Delhi Belly". When I saw the performances, the pitch of the film, I said this is it. He is the director. When I met him, it turned out he was equally passionate about "24".

Q: What does it take to make an international-level TV show in India?

A: The first is the scale and the budget. Everything is about money today. I can't tell you about the budget but I can say that we are trying our best to have the same scale. That was the major thing, the biggest hurdle to cross. Convincing the channels that this is what it is.

Q: In that sense, it is an experiment. Isn't it?

A: It's not an experiment, it's a challenge. What happens is, even if the first season is good enough, that will be enough. Then the second season will come with a bang. Even in America, the first season was OK-OK. It was only after the second and third season, (it) took off. Television slowly gets into you like a poison ? They will realize that this will work like slow poison. It'll suck people into it.

Q: Do you have to add drama for the benefit of Indian audiences who aren't used to subtlety?

A: "Sholay" is a great example. The pitch is mainstream but real. You enjoy it. We are aiming for that kind of pitch and that's what I understand. The one thing Abhinay wants is for youngsters to watch television from "24". Somewhere, the footfalls in the theatres have increased and (TV) shows which were earlier successful aren't any more. There is a stagnancy. That's why they are going to theatres to watch these niche films. There are lesser sources of entertainment. The timing is very right.

Q: What if this doesn't work?

A: My wife says your body of work is so much, that it doesn't matter. You can move on. I am doing it when I am peaking. I am saying no to feature films. Big film-makers. Bigger stars than me have said yes to those roles. It doesn't work, it doesn't work. You move on.

Q: What would be the measure of success for you?

A: For me, it's already a success. That it's happening. I am already on seventh heaven. I have already celebrated.

(Editing by Vipin Das and Tony Tharakan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/indian-24-slow-poison-anil-kapoor-103521954.html

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