Oil falls below $96 before Fed chief speaks

BANGKOK (AP) ? The price of oil fell Wednesday as investors waited for a report on U.S. crude stocks and the Federal Reserve's latest views on the U.S. economy.

Benchmark crude for July delivery was down 46 cents to $95.72 a barrel at midday Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The June contract fell 55 cents to settle at $96.16 a barrel on the Nymex on Tuesday.

Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at CMC Markets in Sydney, said traders were keeping tabs on the Federal Reserve, whose chairman was to appear before Congress later Wednesday. Traders will be scrutinizing Bernanke's remarks for any hints of a change in monetary policy by the U.S. central bank.

Spooner also said that an increase in crude inventories of roughly 530,000 barrels reported by The American Petroleum Institute on Tuesday put downward pressure on prices. Analysts were expecting a decline of 1.2 million barrels in crude, according to a survey by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill.

"Although we are into the driving season, it is still the case that inventory levels are high and production capacity is high, so I think there is a bit of risk to the downside," Spooner said.

A report by the U.S. Energy Department's Energy Information Administration, which is the market benchmark, will be out later Wednesday.

Brent crude, a benchmark for many international oil varieties, fell 20 cents to $103.71 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

In other energy futures trading on Nymex:

? Wholesale gasoline fell 1.9 cents to $2.819 a gallon.

? Heating oil lost 1.2 cents to $2.907 a gallon.

? Natural gas added 3.4 cents to $4.226 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oil-falls-below-96-fed-chief-speaks-060419364.html

Justin Timberlake Grammys adam levine mumford and sons jessica biel Lena Dunham elton john janelle monae

Poor Keanu Reeves! "Fat Keanu" is the New "Sad Keanu"

Keanu Reeves escaped the Matrix, only to land in an even harsher place: the Internet. First there was "Sad Keanu," a meme that centered on a mopey-looking paparazzi picture of the actor. Now the bloggers have a new obsession: "Fat Keanu." On Monday, Jezebel posted excerpts from several different media outlets, all mocking Reeves for showing some weight gain at the Cannes Film Festival.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/keanu-reeves-cannes-fat-keanu-new-sad-keanu-meme/1-a-536962?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Akeanu-reeves-cannes-fat-keanu-new-sad-keanu-meme-536962

UMass Dartmouth Katherine Russell MBTA Fox News Live Boston lockdown jennifer love hewitt 4/20

Germans, French Eye Plan to Create Jobs for Young

Germany and France are preparing to launch a drive to combat the problem of high European youth unemployment, which officials in Berlin say will center on trying to get business involved and make better use of already-pledged public money.

Germany's labor minister, Ursula von der Leyen, said Wednesday that she and her French counterpart will meet in Paris next week along with the countries' finance ministers and European industry representatives to discuss the initiative. On July 3, Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to host a meeting of the 27 European Union nations' labor ministers and national labor agency heads in Berlin.

High youth unemployment has become a pressing problem in many European countries as the effects of government belt-tightening are felt. The jobless rate among under-25s in the 17-nation eurozone was 24 percent in March, compared with the overall rate of 12.1 percent; in Greece, nearly 60 percent of young people were out of work.

Many details of what the German-French initiative will produce remain unclear. It comes at a time when both governments are under pressure: Germany faces criticism abroad of its austerity-heavy remedy for Europe's debt crisis, while France has gone into recession.

Asked whether he hopes the initiative will help soften Germany's image abroad, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble replied that "if it contributes to less misunderstandings being fueled in some areas of European communication, that would be a desirable, or acceptable, side-effect."

However, he downplayed prospects of substantial new financial pledges. The proposed new EU budget already puts aside 6 billion euros ($7.7 billion) to fight youth unemployment, and Schaeuble pointed to unspent money in EU regional and structural funds.

A related problem is the difficulty small companies in parts of Europe face in securing funding at reasonable rates, even though the European Central Bank's key interest rate is at an all-time low of 0.5 percent.

Schaeuble and his Portuguese counterpart stressed earlier Wednesday the importance of addressing Portuguese companies' financing needs. Germany's state-owned KfW development bank will help efforts to set up a similar facility in Portugal.

Source: http://feeds.abcnews.com/c/35229/f/654825/s/2c43429e/l/0Labcnews0Bgo0N0CInternational0CwireStory0Cgermans0Efrench0Eeye0Eplan0Ecreate0Ejobs0Eyoung0E19233231/story01.htm

target walmart best buy sears Aeropostale Jcpenny ohio state football

Tumblr Updates iOS App With New Path-Like Interface

Tumblr is still shipping.?Despite all the noise surrounding the Yahoo-Tumblr acquisition, the company has just pushed out an update to its iOS application introducing a new user interface that now includes the almost Path-like post chooser, previously introduced in the Android version. This interface design is becoming more common today, but it’s most reminiscent?of things like Mac’s Fan Stack feature, for example, or social network Path, which popularized the concept on mobile devices. For those unfamiliar, the post chooser is the button you tap to add content to your Tumblr blog, including text, photos, video, quotes, links and more. Now, instead of having a compose button at the bottom right of the screen that launches a page of these options as a starting point for your post, in the updated version of Tumblr’s iOS app, the compose button will fan out the choices overlaid on your current window?as small, round tappable buttons. The revamped interface is the most notable change in today’s update, though Tumblr for iOS now also allows for app attribution in posts, according to its description in iTunes. The iOS version of Tumblr’s application was updated just last month, at that time forgoing the then Android-only interface, in favor of a feature that actually made Tumblr’s infamous animated GIFs animate when you scrolled down. (At last!).?That release also introduced more social sharing options to sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instapaper and Pocket, and more, as well as additional gestures. The updated version of Tumblr for iOS is now live here in iTunes. In case you don’t remember how the iOS app looked before, here’s an earlier version showing the old post screen: (h/t parislemon)

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

staff sgt. robert bales jason russell norfolk state st patrick s day parade duke invisible children garbage pail kids

Child maltreatment increases risk of adult obesity

May 21, 2013 ? Children who have suffered maltreatment are 36% more likely to be obese in adulthood compared to non-maltreated children, according to a new study by King's College London. The authors estimate that the prevention or effective treatment of 7 cases of child maltreatment could avoid 1 case of adult obesity.

The findings come from the combined analysis of data from 190,285 individuals from 41 studies worldwide, published this week in Molecular Psychiatry.

Severe childhood maltreatment (physical, sexual or emotional abuse or neglect) affects approximately 1 in 5 children (under 18) in the UK. In addition to the long-term mental health consequences of maltreatment, there is increasing evidence that child maltreatment may affect physical health.

Dr Andrea Danese, child and adolescent psychiatrist from King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry and lead author of the study says: "We found that being maltreated as a child significantly increased the risk of obesity in adult life. Prevention of child maltreatment remains paramount and our findings highlight the serious long-term health effects of these experiences."

Although experimental studies in animal models have previously suggested that early life stress is associated with an increased risk of obesity, evidence from population studies has been inconsistent. This new study comprehensively assessed the evidence from all existing population studies to explore the potential sources of inconsistency.

In their meta-analysis, the authors were able to rule out specific factors which might explain the link -- they found that childhood maltreatment was associated with adult obesity independently of the measures or definitions used for maltreatment or obesity, childhood or adult socio-economic status, current smoking, alcohol intake, or physical activity. Additionally, childhood maltreatment was not linked to obesity in children and adolescents, making it unlikely that the link was explained by reverse causality (i.e. children are maltreated because they were obese).

However, the analysis showed that when current depression was taken into account, the link between childhood maltreatment and adult obesity was no longer significant, suggesting that depression might help explain why some maltreated individuals become obese.

Previous studies offer possible biological explanations for this link. Maltreated individuals may eat more because of the effects of early life stress on areas of the developing brain linked to inhibition of feeding, or on hormones regulating appetite. Alternatively, maltreated individuals may burn fewer calories because of the effects of early life stress on the immune system leading to fatigue and reduced activity. The authors add that these hypotheses will need to be directly tested in future studies.

Dr Danese adds: "If the association is causal as suggested by animal studies, childhood maltreatment could be seen as a potentially modifiable risk factor for obesity -- a health concern affecting one third of the population and often resistant to interventions.

He concludes: "Additional research is needed to clarify if and how the effects of child maltreatment on obesity could be alleviated through interventions after maltreatment has occurred. Our next step will be to explore the mechanisms behind this link."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/mental_health/~3/FLEJjoRKSyQ/130521105702.htm

matt lauer albert pujols the shining mariano rivera mariano rivera jobs report tiger woods masters 2012

How Howard Wolfson went from Team Clinton to Team Bloomberg (Washington Post)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/307044704?client_source=feed&format=rss

cyprus Bracketology Erin Go Bragh St Patrick lisa vanderpump Dancing With the Stars 2013 NIT Bracket

Obama exhorts good deeds by Morehouse graduates

ATLANTA (AP) ? President Barack Obama, in a soaring commencement address on work, sacrifice and opportunity, told graduates of Morehouse College Sunday to seize the power of their example as black men graduating from college and use it to improve people's lives.

Noting the Atlanta school's mission to cultivate, not just educate, good men, Obama said graduates should not be so eager to join the chase for wealth and material things, but instead should remember where they came from and not "take your degree and get a fancy job and nice house and nice car and never look back."

"So yes, go get that law degree. But if you do, ask yourself if the only option is to defend the rich and powerful, or if you can also find time to defend the powerless," Obama declared. "Sure, go get your MBA, or start that business, we need black businesses out there. But ask yourself what broader purpose your business might serve, in putting people to work, or transforming a neighborhood."

"The most successful CEOs I know didn't start out intent on making money - rather, they had a vision of how their product or service would change things, and the money followed," he said.

For those headed to medical school, Obama said "make sure you heal folks in underserved communities who really need it, too." He asked those headed to law school to think about defending the poor.

Rain drenched the audience gathered in Atlanta for the outdoor ceremony before Obama arrived, forcing many guests to wear clear plastic ponchos over what amounted to Sunday-best clothes. Rain began to fall again, and thunder clapped, minutes after Obama began his address.

"I also have to say you all are going to get wet," he said. "I would be out there with you if I could. But Secret Service gets nervous, so I'm going to have to stay here, dry. But know that I'm with you in spirit."

The speech was Obama's second commencement address of the season, following remarks last Sunday at Ohio State University in Columbus. His third and final graduation address will come Friday at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

At Morehouse, Obama also urged graduates to "inspire those who look up to you to expect more of themselves." As America's first black president addressing a predominantly black audience, Obama also talked about his personal story, growing up without a father he wished had been around and involved, and his desire to a better father to daughters Malia and Sasha than his father was to him.

"We know that too many young men in our community continue to make bad choices," he said. "Growing up, I made quite a few myself. Sometimes I wrote off my own failings as just another example of the world trying to keep a black man down. I had a tendency sometimes to make excuses for me not doing the right thing. But one of the things that all of you have learned over the last four years, is there's no longer any room for excuses."

"I understand there's a common fraternity creed here at Morehouse: excuses are tools of the incompetent, used to build bridges to nowhere and monuments of nothingness," he said. "Well, we've got no time for excuses - not because the bitter legacies of slavery and segregation have vanished entirely; they haven't.

"Not because racism and discrimination no longer exist; we know those are still out there," he added. "It's just that in today's hyper-connected, hyper-competitive world, with millions of young people from China and India and Brazil, many of whom started with a whole lot less than all of you did, all of them entering the global workforce alongside you, nobody is going to give you anything that you haven't earned."

"And moreover," the president said, "you have to remember that whatever you've gone through pales in comparison to the hardships previous generations endured ? and they overcame, and if they overcame them, you can overcome them too."

About 500 students received undergraduate degrees from the historically black, all-male institution in Atlanta, becoming "Morehouse Men."

After the speech, Obama was to attend a Democratic Senate fundraiser, also in Atlanta.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-exhorts-good-deeds-morehouse-graduates-160712553.html

ncaa brackets 2012 odd lamar d antoni fashion star andrew bird lizzie borden

The first Jolla phone: 4.5-inch display, Android app compliant, 399 euros

Jolla's heavily teased launch day in Finland has already spilled some major news: pricing and specs for the first Sailfish OS handset. The phone seems to be called "The Other Half" -- or at least that's the working title for now -- and judging from Jolla's Facebook page it consists of a colorful plastic case, available in various shades including orange or green, which hooks onto the main chassis containing a 4.5-inch display (of unknown resolution), dual-core processor, microSD expansion with 16GB onboard, a "4G" modem, user replaceable battery and an 8MP rear camera. The chassis recognizes which case is attached and adapts the visual theme of the OS to match, creating "your other half, exactly as you want it to be."

Perhaps more usefully, the Sailfish operating system will also be Android app compliant out of the box, and we're currently on the ground in Helsinki trying to discover exactly how developers and users will be able to put that feature to work (while also chasing down the rest of the specs). Meanwhile, there's an emphatic video message from Jolla co-founder Marc Dillon after the break, seeking the world's assistance in taking the heritage of MeeGo into a new era.

Update: We now hear that the phone will simply be called the "Jolla."

Update #2: Jolla has just clarified that 4G means LTE. The display resolution has been vaguely described as "HD," which to our minds suggests 720p. Furthermore, it sounds like the way the "other half" interfaces with the main body of the device allows for much deeper functionality beyond just personalization. We've just added our own video tour with more information.

[Thanks, Toni]

Gallery: Jolla unites the halves

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Comments

Source: Jolla

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/8x-kqFi1q0M/

revenge dancing with the stars Chris Hadfield golden state warriors Happy Mothers Day survivor tiger woods

Attacking MRSA with metals from antibacterial clays

May 18, 2013 ? In the race to protect society from infectious microbes, the bugs are outrunning us. The need for new therapeutic agents is acute, given the emergence of novel pathogens as well as old foes bearing heightened antibiotic resistance.

Shelley Haydel, a researcher at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute has a new approach to developing effective, topical antibacterial agents -- one that draws on a naturally occurring substance recognized since antiquity for its medicinal properties: clay.

In research appearing in the journal PLOS ONE, Haydel and her graduate student, Caitlin Otto, lay out the case for clay, demonstrating that certain varieties of clay have the ability to aggressively kill a range of pathogens including E. coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) -- a stubborn, highly contagious, and dangerous pathogen that has lately been the scourge of many hospitals and is a common cause of skin infections in the community. Their study further indicates that, rather than the physical particles of the clays, particular metal ions attached to the clay are likely responsible for its potent antibacterial properties.

"While some natural clays, which have absorptive properties similar to sponges, have been used topically for centuries, scientific studies investigating the antibacterial mechanisms represent a relatively new area of research," Haydel says. "With this study, we have demonstrated that the antibacterial activity of these natural clays is not dependent on the physical clay particles, but rather the abiotic, microbicidal activities of specific metal ions desorbed from the clay surface. While we are still working on mechanism of action studies, determining that specific metal ions influenced antibacterial activity was critical in leading us in the appropriate scientific directions."

Medical use of clay has a storied history. As early as 5000 years ago, clay was listed in the ancient tablets of Nippur as a wound-healing medicament. Around 1600 BC, the Ebers Papyrus -- recognized as the world's oldest medical text -- recommended clay for ailments including diarrhea, dysentery, tapeworm, hookworm, wounds, and abscesses. Clays came into common use in the 19th century as topical treatments for surgical wounds, demonstrating their beneficial effects for pain management, inflammation, putrefaction, and healing processes.

In their current study, Otto and Haydel examined four clay samples and their respective aqueous mineral extracts or leachates and determined that the clays exhibited different in vitro antibacterial activities against E. coli and MRSA. Mineralogically, the samples were nearly identical with 52 percent clay and 48 percent non-clay minerals, but the composition of metal ions released from the mineral surfaces varied considerably across the samples. The tests, using aqueous mineral leachates of the four clay samples, uncovered a variety of elements in varying concentrations. Based on previous studies, the research team focused on five metal ions -- iron (Fe), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn).

When non-antibacterial clays with low concentrations of these five critical metal ions were supplemented with higher amounts and the pH was matched with that of antibacterial clays, the new formulation displayed killing ability against E. coli and MRSA. The result pointed to the presence of metal ions in sufficient concentration as the antibacterial agent in the clay. Further tests narrowed the field of antibacterial candidates, establishing Fe+2, Cu+2, and Zn+2 ions as contributing antibacterial agents.

While the pH level was found to play a mediating role, the lethal effect of the clays could not be attributed exclusively to pH, absent the influence of metal ions. Metal speciation modeling and statistical analysis of the results indicated that Cu+2, Co+2, Ni+2, and Zn+2 are effective against E. coli, while Cu+2, Co+2, and Zn+2 are effective against MRSA. Intriguingly, the study found that the metal ion toxicity of a given clay sample is not always proportional to the total ion concentration. Toxicity instead is critically dependent on a variety of other factors including pH, ion solubility, osmotic strength, and temperature. The tests undertaken helped to evaluate the interplay of these factors in determining both the antibacterial effectiveness and toxicity of the samples.

Haydel notes that physical and chemical properties of minerals contained in clays together contribute to healing properties. Minerals contained in clay mixtures have a negative surface charge that allows the free exchange of compounds from the environment, including bacteria, viruses, proteins, nucleic acids, and cations. Kaolinite, talc, and smectite clay minerals are highly absorptive. Due to their ability to adhere to the skin, clays offer mechanical protection similar to a bandage, sealing out external physical or chemical agents, as well as absorptive properties which assist in removing devitalized tissue, particulate matter, or foreign materials from a wound.

Haydel is optimistic about the potential for medicinal clays to play a greater therapeutic role, particularly against the growing threat of topical and antibiotic-resistant infections:

"We have demonstrated that mineralogically-identical clays exhibit chemical variability which correlates with variability in antibacterial activity. Since clays can contain toxic metals, such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury, safety precautions must be in place to minimize exposure to toxic ions. Efforts must be taken to standardize the composition and antibacterial efficacy of clays if they are to be used therapeutically and prophylactically."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/3E_teaH1plo/130518153744.htm

april 30 wwe extreme rules 2012 vontaze burfict jimmy kimmel amzn white house correspondents dinner phoenix coyotes

Chargers sign Freeney

AP

At a time when the Jaguars aren?t interested in bringing Tim Tebow home to Jacksonville, he went there anyway.

Via the Florida Times-Union, Tebow was in town Friday night to speak at New Life Christian Fellowship.? As he did earlier this month in Michigan, he said nothing about his NFL future.

Tebow did offer one funny, self-deprecating jab at his NFL past.

?One of my favorite stories, ironically, was against the New York Jets,? Tebow said, referring to the game-winning touchdown run for the Broncos, in a 2011 Thursday night game.? ?And probably my greatest Jets highlight, I guess.?

The Jaguars remain uninterested in allowing Tebow to create similar highlights for them, even though in 2012 the Jags tried to trade for Tebow.? Jaguars legend Tony Boselli recently suggested that Tebow possibly could be a ?franchise quarterback,? but Boselli agreed with the Jaguars? decision to steer clear of Tebowmania.

?What team wants to bring a guy who?s a developing player onto their roster when he?s going to be a complete distraction ? through no fault of his own ? and become a disruption in the locker room?? Boselli said.? ?It becomes all about that ? whether he is going to play, whether it?s going to work ? and the rest of the team is saying, ?We?re trying to win ballgames.?? I feel bad for Tim because I don?t think it?s all his fault.? It?s outside circumstances and people who are making it tough on him.?

Still, Tebow?s image feels partially scripted and contrived.? Though he seems to be a good person, there?s a too-good-to-be-completely-true element that Tebow and/or those close to him possibly have helped perpetuate.? Many casual fans have bought it completely, prompting them to skew their view of his football abilities.

Unless a team is willing to embrace Tebow and Tebowmania, making him the starting quarterback no matter how bad he is in practice or the first 3.75 quarters of a close game, it won?t work.? With no team willing to do that for 2013, the question becomes whether a team that stinks this season will decide that, for 2014, it can stink again without Tebow ? or it can stink with him.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/18/two-years-8-75-million-for-freeney/related

livan hernandez soledad o brien mega ball lottery winner lottery numbers mega millions lottery jackpot

Investigators eye fractured rail in Conn. train crash

By Richard Weizel

BRIDGEPORT, Connecticut (Reuters) - A fractured segment of track has been found on the rail line of a Metro-North passenger train from New York that derailed in Connecticut and struck another commuter train, injuring more than 70 people, investigators said on Saturday.

Authorities have ruled out foul play in Friday's collision, which occurred during the evening rush hour between the towns of Bridgeport and Fairfield, about 50 miles northeast of New York City.

Further examination is necessary to determine if track damage found at the site of the accident was a cause or effect of the train wreck, but that stretch of rail line had undergone repair work during the past month, officials said.

"We don't yet know whether the fractured train track caused the accident, or was caused by it," Earl Weener, a board member for the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, told reporters at a news conference in Bridgeport.

"We do know that the back end of the eastbound train that derailed went over that part of the track where there is a fracture, and that there was repair work done on that stretch of track within the past 30 days," Weener said.

The segment of fractured rail was being sent for analysis.

The accident involved two trains from the Metro-North commuter line that runs between New York City and parts of Connecticut. The wreck occurred when several cars of an eastbound train headed from New York to New Haven, Connecticut, left the track and collided with a train coming in the opposite direction bound for New York's Grand Central Station.

More than 70 passengers and crew members were injured, officials said. Eight remained hospitalized on Saturday, three in critical condition, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy said.

The collision of the Metro-North trains forced Amtrak to shut down service indefinitely between New York and Boston.

The governor urged commuters who normally use the line to find alternative ways to get to work on Monday.

'FORTUNATE THERE WERE NO DEATHS'

NTSB officials arrived at the scene on Saturday to begin their investigation, which has focused in part on recent construction and repair work in the vicinity.

"The FBI was involved at the beginning, but has determined, as have we, that there was no foul play involved," Weener said.

"Frankly, we still don't know what caused the derailment and collision and will not have any answer to that question any time soon, certainly not while on site investigating," he said.

Malloy said the train cars that derailed were new and "designed to the latest standards" for safety and protection of passengers.

"To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time that a car like this has been involved in this kind of incident, and by all appearances, they responded well," Malloy said.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut told the news conference he had come directly from St. Vincent's Medical Center, where some of the passengers and crew were being treated.

He said he was particularly struck by the courage of one conductor hurt in the collision, a woman he identified only as Helen, who despite serious back injuries helped "many of the people off the train."

"Considering the impact, we are very, very fortunate there were no deaths," Blumenthal said.

Metro-North is operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a New York state agency.

The New York-New Haven line is the busiest rail line in America and serves 125,000 commuters a day, said Judd Everhart of the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

(Additional reporting by Karen Brooks in Austin, Texas, and David Bailey in Minneapolis; Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/investigators-examine-fractured-rail-connecticut-train-crash-012857289.html

sunoco titanic ii babe ruth new jersey nets nba playoff schedule rondo morris claiborne

George Michael recovering after car crash

18 hours ago

? Heinz-Peter Bader / Reuters

George Michael in 2012.

British singer George Michael has received medical treatment after a car crash on Thursday, his publicist said. The 49-year-old former Wham! frontman was being treated for "minor cuts and bruises" after the accident, Michael's spokeswoman said.

"George Michael was a passenger in a vehicle involved in a traffic accident yesterday evening, no third party was involved," a spokeswoman said on Friday. "He is being treated for superficial cuts and bruises but is fine."

British media reported that the accident occurred just outside London on a motorway during rush hour.

The "Careless Whisper" singer has suffered a string of accidents and health scares recently.

Last year he canceled his tour of Australia due to "major anxiety" brought on by a 2011 battle with severe pneumonia in Vienna, where he was treated in intensive care for a month for a life-threatening illness.

Michael has sold an estimated 100 million records over his career, but has hit headlines in recent years for his personal life more often than for his music.

In 1998 he was arrested in California for "engaging in a lewd act" in a public toilet and also had a number of run-ins with British police for possession of narcotics. He served a term in jail for driving under the influence of cannabis.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/george-michael-recovering-after-car-crash-1C9975044

kim zolciak kim zolciak quinton coples a.j. jenkins riley reiff david decastro travis pastrana

GIFs in Reverse Are Everything That's Wonderful About the Internet

GIFs are great. Everyone loves GIFs. But even the crown jewel of the internet could use a little update now and again if we want to keep things exciting. Which is why we would like to introduce you, the uninitiated, to the aptly named Reverse Gif.

The concept is simple but the results spectacular. As you might have already guessed, you clever internet user you, give them a GIF, they reverse it. Easy. Below are some wonderful examples of this important, dare I say life-changing tool's potential. Now show us if you can do any better down below.

[Reverse GIF via Reddit]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/gifs-in-reverse-are-everything-thats-wonderful-about-t-508194613

tony parker the five year engagement chris kreider correspondents dinner 2012 white house correspondents dinner 2012 whcd 2012 nfl draft

Wisconsin Gov. Promises To Use Internet Sales Tax To Lower Income Tax

It sounds like a nice idea, if you don’t own a calculator. The governor of Wisconsin wants to give his residents a tax break, using the revenue from a proposed Internet Sales tax to lower the state’s income tax. “I want to make clear, should federal Marketplace legislation become law, my intention would be for any resulting additional revenue be used to provide individual income tax relief for Wisconsin?s taxpayers,” Wrote Governor Scott Walker to members of Congress. The Marketplace Fairness Act will permit state governments to collect sales taxes from any business that both grosses more than $1M in revenue and has a substantial operating base in their region. Earlier this month, a draft of the bill?passed the U.S. Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support, but faces tougher opposition in the House, where Republican leadership is concerned that the law will be a logistical nightmare for small businesses. Although, I wouldn’t get too excited. With 5 million residents in Wisconsin and an estimated $95M in savings, that’s about $16/per person, assuming it would be distributed evenly. If Forrester’s research is any indication, the sales tax would?cost?the average American roughly $167 per year, so it’s a net loss. If it’s unevenly distributed, a few already wealthy people will be slightly wealthier. Still, it’s a nice gesture.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/2PBN__-mh5A/

kim mulkey sarah palin today show dallas tornado video 1940 census instagram for android dallas news dallas fort worth

Shocking, deadly 'Grey's Anatomy' season finale

TV

Ree Hines TODAY contributor

14 hours ago

ABC

Bailey and Callie face frightening situations in the dark halls of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

Shonda Rhimes recently promised "Grey's Anatomy" fans that they'd need to "hug a friend" to the weather the storm during Thursday's season finale, and the show's creator was not lying.

With a perfect storm outside and no power inside, it was one fright after another in the halls of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

Oh, baby!
First, Meredith went into labor and required a C-section -- by flashlight. But no sooner was baby Bailey born than he was whisked away to NICU with Daddy McDreamy. Just one problem: Dr. Grey was still on the table, bleeding out in the dark.

"Meredith Grey has survived a bomb, a drowning, a gunman and a plane crash -- and she's still here," Cristina reminded Derek once they learned of her condition. "She's going to die when she's like 90, old and warm in her bed. She's not going to die today."

Well, thanks to quick-acting, grown-up Bailey, Cristina was right about that last part. (Whew!)

RIP, relationships
Meredith survived, but the love connection between Callie and Arizona? Not so much. Callie realized that Arizona was finding comfort in the arms of Lauren, and Arizona lashed out. It seems her decision to stray didn't have anything to do with arms, but it had everything to do with a leg -- or the lack of a leg.

Looks like that partnership is as dead as Owen and Cristina's. (Yeah, that happened too.)

Noooooooooooo!
There are worse deaths -- like the one that seemed to befall one beloved character.

In an effort to restore the power, Dr. Webber went down to fix the electrical situation with a simple flip of a switch. Unfortunately, electricity and the puddle Richard was standing in just didn't mix. He was last seen lying very still, eyes closed, wrapped in smoldering clothes.

Of course, no one was around to call the time of death, so there's still hope. (Right?!)

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/greys-anatomy-finale-shocker-death-dark-1C9967587

tomb of the unknown soldier tomb of the unknown soldier HMS Bounty dominion power Heather Clem Con Edison LaGuardia Airport

Another IRS official to leave amid controversy

May 15 (Reuters) - Post positions for the 138th running of the Preakness Stakes, to be run at Pimlico on Saturday (Post Position, Horse, Jockey, Trainer, Odds) 1. Orb, Joel Rosario, Shug McGaughey, even 2. Goldencents, Kevin Krigger, Doug O'Neill, 8-1 3. Titletown Five, Julien Leparoux, D. Wayne Lukas, 30-1 4. Departing, Brian Hernandez, Al Stall, 6-1 5. Mylute, Rosie Napravnik, Tom Amoss, 5-1 6. Oxbow, Gary Stevens, D. Wayne Lukas, 15-1 7. Will Take Charge, Mike Smith, D. Wayne Lukas, 12-1 8. Govenor Charlie, Martin Garcia, Bob Baffert, 12-1 9. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2nd-irs-official-leave-amid-205458418.html

armenian genocide asteroid mining memorial day ivan rodriguez planetary resources mothers day gift ideas natalee holloway

How the Dow Jones industrial average fared

Signs of a slowing economy combined with comments from a Federal Reserve official helped pull the stock market down Thursday.

The news on the U.S. economy gave investors little to get excited about. Applications for unemployment benefits rose last week and manufacturing slowed in the mid-Atlantic region. Wal-Mart Stores sank after warning of weaker earnings ahead.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 42.47 points, or 0.3 percent, to close at 15,233.22.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 8.31 points, or 0.5 percent, to 1,650.47.

The Nasdaq composite index fell 6.37 points, or 0.2 percent, to 3,465.24.

For the week:

The Dow is up 114.73 points, or 0.8 percent.

The S&P 500 is up 16.77 points, or 1 percent.

The Nasdaq is up 28.66 points, or 0.8 percent.

For the year:

The Dow is up 2,129.08 points, or 16.2 percent.

The S&P 500 is up 224.28 points, or 15.7 percent.

The Nasdaq is up 445.73 points, or 14.8 percent.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dow-jones-industrial-average-fared-211711235.html

chimpanzee the lucky one pittsburgh pirates mariners mets shades of grey pittsburgh penguins

?No magic formula? to end Syria war

President Barack Obama at a joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the White??President Barack Obama said Thursday he reserves the right to step up American military and diplomatic efforts to push out Syria?s Bashar al-Assad, but warned he has ?no magic formula? to end that country?s civil war. Speaking at a joint press conference in the White House Rose Garden with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Obama also played down the prospects of unilateral U.S. action.

?There are a whole range of options that the United States is already engaged in, and I preserve the options of taking additional steps?both diplomatic and military,? Obama said.

But ?there?s no magic formula for dealing with an extraordinarily violent and difficult situation like Syria?s,? he continued. ?If there was, I think the prime minister and I would have already acted on it and it would already be finished.?

Obama is under pressure from Congress to escalate America?s role in Syria, where fighting has claimed an estimated 70,000 lives. Senators Robert Menendez and Bob Corker, the top Democrat and Republican, respectively, on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced legislation Wednesday encouraging the White House to arm rebels fighting to topple Assad.

The pressure has increased ever since the White House disclosed that U.S. intelligence had evidence that Assad used chemical weapons, apparently crossing a ?red line? Obama set last year. But the president has taken a cautious approach to ramping up America?s participation. On Thursday, he said that "the sooner the better" when it comes to Assad losing power?while playing down prospects for unilateral American action.

"It is very much my hope to continue to work with all the various parties involved, including Turkey, to find a solution that brings peace to Syria, stabilizes the region, stabilizes those chemical weapons," Obama said. "But it?s not going to be something that the United States does by itself. And I don?t think anybody in the region, including the prime minister, would think that U.S. unilateral actions in and of themselves would bring about a better outcome inside of Syria."

And he defended his refusal to respond militarily to the apparent use of chemical weapons.

"With respect to what I've said in the past around red lines: What I've said is that the use of chemical weapons are something that the civilized world has recognized should be out of bounds," Obama said. "And as we gather more evidence and work together, my intention is to make sure that we're presenting everything that we know to the international community as an additional reason, an additional mechanism, for the international community to put all the pressure that they can on the Assad regime, and to work with the opposition to bring about that political transition."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-no-magic-formula-end-syria-civil-war-200242390.html

Miguel Calero Bret Bielema sons of anarchy adriana lima victoria secret fashion show SEC Championship Rick Majerus

The Constitution and the 3D Printed Plastic Pistol

By now, you have probably heard about the Liberator, a 3D printed plastic gun designed, assembled, and test-fired by Cody Wilson of Defense Distributed. Is it legal?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/7twWPQsLC-E/

cotton bowl Fiscal cliff deal kathy griffin jadeveon clowney orange bowl Rose Parade 2013 rex ryan

Brain rewires itself after damage or injury, life scientists discover

May 15, 2013 ? When the brain's primary "learning center" is damaged, complex new neural circuits arise to compensate for the lost function, say life scientists from UCLA and Australia who have pinpointed the regions of the brain involved in creating those alternate pathways -- often far from the damaged site.

The research, conducted by UCLA's Michael Fanselow and Moriel Zelikowsky in collaboration with Bryce Vissel, a group leader of the neuroscience research program at Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research, appears this week in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The researchers found that parts of the prefrontal cortex take over when the hippocampus, the brain's key center of learning and memory formation, is disabled. Their breakthrough discovery, the first demonstration of such neural-circuit plasticity, could potentially help scientists develop new treatments for Alzheimer's disease, stroke and other conditions involving damage to the brain.

For the study, Fanselow and Zelikowsky conducted laboratory experiments with rats showing that the rodents were able to learn new tasks even after damage to the hippocampus. While the rats needed more training than they would have normally, they nonetheless learned from their experiences -- a surprising finding.

"I expect that the brain probably has to be trained through experience," said Fanselow, a professor of psychology and member of the UCLA Brain Research Institute, who was the study's senior author. "In this case, we gave animals a problem to solve."

After discovering the rats could, in fact, learn to solve problems, Zelikowsky, a graduate student in Fanselow's laboratory, traveled to Australia, where she worked with Vissel to analyze the anatomy of the changes that had taken place in the rats' brains. Their analysis identified significant functional changes in two specific regions of the prefrontal cortex.

"Interestingly, previous studies had shown that these prefrontal cortex regions also light up in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, suggesting that similar compensatory circuits develop in people," Vissel said. "While it's probable that the brains of Alzheimer's sufferers are already compensating for damage, this discovery has significant potential for extending that compensation and improving the lives of many."

The hippocampus, a seahorse-shaped structure where memories are formed in the brain, plays critical roles in processing, storing and recalling information. The hippocampus is highly susceptible to damage through stroke or lack of oxygen and is critically inolved in Alzheimer's disease, Fanselow said.

"Until now, we've been trying to figure out how to stimulate repair within the hippocampus," he said. "Now we can see other structures stepping in and whole new brain circuits coming into being."

Zelikowsky said she found it interesting that sub-regions in the prefrontal cortex compensated in different ways, with one sub-region -- the infralimbic cortex -- silencing its activity and another sub-region -- the prelimbic cortex -- increasing its activity.

"If we're going to harness this kind of plasticity to help stroke victims or people with Alzheimer's," she said, "we first have to understand exactly how to differentially enhance and silence function, either behaviorally or pharmacologically. It's clearly important not to enhance all areas. The brain works by silencing and activating different populations of neurons. To form memories, you have to filter out what's important and what's not."

Complex behavior always involves multiple parts of the brain communicating with one another, with one region's message affecting how another region will respond, Fanselow noted. These molecular changes produce our memories, feelings and actions.

"The brain is heavily interconnected -- you can get from any neuron in the brain to any other neuron via about six synaptic connections," he said. "So there are many alternate pathways the brain can use, but it normally doesn't use them unless it's forced to. Once we understand how the brain makes these decisions, then we're in a position to encourage pathways to take over when they need to, especially in the case of brain damage.

"Behavior creates molecular changes in the brain; if we know the molecular changes we want to bring about, then we can try to facilitate those changes to occur through behavior and drug therapy," he added. I think that's the best alternative we have. Future treatments are not going to be all behavioral or all pharmacological, but a combination of both."

Fanselow and Vissel have worked closely over the last several years. For more information on Fanselow's research, visit the Fanselow Lab website. For more on the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, visit their website.

The research was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (grant MH 62122), part of the National Institutes of Health, and by the National Science Foundation (EAPSI award 0914307 to Zelikowsky).

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/zf5suuh91UU/130515165027.htm

iOS 6.1 BlackBerry Kwame Harris Vine dr oz sag awards rajon rondo

IRS Scandal Sparks Fundraising Blitz

By Dave Levinthal

Center for Public Integrity

The scandal-signed Internal Revenue Service could unwittingly generate a mountain of cash for Republican interests.

GOP politicians and party committees this week are soliciting supporters far and wide in attempts to capitalize on conservatives' outrage over IRS officials singling out tea party and other right-leaning nonprofit groups for enhanced scrutiny.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus blasted a missive to backers Wednesday asserting that this week has been a "complete disaster for the White House," citing the IRS imbroglio, congressional hearings on Benghazi and revelations that the Department of Justice secretly seized phone records of Associated Press journalists. He also snipes at House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

"Clearly he's hoping a Democrat-controlled House will let him off the hook. We can't let that happen," Priebus wrote. "Contribute $25, $50, $100, or whatever you can today to help us defend our House so we can hold President Obama and the Democrats accountable."

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., wrote supporters through his Reclaim America PAC leadership committee to say that "if there was ever a time for conservatives to take a stand against an expanding federal government, it is now." He further noted that "the very message of the Tea Party movement has been validated" because of the IRS situation.

Then Rubio's pitch: "You can help by contributing to the Reclaim America PAC today. Your donation will ensure that we have the resources to take this fight to the highest levels possible."

The National Republican Congressional Committee, for its part, has set up a page featuring a large photo of House Speaker John Boehner with his recent quote superimposed: "My question isn't about who's going to resign ? my question is who is going to jail over this scandal?"

Next to it sits a form where people are asked to submit their name, email address and ZIP code, which the NRCC reserves the right to use for future solicitation purposes. The NRCC is also spending "thousands" of dollars on three Web advertisements slamming the IRS and directing people to its page.

The IRS scandal is a galvanizing issue ripe for political advocacy because it "involves an institution every American has had to deal with and understands ? and to make matters worse, Americans hated the IRS to begin with," NRCC spokeswoman Andrea Bozek says. "In terms of 2014, this latest abuse of power is another indication that Democrats are going to have a hard time winning the House with Obama leading their recruitment efforts."

Among House of Representatives members fundraising off the IRS' actions is Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y.

"Targeting conservatives and Americans who believe in the Constitution is outrageous and we can't let it stand," he wrote supporters before providing a link to a donation page that states, "Help me today."

Rep. Pat Meehan, R-Pa., took a slightly more direct approach.

"House Republicans are going to investigate the IRS' actions -- but we need a majority in the House to do it," he writes. "Please consider supporting our efforts with a contribution of $250, $100 or even $50."

Democrats haven't shied away from fundraising this week, although there's nary a mention of the IRS to be found in their financial come-ons.

Instead, they struck out at one member of their usual cast of conservative bogeymen and women.

"Scandal-ridden Republican Michele Bachmann is at it again," the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee writes today. "That's right: in the midst of a federal investigation for campaign violations, Bachmann has the nerve to spearhead the Republican effort to block Obamacare before its full implementation."

The email then asks readers to "declare your support for Obamacare" and provides a link to a political contribution page that urges individuals to "contribute $3 or more today to support President Obama's agenda!"

The Democratic National Committee, meanwhile, today asked party faithful to "chip in $5 or more today and help elect Democrats who will stand up for marriage equality across the country, just like the ones in Minnesota did yesterday."

Related on HuffPost:

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/15/irs-scandal-fundraising_n_3282186.html

dick clark dies ibogaine jamie moyer bone cancer hossa the cell dickclark

Apple Hits 50 Billion Apps Served

Someone out there just won a $10,000 iTunes gift card, Apple's way of saying "Thanks" for downloading its 50 billionth iOS app.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/HxXwpagvZGM/

stephen hawking marion barry virginia beach jet crash ridiculously photogenic guy amanda bynes dui ghost ship tiger woods masters

Beaverton residents relocated as Spencer House Apartments get ...

A $4.1 million renovation of Beaverton's Spencer House Apartments will keep its 48 affordable units from falling into disrepair as demand for low-income housing continues to rise, according to the owners.

The six buildings of Spencer House are being completely overhauled, from new roofing and draining to thermal insulation and interior upgrades.

The project is paid for by federal and state loans and grants, said Sheila Greenlaw-Fink, executive director of Community Partners for Affordable Housing, which owns the property.

"It was a great project to be able to preserve" the units for future residents, Greenlaw-Fink said.

Community Partners, a nonprofit that develops affordable housing, purchased the property in 2010 to make sure that its units would remain affordable. All but 10 of Spencer House's units provide Section 8 rental assistance.

An analysis by The Oregonian in March showed that the number of Beaverton households earning less than $50,000 a year has increased in recent years, while the city's supply of housing units that are affordable to that population has fallen.

"If the property was neglected or if the project just never went forward at all, we'd lose those units over time in a time when more and more people are in need of affordable housing," said Karen Perl Fox, housing development manager for Community Partners.

Spencer House residents are being moved to temporary housing for two or three weeks at a time while interior repairs are done in their apartments. The relocations started in early April and will be done by mid-July, said Ben Wickham, director of real estate services for Cascade Management, the property manager.

Cascade is helping residents with moving, utility, cable, transportation and food costs during the relocation, said Dave Bachman, Cascade's executive director. The relocations are expected to cost between $155,000 and $175,000, according to Greenlaw-Fink.

"Emotionally and physically, in having to move, there's impact involved," Bachman said. But "it has generally gone very smoothly."

The construction is more of an inconvenience for residents before and after they relocate, some said.

"I don't let my son play outside," said Debbie Carabajal, 42. "There's just a lot of debris, a lot of things that are unsafe for kids."

The construction company, LMC Construction, held an event for the children of Spencer House May 7 to teach them about construction site safety, Wickham said.

Spencer House has about 125 residents, with around 50 under age 18, Greenlaw-Fink said.

"It goes without saying that construction disturbs people's lives for a time," she said. "The goal is that it's better after that."

Cascade held individual meetings with residents to plan the relocations, and staff members follow up with residents who have specific complaints, Wickham said.

Raven Robedeau, 28, wrote a letter to Cascade April 30 after moving back into her apartment.

"We live in a construction zone, which is not habitable," Robedeau wrote in the letter. "I fear for the safety of myself, my children and my car."

Cascade sent two people to meet with Robedeau after receiving her letter, she said. They listened to her safety concerns and said they would bring them up with the construction company, she said.

Safety has improved at the site, said Kat Ford, 41, who said she has two sons, ages 13 and 3, and a 12-year-old daughter.

"I think they're getting the idea because they're starting to put up more fencing around their construction area," Ford said. "It's better for the kids."

Ford's family was scheduled to move out for two weeks May 4. Two days before, she said she has been eager to move since the construction began.

"I'm looking forward to the move, just to get away from the mess here and all the noise," she said as she packed her apartment for storage. "It's going to be like a vacation."

-- Nicole Friedman

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/beaverton/index.ssf/2013/05/beaverton_residents_relocated.html

dr seuss mariah carey History Channel The Bible alex smith alex smith The Bible History Channel Melissa King

?How to Steal the Laptop of Your Childhood Nemesis?

Click the arrow on the audio player to?hear Eric McHenry read this poem. You can also download?the recording or?subscribe?to?Slate's Poetry Podcast on iTunes.

She keeps a spare key in a hollow rock
outside the kitchen door she doesn?t lock.
Her lights are on. Her sheltie is all talk.
You shouldn?t need the code for the alarm
(1234) because she tried to arm
the thermostat again. You?re getting warm.
Her master suite smells like a Hallmark store.
Her vanity is huge. Try to ignore
the fact that everything?s a metaphor
and that I?ve let you walk right into it.
Blow out the Yankee Candles she left lit.
Take in the master bathroom. Take a shit.
Flush adamantly. Agitate the handle.
Refill the Softsoap. Light a Yankee Candle.
Her MacBook Pro is hiding, like the Grail,
in plain sight. Anyone but you will fail
to look directly at that bathroom scale.
Open her desktop. Close her Yahoo! Mail.
She keeps her recent photos in a folder
called ?Photos.? Click a thumbnail and behold her
in sunlight in a champagne off-the-shoulder
sheath wedding dress, fussed over by attendants.
She?s 40 and has come into resplendence
like an inheritance, like heirloom pendants
flattering ear and flawless collarbone.
I should have told you, or you should have known,
that she has changed the most and aged the least
of all your enemies, her face uncreased
by laughter, worry, shame, or self-denial.
Those are her cheekbones. That?s her cryptic smile.
Those are her footsteps on the kitchen tile.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=15c3ac6d93d925ea94ed7972d97e6dbe

London 2012 field hockey Missy Franklin Hunter Pence NBCOlympics Danell Leyva Ye Shiwen OJ Murdock

Former Saints, Chargers RB Muncie dead at 60

METAIRIE, La. (AP) ? The New Orleans Saints say Chuck Muncie, a Pro Bowl running back with both the Saints and San Diego Chargers, has died at age 60.

Muncie was the Saints first-round pick, third overall, out of California in 1976. He played four-and-a-half seasons in New Orleans before being traded in 1980 to San Diego, where he finished his nine-year NFL career. The team and a spokesman for the family confirmed the death on Tuesday.

In 1979, Muncie became the first Saint to rush for 1,000 yards, finishing with 1,198 yards and 11 touchdowns, and his 1,506 total yards from scrimmage earned him the first of his three Pro Bowl selections.

Muncie was traded by the Saints at midseason in 1980 to the San Diego Chargers, where he played 51 games and was named to Pro Bowl rosters two more times.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-saints-chargers-rb-muncie-dead-60-193043135.html

north korea threat brandon jacobs brandon jacobs brian dawkins emma roberts north korea news north korea news

Boring stocks that can triple your money ... | Uncommon Wisdom Daily

Publisher?s Note:

A lot of you have written in to feedback@uncommonwisdomdaily.com to express your interest in finding new ways to take advantage of rising markets while staying relatively safe.

Specifically, one question that comes up again and again is how you can generate regular income from the stocks you own while discovering new, income-generating opportunities that are easy to add to your portfolio.

So this week, we?re taking a break from our daily stories about precious metals and other natural resources, issues in the bond markets and other global investing trends to zero in on some of the best ways you can boost your income potential.

To help answer some of your questions, I?ve asked my friend and colleague at Easy Street Investing, Nilus Mattive ? one of the foremost experts in the field on this topic ? to do a special four-part series on how (and why) he approaches the world of investing with a unique focus on generating income.

You may already know Nilus? name from his many years as a Weiss Research analyst. But what you might NOT know is just how successful Nilus has been at leading thousands of investors ? and his own family members ?to outsized profits.

For example, his super-conservative Dividend Superstars income portfolio is up 19.9% so far this year ? outperforming the S&P 500 by more than 29% ?

The real-life $100,000 IRA he runs for his father is up $23,930 since he took it over ?

And as he explains in the article below, one of his current (and, in his words, most-boring) recommendations has already tripled in value!

So if you?re looking for some new ways to go for richer, safer returns, you?re going to love the ideas Nilus is going to share with us this week. ? Best wishes, Brad

---

A lot of former bears are suddenly turning bullish on the stock market now that it has continued to run up in 2013.

While this massive shift in sentiment tends to make me a bit nervous, I AM glad to see that a lot more people are finally waking up to some of the same facts I?ve been sharing with my own readers for many years now.

I?d like to share a few of these important points with you, so that you can make your own portfolio work harder for you.

Perhaps the most-important one is that dividend stocks are a terrific way to build your wealth ? especially at a time when most other income investments are paying practically nothing in the way of interest.

Of course, a lot of folks are still skeptical when they hear this kind of claim. They think dividend stocks are ?boring.? That it takes a long time to see results investing in them. Or that doing so carries all kinds of outsized risks.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The sum total of my dividend-stock recommendations ? including open and closed positions, winners and losers ? are already up 19.9% so far this year vs. a 15.4% rise for the S&P 500 over the same period.

And many individual positions have been going absolutely gangbusters!

Let Me Give You a Couple
Specific Dividend Names to Consider ?

Take a stock like Hershey (HSY). It?s a company nearly everyone has heard of, yet one very few people would consider an exciting investment.

I first recommended it to my readers back in November 2009, when it was trading for about $35.

This year, the stock started hitting all-time high after all-time high. And when it topped $80 a share a month ago, I recommended locking in gains.

Factoring in all the capital appreciation, plus the fat dividend payments, I figure my readers had the chance to lock in a total return as high as 140%.

That?s about 42% a year for three years straight. Hardly a ?boring? return!

And while Hershey is no longer the screaming buy it was a few years ago, it isn?t even the best example I can come up with.

Altria Group (MO), the tobacco company formerly known as Philip Morris, is another stock I?ve been recommending for many years ? and one that I?m still recommending even today.

Obviously, only you can decide whether the stock makes sense in your portfolio, but this steady dividend-payer is still yielding far more than U.S. Treasury bonds.

Plus, look what a juggernaut this conservative play has been ?

Altria barely notices the financial crisis, then skyrockets higher ?

I first said Altria was a buy in July 2007. As you might know, that was right as the stock market was topping out before the financial crash of 2008.

But Altria is the kind of dividend stock that proves you can do well even DURING market crashes.

It held its ground throughout the turmoil, and continued kicking off massive income the entire time ? never dropping anywhere near as much as the broader stock market.

And today, that original recommendation is up as much 136%, and a follow-on recommendation I made in December 2008 is up a staggering 220% ? enough to more than triple every dollar someone invested in this well-known company!

?OK,? you might be thinking. ?But these gains all came over a couple years ? so it still takes a long time for income investments to produce gains.?

Not necessarily.

With Good Timing, You Can Reap
Big Returns Even More Quickly!

Here?s another stock that might not immediately cross your mind for a fat or even a fast payout. But this restaurant chain continues to offer a menu of profits for yield-hungry investors.

For example, this past January I recommended buying Cracker Barrel (CBRL) ? both because it looked like a very compelling value and it paid a nice dividend to boot.

Here?s what happened next ?

Cracker Barrel whetted appetites for appreciation with up to 24.7% gains in just 2 months!

As you can see, the stock exploded higher in short order ? and in less than two months of originally recommending it, I was telling readers to close out their positions for gains as high as 24.7%!

If it pulls back from here, would I consider recommending it again? Sure!

Naturally all of returns mentioned do not take into consideration commission or fees or the slight varying prices subscribers would have received. And we all know that past performance is not an indication of future performance and not all of my picks have worked out this well.

But what?s most important about every one of the examples I just shared with you is that I wasn?t telling readers to take outsized risks. Nor was I recommending unknown, or unproven, investment ideas.

Instead, I was just telling people to buy quality income investments when most others were ignoring the opportunities.

The bottom line is that getting richer, safer returns doesn?t have to take a lot of time or effort. Nor does it require a lot of money to get started.

This is just a glimpse of the type of returns you can make with solid dividend stocks. The best part of adding strong stocks that pay attractive dividends as part of your overall income-boosting strategy is that it?s just the beginning of what?s possible right now.

By the end of this series, you?ll know about some even more interesting ways to get even-bigger, more-consistent returns no matter which way the markets head next. So stay tuned for my next article coming out in this same spot tomorrow afternoon.

Best wishes,

Nilus

P.S. Now, let me turn it back over to Brad for today?s market highlights ?

***

In Other Market News:

• Federal Reserve officials are mapping out a strategy to rein in QE-Infinity, the controversial $85B-a-month quantitative-easing stimulus. Per the WSJ, officials ?plan to reduce their purchases of bonds in careful and potentially halting steps, varying their purchases as their confidence about the job market and inflation evolves.?

• The specifics of this pullback are of intense interest to financial markets. A WSJ survey showed 55% of private economists expected a pullback this year while 45% expected it next year. None expected an increase in Fed QE purchases.

• Since Virgin America started flying in August 2007, it has lost money every quarter, except one. Now CEO David Cush is spearheading a balance-sheet restructuring and efforts to raise fresh capital as a ?first step? to put it on the runway to profits.

• Cush expects those steps to ultimately lead to an initial public offering.

• The FTC has filed a complaint against Wyndham Worldwide (WYN) over data-breach issues, after hackers gained access to customers? credit-card numbers. Section 5 of the FTC Act is broadly written to allow the body to proceed against a company that harms consumers with unfair or deceptive practices.

• But can a company be held liable for a cyber attack? Wyndham said in a filing, ?It defies common sense to think that Congress would have delegated that responsibility to the FTC, particularly through a 1914 statute that does nothing more than forbid ?unfair? practices.?

• The FTC has faced criticism in the past for too broadly interpreting this statute. In the ?70s, it wanted to ban television ads to children. The fall-out from that debacle took a generation to subside.

• From less regulation wanted to more: Former ?Saturday Night Live? comedian and U.S. Senator Al Franken from Minnesota wrote an amendment to the Dodd-Frank financial-reform bill that would require the SEC to create a board and assign ratings firms to structured-finance deals, or else come up with an alternative.

• McGraw Hill Financial, Moody?s and other ratings firms oppose the amendment, saying an SEC board might imply government endorsement. And because the process used to assign rating firms is unclear, it is subject to bias. Lawrence White, a professor at New York University?s Stern School of Business, said, ?There wasn?t going to be major change. It wasn?t going to happen quickly. It?s not going to happen now.?

***

Your questions and comments about gold, silver, oil, natural gas, bonds and other investments keep rolling in! I want to answer as many as I can. Today I want to share just one before I let you go for the evening.

Haberdasher asks:

?I am confused: Some analysts say not to buy any gold or the miners (right now), then you have Sean Brodrick for weeks telling us now is the time to buy the juniors. Is he just trying to push his newsletter or (are your competitors) wrong? Please advise.?

Thanks for your question, Haberdasher!

Every analyst is looking at the same historical pricing information when it comes to gold and other precious metals and related stocks like the miners. Yet everyone follows different indicators when it comes to where these assets will trade in the near, intermediate and longer term.

I think you can concur that many analysts see gold going up eventually ? it?s just how and when it will get there that sets them apart.

So, while I realize that differing opinions can be a bit confusing when it comes to where you want to put your own money to work, it may help to examine the time frame that each analyst is following.

Day traders make a lot of money, as do value investors. Commodities investing, stock investing, and bond investing can all be profitable if done correctly. The trick is to gather information from several sources ? sometimes sources who disagree ? look at your specific situation, pick a strategy and move forward with that strategy.

Our goal is to offer the most timely and accurate information possible. In the end, everything dealing with your portfolio is always up to you, and there are always many ways to be right.

As for Sean, you?re right ? he?s bullish on junior resource miners. His Junior Resource Millionaire subscribers are up 22% year-to-date in their open positions right now, and they?ve just closed out a string of winners in precious metals, energy and other resource-rich plays. If you haven?t caught his newest junior-resource video presentation, you can view it here right now. We?re pulling it offline tomorrow night, so be sure to watch it while you still can!

Good Luck and Happy Investing.

Brad Hoppman
Publisher
Uncommon Wisdom Daily

Source: http://www.uncommonwisdomdaily.com/boring-stocks-that-can-triple-your-money-16246

friends with kids pacific standard time northern mariana islands summer time coolio ricky rubio day light savings time