Exclusive: Indonesia's CT Corp proposes all-cash deal for Bakrie's media unit

By Janeman Latul and Randy Fabi

TANJUNG BENOA, Indonesia (Reuters) - CT Corp, one of Indonesia's emerging conglomerates, has proposed an all-cash deal for a controlling stake in media firm PT Visi Media Asia , valued at up to $1.8 billion, to strengthen its position in the media business in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.

The founder and chairman of CT Corp, Chairul Tanjung, told Reuters that his firm wanted to purchase Visi Media, a unit of Indonesia's powerful Bakrie family, without any partners.

"We are one of the preferred bidders. Our proposal is we want to buy it all ... my pocket is still deep," the 51-year-old billionaire said in his hotel room on the resort island of Bali, shortly after meeting with the president and cabinet ministers in his role as head of the president's economic advisory body.

"(It is) only us that can pay cash one hundred percent ... but the deal is not done yet."

CT Corp is already a major player in the Indonesian media business and controls two local TV stations. Tanjung said he would take out a new loan to buy the Visi Media stake. He declined to say how much the company would borrow for the deal.

This is the first time any bidder has publicly announced that it was offering to buy the company.

Indonesia's politically influential Bakrie family has been in talks to sell its majority interest in Visi Media to help finance a plan to buy back coal assets from London-listed Bumi Plc , sources with direct knowledge have said.

The Bakries are offering around a 51 percent stake in Visi Media, which the family controls via its vehicle CMA Indonesia. The process has been going on for the past three months with local bidders, including CT Corp and MNC Group, the sources said.

The Bakries had been looking for a valuation of $1.2 billion to $2 billion for the unit, although Visi Media's current market capitalization is only around $800 million, the sources said.

Visi Media has two national TV stations and a news website.

The sources said the stake would be worth up to $1.8 billion.

Tanjung, who trained as a dentist before becoming a businessman, also plans to build a $3 billion theme park on Indonesia's Java island and make it one of the biggest theme parks in Southeast Asia when it opens in 2016.

"We will build a city, not only a theme park, as I want to make many Indonesians feel happy," Tanjung said, adding that the land for the park would be around 200 hectares and the construction would start by the end of this year.

The group, which was founded by Tanjung, currently operates two theme parks and has plans to add another 20 theme parks across Indonesia over the next few years.

Tanjung is Indonesia's fifth-richest man with a net worth around $3.4 billion as of march, according to Forbes.

(Editing by Jonathan Thatcher and Chris Gallagher)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-indonesias-ct-corp-proposes-cash-deal-bakries-041447140--finance.html

Newton virginia tech shooting Bbc News China glock msnbc meteor shower

Dozens of teachers indicted in cheating scandal

By David Beasley

ATLANTA (Reuters) - A grand jury indicted 35 former Atlanta public school educators, including an award-winning former superintendent, on Friday for allegedly conspiring to cheat on standardized test scores to obtain cash bonuses.

Former Superintendent Beverly Hall was named National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators in 2009, the same year prosecutors contend widespread cheating took place.

Hall received a $78,000 bonus that year for improving the school system's test scores, prosecutors said.

"The money she received, we are alleging, was ill gotten and it was theft," Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said at a news conference.

Besides Hall, those indicted included administrators, principals and teachers. The 65-count indictment said "test answer sheets were altered, fabricated and falsely certified."

Hall was charged with racketeering, making false statements, theft by taking and false swearing. She and others could face up to 45 years in prison if convicted, Howard said.

A state investigation of test results in 2009 found cheating in 44 of the 56 Atlanta public schools examined. The cheating was prompted primarily by pressure to meet targets in a data-driven environment, according to a investigation conducted by Georgia Governor Nathan Deal's office.

The 2009 cheating was said to include teachers erasing incorrect answers on state standardized tests.

The 2011 state report concluded that there was a "major failure of leadership throughout Atlanta Public Schools with regard to the ethical administration" of the 2009 standardized exams known as the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests.

Amid the investigation, Hall stepped down after nearly 12 years as superintendent of the Atlanta Public Schools. Her successor, Erroll Davis, said on Friday the school system now has extensive training and other safeguards to prevent cheating.

He said 95 percent of the school system's staff was not implicated in the scandal.

Justina Collins, the mother of an Atlanta public school student, told the news conference her daughter had trouble reading yet scored well on the standardized tests.

Collins said when she asked the superintendent about the discrepancy, Hall told her, "Your daughter is simply the kind of person who tests well."

Collins' daughter is now in the ninth grade but reads on a fifth-grade level, Howard told reporters, adding that the real victims of the cheating scandal were the children.

"Her example points out the plight of many children" in the scandal, said the prosecutor.

Richard Deane, Hall's attorney, could not be reached for comment.

(Editing by Ian Simpson and Todd Eastham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-atlanta-schools-chief-others-indicted-cheating-scandal-010308965.html

tri international criminal court ios 5.1 apple tv update new ipad release pregnant jessica simpson international womens day

Monounsaturated fats reduce metabolic syndrome risk

Public release date: 29-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sara LaJeunesse
SDL13@psu.edu
814-863-4325
Penn State

Canola oil and high-oleic canola oils can lower abdominal fat when used in place of other selected oil blends, according to a team of American and Canadian researchers. The researchers also found that consuming certain vegetable oils may be a simple way of reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome, which affects about one in three U.S. adults and one in five Canadian adults.

"The monounsaturated fats in these vegetable oils appear to reduce abdominal fat, which in turn may decrease metabolic syndrome risk factors," said Penny Kris-Etherton, Distinguished Professor of Nutrition, Penn State.

In the randomized, controlled trial, 121 participants at risk for metabolic syndrome received a daily smoothie containing 40 grams (1.42 ounces) of one of five oils as part of a weight maintenance, heart-healthy, 2000-calorie per day diet. Members of the group had five risk factors characterized by increased belly fat, low "good" hdl cholesterol and above average blood sugar, blood pressure and triglycerides that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. The researchers repeated this process for the remaining four oils.

The results were presented at the American Heart Association's EPI/NPAM 2013 Scientific Sessions in New Orleans.

Results showed that those who consumed canola or high-oleic canola oils on a daily basis for four weeks lowered their belly fat by 1.6 percent compared to those who consumed a flax/safflower oil blend. Abdominal fat was unchanged by the other two oils, which included a corn/safflower oil blend and high-oleic canola oil enriched with an algal source of the omega-3 DHA. Both the flax/safflower and corn/safflower oil blends were low in monounsaturated fat.

According to the American Heart Association, many of the factors that contribute to metabolic syndrome can be addressed by a healthy diet, exercise and weight loss, which can significantly reduce health risks of this condition.

"It is evident that further studies are needed to determine the mechanisms that account for belly fat loss on a diet high in monounsaturated fatty acids," said Kris-Etherton. "Our study indicates that simple dietary changes, such as using vegetable oils high in monounsaturated fatty acids, may reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome and therefore heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes."

###

Other authors on the paper include Peter Jones and Shuaihua Pu of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg; Sheila West, Xiaoran Liu, Jennifer Fleming and Cindy McCrea of Penn State; Benit Lamarche and Patrick Couture of Laval University in Quebec; and David Jenkins of the University of Toronto. The government of Canada, the Canola Council of Canada and Dow Agrosciences funded this research.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 29-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sara LaJeunesse
SDL13@psu.edu
814-863-4325
Penn State

Canola oil and high-oleic canola oils can lower abdominal fat when used in place of other selected oil blends, according to a team of American and Canadian researchers. The researchers also found that consuming certain vegetable oils may be a simple way of reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome, which affects about one in three U.S. adults and one in five Canadian adults.

"The monounsaturated fats in these vegetable oils appear to reduce abdominal fat, which in turn may decrease metabolic syndrome risk factors," said Penny Kris-Etherton, Distinguished Professor of Nutrition, Penn State.

In the randomized, controlled trial, 121 participants at risk for metabolic syndrome received a daily smoothie containing 40 grams (1.42 ounces) of one of five oils as part of a weight maintenance, heart-healthy, 2000-calorie per day diet. Members of the group had five risk factors characterized by increased belly fat, low "good" hdl cholesterol and above average blood sugar, blood pressure and triglycerides that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. The researchers repeated this process for the remaining four oils.

The results were presented at the American Heart Association's EPI/NPAM 2013 Scientific Sessions in New Orleans.

Results showed that those who consumed canola or high-oleic canola oils on a daily basis for four weeks lowered their belly fat by 1.6 percent compared to those who consumed a flax/safflower oil blend. Abdominal fat was unchanged by the other two oils, which included a corn/safflower oil blend and high-oleic canola oil enriched with an algal source of the omega-3 DHA. Both the flax/safflower and corn/safflower oil blends were low in monounsaturated fat.

According to the American Heart Association, many of the factors that contribute to metabolic syndrome can be addressed by a healthy diet, exercise and weight loss, which can significantly reduce health risks of this condition.

"It is evident that further studies are needed to determine the mechanisms that account for belly fat loss on a diet high in monounsaturated fatty acids," said Kris-Etherton. "Our study indicates that simple dietary changes, such as using vegetable oils high in monounsaturated fatty acids, may reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome and therefore heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes."

###

Other authors on the paper include Peter Jones and Shuaihua Pu of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg; Sheila West, Xiaoran Liu, Jennifer Fleming and Cindy McCrea of Penn State; Benit Lamarche and Patrick Couture of Laval University in Quebec; and David Jenkins of the University of Toronto. The government of Canada, the Canola Council of Canada and Dow Agrosciences funded this research.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/ps-mfr032913.php

Imessage Not Working mc hammer pecan pie recipe Hector Camacho Jill Kelly McKayla Maroney gronkowski

An Essential Skill for All Librarians | Academic Librarian

If I can?t beat the gurus, sherpas, and assorted sages, I?m going to join them. Today I?m going to tell you, fellow librarians, the most basic, core skill that all of you need, more important than coding, cataloging, database searching, or anything else. It?s a subject barely taught in library schools, and yet mastery of it will do more for your career than just about anything actually taught there. What is librarianship really about? It?s about communication. And where there?s communication, you need rhetoric.

Rhetoric has a bad reputation among people who don?t know better and people who should know better. It?s probably because of that hypocrite Plato, who maligned rhetoric as supposedly less ethical or true than philosophy while using numerous rhetorical techniques to communicate his ideas. Consider the Allegory of the Cave: brilliant, effective, and a total rhetorical manipulation of the audience. It?s why Plato is so much more pleasurable to read than Aristotle, even though Aristotle was a lot more savvy about rhetoric.

What is rhetoric? Aristotle defined it as??the faculty of discovering in any particular case all of the available means of persuasion.??Thinking of it as a form of argument, we might add Chaim Perelman?s definition of argumentation from The Realm of Rhetoric:??The aim of argumentation is not to deduce consequences from given premises; it is rather to elicit or increase the adherence of the members of an audience to theses that are presented for their consent. Such adherence never comes out of thin air; it presupposes a meeting of minds between speaker and audience.? But rhetoric is much broader than just argumentation and persuasion. The rhetorician Andrea Lunsford defines it as??the art, practice, and study of human communication.? (See some more definitions here.) As the art and practice of human communication, what could be a more basic element of librarianship than its?study.

Think about all the communication that goes on in libraries every day: phone calls, meetings, emails, IMs, negotiations, reference questions, performance reviews, grant proposals, instruction sessions, research guides, cover letters, job interviews; every one of these interactions is about communication with an audience for a purpose and could benefit from improved rhetorical skill and knowledge of rhetorical theory and techniques.

One of the simplest rhetorical skills is often the most forgotten: consider your audience. Good communication is all about connecting with a particular audience, but plenty of librarians when writing or speaking think it?s about conveying information. If they write it or say it, that?s enough. I?ve seen this numerous times in library instruction sessions over the years, where librarians think their duty is to present information, when really their job is to connect their audience to the information presented. There?s a difference. ?How many librarians have you seen go into a room of 18-year-olds and deliver a canned talk in a monotone? Or bury a LibGuide in an avalanche of dense prose? Or write and publish a dreary article no one would every want to read? Or give tedious and irrelevant answers to questions during a job interview? Painful stuff from people who haven?t considered their audience.

Consider other rhetorical concepts, kairos for example.?Kairos?is, roughly, knowing when to speak. It?s knowing the proper time to intervene in a conversation or a crisis. People who just blurt out what they?re thinking whenever they think it aren?t as effective in persuading others as people who join the conversation at the proper time with a proper consideration of their audience and their purpose for speaking. How many librarians deliberately think about the proper time to speak and then do so??How many of you think about the distinction between the logical, emotional, and ethical appeals and when to use the appropriate ones when working with other people? Or think about the assumptions behind people?s writing or speaking, or the patterns of their arguments that are often more revealing of their motives and goals than what they seem to be saying? That might sound abstract, but thinking about that stuff and applying it can be very useful in understanding and operating in a workplace or organization.

I can say with some assurance that my study, teaching, and practice of rhetoric has helped me more in my career than anything else I?ve ever learned. My ability to communicate effectively in speech and writing has been essential and beneficial to my work. Whether it?s participating in meetings, working with students, or stymieing machinations, rhetorical techniques have always come into play. There is no escaping rhetoric. There?s only good and bad rhetoric. And yet probably 99 out of 100 librarians haven?t read Aristotle or Perelman or Lunsford or Corbett any other rhetorical theorist, much less deliberately practiced rhetorical techniques. Even some of you right now are probably thinking, oh, that might be important, but surely not?all librarians need to study rhetoric. Yes, you do. Every one of?you.

Think about some policy or service you want to implement. It doesn?t matter how good it is, someone in charge has to be persuaded to implement it. That?s your audience. Think about what it?s like to be that person. Put yourself in that person?s shoes and ask what would persuade you then. Everyone wants something, but they all want something different. Change too little or too slow angers one group in the library; change too much or too fast angers another. Who?s resistant to the change you want to make, but whose consent you need? Are they not persuaded by your passion for change? Is the problem their conservatism or your rhetorical failure? I know what you?re going to say, but can you be?sure?

Before you learn whatever new thing you?re planning to learn, learn rhetoric first. Then practice it for a few years. You?ll thank me?later.

Source: http://blogs.princeton.edu/librarian/2013/03/essential-skill-all-librarians/

Fatboy Slim Rio de Janeiro Shark Week London 2012 closing ceremony Shark Week 2012 evelyn lozada UFC 150

Italy high court overturns Knox acquittal

ROME (AP) ? Italy's highest criminal court has overturned the acquittal of Amanda Knox in the slaying of her British roommate and ordered a new trial.

The Court of Cassation ruled Tuesday that an appeals court in Florence must re-hear the case against the American and her Italian-ex-boyfriend for the murder of 21-year-old Meredith Kercher.

Kercher's body was found in November 2007 in her bedroom of the house she shared with Knox and other roommates in Perugia, an Italian university town where the two women were exchange students. Her throat had been slashed.

Prosecutors alleged Kercher was the victim of a drug-fueled sex game gone awry. Knox and Raffaele Sollecito denied wrongdoing. An Ivory Coast man, Rudy Guede, was convicted of the slaying in a separate proceeding and is serving a 16-year sentence.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italy-high-court-overturns-knox-acquittal-091054681.html

Robbie Rogers WWE Rita Ora Meteor Russia jay z Oscar Pistorius Carnival Triumph

Daily Mail Online Reports Huge Ad Revenue Boost - Business Insider

Mail Online is expected to report full-year revenues of ?45m this year with growth in digital advertising more than offsetting the decline in print ad revenues.

Advertising on the Daily Mail's website, which had 111 million unique users last month, was up ?13m in the five months to the end of February 2013 compared with the same period last year.

Print ad revenues at DMG Media, the national newspaper arm of the Daily Mail and General Trust were down ?11m over the same five-month period, according a trading update published on Monday.

With a big drop in circulation revenues, DMG Media's overall revenues were down 7% year on year, or 2% on an underlying basis.

But the company said there had been "improved profit margin driven by cost efficiencies".

Overall group revenue was flat year on year, with underlying growth of 2%. DMGT said its outlook for the year remained unchanged.

Mail Online's revenues for March are expected to be ?3.4m, with full-year revenues (for the 12 months to the end of September) expected to be around ?45m.

This is more than double its previously reported revenues of ?19m in 2010/11.

The publisher, which won the digital innovation prize at the British Press Awards earlier this month, said mobile access accounted for a record 43% of total visits, with traffic to its iPhone and Android apps at record levels.

Underlying newspaper advertising was down 8% over the five-month period but there was strong growth in digital advertising, with Mail Online up 59%.

Total underlying ad revenues were flat year on year for the three weeks since 24 February 2013, it said.

Underlying circulation revenues were down 6% in the five months to February in what DMGT described as a "weak market".

"Our titles delivered continued market share improvement with Daily Mail's market share increasing to 22.2% and the Mail on Sunday's market share increasing to 21.0%," DMGT said.

"Total underlying advertising revenues were up 1%, with strong digital growth more than offsetting the decline in print advertising.

"Print advertising revenues from the current portfolio were down ?11m on the same period last year whilst digital advertising revenues from the current portfolio were up ?13m."

It is the first time that digital revenue growth at Daily Mail's newspaper division has outstripped the decline in traditional print revenues.

DMGT finance director Stephen Daintith described it as an "inflection point" in a conference call with media analysts on Monday.

A watershed moment, it will have been helped by the sale of DMGT's local newspaper division, Northcliffe Media, last year.

Gareth Davies, analyst at Numis Securities, said group underlying growth was solid.

"Importantly on the consumer side of the business digital advertising growth has more than offset print advertising declines, with January and February advertising at +2% from flat in Q1," he said.

"Digital assets continue to perform strongly."

DMG Media's profit margin was up year on year despite increased investment in digital following the "rationalisation" of its printing plants last year.

Headcount fell 16% since September last year to 3,237 due to disposals.

Excluding disposals, total staff numbers were steady, with increased staff in digital businesses offset by reductions in print and operation areas, it said.

The company saw double-digit revenue growth at its information and events arms, both up 13% on an underlying basis.

DMGT, which announced a ?100m share buyback programme in November last year, had acquired 5.4m shares at a cost of ?32m by 22 March this year.

? To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email media@guardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".

? To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook

This article originally appeared on guardian.co.uk

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/daily-mail-online-revenues-2013-3

jazz fest zurich classic selena lamichael james lamichael james derrick rose acl

Google Adds Trail Maps For 100 Additional Ski Resorts To Google Maps

Winter is almost over, but that isn’t stopping Google from expanding its list of ski runs on Google Maps. Just over a month after its last update, Google today announced that it has added trail maps for another 100 resorts in the U.S. and Canada to Google Maps. Today’s update includes a number of major resorts, including Oregon’s Mt. Hood Meadows and Timberline Lodge resorts, as well as smaller ski areas like New York’s Hunter Maintain Ski Resort. Ski runs on Google Maps are marked by the usual blue, green and black lines to mark the difficulty of the terrain. Ski lifts are shown as red dotted lines. Before last month’s update, Google launched its effort to add ski runs to Google Maps by adding about 90 maps in November 2012. Overall, Google Maps users can now find about 225 different ski resorts on Google Maps. Except for a few European mountains that were part of the first batch, Google hasn’t released any new maps for European ski resorts since. Here is a list of all the newly added resorts:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/3LyL2KfNO0I/

aipac vanessa minnillo super tuesday epidemiology total eclipse of the heart jionni lavalle earthquake san francisco

Sandusky maintains innocence in prison interview

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky said he was unsure if former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno suspected he abused underage boys, and he maintained his innocence in interview excerpts aired on NBC's "Today" show on Monday.

Sandusky, Penn State's former defensive coordinator, brought down Paterno, who built a college football powerhouse and lost his job when the case became public in 2011. The university found Paterno failed to previously report Sandusky.

Paterno died 2-1/2 months later at age 85, with many fans protesting that he was unfairly treated.

Documentary filmmaker John Ziegler interviewed Sandusky for 3-1/2 hours as part of his effort to clear Paterno's name. "Today" aired excerpts of the audio recordings, with Ziegler as a studio guest.

"If he (Paterno) absolutely thought I was (a child molester), I'd say no," Sandusky told Ziegler. "If he had a suspicion, I don't know the answer to that."

The Paterno family attorney, Wick Sollers, called the release of the Sandusky recordings a "sad and unfortunate development" that only insulted his victims.

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

A jury convicted Sandusky of 45 sex abuse charges for molesting 10 boys over 15 years, and a judge sentenced him to 30 to 60 years in prison.

Ziegler said he interviewed Sandusky earlier this month in person and on the telephone and that the two also exchanged letters. In a partial transcript posted on Ziegler's website, Sandusky denied he sexually abused anyone.

"Yeah, I hugged them," Sandusky said. "Maybe I tested boundaries. Maybe I shouldn't have showered with them.

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

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sandusky-maintains-innocence-prison-interview-140310962--nfl.html

Chris Cline New Pope Jeff Gordon Test Drive Tamar Braxton Veronica Mars Pope John Paul II Galaxy S4

Bloomberg, NRA steel for springtime battle over gun control

By Michael O'Brien, Political Reporter, NBC News

?

Capitol Hill will play host to a springtime clash over gun rights, as lawmakers prepare to take up significant gun control legislation for the first time in years.?

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg discusses the momentum toward reform of gun control laws and what direction the country is headed with its weapons control policy.

The Senate will take up a new bill next month intended to require background checks for every firearm purchase in the country ??and proponents of the legislation are girding for a major political showdown against supporters of gun rights and its principal advocacy group, the National Rifle Association.?

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has emerged as one of the most forceful national backers of stricter gun laws, and this weekend launched a $12 million television ad campaign meant to pressure wavering senators to support the new legislation when they return from their holiday break.

The NRA's Wayne LaPierre responds to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's gun control reform initiatives and discusses the legislation pending on Capitol Hill.

"We're trying to do everything we can to impress upon the Senators that this is what the survivors want, this is what the public wants," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. He added later: "If 90 percent of the public want something, and their representatives vote against that, common sense says, they are going to have a price to pay for that."

But his push has been met with strict resistance by the NRA, which has dug in against stricter controls on guns since last December's massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., the catalyzing event for President Barack Obama's renewed push for new gun laws.?

"He can't spend enough of of his $27 billion to impose his will on the American people," said Wayne LaPierre, the NRA's CEO and executive vice president, of Bloomberg's new advertising effort. "He can't buy America."

Already, advocates of stricter gun laws have suffered setbacks due to the NRA's resistance. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said this week that he would move forward with legislation following the holiday recess, but said it would exclude a reinstatement of the ban on assault weapons, which appears to lack sufficient support to move forward in the Senate. But Democrats will seek a vote on the ban in the form of an amendment, laying down a political marker ??which Bloomberg said he would be watching closely.

"I don't think we should give up on the assault weapons ban," he said. "But clearly, it is a more difficult issue for a lot of people ? It may be just that people have different views about assault weapons than they do about background checks."

But even the proposed expansion of background checks is far from assured passage in Congress. Failing to advance this more modest gun control would be a blow to efforts to advance gun controls, even with a high-profile event like the Newtown massacre providing an impetus for action.

LaPierre derided the proposal on background checks as little more than "a speed bump for the law-abiding." Though the NRA had supported the background check system in the past, LaPierre said it was "not fair," "not accurate" and "not instant" in practice.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/29ef6868/l/0Lfirstread0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C240C17440A3120Ebloomberg0Enra0Esteel0Efor0Espringtime0Ebattle0Eover0Egun0Econtrol0Dlite/story01.htm

El Chapo Guzman Christmas Abbott clive davis nba trade thomas robinson nba trades ign

Distance Doesn't Matter, I Still Think About You All Day Long ...

I never thought I?d say ?yes? to a long-distance relationship, but when you cupped my face and said sweetly, ?I really don?t want to break up,? I knew I was going to agree to anything you asked. I didn?t want to break up either. It seems painful to end a relationship, not because you?ve fallen out of love or done something unforgivable, but solely because your bodies are not in the same location. Our hearts are in this, I thought. We can do it.

But it?s hard. For many reasons. When we were together all the time, I thought about you in a warm, pleasant way but with no urgency. I knew I?d see you soon. Now that it?s never quite guaranteed, I?ve started being unable to think about anything else. You invade my thoughts and color everything. I?ve become desperate.

I thought maybe after we were forced to be apart, I?d get used to your absence. I?d start to like having my alone-time back. I?d start to morph back into the independent person I was before you. It hasn?t worked. The distance has only made me think about you more. All day long, in fact. I can?t stop thinking about you because I know it?s going to be a good long while before I see you again. It?s like my brain has to fill the ?you? quota because my body knows it won?t get what it needs.

I resent every minute I can?t be with you. I hate everything that keeps us apart. I hate school, I hate work, I hate obligations where we have to go and smile through gritted teeth and try and pay attention. I can?t pay attention because I can?t think about anything but you. I could see a loud, fantastic rock concert by my favorite band and the whole time I?d be thinking, ?I wonder what so-and-so is up to.? If I go for a run, I picture you running beside me. When I eat with friends, I wonder how the dynamic would change if you were here.

We can?t be together because we?re in different places. And we strive for connection, any we can get. Skype, phone calls, emails, texts, sending gifts. We have to try to touch with our hearts and minds since our bodies can not. It?s the worst. But it?s also a new, brilliant way of reaching each other. We get to share so much, because we?re getting to share so little in the way ?normal? couples do. We take what we can get.

I still have the shirt that smells like you. I wear it around the house to do chores, and because it makes me think you?re with me. It doesn?t help me to stop thinking about you, but it soothes the ache. I miss you, and I know we?ve made this decision to stay together and climb this hill together, but that doesn?t mean it?s easy. It?s so hard to try and force myself to do other things, to go out, to care about something other than you and what you might be doing off where ever you are.

I don?t want to be the person who isn?t listening when someone talks; instead, thinking about your eyes, your hair, your lips, your voice. But I can?t help it. You can?t tell yourself not to think about someone ? that?s just asking to think about them even more. It?s like riding a wave, I guess. I have to wait for this love to crest and fall and then I?ll finally be able to function knowing you?re so far away from me, with no end in sight.?

The distance doesn?t matter. It doesn?t erase you from my life. It doesn?t weaken your presence. It only makes you more important, more lovely, and more worth fighting for.

You should like Thought Catalog on Facebook here.

Tagged Bodies, Dating, Desperation, Distance, Hearts, Long Distance Relationships, Love, Phone, Relationships, Sex, skype

Source: http://thoughtcatalog.com/2013/distance-doesnt-matter-i-still-think-about-you-all-day-long/

grok cirque du freak paul pierce pope joan pope joan strikeforce tate vs rousey strawberry festival

Biden calls nuns 'lovely women' in Vatican

In the second installment of his "Being Biden" audio series, Vice President Joe Biden recaps a moment he shared with two nuns, whom he described as "lovely women," outside of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City earlier this week when he attended the Inauguration Mass of Pope Francis.

"What you see is, I had just walked out the side door of St. Peter's Basilica after meeting and getting the opportunity to shake hands and a great conversation with Pope Francis, and the first people I saw were a group of nuns who to me epitomize everything Pope Francis talked about in his homily and what he stands for about generosity to other people, about reaching out, about making it a point to understand that we are our brother's keeper," Biden said in the installment called "A Good Omen."

Biden, the nation's highest-ranking Roman Catholic, led the presidential delegation to Pope Francis' investiture earlier this week and was accompanied by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Gov. Susana Martinez, R-N.M.

"In his homily, the pope said being human means respecting each of God's creatures, responding and respecting the environment in which we live," Biden said. "He said it means protecting people, showing love and concern for each other, every person, every child, elderly, those in need were often the last we think of and that's what in my experience being raised as a Catholic and educated by the nuns, that's what those, those lovely women I'm talking to symbolize to me. So I thought it was a good omen.

"We are our brother's keeper. We have an obligation and I think that's the way, the only way we're going to make the world better and safer.

"It translates at home with the simple things like making sure we fix the broken immigration system, making sure we make our neighborhoods safer by having rationale gun safety and international relations, reaching out and have war as the last option to protect our interests and so it was an exciting time. It gave me a lot of hope and, again, I'll close where I began. Just look at the expression in the faces of those two nuns. You can tell they share my view," he said.

Biden launched his "Being Biden" series last week and described the importance of the Second Amendment to him and the hunters to whom he served rolls at a wild-game dinner earlier this month.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/biden-schmoozes-nuns-latest-being-154203321.html

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

Buying and relocating to central Florida - Zillow Real Estate Advice

I'm in Pa and our market is not as brisk as Fl is right now.? I understand you are anxious and want to get out looking right away.

If you are not familiar with central Florida you do need to take a trip and acquaint yourself with the area.? Understand the pros and cons where you want to locate.

If you are going to be commuting learn about traffic issues in the area.? Anything along the I-4 corridor can be congested at different times of the day.

Once you have a contract on your home, get through inspections, and the buyer has a commitment you are in pretty good shape.? While not all sellers would want to take a contingency - being that far along you are only weeks away from closing on your PA home.

Find a Realtor who works in the area you want to live.? Let them help you explore your options.? They can refer you to local lenders with a good reputation.

Source: http://www.zillow.com/advice-thread/Buying-and-relocating-to-central-Florida/484035/

minka kelly James Holmes court Rupert Sanders bachelorette penn state Ernie Els Teen Choice Awards 2012

Peru surprises with 2 new amazing species of woodlizards

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Two new woodlizard species have been uncovered from poorly explored areas of the Peruvian jungles. The males have beautiful body colouration with a distinctive green pattern before a dark brown and black background. It is assumed that the two species share the same territory, with only a slight difference in altitude ranges, which makes their biological divergence intriguing from an evolutionary point of view. The study was published in the open access journal Zookeys.

Being traditionally regarded as a group with a low species diversity, recent fieldwork on Enyalioides has increased the species richness considerably with three of the ten known species described in last 5 years. The new members of this still poorly known group of animals have been discovered during expeditions on both sides of the Andes' slopes, parts of Ecuador and Peru. This success rate suggests that more of these lizards might be awaiting discovery in other unexplored areas of the region.

The two newly described lizards were found in Cordillera Azul National Park, the 3rd biggest national park in Peru protecting the largest mountain rainforest in the country. The area includes some of the least explored forests in Peru. The basins of the rivers Pisqui and Pauya in the National park are remarkable with their great diversity of reptiles and amphibians.

One of the new species, Enyalioides azulae, is known only from a single locality in the mountain rainforest of the R?o Huallaga basin in northeastern Peru. It was named after the Spanish word "azul" (blue) referring to the Cordillera Azul National Park where this species was discovered. The second newly described lizard, Enyalioides binzayedi, can be seen in the same river basin and is named after the sponsor of the field survey Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE, who created the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (MBZSCF).

"Thanks to these discoveries, Peru becomes the country holding the greatest diversity of woodlizards. Cordillera Azul National Park is a genuine treasure for Peru and it must be treated as a precious future source of biodiversity exploration and preservation!", says the lead author Dr Pablo Venegas from Centro de ornitolog?a y Biodiversidad (CORBIDI) in Lima, Per?.

###

Venegas PJ, Torres-Carvajal O, Duran V, de Queiroz K (2013) Two sympatric new species of woodlizards (Hoplocercinae, Enyalioides) from Cordillera Azul National Park in northeastern Peru. ZooKeys 277: 69, doi: 10.3897/zookeys.277.3594

Pensoft Publishers: http://www.pensoft.net

Thanks to Pensoft Publishers for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 79 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127393/Peru_surprises_with___new_amazing_species__of_woodlizards

egoraptor gisele bundchen turbotax the bourne legacy roland martin suspended lake vostok montgomery county public schools

Swiss court jails "healer" for infecting 16 with HIV

ZURICH (Reuters) - A self-styled healer was sentenced to 12 years and nine months in jail on Friday after a Swiss court found the acupuncturist guilty of infecting 16 people with HIV.

A Berne court found the man guilty of causing bodily harm and spreading the virus which can cause Aids, court secretary Rene Graf told Reuters. He did not give any further details.

Prosecutors had sought a sentence of 15 years in jail, according to media reports.

"The accused and nobody else is responsible for infecting the 16 people," Swiss news agency SDA quoted court president Urs Herren as saying, adding the man's motive could have been to seek attention, exact revenge, or prove his omnipotence.

The 54-year-old from the Swiss capital Berne had consistently denied the charges, blaming the victims for contracting HIV through unprotected sex and intravenous drug use, Swiss media reported.

They did not reveal the man's identity or nationality, in accordance with rules on Swiss criminal proceedings.

The case came to the attention of the authorities after an HIV-positive patient told a hospital he suspected his infection was linked to acupuncture treatments he received from the man.

The majority of the infected individuals were students of a music school run by the man, who also had an acupuncture practice. Some of the victims told the court he stabbed them with a needle from behind during treatment, SDA reported.

Police stormed the man's home a week ago after he stopped coming to the trial. The man, who was free on bail, had barricaded himself inside and was armed with a knife, issuing threats to police, according to media reports.

(Reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Clelia Oziel)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/swiss-court-jails-healer-infecting-16-hiv-152354355.html

brandon marshall ryder cup Kate Middleton Bottomless the Pirate Bay Hotel Transylvania eagles nfl schedule 2012

7 Pets Acting Like Alarm Clocks

www.yourtango.com:

These cuddly critters are here to remind you to rise and shine!

Read the whole story at www.yourtango.com

"; 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'}); });

Filed by Hayley Hudson ?|?

? "; var coords = [-5, -78]; if( HPConfig.current_vertical_name == 'homepage' ) { coords = [-5, -70]; } else if( HPConfig.current_vertical_name == 'mapquest' ) { coords = [-5, -68]; } FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

1. HuffPost
2. Good News

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/20/7-pets-acting-like-alarm-_n_2920509.html

legionnaires disease underwear bomber unclaimed money godspell media matters hana taylor momsen

Crowdfunding expert Kendall Almerico explains ... - PR NewsChannel

(PR NewsChannel) / March 20, 2013 / TAMPA, Fla.?

Crowdfunding expert Kendall Almerico, the CEO of ClickStartMe.com, explains the concept of equity crowdfunding, and how in late 2013 or early 2104, business in America will change forever when online equity crowdfunding becomes a reality. Almerico released his five reasons why equity crowdfunding will turn the business and finance world upside down, and why that is a great thing for the economy.

?Starting a business in this economy is virtually impossible,? Almerico says. ?Banks and lending institutions want nothing to do with a startup business.?? The only people that can get a loan to start a business are the people who do not need a loan.?

With equity crowdfunding, that will all change, Almerico notes.? When the JOBS Act regulations are put in place in a few months, a new business will be able to create a crowdfunding project on a site like ClickStartMe, and sell small amounts stock in their business to large number of investors online.? That, Almerico says, will turn the banking, investing, and financing worlds upside down.

?Equity crowdfunding online is a game changer,? Almerico points out. ?When average people can start investing in new businesses online, you are going to see entire financing industries disappear, much like travel agencies and other business dinosaurs did.?

Here are Almerico?s five reasons why equity crowdfunding will turn the business and finance world upside down:

1.???????? The Average Joe will be able to help start a new business.? There will no longer be requirements of being an ?accredited investor? or minimum buy-ins of $25,000 to get involved in some equity crowdfunding.? ?In all likelihood, average people will be able to easily? invest $500 or $1000 online to help start a business they get excited about,? Almerico says. ?And get a piece of ownership in return.?

2.???????? Online investing will be more efficient.? ?Do you know how hard it is to even find a startup business to invest in, unless you happen to be wealthy or an angel investor?? Almerico asks. ?With equity crowdfunding, you will be able to shop through available business startups online, pick ones you like, and invest immediately.?? The minimizing of paperwork and other red tape, Almerico notes, will make the process easier and more acceptable to the masses.

3.???????? Diversification becomes easier.? Almerico agrees with most financial advisors that the key to a successful investment strategy involves diversification. With equity crowdfunding, this becomes much easier. ?If someone wants to invest $10,000 in startup businesses today, they likely have to dump it all into one place,? Almerico says. ?But with equity crowdfunding, that same person could buy pieces of 10 startups with the same investment.??

4.???????? Access to owning part of ?the next big thing.?? If your dream today is to own a piece of the next big technology development or the newest world-changing gadget, good luck getting involved at the ground floor today.? ?When the new rules go into effect, normal people will have the chance to invest in hot tech products they can actually preview in an equity crowdfunding online project,? Almerico says. ?Buying $1000 of stock online in the next big thing could lead to a huge return.?

5.???????? It is time to get back at the very people who caused the financial crisis.? ?People hate banks, lenders, and all of those who put this country into the mess we are in,? Almerico says. ?With equity crowdfunding, everyone has a chance to bypass those institutions and go straight into investing in new businesses.?? Some analysts even predict the demise of many financial institutions once people can start new businesses by raising fund online.? ?I bet the banks will just jack up their ATM fees and other things they charge you to hold your money,? Almerico says. ?Until the people finally revolt and say that enough is enough.?

Crowdfunding expert Kendall Almerico is the CEO of ClickStartMe.com, the upstart crowdfunding site that ?puts the fun in crowdfunding? and is a JOBS Act expert.? For more information or to schedule an interview with Kendall Almerico, e-mail media@clickstartme.com or call 813.410.4658.

MEDIA CONTACT
Tess Hottenroth
media@ClickStartMe.com???????????????????????????
(813) 410-4658

Direct link:??http://www.prnewschannel.com/2013/03/20/crowdfunding-expert-kendall-almerico-explains-how-equity-crowdfunding-will-completely-change-business-in-america/

SOURCE:??ClickStartMe.com

This press release is distributed by PR NewsChannel. Your News. Everywhere.

Source: http://www.prnewschannel.com/2013/03/20/crowdfunding-expert-kendall-almerico-explains-how-equity-crowdfunding-will-completely-change-business-in-america/

solicitor general neighborhood watch dodgers sale tami roman jetblue captain los angeles dodgers christie brinkley

Israeli general welcomes Obama with call to share Iron Dome production

By Dan Williams

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - The United States should be allowed to co-produce Israel's Iron Dome rocket interceptor so it can benefit from the money it has poured into the Jewish state's defense programs, a senior Israeli military officer said on Wednesday.

Israel developed Iron Dome to shoot down rockets launched from the Gaza Strip and it is the only system in the world to use radar-guided missiles for such short-range interceptions.

U.S. President Barack Obama, who arrived in Israel on Wednesday to underscore his backing for the country's security, has earmarked hundreds of millions of dollars for Israeli defense programs including Iron Dome.

Brigadier-General Shachar Shohat, the commander of the Israeli defense force, told Reuters it was important for Israel to show its appreciation to Obama as the administration decides where to make spending cuts to reduce the budget deficit.

Israel opposed a joint production of the system when it was proposed in Washington last year, but Shohat said such a venture would allow the Americans to gain from their financial largesse.

Obama will visit an Iron Dome battery near Tel Aviv's airport where he will be briefed by Shohat, who said he would thank the president for his administration's military backing.

"I understand the need of the other side to encourage investment in its side ... certainly given U.S. policy of trying to create jobs during a troubled economic situation," he said in an interview. "To me, it is clear that the American partner also has to look out for the American economy."

Some experts have suggested the United States might eventually want to use systems such as Iron Dome to protect zones in combat situations such as Afghanistan.

The Israelis say it has a more than 80 percent shoot-down rate of the short-range rockets favored by Gaza guerrillas.

The U.S. House of Representatives' Armed Services Committee called last year on the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency to "explore any opportunity to enter into co-production" of Iron Dome given American funding of the system, even though Washington has no rights to the Israeli technology involved.

The United States is already working with Israel to co-produce the ballistic missile interceptor Arrow and a mid-range counterpart, David's Sling, which is due out this year.

Shohat supported the idea of setting up a parallel U.S. factory to make Iron Dome's Tamir interceptor missiles, saying this could be a "win-win situation" for both countries.

"Opening joint manufacturing lines would increase production rates, which is of course is in my interest as the professional user," he said.

DOLLARS AND SENSE

Last year, Israel offered its U.S. ally Iron Dome know-how on the kind of technologies used in Tamir, as long as intellectual property rights were protected.

But the Israelis said at the time that co-production was not an option as it could hamper output by state-owned manufacturer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd.

Israel is also upgrading Arrow for any conflict with Iran or Syria, and bills David's Sling as a bulwark against the powerful rockets of Lebanon's Hezbollah. Boeing Co and Raytheon Co are the respective U.S. partners in those systems.

The Pentagon says Israel's air defense will not be affected by across-the-board U.S. spending cuts. [ID:nL1N0BX9DZ] But some planners in Israel, which wants to increase its Iron Dome deployment from 5 to 13 batteries, fret about future shortfalls.

"What would be impacted, mainly, is the pace at which we equip ourselves," Shohat said. "Bottom line, I need as many (air defense units) as possible, and as quickly as possible."

Investing in the systems has been part of the Obama administration's strategy of reassuring the Israelis about world powers' efforts to negotiate a curb on Iran's nuclear program.

Seeing the makings of a mortal threat, Israel, which is assumed to have the region's sole atomic arsenal, has threatened to attack its arch-foe preventively. Should that happen, Tehran, which denies seeking the bomb, promises wide-ranging reprisals.

(Editing by Anna Willard)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-general-welcomes-obama-call-share-iron-dome-150722434.html

Pope John Paul II Galaxy S4 kobe bryant ides of march cnn pi higgs boson

Italy judge: Berlusconi trial won't be accelerated

MILAN (AP) ? A judge in Naples has denied prosecutors' request for an accelerated trial against former Premier Silvio Berlusconi on charges of corruption.

Judge Marina Cimma ruled Tuesday that a preliminary hearing will decide if there is enough evidence to support corruption charges against the former leader for allegedly having paid a rival lawmaker to join his party, a move that weakened the previous government of Romano Prodi. Prosecutors had requested to go straight to trial, arguing that the evidence was overwhelming to support corruption charges.

The lawmaker, Sergio De Gregorio, has said he was paid ?3 million ($3.9 million) to join Berlusconi's party.

Berlusconi faces two other active trials in Milan, both nearing verdicts. They are his sex-for-hire trial and his appeal for a tax-fraud conviction.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italy-judge-berlusconi-trial-wont-accelerated-141404494.html

provisional ballot npr rush limbaugh rush limbaugh karl rove Election 2012 Results polling place

10.4 million mortgages still in negative equity | All About Real Estate ...

by reggielal on March 19, 2013

This up-swing in Real Estate prices has helped the Real Estate market in many parts of the Country. I have been reading some very optimistic?forecasts?regarding where home prices will end up this year, anywhere from zero to 20% or more. No one is sure, all good educated guess based on their own?interpretation?of the data and the level of intervention.

Here is what we do know thus far:

Due to rising home prices : At the end of 2012 ? 200,000 more homes moved out from the ?Under Water??category?(per CoreLogic)

So here are the numbers: ?38.1 US homeowners now have equity

10.5 Million of all homeowners that have a mortgage are still underwater (that is 21.5% of all US ?home with a mortgage)

Nevada has the highest percentage of homes with negative equity. Florida has 40.2 %

?

Tagged as: negative equity, Reggie Lal, reggielal, reggielal blog, San Diego investment club, underwater homes

Source: http://reggielal.com/archives/1895

brandon jennings the vow review luol deng culkin wooly mammoth no child left behind no child left behind

Venezia: New exhibit focuses on LGBT community | baxter, art, says ...

Why is Stephan Baxter, a married straight guy, putting together an art exhibit celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender (LGBT) couples?

Because marriage matters to him, he says.

Stephan Baxter, creator and co-curator of Art With An Agenda - Love. Sex. Unity. Respect.

PICASA, COURTESY STEPHAN BAXTER

ADVERTISEMENT

And he believes equality for the LGBT community is his generation's civil rights issue.

"I'm married to my wife Noele, and we have a wonderful life. The fact that so many same sex couples want to be married after years of commitment together, but cannot, diminishes my own marriage," says Baxter, organizer and co-curator of Art With An Agenda ? Love, Sex. Unity. Respect, which runs May 3-25 at the Magoski Arts Colony in Fullerton.

The 48-year-old Fullerton resident says Art With An Agenda exhibits are designed to give a voice to those who are bullied, discriminated against or simply abandoned.

This isn't Baxter's first controversial show.

In June 2012, Baxter made front-page news with his Art with an Agenda ? the Life and Murder of Kelly Thomas one year after Thomas's death.

For the past five months, with the help of Noele, friend Teryn Boyer and co-curator Valerie Lewis, he's been reaching out to artists and photographers, laying the groundwork for what Baxter hopes will be "One of the most substantial and meaningful private gallery exhibits in Orange County history."

His plan is to have more than 60 artists and 100 works of art filling the 5,000 square feet of the Magoski, at 223 W. Santa Fe Ave.

His hope is that straight couples will come to the May exhibition and closed minds will be opened.

"This won't be a gay pride show," he told me. "This show will elevate love and connect people with the LGBT community. We want to celebrate the ordinary lives of these couples."

As we talk, he tells me what he imagines straight couples' reactions will be as they view the exhibit.

"They look at something soft and sweet and then the man instinctively reaches for his wife's hand," he says.

Thanks to art agents Masterpiece Publishing in Laguna Beach, Baxter landed works by two renowned artists, Renzo and Fidel Garcia, for his event.

"Sculptures by Renzo have sold for up to $30,000 and we will have four on exhibit," says Baxter.

The Garcia works are limited print editions that retail for $2,800.

Among the other artists featured will be Steve Metzker, John M. Sollom, William Zdan, Ty Rose, Rene Cardona, and Chantal de Falice, just to name a few.

See Baxter's site for a full listing.

The focal point of the exhibit will be an eight-foot wedding cake sculpture created by local artist Katherine England.?

She is also the artist behind the All Arts for Kids Hearts, a campaign in which mosaic hearts were placed all around Fullerton last summer.

The cake sculpture will be wallpapered with more than 200 photos of LGBT couples.

Liberty Freeman, from Encino, and her partner are in one of the photos on the cake.

"I think it is important to remember that love comes in all shapes, colors, genders, and sizes and, in the end, regardless of our sexuality," Freeman said.

Randolph Baxter ? no relation to Stephan ? and his partner married in Orange County the first day possible in 2008. They also sent a photo for the exhibit.

He's participating in this exhibit, "so that other couples who missed the 2008 window can have the same legal benefits and protections we enjoy," he says.

An art auction will take place opening weekend of Art With An Agenda.

Proceeds will be split evenly between the artists and OC AIDS Walk.

AIDS Walk is important to Stephan Baxter, and he's even organized a walk team for the May 4 event.

Art With An Agenda will also have a special memorial dedicated to long time AIDS Walk organizer Pearl Jemison-Smith's son, Jamie Jemison, who died of the disease.

"He has an amazing energy and belief in social justice," Jemison-Smith said of Baxter. "I am very touched that he wants to include a memorial corner for my son."

Baxter says those purchasing art during this event should feel good about it.

"The buyer will know every time they look at the painting or sculpture, that on that day they took a stand, helped a great cause, and were on the right side of history," he says.

Source: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/baxter-500056-art-says.html

ozzie guillen fidel castro darvish george zimmerman website edmund fitzgerald uss enterprise white house easter egg roll 2012 andy cohen