Flappy Bird Knockoffs Dominate the App Store: “Fly Birdie,” “Flappy Bee” Both in Top 5 (BLOG)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7R2rw0ZpmCSuAxCoVCbzDGFSOiUY9XIuIvT19MOy5vmxRfkgIWtor6ZfT0qyCmlJ0mReV_yQUe1VPAslRQbPbcXgLGV5crAHKejUaGSJIcwgahJSGNZFFXwFRmlSx9V3-Av2k2WnAUoY/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7R2rw0ZpmCSuAxCoVCbzDGFSOiUY9XIuIvT19MOy5vmxRfkgIWtor6ZfT0qyCmlJ0mReV_yQUe1VPAslRQbPbcXgLGV5crAHKejUaGSJIcwgahJSGNZFFXwFRmlSx9V3-Av2k2WnAUoY/s1600/download.jpg" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_12_0_1_1392048138747_910" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">The App Store is getting Flappy Happy.</div><div id="yui_3_12_0_1_1392048138747_913" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">On Monday morning, about a day after the <a data-rapid_p="91" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:28844bef-bae1-3e51-b5c5-779092d329a0;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="https://www.yahoo.com/tech/get-it-while-you-can-flappy-bird-to-be-removed-from-76062214252.html" id="yui_3_12_0_1_1392048138747_914" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">creator of Flappy Bird removed his hit app from both Apple’s and Google’s app marketplaces</a>, obvious knockoffs of the game were topping Apple’s App Store in its place. In the wake of Flappy Bird’s sudden disappearance from the iPhone, “<a data-rapid_p="92" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:28844bef-bae1-3e51-b5c5-779092d329a0;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flappy-plane/id806026035?mt=8&v0=WWW-NAUS-ITSTOP100-FREEAPPS&ign-mpt=uo%3D4" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Flappy Plane</a>” and “Flappy Bee” have charged into the App Store Top 20; an app with almost identical gameplay to Flappy Bird, called “<a data-rapid_p="93" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:28844bef-bae1-3e51-b5c5-779092d329a0;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ironpants/id801727538?mt=8&v0=WWW-NAUS-ITSTOP100-FREEAPPS&ign-mpt=uo%3D4" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Ironpants</a>,” has taken over the No. 2 spot; and the No. 1 app is “<a data-rapid_p="94" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:28844bef-bae1-3e51-b5c5-779092d329a0;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fly-birdie-flappy-bird-flyer/id806307963?mt=8&v0=WWW-NAUS-ITSTOP100-FREEAPPS&ign-mpt=uo%3D4" id="yui_3_12_0_1_1392048138747_915" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Fly Birdie — Flappy Bird Flyer</a>,” a clone so complete that it even manages to sneak the name “Flappy Bird” into its title.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;"><img height="286" src="https://s1.yimg.com/cd/resizer/FIT_TO_WIDTH-w500/05101e8b6828c59ff7cf76588407b70442cf70ba" style="border: 0px; margin-right: 20px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="500" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;"><em>A survey of the App Store as it currently sits, at 10:30AM Monday morning. </em></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen <a data-rapid_p="95" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:28844bef-bae1-3e51-b5c5-779092d329a0;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="https://www.yahoo.com/tech/get-it-while-you-can-flappy-bird-to-be-removed-from-76062214252.html" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">created a firestorm over the weekend when he revealed on Twitter that for personal reasons he was pulling Flappy Bird</a>, a smash success for both iPhone and Android devices that was making the Vietnamese developer a reported $50,000 per day. <a data-rapid_p="96" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:28844bef-bae1-3e51-b5c5-779092d329a0;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="https://www.yahoo.com/tech/get-it-while-you-can-flappy-bird-to-be-removed-from-76062214252.html" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">On Sunday</a>, Flappy Bird disappeared from both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Those who had already downloaded the app were able to continue playing; those who had not yet discovered Flappy Bird — well, they were left searching for alternatives.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">And alternatives they now have. Each of these new top apps replicates the basics of Flappy Bird, from the gameplay down to the use of the word “Flappy” in their titles.</div><div id="yui_3_12_0_1_1392048138747_924" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;"><img alt="image" height="427" id="yui_3_12_0_1_1392048138747_923" src="https://s3.yimg.com/cd/resizer/FIT_TO_WIDTH-w500/292e80650dd351e5c73a184298308543bd855b14" style="border: 0px; margin-right: 20px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="500" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;"><em>Screenshots from the game “Fly Birdie” now tops in Apple’s App Store.</em></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">The player must guide a hero — a bird, a bee or a plane — sideways through a series of vertically shifting obstacles. Taps on the screen propel the hero upward; doing nothing drops the hero to the ground. Flappy Bird has been both praised and criticized for its difficulty and simplicity, and has won legions of addicted fans who struggle to last for more than a few seconds per contest.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;"><img alt="image" height="430" src="https://s3.yimg.com/cd/resizer/FIT_TO_WIDTH-w500/a678b638f4749b9fc120e3f5e79e1e84d20e421b" style="border: 0px; margin-right: 20px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="500" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;"><em>Screenshots from Ironpants. </em></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">Flappy Bird didn’t invent this style of game. It has <a data-rapid_p="97" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:28844bef-bae1-3e51-b5c5-779092d329a0;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="http://mashable.com/2014/02/09/helicopter-game-flappy-bird/" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">often been compared to an old game </a>called the “<a data-rapid_p="98" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:28844bef-bae1-3e51-b5c5-779092d329a0;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="http://www.helicoptergame.net/" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Helicopter Game</a>.” And though Flappy Bird may not score points for its originality, it has clearly reignited the popularity of this “side-scrolling” category, creating by the sheer force of its demand a new niche of retro-style, tap-to-control smartphone games.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">Now that Nguyen has pulled his app, other developers are reaping the rewards, as the simplicity of Flappy Bird has also made it simple to quickly replicate. Perhaps it’s time we changed the name of this website to “Flappy Tech”?</div><div id="yui_3_12_0_1_1392048138747_931" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;"><em id="yui_3_12_0_1_1392048138747_934">Yahoo Tech is a brand new tech site from David Pogue and an all-star team of writers. <a data-rapid_p="99" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:28844bef-bae1-3e51-b5c5-779092d329a0;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="http://www.facebook.com/yahootech" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Follow us on Facebook</a> for all the latest.</em></div>

Flappy Bird Knockoffs Dominate the App Store: “Fly Birdie,” “Flappy Bee” Both in Top 5 (BLOG)

The App Store is getting Flappy Happy. On Monday morning, about a day after the  creator of Flappy Bird removed his hit app from both Apple’...

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Report: Iran successfully test-fires two missiles (BLOG)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8JGmpspWXzFWpOO7AICl30jpn4pfjBpRtRC8y5bneC1Uo_UHBS6eBZ_c6veWqZcaMuFB5RavmYQWCrgWTfF0ItCO4bU34e6uW665DUuMShwHxHp38WZjclK2v7LMIc1OoQRvzs6d-_w/s1600/000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8JGmpspWXzFWpOO7AICl30jpn4pfjBpRtRC8y5bneC1Uo_UHBS6eBZ_c6veWqZcaMuFB5RavmYQWCrgWTfF0ItCO4bU34e6uW665DUuMShwHxHp38WZjclK2v7LMIc1OoQRvzs6d-_w/s1600/000.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392063571193_7362" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran has successfully test-fired two missiles, including a long-range ballistic weapon, the official IRNA news agency reported on Monday.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392063571193_7379" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The "children of Iran successfully test-fired a new generation" of weapons, he said.The report by IRNA quoted President Hassan Rouhani as congratulating the military.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392063571193_7334" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The test came a day after a group of lawmakers accused Rouhani of halting a scheduled missile exercise. It was not clear if this was the same test.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392063571193_7393" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Rouhani's policy of outreach to the West and its centerpiece, a deal on Iran's disputed nuclear program, is opposed by hard-liners who accuse him of giving away too much for too little.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392063571193_7403" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Iran has pursued military self-sufficiency since 1992. It produces tanks, jet fighters, submarines and warships, as well as weapons for these systems.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">From time to time it announces technological breakthroughs, most of which cannot be independently verified.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The report did not say if the missiles were new designs, but the term "new generation" suggests that they were upgrades of existing ones.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392063571193_7436" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">It said the ballistic missile had radar-evading capabilities, but did not give a name. It said the second missile was called Bina, or "Insightful," and was laser-guided. It said it could be fired from the ground or from aircraft.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392063571193_7426" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Iran already has surface-to-surface missiles with a range about 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) capable of reaching Israel and the U.S. military bases in the region.</div>

Report: Iran successfully test-fires two missiles (BLOG)

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran has successfully test-fired two missiles, including a long-range ballistic weapon, the official IRNA news agency re...

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Should You Use Tech to Keep Track of Your Kids? (BLOG)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLaD3JCnL54Kra96B7OVB5gTeL3ugIFeVUnz8Hz2wF5qVZ-gUwIkQSFM5LLG87cY5VvQfY5TFgkzubXviald2zDLHJiH94ZQaDtGcJgPtpzAS2UVQSDrQsfoFicb8fLfLg0ME8COJ8OiY/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLaD3JCnL54Kra96B7OVB5gTeL3ugIFeVUnz8Hz2wF5qVZ-gUwIkQSFM5LLG87cY5VvQfY5TFgkzubXviald2zDLHJiH94ZQaDtGcJgPtpzAS2UVQSDrQsfoFicb8fLfLg0ME8COJ8OiY/s1600/11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_12_0_1_1392048138747_756" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">Even Spider-Man knew it, since Peter Parker’s uncle Ben told him: With great power comes great responsibility. But when you’re <u id="yui_3_12_0_1_1392048138747_758"><a data-rapid_p="60" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:30b4ea39-a769-34ab-8101-6ab230ee325c;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="https://www.yahoo.com/tech/how-this-special-router-turned-me-into-a-total-internet-73145981590.html" id="yui_3_12_0_1_1392048138747_757" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">a tech tyrant</a></u> like me <em id="yui_3_12_0_1_1392048138747_759">and</em> a father, the temptation to abuse your powers is hard to resist.</div><div id="yui_3_12_0_1_1392048138747_760" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">Take, for example, the <a data-rapid_p="61" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:30b4ea39-a769-34ab-8101-6ab230ee325c;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="http://getpiper.com/" id="yui_3_12_0_1_1392048138747_761" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Piper</a> surveillance cam I set up in my dining room. One night I turned on the motion-sensing alarm. As soon as anyone crossed its field of vision, the Piper would capture 25 seconds of video, sound a siren, and shine a spotlight in the perp’s face.</div><div id="yui_3_12_0_1_1392048138747_762" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">I had neglected, however, to tell any other members of my household about it. So, as my 15-year-old daughter entered the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee the next morning, the lamp snapped on and the siren began shrieking at 105 decibels. She nearly jumped out of her skin. Then <em>she</em> started shrieking.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">“OMG, what is wrong with you?” she wailed as I struggled to find the Off button on the iPad app. She said some other things too, which I won’t repeat here (but are captured on video if anyone’s interested).</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">My 17-year-old, who managed to sleep through the entire event, was much more low-key. Later, when he asked me what I was working on, I showed him the Piper. He simply shook his head. “You are such a control freak,” he said.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;"><strong>Spooks R Us</strong>In a <u><a data-rapid_p="62" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:30b4ea39-a769-34ab-8101-6ab230ee325c;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="https://www.yahoo.com/tech/tagged/modern-family" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">modern family</a></u>, we have surveillance tools in our arsenal that our parents could only dream about. I’d even wager that the intelligence agencies of some third-world nations would envy <u><a data-rapid_p="63" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:30b4ea39-a769-34ab-8101-6ab230ee325c;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="https://www.yahoo.com/tech/the-internet-of-things-is-coming-to-your-home-your-72780133945.html" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the stuff in our house</a></u>.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">Like the NSA, we deploy this gear mostly in the interest of “national security” (insert your own definition here). For example, all of our external doors and windows are connected via a <u><a data-rapid_p="64" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:30b4ea39-a769-34ab-8101-6ab230ee325c;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="http://www.vivint.com/" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Vivint home security system</a></u>. Nobody in our house carries keys anymore; instead, we open the WiFi-connected door locks with our own numerical codes. I get alerts to my phone when doors and windows are opened. Checking Vivint’s website, I can see exactly who came or left, and when.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">The Piper is just one of a handful of surveillance cams we have set up across the house. Its purpose is not to scare the pants off teenagers; it’s for chasing off intruders. But this surveillance gear also doubles as a wickedly effective way to keep an eye on the kids.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">In the old days, my parents used to hide in the dark so they could surprise my older sisters when they came straggling home at some ungodly hour of the night. Today there’s an app for that. We have the ability to know where our children are and what they’re doing 24/7, if we choose to.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">Over the years we have installed various apps on their phones, like<u><a data-rapid_p="65" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:30b4ea39-a769-34ab-8101-6ab230ee325c;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="https://www.life360.com/" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Life 360</a></u> and <u><a data-rapid_p="66" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:30b4ea39-a769-34ab-8101-6ab230ee325c;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="http://www.glympse.com/" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Glympse</a></u>, that let us look up their location with a few taps. Since my son began driving two years ago, we’ve had an <u><a data-rapid_p="67" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:30b4ea39-a769-34ab-8101-6ab230ee325c;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="http://www.mycar-connection.com/" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Audiovox Car Connection</a></u> dongle plugged into the onboard computer of our aging minivan. I get a text whenever he leaves or arrives home, and if I so choose I can trace his recent movements on a map. It works so well we’re thinking about trying <a data-rapid_p="68" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:30b4ea39-a769-34ab-8101-6ab230ee325c;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="https://www.yahoo.com/tech/will-truvolo-make-your-teens-safer-drivers-75713827016.html" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">a similar dingus</a> in our other car when my daughter starts driving.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">And when my wife and I are out of town, we can call up cams on our phones to see if a teen rave is raging in our household. (Or, if the kids have unplugged the cameras, whether it’s time for a unannounced visit from their grandmother.)</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">Like the old U.S.-Soviet arms negotiators, our philosophy is “Trust but verify.” It seems to be working; so far we’ve managed to avoid any nuclear confrontations.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;"><strong>As easy as KGB</strong>But all of this raises difficult questions about where responsible parenting ends and irresponsible spying begins. Our teens have made it clear they aren’t exactly crazy about having Big Father and Big Mother intrude on their lives, especially as they develop into proto-adults.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">In our defense, we’ve been very up front about what this technology can do and how we use it. (See <a data-rapid_p="69" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:30b4ea39-a769-34ab-8101-6ab230ee325c;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="https://www.yahoo.com/tech/how-to-monitor-your-kids-without-turning-into-the-nsa-75449027616.html" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">“How to Monitor Your Kids Without Turning into the NSA.”</a>) We explained that the reason we spend an insane amount of money on mobile phones every month is not so they can watch YouTube in bed at 3 a.m. or maintain 27 simultaneous texting conversations; it’s so we can reach them when we need them, and vice versa. (So, in other words, please keep your phones charged, dammit.)</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">When my son began driving, this technology offered all of us peace of mind; we were able to know that he got where he was going, and he knew if he ran out of both gas and phone battery (because he’d forgotten to charge it) that we’d be able to locate him.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">And there are clear limits. We would never dream of putting cams in their private spaces, for example. Believe me, the last thing you want to see is a close-up view of a teenager’s bedroom. One cam is trained on the homework station in the dining room, another on the family room, and both give us a view of anyone entering or leaving the premises.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;"><strong>I, spy?</strong>Still, the decision whether to track your loved ones is not an easy one. Are the online threats to kids often exaggerated? Yes, usually by companies selling this technology. But nobody wants his son or daughter to be the poster child in an Internet horror story.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">Did we all manage to survive to adulthood without these tools? Yes, we did. But this is a different world than the one we grew up in, one where strangers can reach across time zones to get to your kids, and childish mistakes may be enshrined forever on the Web.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">Can this technology be abused? Absolutely — and not just to play a harmless little prank. (Though I think my daughter has finally forgiven me for that one.)</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;">But I believe the positives ultimately outweigh the negatives. Technology has enabled us to give our kids a longer leash at an earlier age, to allow them more autonomy, not less. It has helped us guide them, at a distance, toward making smarter choices. Hopefully it will also allow us to stay in touch with them when they get older and leave the nest. Assuming, of course, that they’re still speaking to us.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;"><em>Questions, complaints, kudos? Email Dan Tynan at</em><u><a data-rapid_p="70" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:30b4ea39-a769-34ab-8101-6ab230ee325c;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="mailto:ModFamily1@yahoo.com" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><em>ModFamily1@yahoo.com</em></a></u><em>. </em></div><div id="yui_3_12_0_1_1392048138747_763" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;"><em>*</em></div><div id="yui_3_12_0_1_1392048138747_764" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em;"><em id="yui_3_12_0_1_1392048138747_767">Yahoo Tech is a brand new tech site from David Pogue and an all-star team of writers. <a data-rapid_p="71" data-ylk="elm:itm;elmt:link;g:30b4ea39-a769-34ab-8101-6ab230ee325c;ct:1;t1:a5;t4:18;itc:0;" href="http://www.facebook.com/yahootech" style="color: #324fe1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Follow us on Facebook</a> for all the latest.</em></div>

Should You Use Tech to Keep Track of Your Kids? (BLOG)

Even Spider-Man knew it, since Peter Parker’s uncle Ben told him: With great power comes great responsibility. But when you’re  a tech tyran...

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Jesse Ventura follows my "barnone11970" channel

<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">*****BREAKING YOU TUBE NEWS*****</span> </b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>I am so humbled and flattered...</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Jesse Ventura is a barnone11970 fan</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other well known people subscribe...</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89BpQpZRydJTAQL7GMhd7qYSH4tWgiAlETj3oy9JPC7sJewLyHkQpirbKslG6R2HC01Z4ymchcHLu7lpz7vnJsrD6RCULXCSmDPC9CEbjOka0ruUNKVSUhKQb8jlWvGCys8Y24Kkzwxw/s1600/barnoneFLATTERED.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89BpQpZRydJTAQL7GMhd7qYSH4tWgiAlETj3oy9JPC7sJewLyHkQpirbKslG6R2HC01Z4ymchcHLu7lpz7vnJsrD6RCULXCSmDPC9CEbjOka0ruUNKVSUhKQb8jlWvGCys8Y24Kkzwxw/s1600/barnoneFLATTERED.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95M0goUTHszYOdrjAHcVyIKhhVHfl3RG4-huXthqzKmFq7eHMyUR4DPY1bJhSV-EaKF_f923x_ic065fE8tSgTOzO1KqrzKhktQamiRyRoj-6djgLP3QfXAwU_HthXLES-e5Z04V-Pvk/s1600/jesse-ventura-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95M0goUTHszYOdrjAHcVyIKhhVHfl3RG4-huXthqzKmFq7eHMyUR4DPY1bJhSV-EaKF_f923x_ic065fE8tSgTOzO1KqrzKhktQamiRyRoj-6djgLP3QfXAwU_HthXLES-e5Z04V-Pvk/s1600/jesse-ventura-5.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Well known people watch Chris a.k.a. barnone11970</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">*****Chris asks for donation*****</span> </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>"Mr. Ventura, I don't know if you'll watch this....in any way shape or form if any little minor contribution can be done on my behalf you can count me in I'm into it;  I definitely --I'm dedicating my life to this..."</b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>---Chris, a.k.a. barnone 11970</b></i></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>I never realized how important Chris really is.  These are the people that really know what's going on!  There must be something to gold, silver, orgone pyramids, and freeman philosophies.  Chris says he's dedicating his life to this and hopes that Jesse Ventura might give him a donation besides.  What barnone! Asking for money?  Worthless fiat?</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>The VELVET CULT has been notified...</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/G8egUYPnEfQ?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="223" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/WDR7ADwWq78?feature=player_detailpage" width="308"></iframe></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The CRUSADER barnone11970</b></span></div><br /><b>Wow he's scheduled for a YOU TUBE PODCAST.  Is he a key note speaker?</b><br /><b>He must be important.  Or is it just a fantasy?</b><br /><b><br /></b><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="223" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/fJ9rUzIMcZQ?feature=player_detailpage" width="308"></iframe><b><br /></b></div><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/I2tc3UqCMIk?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe><b> </b><br /><br /><b>...developing...</b></div>

Jesse Ventura follows my "barnone11970" channel

*****BREAKING YOU TUBE NEWS***** I am so humbled and flattered... Jesse Ventura is a barnone11970 fan Other well known people subscribe... ...

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Bomb kills two American contractors in Afghan capital Kabul (BLOG)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMqu7qNImSqpuUg-AtvFo0TNpHc1OZFm_DHjjVZLeomUW8qMSas7Un7MyjcTEKi8fLAMupvwXMgg3qSuh8hf8s_fu-Ft64GJzT7rVrpP8iHjobRJdyJpLgaepU9_oM7CKzWsfNENGDDoY/s1600/2014-02-10T145645Z_1_CBREA1915IT00_RTROPTP_2_CNEWS-US-AFGHANISTAN-ATTACK.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMqu7qNImSqpuUg-AtvFo0TNpHc1OZFm_DHjjVZLeomUW8qMSas7Un7MyjcTEKi8fLAMupvwXMgg3qSuh8hf8s_fu-Ft64GJzT7rVrpP8iHjobRJdyJpLgaepU9_oM7CKzWsfNENGDDoY/s1600/2014-02-10T145645Z_1_CBREA1915IT00_RTROPTP_2_CNEWS-US-AFGHANISTAN-ATTACK.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_25545" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">KABUL (Reuters) - A car bomb in the Afghan capital Kabul killed two United States contractors for the international security force ISAF on Monday, the NATO-led force and a U.S. official said.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_25557" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The explosion in eastern Kabul was the latest incident to rattle the city ahead of April's presidential election due to choose the country's first new leader since 2001.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_25567" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"Two International Security Assistance Force contracted civilians died as the result of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack in eastern Afghanistan today," ISAF said in a statement.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_25577" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the slain contractors were American.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_25682" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Afghanistan's future remains uncertain as the Taliban continue their insurgent campaign and Washington and President Hamid Karzai are deadlocked over a bilateral security deal to let some U.S. forces stay beyond the end of 2014.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_25645" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">NATO forces have already begun to withdraw from Afghanistan, but the United States and other nations have been seeking to keep some troops in Afghanistan after 2014 to help the country's army fend off the Taliban.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_25660" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">On Saturday, the United Nations said that civilian deaths increased in 2013 as fighting intensified between government forces and insurgents.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_25581" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">(Reporting By Jessica Donati, Mirwais Harooni, Hamid Shalizi and Missy Ryan; Editing by Tom Heneghan)</div>

Bomb kills two American contractors in Afghan capital Kabul (BLOG)

KABUL (Reuters) - A car bomb in the Afghan capital Kabul killed two United States contractors for the international security force ISAF on M...

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Book of the Moment: The Working Drawing

<a href="http://www.park-books.com/index.php?lang=en&page=books&view=co&booktype=order_1_releasedate&subject=1&artist=all&author=all&pd=pb&book=519"><b><i>The Working Drawing: The Architect's Tool</i></b></a>, edited by <span class="html-element html-span headline-text" id="ID_52f91cf463be5">Annette Spiro and David Ganzoni</span> and published by Park Books, is a must-have book for architects who love drawings...which should pretty much be all of them. A selection of drawings from the book can be found in <a href="http://www.world-architects.com/en/pages/page_item/the-working-drawing/">this week's World-Architects eMagazine</a>. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTqNajGpg45JleMKVivG8TI20MG296fOyWNus-sualRI-6cKnWY0Fp6znW9Gx4Uh8NDai81j32ik_EbHnZ6IqbNSaJ0HSTGbr7RGqDOGb0RgQeAC6iQNfCxU3Q3QfxP6JHG89Y-YHECVI/s1600/9783906027319.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTqNajGpg45JleMKVivG8TI20MG296fOyWNus-sualRI-6cKnWY0Fp6znW9Gx4Uh8NDai81j32ik_EbHnZ6IqbNSaJ0HSTGbr7RGqDOGb0RgQeAC6iQNfCxU3Q3QfxP6JHG89Y-YHECVI/s1600/9783906027319.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Text <a href="http://www.park-books.com/index.php?lang=en&page=books&view=co&booktype=order_1_releasedate&subject=1&artist=all&author=all&pd=pb&book=519">from the publisher</a>:<br /><blockquote><i>Large-size working drawings are an elementary means in the architectural process and the actual construction of a building. Yet very little has been written and published about the architect’s quintessential tool. This new book aims to close this gap. It draws on a vast collection of working drawings from many centuries held by the Department of Architecture at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich). The collection, put together and categorized under the direction of Annette Spiro, comprises plans for a wide range of architectural tasks and features manifold representational techniques.</i><br /><i><br /></i> <i>The book presents around 100 of the collection’s highlights from five centuries, arranged by category for direct comparison. All plans are depicted entirely in color on large-size spreads and fold-outs. Full catalog details and a detail in true size are provided for each drawing.</i><br /><i><br /></i> <i>Mario Carpo, Hermann Czech, Tom Emerson, Philipp Esch, David Ganzoni, Uta Hassler and Daniel Stockhammer, Ákos Moravánszky, Urs Primas, Kornel Ringli, Stephan Rutishauser, Jonathan Sergison, and Philip Ursprung contribute essays on various aspects of the topic.</i></blockquote><br />The book is being released in the United States on February 15, 2014.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/3906027317/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=3906027317&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20" target="_blank"><img alt="Buy from Amazon.com" border="0" src="http://www.archidose.org/books/buy-from-tan.gif" /></a>

Book of the Moment: The Working Drawing

The Working Drawing: The Architect's Tool , edited by Annette Spiro and David Ganzoni and published by Park Books, is a must-have book ...

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Tweaking an exercise routine to stay strong after 50 (BLOG)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHF5j2lkAar1ppS4VQGAtN08fryJNlBkzWfkaJuw9iYbSH15KG9SFs60fD7X1PSSbCSoiZ08yV3W_eaWnFk5LWs22AhvFC5YMRXOWtlZgflzCIReGVBTT8NRY1Y56V7UOtLG0huhT8bW0/s1600/2014-02-10T090815Z_1_CBREA190PDV00_RTROPTP_2_USA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHF5j2lkAar1ppS4VQGAtN08fryJNlBkzWfkaJuw9iYbSH15KG9SFs60fD7X1PSSbCSoiZ08yV3W_eaWnFk5LWs22AhvFC5YMRXOWtlZgflzCIReGVBTT8NRY1Y56V7UOtLG0huhT8bW0/s1600/2014-02-10T090815Z_1_CBREA190PDV00_RTROPTP_2_USA.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_17366" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">By Dorene Internicola</div><div class="body-slot-mod" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17.307693481445313px; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em 10px; max-width: 300px;"><div class="yom-remote"><div class="" id="mediacontentrelatedstory_container"></div></div></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_17376" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">NEW YORK (Reuters) - People turning 50 may want to consider tweaking their exercise routines because as they age stiffer joints, slower recovery from injury and the loss of lean body mass are among the perils facing the youngest baby boomers, fitness experts say.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_17386" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Studies have shown that even a 90-year-old can build muscle, so the half-century mark is a good time to retire joint-stressing high jumps and to start lifting dumbbells to build strength.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_17396" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Dr. Wayne Westcott, co-author of the book "Strength Training Past 50," said maintaining lean body mass becomes harder with ageing.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_17406" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"The average man in good shape is about 85 percent lean weight, organs, blood, bones, muscles and skin, to 15 percent fat. The average healthy woman has a 75/25 ratio," said Westcott, fitness research director at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"It's more challenging with age but if you do strength training you can maintain your lean muscle to about age 70," he said, adding that an older woman who doesn't resistance train will lose up to 10 pounds of lean mass per decade.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Westcott places equal value on cardiovascular training.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"We recommend approximately 20 to 30 minutes of resistance exercises two to three times a week. Then try to have an equal amount of aerobic activity four to five days a week," he explained.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Westcott added that older adults, who are hitting the gym in increasing numbers, might want to avoid explosive, high velocity activities, such as high jumps.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">In 1990 there were 1.9 million health club members aged 55 and above, while in 2012 there were over 10 million, according to a 2014 report by the trade association IHRSA (International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association).</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Dr. Barbara Bushman of the American College of Sports Medicine said regular physical activity, rather than a sedentary lifestyle, has the potential to minimize the physiological changes that occur with age and inactivity, in addition to limiting the progression of chronic diseases.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"Older adults can benefit from exercise, and although absolute improvements may be less than for younger adults, relative increases can be similar," Bushman said, adding that older adults may take longer to make improvements.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">At 54, Florida-based fitness trainer and wellness coach Shirley Archer noticed that if she did not weight train she lost lean body muscle at a faster rate. She also found it harder to get it back.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Happily for Archer, who has enjoyed running, cycling and hiking, her endurance activities remain unaffected by her aging.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"I feel that I have not lost any endurance," said Archer, author of the book "Fitness 9 to 5: Easy Exercises for the Working Week."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">As people age, she explained, they lose muscle fibers that produce quick powerful bursts before fibers that are engaged in endurance activities such as running or cycling.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">She said that is why older athletes, who cannot physically compete against younger athletes when it comes to strength and power, can remain competitive in endurance sports.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The ageing exerciser also faces longer warm-up and recovery times, as the body is stiffer and slower to heal, Archer said. And the burning of fewer calories means paying even more attention to diet.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Staying hydrated is also important.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_17426" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">"We need to be sure to hydrate even if we don't feel particularly thirsty," she said. "Hydration will keep all systems working much more efficiently — and even help keep our thinking clear."</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_17416" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">(Editing by Patricia Reaney, Bernard Orr)</div>

Tweaking an exercise routine to stay strong after 50 (BLOG)

By Dorene Internicola NEW YORK (Reuters) - People turning 50 may want to consider tweaking their exercise routines because as they age stiff...

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50x50: 6th Street House

<span style="font-weight: bold;">American-Architects <a href="http://www.american-architects.com/en/pages/50x50">Building of the Week</a>:</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.american-architects.com/en/projects/44285_6th_Street_House">6th Street House</a> in Boulder, Colorado, by Arch11:<br /><a href="http://www.american-architects.com/en/projects/44285_6th_Street_House"><img alt="this week's Building of the Week" src="http://www.american-architects.com/files/projects/44285/images/6thStreetResidence_100_4.jpg" title="Current Building of the Week on american-architects.com" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><b>Last week's Building of the Week (which I forgot to post):</b><br /><br /><a href="http://www.world-architects.com/en/projects/44217_Animo_Leadership_High_School">Animo Leadership High School</a> in Inglewood, California, by Brooks + Scarpa Architects:<br /><a href="http://www.world-architects.com/en/projects/44217_Animo_Leadership_High_School"><img alt="this week's Building of the Week" src="http://www.world-architects.com/files/projects/44217/images/GreenDot_HS_012.jpg" title="Current Building of the Week on american-architects.com" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><i>American-Architects is taking a state-by-state look at architecture in the United States for our 2014 Building of the Week feature. "<a href="http://www.american-architects.com/en/pages/50x50">50x50 - 50 Projects in 50 Weeks</a>" presents one recent project from each state in alphabetical order, from Alabama to Wyoming. Projects are added every Monday.</i>

50x50: 6th Street House

American-Architects Building of the Week : 6th Street House in Boulder, Colorado, by Arch11: Last week's Building of the Week (which I ...

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Openly Gay Medalist 'Cuddles' with Putin (BLOG)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2PyNdmNeMoDDTXrD2uvfvVPh7OUbH5oDMHh1z8uHQooKXaxnrCfDXHMBCZdT6GxH2XCT0MxTUtIkkM-JIfBhORgykZMflLc4BOzk-jJ75S_8qg7RN93nkeQvtmLt3qRCFb5A-PFns4Q/s1600/33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2PyNdmNeMoDDTXrD2uvfvVPh7OUbH5oDMHh1z8uHQooKXaxnrCfDXHMBCZdT6GxH2XCT0MxTUtIkkM-JIfBhORgykZMflLc4BOzk-jJ75S_8qg7RN93nkeQvtmLt3qRCFb5A-PFns4Q/s1600/33.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_7510" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The first openly gay gold medalist at the Sochi Olympic games says she got “a cuddle” from Russian President Vladimir Putin.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_7487" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Dutch speedskater Ireen Wust told Dutch national broadcaster NOS, "I got a cuddle from him," at a party held in her honor. "He congratulated me and asked if everything was OK in Russia and I congratulated him on (Russian speedskater) Olga Graf, of course, for her third place (in the 3,000 meters). He was happy to see me, but then he had to leave again. But I cuddled him."</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_7524" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">John van Vliet, a spokesman for the Netherlands' Olympics Committee, said Putin gave Wust a quick hug and wished her well.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_7534" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Wust, who took gold at the 3,000 meter women's speedskate on Sunday, is one of seven openly gay athletes competing at the games.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_7544" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Putin’s embrace of Wust comes after months of international outrage over Russia’s gay propaganda law, which prohibits what it deems the promotion of homosexuality around minors. Gay rights advocates fear it could be used to persecute homosexuals in Russia, many of whom have complained about a deteriorating climate of hate towards gays in recent months.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_7596" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Some feared that gay athletes or fans could be targeted at the Sochi Olympics. Those fears may have been quieted by Putin’s meeting with Wust, the first openly gay Olympic medalist.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_7596" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"><br /></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_7596" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Yahoo</div>

Openly Gay Medalist 'Cuddles' with Putin (BLOG)

The first openly gay gold medalist at the Sochi Olympic games says she got “a cuddle” from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Dutch speedskat...

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Iraqi Suicide Bomb Instructor Accidentally Kills Himself And 21 Of His Pupils

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk26m0zIHnNIF9M0fP-0zDINfW-cKVEih9-pHatp6oM7ihqUHg4BWH4z3lMMRYLyqD609VFZ5_2VAg_4S_37t9dARUIyJXjGWKb0yeScfF01l4iQmm-565x9Dvs2B0KGJMOWbrbN2oH7ct/s1600/us_postal_service_logo-325.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk26m0zIHnNIF9M0fP-0zDINfW-cKVEih9-pHatp6oM7ihqUHg4BWH4z3lMMRYLyqD609VFZ5_2VAg_4S_37t9dARUIyJXjGWKb0yeScfF01l4iQmm-565x9Dvs2B0KGJMOWbrbN2oH7ct/s1600/us_postal_service_logo-325.gif" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Suicide Bomb Instructor Accidentally Kills Iraqi Pupils -- New York Times</b></span></div><br />BAGHDAD — A group of Sunni militants attending a suicide bombing training class at a camp north of Baghdad were killed on Monday when their commander unwittingly conducted a demonstration with a belt that was packed with explosives, army and police officials said.<br /><br />The militants belonged to a group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, which is fighting the Shiite-dominated army of the Iraqi government, mostly in Anbar Province. But they are also linked to bomb attacks elsewhere and other fighting that has thrown Iraq deeper into sectarian violence.<br /><br />Twenty-two ISIS members were killed, and 15 were wounded, in the explosion at the camp, which is in a farming area in the northeastern province of Samara, according to the police and army officials. Stores of other explosive devices and heavy weapons were also kept there, the officials said.<br /><br />Eight militants were arrested when they tried to escape, the officials said.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/11/world/middleeast/suicide-bomb-instructor-accidentally-kills-iraqi-pupils.html">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>More News On An Iraqi Suicide Bomb Instructor Accidentally Killing Himself And 21 Of His Pupils</b></span></div><br /><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26123074">Iraq militants 'killed by own bomb'</a> -- BBC<br /><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/02/10/militants-accidentally-set-off-own-car-bomb-at-training-camp-in-iraq-leaving-21/">Militants accidentally set off own car bomb at training camp in Iraq, leaving 21 dead</a> -- FOX News/AP<br /><a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/140210/21-militants-killed-own-car-bomb-iraq">21 militants killed by own car bomb in Iraq</a> -- Global Post/AFP<br /><a href="http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/02/10/Truck-bomb-explosion-kills-25-al-Qaida-militants-in-Iraq/UPI-62001392047222/?spt=rln&or=2">Truck-bomb explosion kills 25 al-Qaida militants in Iraq</a> -- UPI<br /><a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2014-02/10/c_133104516.htm">Truck bomb kills 25 militants in Iraq</a> -- Xinhua<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> Allahu Akbar!!!!!

Iraqi Suicide Bomb Instructor Accidentally Kills Himself And 21 Of His Pupils

Suicide Bomb Instructor Accidentally Kills Iraqi Pupils -- New York Times BAGHDAD — A group of Sunni militants attending a suicide bombing t...

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Georgia bracing for another round of winter weather (BLOG)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YzoCpqQwMYhHNpC62eHDkoHqqqR-iVlvHKclI50njfaCXbMHoL5ZXwAZw4uhhTaQTj6cHhPvdQx6fyGAMMmiptv6bBihZNAPb8ecE0-fP4abBCTBy_bPG9dI4Uh2yCZD-w-oGB_V4H0/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YzoCpqQwMYhHNpC62eHDkoHqqqR-iVlvHKclI50njfaCXbMHoL5ZXwAZw4uhhTaQTj6cHhPvdQx6fyGAMMmiptv6bBihZNAPb8ecE0-fP4abBCTBy_bPG9dI4Uh2yCZD-w-oGB_V4H0/s1600/3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_3112" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">ATLANTA (AP) — With memories of thousands of vehicles gridlocked for hours on icy metro Atlanta highways fresh in their minds, emergency officials and elected leaders in north Georgia were preparing Monday for another round of winter weather.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_3159" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Gov. Nathan Deal, who was criticized for his response to the Jan. 28 storm that paralyzed the metro area and left motorists stranded in vehicles overnight, said in a news release Sunday that he's put emergency response agencies on alert and begun significant preparations.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_3169" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The governor scheduled a news conference for noon Monday to discuss winter storm preparations.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The National Weather Service issued a winter weather watch from 7 p.m. Monday through 7 p.m. Tuesday and a winter storm watch from Tuesday evening through Thursday morning for the metro Atlanta area.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Forecasters said Alabama, which also saw stranded vehicles and other issues in the January storm, was likely to get a wintry mix of precipitation. Areas of Mississippi could see three inches of snow late Monday through noon Tuesday. And a blast of snow over a wide section of Kentucky slickened roads and closed several school districts.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Rain was expected Monday night in north Georgia, with predictions that it would change to snow by Tuesday morning and mix with sleet during the day. Snow was expected from Tuesday night through Thursday morning. Snow will likely accumulate, making driving conditions hazardous.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Emergency officials throughout the area have been urging residents to prepare their homes and vehicles.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">State and local officials were widely criticized two weeks ago for what critics called a sluggish and inadequate response to the threat of severe weather that left tens of thousands of motorists stuck in their cars for hours and at least 280 students forced to sleep on their school buses because of icy, gridlocked roads.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_3244" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The governor has apologized and last week announced the formation of a task force to develop recommendations on how the state can be better prepared and better equipped the next time severe weather hits metro Atlanta. He also called for various internal and external reviews and wants a new public alert system for severe weather, similar to what's used for missing and endangered children.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_3244" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"><br /></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047661340_3244" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Yahoo</div>

Georgia bracing for another round of winter weather (BLOG)

ATLANTA (AP) — With memories of thousands of vehicles gridlocked for hours on icy metro Atlanta highways fresh in their minds, emergency off...

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China And Taiwan To Hold Their First Official Talks In 65 Years Tomorrow

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyv0fKovOEWRzB6D1KQ90KYD0QgQlk3KYRwPuKW-MLpZhGMsk8HHMynovDl4MsDpnjAXZfTy-P43eqOoj9X_YFHOkkvIcfjunJHL5JB8irHGEhTMeRjHuLOGo-uymYjkI70yUKkVMrZWT/s1600/us_postal_service_logo-325.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyv0fKovOEWRzB6D1KQ90KYD0QgQlk3KYRwPuKW-MLpZhGMsk8HHMynovDl4MsDpnjAXZfTy-P43eqOoj9X_YFHOkkvIcfjunJHL5JB8irHGEhTMeRjHuLOGo-uymYjkI70yUKkVMrZWT/s1600/us_postal_service_logo-325.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Taiwan, China To Hold First Official Talks -- Voice of America</b></span></div><br />NANJING — Taiwan and China hold official talks this week, a historic first for the two governments since a civil war ended more than six decades ago. Political differences still linger and while the two administrations do not officially recognize one another, some analysts think the talks could mark a small step toward more normal, official ties - and perhaps even be a prelude to a possible meeting between China's Xi Jinping and Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou later this year.<br /><br />Since Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou was elected in 2008, Taipei and Beijing have made big strides in boosting economic ties.<br /><br />However, as bilateral trade has boomed, Ma's approval ratings at home have sunk, hovering in the teens and low 20s for much of last year. Only halfway through his second term, there are concerns both for Ma and China's leadership that the political tide in Taiwan could be shifting away from Taipei's ruling Nationalist Party, also known as the Kuomintang.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/taiwan-china-hold-first-official-talks/1847917.html">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>More News On China And Taiwan Preparing To Hold Their First Official Talks In 65 Years</b></span></div><br /><a href="http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/china-taiwan-meet-for-highest-level-talks-since-1949-division-1.1678647">China, Taiwan meet for highest-level talks since 1949 division</a> -- CTV News/AP<br /><a href="http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/asia/story/historic-china-taiwan-talks-week-start-long-road-closer-ties-20140209">Historic China-Taiwan talks this week start long road to closer ties</a> -- Strait Times/AFP<br /><a href="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/historic-china-taiwan/989432.html">Historic China-Taiwan talks to begin on Tuesday </a>-- Channel News Agency<br /><a href="http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/841737.shtml#.UvkP44W0ykM">Mainland, Taiwan to hold first official meet in 65 yrs </a>-- Global Times<br /><a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/140210/taiwan-raise-press-freedom-landmark-china-talks">Taiwan to raise press freedom in landmark China talks</a> -- Global Post/AFP

China And Taiwan To Hold Their First Official Talks In 65 Years Tomorrow

Taiwan, China To Hold First Official Talks -- Voice of America NANJING — Taiwan and China hold official talks this week, a historic first fo...

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NFL players’ early reaction to Michael Sam’s announcement is mostly positive

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7ADCltPoLwXVXMBn1cm-gTolxDif5bTKNW_L7tXGj94kqNVBXpU8VSJKGTK2QitN-cSkn7qsqqOuM5AVLuigywYx2CJTXpwn8TFVrfZovWUvg8Oja9AIA12dqND9FrY4nGpsofJQ1RE/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7ADCltPoLwXVXMBn1cm-gTolxDif5bTKNW_L7tXGj94kqNVBXpU8VSJKGTK2QitN-cSkn7qsqqOuM5AVLuigywYx2CJTXpwn8TFVrfZovWUvg8Oja9AIA12dqND9FrY4nGpsofJQ1RE/s1600/11.jpg" /></a></div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047480082_1639" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Before last season, defensive end <a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_player" data-rapid_p="10" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/search?p=Michael+Sam" id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047480082_1645" style="color: #8ec0ff; text-decoration: none;">Michael Sam</a> told the University of Missouri football team he was gay,<a data-rapid_p="11" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/10/sports/michael-sam-college-football-star-says-he-is-gay-ahead-of-nfl-draft.html" id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047480082_1669" style="color: #8ec0ff; text-decoration: none;">according to the New York Times</a>.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047480082_1657" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Sam being gay didn't seem to affect that team at all. The Tigers had a great season, making the SEC championship game. His teammates kept his secret. Sam being gay didn't become public until Sunday night, when Sam announced it to the New York Times and ESPN. Sam is considered a mid-round pick, and when he's drafted he'll be the NFL's first openly gay player.</div><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047480082_1663" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">Missouri's reaction (or, non-reaction) to Sam's sexual preference should throw some water on the narrative that a gay player will totally disrupt an entire NFL team. <a data-rapid_p="12" href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20140209/michael-sam-draft-stock/?eref=sihp" style="color: #8ec0ff; text-decoration: none;">SI.com published a story</a> in the wake of Sam's announcement that said all eight coaches and executives interviewed said it would hurt Sam's draft stock. But the reaction from NFL players – past, current and future – was mostly positive right after the news broke, which is probably a better indication of how he'll be accepted in a locker room.</div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px;"></span><br /><div id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047480082_1732" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The league itself supported Sam in a statement.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">“We admire Michael Sam’s honesty and courage," the NFL said. "Michael is a football player. Any player with ability and determination can succeed in the NFL. We look forward to welcoming and supporting Michael Sam in 2014.”</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">In April of 2013, commissioner Roger Goodell sent the NFL’s sexual orientation anti-discrimination and harassment policy to all club presidents, coaches and general managers, <a data-rapid_p="27" href="http://nfllabor.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/nfl-ewc-sexual-orientation.pdf" style="color: #8ec0ff; text-decoration: none;">which reads in part</a>, to "Make sure that everyone understands that harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation are contrary to our values."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;">The only controversial reaction came from former Cowboys and Chargers receiver Patrick Crayton, who hasn't played in the NFL since 2011. He said, among other things, "There goes the NFL!" and "Stay in the closet and keep ... To urself!!! (sic)"</div><span class="yui-tweet yui-editorial-embed" data-twttr-id="twttr-sandbox-11" id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047480082_1742" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px;"></span><div id="yui-tmp-10" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em; text-align: center;"><em>- - - - - - -</em></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin-bottom: 1.1em;"><strong></strong></div><div class="yom-figure yom-fig-left" style="background-color: white; clear: left; float: left; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin: 0px 20px 20px 0px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden; width: 75px;"><strong><img alt="" class="editorial" height="78" src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/o4Rlm9.oqYHzalLUc9dc1g--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTc1/http://media.zenfs.com/en/blogs/sptusnflexperts/schwab75mug2.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: inline; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; opacity: 1 !important; transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; vertical-align: bottom; visibility: visible !important;" width="75" /></strong></div><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px;"><a data-rapid_p="38" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/author/frank-schwab/" style="color: #8ec0ff; text-decoration: none;">Frank Schwab</a> </strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px;">is the editor of </span><a data-rapid_p="39" href="http://www.shutdowncorner.com/" id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047480082_1776" style="background-color: white; color: #8ec0ff; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; text-decoration: none;"><strong id="yui_3_9_1_1_1392047480082_1775">Shutdown Corner</strong></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px;"> on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at</span><a data-rapid_p="40" href="mailto:shutdown.corner@yahoo.com" style="background-color: white; color: #8ec0ff; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; text-decoration: none;">shutdowncorner@yahoo.com</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px;"> or follow him on Twitter!</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px;" /><iframe allowtransparency="true" class="twitter-follow-button twitter-follow-button" data-twttr-rendered="true" frameborder="0" id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/follow_button.1390956745.html#_=1392047516268&id=twitter-widget-0&lang=en&screen_name=YahooSchwab&show_count=true&show_screen_name=true&size=m" style="background-color: white; display: block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 20px; line-height: 24.000001907348633px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; width: 251px;" title="Twitter Follow Button"></iframe>

NFL players’ early reaction to Michael Sam’s announcement is mostly positive

Before last season, defensive end  Michael Sam  told the University of Missouri football team he was gay, according to the New York Times . ...

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Only Two American Idols Have Albums on BillBoard 200

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg85_74luPyXRNh2TI9bfZx3HbcQ9nI8qWg80sAvnGEA132wWAon5KAMQXhrWUIoETJvI0VWHBndSNVvpDGW17sE8y3QJdl3CrEVANpBHblEOp1Evbk3oB5bz8AZ_B7B6vIJ3zTSdVLamlz/s1600/bb200-20140210.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg85_74luPyXRNh2TI9bfZx3HbcQ9nI8qWg80sAvnGEA132wWAon5KAMQXhrWUIoETJvI0VWHBndSNVvpDGW17sE8y3QJdl3CrEVANpBHblEOp1Evbk3oB5bz8AZ_B7B6vIJ3zTSdVLamlz/s1600/bb200-20140210.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">orange = Daughtry, red = Scotty</td></tr></tbody></table>It has been a long time since only two American Idols have had albums on the <a href="http://www.mjsbigblog.com/billboard-chart-date-02152014.htm" target="_blank">BillBoard 200</a> album chart. In fact the last time was the week before Carrie Underwood released "Blown Away" back in May 2012 and the two albums were Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger" and Scotty McCreery's "Clear as Day". Now nearly two years later the only two Idols on the chart are again Scotty (this time with "See You Tonight" at #160) and Daughtry with "Baptized" at #90. Scotty's latest has <a href="http://www.roughstock.com/blog/country-album-chart-news-the-week-of-february-2014-musgraves-1-taylor-swift-top-5-scotty-mccreery-cassadee-pope-keith-urban-news" target="_blank">sold another 3K</a> units this week to bring his total to 195K. With his title track single preparing to break into the top 10 on country radio the album will definitely break through 200K and hopefully reach 250K eventually, probably after the second single from the album is released.<br /><br />A week from Tuesday marks <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/earshot/candice-glover-talks-finally-releasing-671712" target="_blank">the release of "Music Speaks"</a> by Candice Glover. HitsDailyDouble should have some estimates of its sales pretty quickly, so it will be interesting to see how well it sells.

Only Two American Idols Have Albums on BillBoard 200

orange = Daughtry, red = Scotty It has been a long time since only two American Idols have had albums on the BillBoard 200 album chart. In ...

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New NSA Revelation: U.S. Drone Strikes Kill Innocents By Targeting NSA Phone Data

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgribeq-nT8-D7VLB7tULjBv6VyZr4UloNqSMWkQxj7188HmDZxZ6dBSiKEqxQ31obbPWsdE9zPKnZNqR6Yp1paYJDUK6G8XPD526ACoyWzECcgN2xtDBek4zl0P-Sto9q28YKoycv4z7e/s1600/200px-US-DefenseIntelligenceAgency-Seal.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgribeq-nT8-D7VLB7tULjBv6VyZr4UloNqSMWkQxj7188HmDZxZ6dBSiKEqxQ31obbPWsdE9zPKnZNqR6Yp1paYJDUK6G8XPD526ACoyWzECcgN2xtDBek4zl0P-Sto9q28YKoycv4z7e/s1600/200px-US-DefenseIntelligenceAgency-Seal.svg.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Intercept’s editors are Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras and Jeremy Scahill. Photograph: /Public domain</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The NSA’s Secret Role in the U.S. Assassination Program -- The Intercept</b></span></div><br />The National Security Agency is using complex analysis of electronic surveillance, rather than human intelligence, as the primary method to locate targets for lethal drone strikes – an unreliable tactic that results in the deaths of innocent or unidentified people.<br /><br />According to a former drone operator for the military’s Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) who also worked with the NSA, the agency often identifies targets based on controversial metadata analysis and cell-phone tracking technologies. Rather than confirming a target’s identity with operatives or informants on the ground, the CIA or the U.S. military then orders a strike based on the activity and location of the mobile phone a person is believed to be using.<br /><br />The drone operator, who agreed to discuss the top-secret programs on the condition of anonymity, was a member of JSOC’s High Value Targeting task force, which is charged with identifying, capturing or killing terrorist suspects in Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan and elsewhere.<br /><br /><b><a href="https://firstlook.org/theintercept/article/2014/02/10/the-nsas-secret-role/">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>More News On Reports That U.S. Drone Strikes Kill Innocents By Targeting NSA Phone Data</b></span></div><br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/feb/10/the-intercept-glenn-greenwald-nsa-revelations">Glenn Greenwald's new website launches with fresh NSA revelations</a> -- The Guardian<br /><a href="http://rt.com/news/nsa-drones-civilian-casualties-383/">Use of NSA metadata to find drone targets kills civilians – Greenwald</a> -- RT<br /><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/nsa-drone-strikes-based-on-mobile-phone-data-9119735.html">NSA 'drone strikes based on mobile phone data'</a> -- The Independent<br /><a href="http://gizmodo.com/report-nsa-phone-data-guides-drone-strikes-which-kill-1519744305">Report: NSA Relies on Unreliable Phone Data for Drone Strikes</a> -- Gizmodo<br /><a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/10/5396920/drone-strikes-have-killed-innocents-with-nsa-data">Drone strikes kill innocents by targeting NSA phone data, not people: Greenwald</a> -- The verge<br /><a href="http://mashable.com/2014/02/10/glenn-greenwald-new-site-nsa/">Glenn Greenwald's New Site Goes Live With NSA Allegations</a> -- Mashable<br /><a href="http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/greenwald-snowden-nsa-targeted/2014/02/09/id/551768">Latest Snowden Revelations: NSA Surveillance Key to Targeted Killings </a>-- Newsmax

New NSA Revelation: U.S. Drone Strikes Kill Innocents By Targeting NSA Phone Data

The Intercept’s editors are Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras and Jeremy Scahill. Photograph: /Public domain The NSA’s Secret Role in the U.S. ...

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Councilman Slams Shakira For Promoting 'Lesbianism' In Music Video With Rihanna (BLOG)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigolcCPPNHQLN3whGSsqyl6HflilZTHKrntD8gDfRFDMUEbRw8cCWVXDMqziUx0Vnadwq_U1V9F7gTH4NDh-0lNm3LnauSFnyyUjkQfVss7cek8Z5x2kik2cIu48WwPjGAUnMHbvfntOw/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigolcCPPNHQLN3whGSsqyl6HflilZTHKrntD8gDfRFDMUEbRw8cCWVXDMqziUx0Vnadwq_U1V9F7gTH4NDh-0lNm3LnauSFnyyUjkQfVss7cek8Z5x2kik2cIu48WwPjGAUnMHbvfntOw/s1600/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="content" data-twttr-id="twttr-sandbox-0" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; direction: ltr; font-family: Arial, FreeSans, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">A Colombian councilman is slamming Shakira for promoting "lesbianism" in her new music video.</div><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/concejal-quiere-vetar-video-shakira-y-rihanna-193215733.html" sl-processed="1" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #ed4a4b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">Marco Fidel Ramirez</a>, a conservative Christian councilman from Bogota, denounced<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/shakira-slammed-politician-music-video-rihanna-article-1.1601314" sl-processed="1" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #ed4a4b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">Shakira's recent music video for "Can't Remember to Forget You," which features Rihanna</a>. In the video, the two scantily clad singers caress each other while crooning about a lover who is hard to shake.</div><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">Last week, Ramirez <a href="https://twitter.com/7MarcoFidelR/status/429258951780487169" sl-processed="1" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #ed4a4b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">tweeted</a> that the video was "SIMPLY DISGUSTING" and an "unabashed glorification of lesbianism." (Ramirez has spoken out <a href="http://colombiareports.co/councilman-calls-prohibition-halloween-satan-party-bogota/" sl-processed="1" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #ed4a4b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">against "nontraditional" things, such as "satanic" Halloween</a>, before.)</div><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">He is trying to get the Autoridad Nacional de Televisión, Colombia's national television authority, to ban the music video in the country, the Associated Press noted.</div><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">On Twitter, as well as on his website, Ramirez <a href="http://www.marcofidelramirez.com/#!noticia75/c1ejd" sl-processed="1" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #ed4a4b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">ranted about Shakira and Rihanna's "lesbianism"</a> and their use of tobacco.</div><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />According to a Huffington Post translation, a <a href="http://www.marcofidelramirez.com/#!noticia75/c1ejd" sl-processed="1" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #ed4a4b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">message on his website</a> reads: </div><blockquote style="background-color: #f0f0f0; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 15px 0px; padding: 15px; quotes: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The family councilman, Marco Fidel Ramírez, categorically rejects the content of Shakira's latest video because it hurts the moral character of Bogota, Colombia and Latin America's youth.<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">Ramírez is vindicated as the defender of principles and values and profoundly laments that the talented Colombian singer has allowed herself to be part of the moral decomposition by participating in a "simply disgusting" video with Rihana [sic] another renowned musical artist.</div><div class="ql" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div class="qr" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div></blockquote><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">While Ramirez has taken issue with the video showing same-sex affection in general, others have taken issue with the video's portrayal of that affection.</div><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">In a piece that appeared on Jezebel, the Lingerie Lesbian critiqued <a href="http://jezebel.com/shakira-and-rihanna-need-to-stop-with-the-faux-lesbian-1514802604" sl-processed="1" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #ed4a4b; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">Shakira and Rihanna's use faux-lesbian posturing</a>.</div><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">"This kind of performance doesn’t just demean lesbian sexuality, it demeans female sexuality as a whole. The questionable agency of the same sex interaction calls into question the motives of all of their actions," she wrote. Adding, "I certainly don’t entirely condemn Rihanna and Shakira for this—it just frustrates me to see this kind of homoerotic posturing when it’s nearly impossible to see examples of queer relationships taken seriously. I’m so tired of having same-sex intimacy co-opted as a performance for others to enjoy."</div><div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">Since its debut on Jan. 30, the "Can't Remember to Forget You" video has been viewed more than 71 million times.</div></div><footer style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, FreeSans, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><section class="also-on" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><h3 style="border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline;"></h3></section></footer>

Councilman Slams Shakira For Promoting 'Lesbianism' In Music Video With Rihanna (BLOG)

A Colombian councilman is slamming Shakira for promoting "lesbianism" in her new music video. Marco Fidel Ramirez , a conservative...

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Mob Wives: Up Close & Personal with Lana, Renee and Jennifer Graziano

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0lSDKq8MtsBqHTuTUN29-A73Si-Q6bBoUiP8V1LGjIoF_QyjRBGmjY8A4nqFrT8pFqbogTA2HHFLbzArk2aty1J58WHKcPHeVTc8zl5x8-OpIklK7xCZvl9e-r_if_I3UMebNMm493M/s1600/photo+%25281%2529.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0lSDKq8MtsBqHTuTUN29-A73Si-Q6bBoUiP8V1LGjIoF_QyjRBGmjY8A4nqFrT8pFqbogTA2HHFLbzArk2aty1J58WHKcPHeVTc8zl5x8-OpIklK7xCZvl9e-r_if_I3UMebNMm493M/s1600/photo+%25281%2529.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Monmouth, New Jersey Book Signing!</b></div><br />As blog "MobChef," I had the pleasure of chatting with Lana about her collaboration in the cookbook "How To Use a Meat Cleaver." Lana co-wrote the book with her two sisters, Renee and Jennifer. Lana, the elder of this thriving threesome, certainly has shared her passion for cooking in this book. She has owned and operated a few restaurants and she says she worked hands on and did everything herself. Lana's cooking style comes from her Italian roots and claims she is old-school. She is currently looking for a prime location to open a new restaurant with her sisters. Here are a few questions I asked:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Embedded image permalink" height="274" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bf9nBU8CIAAoatB.jpg" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Lana Graziano</b></div><br />Thanks for taking the time out to chat with me. It looks like “How To Use a Meat Cleaver” is getting a great response.  Congratulations.<br /><br />Tell me, what region of Italy did your family come from, and are the recipes from there?<br /><br /><b><i>We came from Sicily, from the region known as Sciacca, pronounced "Shaka."</i></b><br /><br />Who was the most influential person who taught you to cook?<br /><br /><b><i>That would be my grandmother Nora. I learned a lot from her at a young age.</i></b>       <br /><br />What motivated you to write a cookbook?<br /><br /><b><i>I wanted to take my love of cooking and share it with everyone.</i></b><br /><br />I know Jennifer mentioned that you, being the older sister, cooked for her and Renee when they were younger. Did you teach them to cook?<br /><br /><b><i>Yes, when I was younger and I babysat my sisters, I would tell them to help with whatever meal I was making. As they got older they would often ask me how do you make this dish or that dish, and it went on from there.</i></b><br /><br />If there’s one recipe everyone should try, which one would it be?<br /><br /><b><i>I have so many that I love, but I think the Sunday gravy fulfills everybody from the meatballs to the pasta.   </i></b><br /><br />What did you find most challenging about writing the cookbook?<br /><br /><b><i>The most challenging thing was having to figure out how much of everything was needed when it came to ingredients because I do everything by eye and taste.</i></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPswr3u3iZQgC9e_f_btmYhMBRExePTQ1r6UpD8LMnEuNZTD9bxImkvAsOTdbLRsGuG22ZvVxxAtm9yzwg-zxaSm9-ifYuOhMNBCfTyDeRWcsSLXJ5gmq2M4USJuGGkXlAPkrQOHQL_Y/s1600/filet+mignon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPswr3u3iZQgC9e_f_btmYhMBRExePTQ1r6UpD8LMnEuNZTD9bxImkvAsOTdbLRsGuG22ZvVxxAtm9yzwg-zxaSm9-ifYuOhMNBCfTyDeRWcsSLXJ5gmq2M4USJuGGkXlAPkrQOHQL_Y/s1600/filet+mignon.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Who will "whack" that filet mignon?</b></div><br />What recipe is your personal favorite?<br /><b><i><br /></i></b><b><i>My stuffed filet mignon. I think it's because you can get really creative. Other than the breadcrumb mixture you can make it with mozzarella or without, you can add mushrooms or spinach, really it's to your personal liking and it will always be tasty. I promise. </i></b><br /><br />Tell me about how food has influenced your life.<br /><br /><b><i>I center food around my whole life. Everyday I think about what I'm gonna make and who is coming for dinner. I love company and family all getting together. </i></b><br /><br />As the most private of the Graziano sisters can you tell me something that the fans may not know about you?<br /><br /><b><i>I'm a very simple person, I love my family and friends, and really love to cook.</i></b><br /><br />Jennifer mentioned you owned a few restaurants and the lines were out the door; I grew up in a restaurant so I am always curious about other experiences. Tell us about that...<br /><br /><b><i>I'm now looking into opening my next restaurant along with my sisters. That's something I would love to do again so my fans can come in, eat, and be merry.  </i></b>         <br /><br />Is there anything you would like to add that we haven't discussed?<br /><br /><b><i>Something I would love to add is:  I'm so very proud of both of my sisters. Renee for her sharing herself with everyone whether it was good or bad because I know she has helped a lot of people out there. I would've to see more of her funny side, that's the side I Iove. I get the biggest kick out of her. And Jenn well I'm </i></b><b><i>amazed at her how she has become this successful business woman and how much she has accomplished. I'm truly speechless. </i></b><br /><br />Thanks so much!<br />Carmela<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">**********</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoHpcYRG6iddA_kLn6HK-I1MISVmMFN1xmM0milbS6BeDb6khtMAk5xaE6teb1z6noeD02G3C3ABzsMeVWQSNWrN1OrN7-JdT8mt_Cpl-HDI83XR8dJCiZ7erBu5OllMKTf8iirm8HxY/s1600/photo+%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoHpcYRG6iddA_kLn6HK-I1MISVmMFN1xmM0milbS6BeDb6khtMAk5xaE6teb1z6noeD02G3C3ABzsMeVWQSNWrN1OrN7-JdT8mt_Cpl-HDI83XR8dJCiZ7erBu5OllMKTf8iirm8HxY/s1600/photo+%25285%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"Meat" the Graziano sisters!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>I got to attend the book signing in New Jersey on Thursday, February 6th, where the girls got one on one with the audience. Clearly they sat in sibling birth order. I say that because Lana was reserved while Renee proved her ownership of  being the middle-child. She brought her huge personality with her and is just as we see her on Mob Wives. Jennifer, who is usually quiet, sat and tried to make her points, but Renee usually ended her sentences. Jennifer says Renee aggravated her as a kid, but she found some ways to get back at her. For example, they treated their food as a test of loyalty. Jennifer hid a meatball for herself and Renee found it. While she attempted to eat it, Jennifer stabbed her. Well Renee says stabbed and Jennifer says "it was only a fork."  Another time, Jennifer got even smarted and took a spoon, heated it over a candle and burned Renee with it. They share such great memories of their childhood that came from sitting at the table eating.  These are the memories that stay with you. I asked Jenn which recipe from the book was hers and she said, the "stuffed artichokes." "Sure," Renee said, "everything is yours." We all had a laugh. Jenn said they are hers, she tweaked the recipe. The girls went on to talk about the inspiration that came from their grandmother, Nora. Learning the basics from their mom, Veronica, and they even talk about their father's cooking. Mom cooked the basics like meatloaf, mashed potatoes and stew, while dad jarred his own caponata and made gravy (yes, I said it) from tomatoes that he boiled. Very old school to say the least.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Embedded image permalink" height="385" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bf9nimlCMAAd8kQ.jpg" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Jennifer Graziano</b></div><br />The group asked about the show whether or not it was staged. Jennifer answered by saying that the production talks to the girls, looks for things that will get the audience's attention, they clear the location and then whatever happens happens. Renee talked about her Mob Candy line and said it's doing excellent. They asked if Natalie was still the model for it, and the answer was flat out NO! Someone asked if we would be seeing any of the other Mob Wives again. Jenn said, Ramona, no; Carla & Love, no and Karen, well it's a possibility. I was especially interested in the last part of this comment and hoped that the possibility becomes a reality. Jennifer talked about a new business they are embarking on, The Graziano Macaroni Company, that will feature foods and wine.<br /><br />The cookbook holds lots of old Italian recipes, some with a modern-day twist. The Graziano family is from Sicily, as is my family, so our styles are very similar. I will try some of these recipes and blog them.  I hope you all got your own copy so you can enjoy their style of cooking from their home to yours.<br /><br />Congrats to the Graziano sisters. I wish you all continued success. <br /><br />Written by: Carmela Corleone follow me on Twitter @carmelacorleone<br /><br />Picture Credit Manny from MTC Photography Twitter Account

Mob Wives: Up Close & Personal with Lana, Renee and Jennifer Graziano

Monmouth, New Jersey Book Signing! As blog "MobChef," I had the pleasure of chatting with Lana about her collaboration in the cook...

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What Are The White House's Choices On Syria?

<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/p7Hlk8V_CzU" width="420"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Washington Faces Difficult Choices On Syria -- Voice of America</b></span></div><br />As the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and exiled opposition leaders prepare for a second round of peace talks in Geneva on Monday, U.S. officials are seeing a growing terrorism threat and a regional spillover from the conflict in Syria<br /><br />Washington has been pushing hard for a negotiated end to the nearly three-year long civil war. But expectations are low after the sides failed to make any progress during the previous round of discussions in Geneva.<br /><br />In the meantime, the fighting has continued increasing pressure on the Obama administration, which has given indications in recent weeks that its view of the conflict may be changing.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/washington-faces-difficult-choices-on-syria/1847692.html">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>My Comment</b>: The White House had already indicated (last year) that they were not even going to respect their own red lines on Syrian chemical use .... so why assume that they still have options available now. Bottom line .... everyone knows that the U.S. has zero interest to become actively involved in the Syrian civil war .... so the push to convince us that they are pondering some options is nothing more but a PR push to convince us that they are doing something.

What Are The White House's Choices On Syria?

Washington Faces Difficult Choices On Syria -- Voice of America As the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and exiled opposition ...

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Hoffman's alleged drug dealer says he's a 'scapegoat' (BLOG)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJ76yPrlNuGYKFk6Diq3VyHjeXe9C3M2kd0_GGSimNK0J-_lASnMQgCfxLiqv4Rid7lECsJ91_6rMqL9_3tGr4qy43rZeXdDGWKhCBddAxqUUAA32k16jUabSXOD0A2cn9Ksqvc7oR3k/s1600/philip+seymour+hoffman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJ76yPrlNuGYKFk6Diq3VyHjeXe9C3M2kd0_GGSimNK0J-_lASnMQgCfxLiqv4Rid7lECsJ91_6rMqL9_3tGr4qy43rZeXdDGWKhCBddAxqUUAA32k16jUabSXOD0A2cn9Ksqvc7oR3k/s1600/philip+seymour+hoffman.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Helvetica Nueue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5;">I </span><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 25.5px;">didn't</span><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5;"> kill him — and I could’ve saved him, insists Philip Seymour Hoffman’s accused heroin dealer, breaking his silence for the first time since the actor’s death last Sunday.</span></span></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">“He was my friend,” jazz musician and admitted junkie Robert Vineberg told <a href="http://nypost.com/2014/02/09/hoffmans-accused-dealer-i-couldve-saved-him/" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.2s linear; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2a5d80; cursor: pointer; outline: none 0px; transition: color 0.2s linear;" target="_blank">The New York Post</a> in a jailhouse interview on Rikers Island.</div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">“I could’ve saved him,” Vineberg said, wearing a gray prison jumpsuit and hunching pensively at a red table in a jail visiting area.</div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">“If I knew he was in town, I would've said, ‘Hey, let’s make an AA meeting.’ If I was with him, it wouldn't have happened. Not under my guard.”</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBd_X_1i5fHStZWaZ1DxOgRTgLDKLA_vjGB-IXlJx7IEZSmQfhRXU8O95cBtmYie-R_aug3dU1t7oXGQo-ti3kBeKH1rSAvJkk8_vW1lubr82tFsvPBSaXIDH8MQ90QgbbwABpNLvq6o/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBd_X_1i5fHStZWaZ1DxOgRTgLDKLA_vjGB-IXlJx7IEZSmQfhRXU8O95cBtmYie-R_aug3dU1t7oXGQo-ti3kBeKH1rSAvJkk8_vW1lubr82tFsvPBSaXIDH8MQ90QgbbwABpNLvq6o/s1600/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">Vineberg who claims to have been friendly with the 46-year-old actor for approximately a year denies selling him the 73 bags of heroin found in his Greenwich Village apartment. However he declined to respond when asked if he had ever sold the troubled actor drugs.</div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">“When we got together, we talked about books. And art. He was a normal guy. You wouldn’t know he was an Oscar winner,” Vineberg told the paper. “He loved his kids. I offer my condolences to his family.”</div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">The last time he saw Hoffman – high - was in October at his apartment where police discovered 300 bags of heroin during a raid there last week.  After that, Hoffman went to rehab for a month and then began filming the “Hunger Games” movie in Atlanta.</div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">Their last contact was by e-mail and text claims the 57-year-old.<br style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />“He left me a voicemail in December saying, ‘I’m clean,’” claims Vineberg. But by the end of the month the two had lost touch.</div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">Vineberg estimates that Hoffman’s habit was 10 bags a day.</div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">“How much was he found with? Seventy bags. You do the math . . . That’s a one-week supply,” he explains. That amount is double what experts estimate the average addict uses.</div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">Vineberg was charged with felony drug possession but insists that he did not supply Hoffman with his fatal dose. Another two men and one woman have been charged with drug offences possibly connected to the narcotics found in Hoffman's home at the time of his death.</div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">“Don’t you understand? I’m a scapegoat,” he groused.</div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: 'Helvetica Nueue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 36px; padding: 0px;">Vinberg, an accomplished saxophone player has penned horn arrangements for artists including Madonna, Wyclef Jean and Amy Winehouse but allegedly turned to drug dealing as work dried up.</div>

Hoffman's alleged drug dealer says he's a 'scapegoat' (BLOG)

I  didn't  kill him — and I could’ve saved him, insists Philip Seymour Hoffman’s accused heroin dealer, breaking his silence for the fir...

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