Texas executes inmate convicted in 1990 murder and rape

By Corrie MacLaggan

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Texas executed a convicted murderer on Tuesday by lethal injection for killing a man then raping the victim's fianc?e, even as he maintained to the end that he was "not a killer," according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Eleven other convicts are scheduled to be executed before the end of July in Texas, which has put to death more people than any other U.S. state since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Last year, it executed 15 people.

Rickey Lewis was convicted of shooting to death George Newman, 45, in 1990 while burglarizing Newman's home in East Texas.

After the shooting, Lewis, then 28, raped Newman's fianc?e and stole her vehicle, according to the criminal justice department. The fianc?e later climbed out of a bathroom window and drove to a store to call police, the department said.

In his last statement, Lewis said he was sorry for what happened to the woman, but then said, "If I hadn't raped you then you wouldn't have lived." He denied killing Newman and robbing the house.

"When I saw you in the truck driving away, I could have killed you but I didn't," said Lewis, according to a statement provided by prison officials. "I'm not a killer."

DNA analysis showed that Lewis' blood and semen matched traces found at the scene, according to an account of the case from the state attorney general's office.

Lewis already had a long criminal record, including a conviction for assaulting an 18-year-old woman who had gotten in the way of his attempt to burglarize her family's vehicles.

Lewis had said that he had mental disabilities, and those claims delayed a 2003 execution date, but his execution was later rescheduled.

His death marks the second execution this year in Texas and the sixth in the United States, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

(Reporting by Corrie MacLaggan and Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/texas-executes-inmate-convicted-1990-murder-rape-001205154.html

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VIDEO: Meet the Women of 'Defiance'

On an barely recognizable Earth in the not-too-distant future, survivors of a massive war between humans and several alien races struggle to coexist on the new Syfy series Defiance. They do so, relatively peaceably, in the titular frontier town (you might notice it’s built upon the ruins of St. Louis).

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/video-meet-women-defiance/1-a-532832?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Avideo-meet-women-defiance-532832

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Gillmor Gang: It's Alright, Bob

The Gillmor Gang ? Robert Scoble, Danny Sullivan, Kevin Marks, and Steve Gillmor ? convened with Gillmor in Boston and the Gang in California. We took another cut at the Google Reader damage, with @dannysullivan hating on notifications and @scobleizer hating on Android's notifications. Did I say I told him so? Yes I did. But the mere fact we spent so much time on the stream's destruction of Windows and RSS proved the point all along (for me since 2009). Namely, that the new platform is the stream, and the resulting multiplexed meritocracy of the combined social and messaging networks is where the developers will go. As Dylan said, "even the president must stand naked."

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

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Wash. weighs abortion insurance mandate

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) ? In 1970, Washington became the first ? and remains the only ? state in the country to legalize elective abortions by a popular vote.

A generation later, and 40 years removed from the landmark United States Supreme Court Roe v. Wade ruling that extended abortion access nationwide, Washington is once again poised to stand out.

With 21 states having adopted bans or severe restrictions on insurance companies from paying for abortions, Washington is alone in seriously considering legislation mandating the opposite.

The Reproductive Parity Act, as supporters call it, would require insurers in Washington state who cover maternity care ? which all insurers must do ? to also pay for abortions.

The bill passed the state House earlier this month by a vote of 53-43, though it faces an uncertain future in the Senate. A similar bill in the New York state Assembly has been introduced each session for over a decade but has never received a public hearing.

"This is a core value for Washingtonians," said Melanie Smith, a lobbyist for NARAL Pro-Choice Washington. "We should protect it while we still have it and not leave access to basic health care up to an insurance company."

The proximate cause of Washington state's measure is the federal Affordable Care Act. Thanks to language placed in it to assuage anti-abortion congressional Democrats, insurers selling their plans on the state exchanges taking effect next year will have to segregate the premiums they collect for abortion coverage.

In addition to that built-in disincentive to insuring abortion, the law also invites states to enact stricter rules of their own. Thus far, 16 states have followed suit, barring or restricting insurance companies on their exchanges from covering the procedure. Three of those states are joining the five that have barred or limited all insurers from covering abortions since the early 1980's.

Supporters of Washington state's proposed abortion insurance mandate are careful to stress that it wouldn't lead to a dramatic uptick in abortions or require carriers with a religious bent to cover the procedure. They also note that a pair of federal plans that will be sold on all 50 state exchanges will be barred from covering elective abortions.

"It's not expanding abortion coverage," said Democratic Rep. Eileen Cody of West Seattle, the bill's primary sponsor. "It's ensuring the rights of women to get what they're paying for now and to continue their freedom of choice."

Opponents counter that the measure would require businesses and individuals to pay for abortion coverage they'd rather not have.

"Washington state would be the only state in the country that would force employers to pay for abortion," said Peggy O'Ban, spokeswoman for Human Life of Washington.

If passed, she said, it would amount to "the first conscience coercion act in American history."

Its passage, however, is not assured.

Proponents of the measure say they have the votes they need in the state Senate, but it's not clear that Senate leaders will allow it to get to the floor. It is scheduled to receive a public hearing in the Senate Health Care Committee on April 1.

Ironically, the man bill supporters will likely blame if it fails to get a Senate vote counts himself as a proud backer of the measure.

Sen. Rodney Tom of Medina, a fiscal conservative and social moderate, and one other like-minded Democrat crossed party lines to caucus with Republicans in December, handing a one-vote majority to the GOP. Seizing power for the first time in nearly a decade, elated Senate Republicans reciprocated by installing Tom as Majority Leader.

Last month, Tom addressed about 250 advocates rallying for the measure's passage on the state Capitol steps.

"I'm down here making sure that my 17-year-old daughter has the kind of protections that we need in Washington state and that all of our kids have those same kinds of protections," Tom said to cheers.

Moments later, Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat and fellow bill supporter, delivered a not-so-subtle challenge to Tom's political will.

Washington state "deserves a vote in the state Senate on the Reproductive Parity Act," Inslee said. "We are going to insist that we are not going to let anybody close the door to democracy in this state."

Another irony: though the bill has proved to be among the most hotly contested of the session, its broader impact if passed may be less than sweeping.

For one thing, most abortions are paid for out-of-pocket. According to the Guttmacher Institute, only 12 percent of abortions nationwide are paid for by private insurers, with 20 percent footed by Medicaid.

For another, because most abortions cost less than a live birth ? the procedure typically runs about $500, though late-term abortions are far more expensive ? insurers may be disinclined to stop covering them.

At present, all major insurers in Washington state cover abortions, and Cody, the bill's sponsor, said she knows of no carrier with plans to change. Insurers new to Washington state on its exchange may be tempted to adopt different policies, she said.

No matter its immediate impact, said Elizabeth Nash, states issues manager with the Guttmacher Institute, the bill's passage would be a watershed event.

"It would be a model for other states to follow," she said.

___

Follow AP Writer Jonathan Kaminsky at http://www.twitter.com/jekaminsky

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wash-weighs-1st-abortion-insurance-mandate-us-140125495.html

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Spatial memory: Mapping blank spots in the cheeseboard maze

Mar. 21, 2013 ? IST Austria Professor Jozsef Csicsvari together with collaborators has succeeded in uncovering processes in which the formation of spatial memory is manifested in a map representation.

During learning, novel information is transformed into memory through the processing and encoding of information in neural circuits. In a recent publication in Neuron, IST Austria Professor Jozsef Csicsvari, together with his collaborator David Dupret at the University of Oxford, and Joseph O'Neill, postdoc in Csicsvari's group, uncovered a novel role for inhibitory interneurons in the rat hippocampus during the formation of spatial memory.

During spatial learning, space is represented in the hippocampus through plastic changes in the connections between neurons. Jozsef Csicsvari and his collaborators investigate spatial learning in rats using the cheeseboard maze apparatus. This apparatus contains many holes, some of which are selected to hide food in order to test spatial memory. During learning trials, animals learn where the rewards are located, and after a period sleep, the researchers test whether the animal can recall these reward locations. In previous work, they and others have shown that memory of space is encoded in the hippocampus through changes in the firing of excitatory pyramidal cells, the so-called "place cells."

A place cell fires when the animal arrives at a particular location. Normally, place cells always fire at the same place in an environment; however, during spatial learning the place of their firing can change to encode where the reward is found, forming memory maps.

In their new publication, the researchers investigated the timescale of map formation, showing that during spatial learning, pyramidal neuron maps representing previous and new reward locations "flicker," with both firing patterns occurring. At first, old maps and new maps fluctuate, as the animal is unsure whether the location change is transient or long-lasting. At a later stage, the new map and so the relevant new information dominates.

The scientists also investigated the contribution of inhibitory interneuron circuits to learning. They show that these interneurons, which are extensively interconnected with pyramidal cells, change their firing rates during map formation and flickering: some interneurons fire more often when the new pyramidal map fires, while others fire less often with the new map. These changes in interneuron firing were only observed during learning, not during sleep or recall. The scientists also show that the changes in firing rate are due to map-specific changes in the connections between pyramidal cells and interneurons. When a pyramidal cell is part of a new map, the strengthening of a connection with an interneuron causes an increase in the firing of this interneuron. Conversely, when a pyramidal cell is not part of a new map, the weakening of the connection with the interneuron causes a decrease in interneuron firing rate. Both, the increase and the decrease in firing rate can be beneficial for learning, allowing the regulation of plasticity between pyramidal cells and controlling the timing in their firing.

The new research therefore shows that not only excitatory neurons modify their behaviour and exhibit plastic connection changes during learning, but also the inhibitory interneuron circuits. The researchers suggest that inhibitory interneurons could be involved in map selection -- helping one map dominate and take over during learning, so that the relevant information is encoded.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Institute of Science and Technology Austria.

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Journal Reference:

1. David Dupret, Joseph O?Neill, Jozsef Csicsvari. Dynamic Reconfiguration of Hippocampal Interneuron Circuits during Spatial Learning. Neuron, 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2013.01.033

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/5uyDGO3mco8/130322104258.htm

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Jimmy Fallon to Take Over Tonight Show, Move It to New York?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/jimmy-fallon-to-take-over-tonight-show-move-it-to-new-york/

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Finally, Someone Figured Out How To Use Vine

Will Sasso, it is said, is an actor. If you were to, say, look for all of his Vines, you would also discover that this is the only man in the entire universe to use the medium correctly and, what's more, you will laugh all day long at his tiny, tiny videos.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/LBim0BDl4F8/

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The Note's Must-Reads for Friday, March 22, 2013

The Note's Must-Reads are a round-up of today's political headlines and stories from ABC News and the top U.S. newspapers. Posted Monday through Friday right here at www.abcnews.com

Compiled by ABC News' Carrie Halperin, Amanda VanAllen and Will Cantine

CONGRESS The Hill's Ramsey Cox: " Ryan's budget rejected in Senate on 40-59 vote" The Senate rejected House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) budget Thursday night. Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) forced Senate Republicans to vote on Paul's plan through an amendment she offered, which failed on a 40-59 vote. LINK

Bloomberg's Kathleen Hunter and Roxanna Tiron: " Congress Duels Amid Budget Yield Campaign Attacks" U.S. lawmakers are using this week's debate over each party's fiscal priorities to generate fodder for 2014 congressional election attacks. As they did in the 2012 campaign, Democrats intend to criticize the Republican-controlled House's plan for balancing the budget in 10 years by cutting $4.6 trillion across a variety of programs and partly privatizing Medicare. Republicans will take aim at the Senate's proposal to generate $1 trillion in fresh revenue. LINK

The New York Times' Jennifer Steinhauer: " Women Make New Gains In The Senate" An hour before her colleagues gathered for their first vote of a new Congress, Senator Kelly Ayotte slipped into an empty Senate chamber to savor the grandeur of her legislative home. As Ms. Ayotte, a freshman Republican from New Hampshire, sat down at the wooden desk where generations of lawmakers from her state had cast their votes, a doorman marched toward her with purpose. LINK

USA Today's Susan Davis and Jackie Kucinich: " Congress turns to domestic policy after budget battles" A brief reprieve in the fiscal battles between President Obama and a divided Congress will allow two contentious and politically divisive domestic issues - guns and immigration - to take center stage in the national debate this spring. The ability for Washington to find solutions to either issue will require the kind of bipartisan cooperation and common ground the president and congressional leaders have been unable to find on the budget. LINK

The Wall Street Journal's Janet Hook: " Tired of Fights, Congress Passes Funding Bill" After months of careening from showdown to nail-biting showdown, Congress moved Thursday with remarkably little fuss to pass a major funding bill to keep the government open through September. Approval of the bill by wide bipartisan margins-in the House Thursday, in the Senate the day before-marks a retreat from the politics of brinksmanship for the second time this year, just two months after Congress voted to temporarily suspend the federal debt limit without an 11th-hour showdown. LINK

GUN CONTROL ABC News' Josh Haskell: " Biden, Bloomberg and Newtown Parents Press for Strict Gun Control" Just two days after Senate Democrats in Washington, D.C., dropped the assault weapons ban from gun legislation to be introduced in April, Vice President Joseph Biden was in New York City, joining Mayor Michael Bloomberg and three Newtown families to urge lawmakers to think about Sandy Hook Elementary. "For all those who say we shouldn't or couldn't ban high-capacity magazines, I just ask the one question. LINK

The Washington Post's Paul Kane: " Senate To Take Up Gun Control after Break" Gun control will be the first order of business in the Senate when lawmakers return in April from their two-week holiday break. Senate majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) formally moved a package of gun-related bills onto the legislative calendar Thursday night, setting up the most serious debate on gun control in Congress in more than a decade. LINK

The Washington Times' David Hill: " Federal appeals court restores Maryland's concealed carry law" A federal appeals court has ruled that Maryland can require concealed-carry handgun permit applicants to provide a "good and substantial reason" for wanting to carry a gun outside the home, leaving state officials feeling vindicated and Second Amendment advocates vowing to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. LINK

MIDDLE EAST The Los Angeles Times' David Lauter: " Obama repositions himself as broker for Mideast peace " President Obama's involvement in the tortuous Middle East peace process can be divided into three chapters, two of which opened with high-profile speeches to audiences of young people. The first began four years ago in Cairo, where Obama called for a "new beginning" in U.S. relations with the world's Muslims. LINK

ABC NEWS VIDEOS " President Obama Talks Peace in the Holy Land" LINK " Obama Faces Heckler, Gets Standing Ovation" LINK

BOOKMARKS The Note: LINK The Must-Reads Online: LINK Top Line Webcast (12noon EST M-F): LINK ABC News Politics: LINK George's Bottom Line (George Stephanopoulos): LINK Follow ABC News on Twitter: LINK ABC News Mobile: LINK ABC News app on your iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad: LINK

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/notes-must-reads-friday-march-22-2013-072608047--abc-news-politics.html

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New version of the Google Play app leaks, with an all new interface style

A new version of the Google Play app has leaked, and it shows a new Holo-esque (and colorful) user interface. Droid-Life got their hands on an apk file labeled 4.0.16, and while it's clearly not ready for prime-time, it does show off a look we haven't seen before from Google.

Everything is clean, the font is all new, the icons are bigger, and the colors match the categories as displayed on the Google Play website. There are also a few changes in the settings, namely in the auto-update section which separates out Wifi from your data connection to auto-update apps.

The app is pretty broken, and they aren't making it available for folks to try themselves. That will probably change shortly, nothing stays secret on the Internet for long. And while everyone is speculating that this is the change for the next version of Android, we all need to remember that apps like Google Play can be easily updated without a system-wide change.

For now, you can head over to Droid-Life and have a look at what may be coming to everyone soon.

Source: Droid-Life

 

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/r32PgmK8Luo/story01.htm

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A Virtual Interview With Jamie Smart on Developing the Inner Self

Today I have the great pleasure of being the host on Day 11 of the Virtual Blog Tour of author Jamie Smart whose book Clarity: Clear Mind, Better Performance, Bigger Results is celebrating its big Amazon launch March 12th through March 31st, 2013 at http://ClarityBook.biz.

Jamie Smart is an internationally renowned writer, speaker, coach, trainer and consultant. Originally from Canada and now based in London, Jamie shows individuals and organizations the unexpected keys to clarity?the ultimate leverage point for creating more time, better decisions and meaningful results. Jamie is a gifted speaker, equally engaging in front of large audiences and more intimate groups. He?s passionate about helping individuals and businesses to deepen their understanding of Innate Thinking? and to create the results that matter to them. In addition to working with a handful of coaching clients and leading selected corporate programmes, Jamie runs professional development workshops for business leaders, trainers, coaches and consultants. He has appeared on Sky TV and on the BBC, as well as in numerous publications.

Yesterday, Jamie visited Renee Baribeau at http://practicalshamantravel.com/jamie-smart-blog-tour , where they talked about some tips for growing a small business.

Today, I?d like to share with you a recent podcast interview I had with Jamie when I got to ask him some questions on the subject of the mind.

??-

Irene Conlan: What is the ?industrial-age misunderstanding of how the mind works? and what is the way the mind works?

?Jamie Smart: The ?industrial age misunderstanding? is what I refer to as the ?outside-in illusion?; the mistaken belief that we our feelings can come from something other than thinking, moment to moment. In fact, we?re always feeling our thinking, but it often appears that we?re feeling something other than thought. It often looks as though we are feeling our circumstances (bills, jobs, bosses, houses, holidays), our past (childhood, past relationships, what they said to me last week) or our future (what would happen if etc). But we?re always and only feeling our thinking in the moment. This is the way the mind works, and the way our experience of life works.

The outside-in illusion is the cause of many of the more serious problems we face as individuals, organisations and societies. But as we start to ?see through? the misunderstanding, and the superstitious thinking that arises from it, we find find that we have the clarity, wisdom and creativity to solve our problems and create new possibilities.

?Irene Conlan: You state that clarity is our mind?s natural state. What are the influences that move us from clear thinking to what you term ?congested thinking??

?Jamie Smart: Clarity is the mind?s natural state. The only thing that ever stands in the way of that clarity is superstitious thinking arising from the outside-in misunderstanding. The moment a person believes they?re feeling something other than their thinking; they experience themselves (on some level) as isolated and out of connection with life. The moment a person believes they?re at the mercy of a world ?out there? with power over how they feel, it becomes urgent and important to control, manage and manipulate that world to try and ensure they experience more of the feelings they want (and less of the ones they don?t). This fills our minds up with a mental to-do list, and takes us out of the moment. This is the cause of ?congested thinking?.

?Irene Conlan: What is innate thinking and how do you develop it?

?Jamie Smart: Innate thinking is something you?re born with; it?s our natural ability to have an experience of life ? to perceive, think and feel. The principles behind innate thinking are the source of all our experience of life. When our minds are clear, innate thinking brings us what we need for the job at hand. This is why top-performers often claim they have ?nothing on their minds? when they?re ?in flow? or ?in the zone?. As you deepen your understanding of innate thinking, habitual patterns of superstitious thinking will start to fall away, and you?ll find yourself experiencing greater clarity of mind, more of the time.

?Irene Conlan: You talk about letting the mind settle. Is there a way, other than meditation, that helps your mind settle?

?Jamie Smart: Great question. As you continue deepening your understanding of innate thinking, here?s what you?ll find happening? You?ll be ?in the grip? of some superstitious thinking (Eg. Upset about something someone said to you last week) when all of a sudden, it?ll occur to you that you?re feeling your thinking in the moment, NOT what the person said to you. The moment this occurs to you, it?s a sign that your mind?s ?self-correcting system? is returning you to clarity. You don?t have to do anything to make this happen. Just allow the self-correcting system to do what it does best, and you?ll find your mind settling, naturally and automatically.

???-

I hope you enjoyed this interview with Jamie Smart and that you?ll check out his book:

Clarity:
Clear Mind, Better Performance, Bigger Results
http://ClarityBook.biz

?

Buy the book between March 12th ? 31st, 2013 and you will receive:

?

• Access to a collection of dozens of Jamie?s Clarity training videos, including many coaching demos, to help guide you to finding your own clarity
• Free access to a special 1-day ?Kickstart Your Clarity? event, which you can attend either in London OR on online via live stream from anywhere in the world.

Thanks for reading! Please share your comments and thoughts below. I love reading your feedback.

AND? be sure to follow Jamie tomorrow when the next stop on the Virtual Blog Tour is Therese Skelly, who will be interviewing Jamie on mind set, intuition and selling qualities for a successful business. To visit that ?stop? on the tour, go to http://www.happyinbusiness.com/virtual-interview-with-jamie-smart

?

Source: http://theselfimprovementblog.com/self-improvement/self-improvement-tips/a-virtual-interview-with-jamie-smart-on-developing-the-inner-self/

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Skype, Spotify creators hope to inspire European innovation

By Teddy Nykiel

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Angry Birds, Skype and Spotify may all be the product of European creativity, but if the old continent is ever going to challenge Silicon Valley for tech supremacy, it's going to have to do a lot better.

Acknowledging the global dominance of U.S. brands such as Facebook, Google and Apple, the European Commission launched a campaign this week to encourage more technology entrepreneurship on Europe's side of the Atlantic.

"Europeans need to be creative and fearless," Neelie Kroes, the European commissioner responsible for digital issues and technology, said as she launched Startup Europe on Wednesday.

"That's how dozens of the world's most exciting web and tech companies were born in the EU, and I want the world to know it."

Kroes's campaign aims to help local innovators create and develop businesses while remaining in Europe. From January next year, it will be accompanied by a separate program to provide research funding for European startups.

"We're trying to show that running to America or selling out your company to America isn't necessary to be successful," said Ryan Heath, the EU Commission's spokesman on digital issues.

Tech startups create around three million new jobs in the United States each year. But in Europe, the track record is more mixed. Finland and Estonia may provide a good environment for innovation, but Greece, Spain and Belgium are more difficult places to be a small business developers, Heath said.

European innovators have shown they can do it in the past, so the hope is that specialist funding and support, including guidance from successful entrepreneurs, will help innovators achieve big things in the future.

The role models in Europe include Skype, the web-based calling service that now handles a third of international calls, and Angry Birds, a Finnish-designed app that has branched out into merchandise, advertisements and a movie.

"I've long believed that Europe's technology entrepreneurs should come together to discuss important issues that affect us all," said Daniel Ek, the founder of Spotify, an online digital music service created in Europe.

Speaking after entrepreneurs held an inaugural meeting on Wednesday to share ideas about supporting innovation, Ek said he was glad to "help shape policy in areas that will create the growth and jobs of the future".

(Reporting By Teddy Nykiel)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/skype-spotify-creators-hope-inspire-european-innovation-184453791.html

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Obama picks Indiana for NCAA men's title (cbsnews)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/293416865?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Too $hort Arrested For DUI and Felony Narcotics Possession

Legendary Oakland rapper allegedly tried to run from police after being pulled over.
By Gil Kaufman

Too $hort
Photo: Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704006/too-short-arrested.jhtml

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NYT: Study of men?s falling income cites single parents

Binyamin Appelbaum , The New York Times ? ? ? 1 hr.

WASHINGTON ? The decline of two-parent households may be a significant reason for the divergent fortunes of male workers, whose earnings generally declined in recent decades, and female workers, whose earnings generally increased, a prominent labor economist argues in a new survey of existing research.

David H. Autor, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says that the difference between men and women, at least in part, may have roots in childhood. Only 63 percent of children lived in a household with two parents in 2010, down from 82 percent in 1970. The single parents raising the rest of those children are predominantly female. And there is growing evidence that sons raised by single mothers ?appear to fare particularly poorly,? Professor Autor wrote in an analysis for Third Way, a center-left policy research organization.

In this telling, the economic struggles of male workers are both a cause and an effect of the breakdown of traditional households. Men who are less successful are less attractive as partners, so women are choosing to raise children by themselves, producing sons who are less successful and attractive as partners.

?A vicious cycle may ensue,? wrote Professor Autor and his co-author, Melanie Wasserman, a graduate student, ?with the poor economic prospects of less educated males creating differentially large disadvantages for their sons, thus potentially reinforcing the development of the gender gap in the next generation.?

The fall of men in the workplace is widely regarded by economists as one of the nation?s most important and puzzling trends. While men, on average, still earn more than women, the gap between them has narrowed considerably, particularly among more recent entrants to the labor force.

For all Americans, it has become much harder to make a living without a college degree, for intertwined reasons including foreign competition, advancements in technology and the decline of unions. Over the same period, the earnings of college graduates have increased. Women have responded exactly as economists would have predicted, by going to college in record numbers. Men, mysteriously, have not.

Among people who were 35 years old in 2010, for example, women were 17 percent more likely to have attended college, and 23 percent more likely to hold an undergraduate degree.

?I think the greatest, most astonishing fact that I am aware of in social science right now is that women have been able to hear the labor market screaming out ?You need more education? and have been able to respond to that, and men have not,? said Michael Greenstone, an M.I.T. economics professor who was not involved in Professor Autor?s work. ?And it?s very, very scary for economists because people should be responding to price signals. And men are not. It?s a fact in need of an explanation.?

Most economists agree that men have suffered disproportionately from economic changes like the decline of manufacturing. But careful analyses have found that such changes explain only a small part of the shrinking wage gap.

One set of supplemental explanations holds that women are easier to educate or, as the journalist Hanna Rosin wrote in ?The End of Men,? because women are more adaptable. Professor Autor writes that such explanations are plausible and ?intriguing,? but as yet unproven.

He disagrees entirely with the view of the conservative analyst Charles Murray, in ?Coming Apart,? that men have become ?less industrious.?

?We?re pretty much in agreement on most of the facts,? Professor Autor said of Mr. Murray. ?But he looks at the same facts and says this is all due to the failure of government programs, eroding the commitment to working. And we?re saying, what seems much more plausible here is that the working world just has less and less use for these folks.?

Professor Autor?s own explanation builds on existing research showing that income inequality has soared, stretching the gap between rich and poor, and that a smaller share of Americans are making the climb. The children of lower-income parents are ever more likely to become, in turn, the parents of lower-income children.

Moreover, a growing share of lower-income children are raised by their mother but not their father, and research shows that those children are at a particular disadvantage.

Professor Autor said in an interview that he was intrigued by evidence suggesting the consequences were larger for boys than girls, including one study finding that single mothers spent an hour less per week with their sons than their daughters. Another study of households where the father had less education, or was absent entirely, found the female children were 10 to 14 percent more likely to complete college. A third study of single-parent homes found boys were less likely than girls to enroll in college.

?It?s very clear that kids from single-parent households fare worse in terms of years of education,? he said. ?The gender difference, the idea that boys do even worse again, is less clear cut. We?re pointing this out as an important hypothesis that needs further exploration. But there?s intriguing evidence in that direction.?

Conservatives have long argued that society should encourage stable parental relationships. Liberals have tended to argue that the government should focus instead on improving economic opportunities. Jonathan Cowan, the president of Third Way, said the paper underscored that addressing social problems was a means to improve economic opportunities.

?If Democrats have as their goal being the party of the middle class, they have to come to the realization that they?re not going to be able to get there solely through their standard explanations,? said Mr. Cowan, a veteran of the Clinton administration. ?We need to ask, ?How can we get these fathers back involved in their children?s lives?? ?

But some experts cautioned that Professor Autor?s theory did not necessarily imply that such children would benefit from the presence of their fathers.

?Single-parent families tend to emerge in places where the men already are a mess,? said Christopher Jencks, a professor of social policy at Harvard University. ?You have to ask yourself, ?Suppose the available men were getting married to the available women? Would that be an improvement?? ?

Instead of making marriage more attractive, he said, it might be better for society to help make men more attractive.

This article, "Study of men?s falling income cites single parents," first appeared in The New York Times.

More stories from The New York Times

Copyright ? 2013 The New York Times

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/study-mens-falling-income-cites-single-parents-1C8975842

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Senate leader says new weapons ban won't pass (CNN)

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Deal of the Day: 51% off Seidio ACTIVE Case (with kickstand) for iPhone 5

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Samsung Galaxy S III (Cricket Wireless)

The world's top Android smartphone is now available at a very low price without a contract. Cricket Wireless's innovation with its Galaxy S III phone isn't in technology?this is the same Galaxy S III that millions of people around the world love?but in its price. At $379.99 when it's on sale, Cricket's Galaxy S III beats other no-contract deals by more than a hundred bucks. That's enough to earn it our Editors' Choice award for smartphones on Cricket.

Differences on Cricket
By now, the Galaxy S III is a well-trodden road, and Cricket's unit is physically identical to MetroPCS's model. Read our review of the MetroPCS device to learn more.?

The software build is a bit different, featuring some persistent Cricket bloatware, but that shouldn't be enough to dissuade you. Cricket left Samsung's Game Hub, Media Hub, S Memo, S Suggest, and Samsung Apps stores intact. It added an account manager and some dumb redundant storefront and "mobile browser" links. But as I said, it's not a big deal, and there's nothing like MetroPCS's invasive "MetroXtras."

At review time, this Galaxy S III ran the older Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system, but Cricket told me an upgrade to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) will come along with the carrier's unlimited Muve Music software in April. Muve Music is a great service for music lovers, bundling unlimited downloadable music into your service plan; the only downside is that the music must be stored on a special encrypted microSD card and can't be transferred to any other device.

Additional upgrades may come after that, as Samsung confirmed that at least some of the new features on the Galaxy S4 will come to the S III in the future.

Coverage and Service Plans
To take advantage of this inexpensive Galaxy S III, you need to understand Cricket's coverage and service plans.

Cricket covers about a third of the U.S. population with its own 3G network. Where it doesn't have coverage, it uses Sprint's 3G network. Its 4G LTE network is currently available in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Tucson, Wilmington, and a whole bunch of Texas cities.

Cricket and Sprint run the slowest 3G networks out there right now, with speeds generally below 1Mbps. Cricket's 4G LTE network, on the other hand, is pleasantly fast, zipping along with 5-8Mbps downloads and 2-5Mbps uploads when I tested it in Las Vegas in January.

The carrier has three plan levels: a $50/month, 1GB basic plan; a $60/month plan with 2.5GB of data, tethering, and unlimited international messaging; and a 5GB/month, $70 plan. In the no-contract world, MetroPCS and Virgin charge less and T-Mobile charges about the same. T-Mobile and MetroPCS also have truly unlimited 4G plans available, which Cricket doesn't have. They all have better 4G coverage than Cricket, but their competing phones tend to cost more up front.

Pricing, Comparisons, and Conclusions
The Samsung Galaxy S III is Cricket's best smartphone, by a long shot. Both the phone's quality and its pricing contribute to this. Cricket has three LTE phones: the Galaxy S III, the HTC One SV, and the LG Optimus Regard. Discard the Regard; at $229, it's too expensive for its cramped, low-resolution screen.

That leaves the Galaxy S III and the One SV. They're both very good phones; the One SV has Cricket's unlimited Muve Music and costs $100 less, both solid arguments. It's also great-looking and fits better in smaller hands. The Galaxy S III, on the other hand, has a faster processor, better camera, and nicer screen. It's a top-of-the-line, no-compromise experience. (What of the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S, you wonder? They don't have LTE on Cricket, and the iPhone 5 costs more at $449.99.)?

If you're looking to save money on a basic smartphone experience, the HTC One V ($139.99) is a good option. It's much slower, lacking both 4G and a fast processor, but it has a decent screen and runs Cricket's Muve Music software. All told, though, the Galaxy S III is a first-class phone for Cricket, and is an easy Editor's Choice.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/ysV1mlwMooU/0,2817,2416505,00.asp

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FBI focusing on recovery in '90 Mass. art heist

BOSTON (AP) ? The FBI says it has solved the decades-old mystery of who stole $500 million in artwork from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, but it is withholding the identities of the thieves, adding another twist to the largest property heist in U.S. history.

On Monday, the 23rd anniversary of the theft, authorities announced a new publicity campaign aimed at generating tips on what they still don't know: Where is the missing artwork? Their focus has shifted from catching the thieves to bringing home the precious artwork, including paintings by Rembrandt, Manet, Degas and Vermeer.

"The key goal here is to recover those paintings and bring them back," U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz said at a news conference at the FBI's Boston headquarters.

Just after midnight on March 18, 1990, two men posing as police officers pulled off the heist, stealing 13 pieces of artwork in 81 minutes.

For more than two decades, the FBI has chased leads around the globe, finally making progress over the last few years so that they now believe they know the identity of the thieves.

The FBI's Richard DesLauriers says the agency believes the thieves belonged to a criminal organization based in New England and the mid-Atlantic states. He said authorities believe the art was taken to Connecticut and the Philadelphia region in the years after the theft, and offered for sale in Philadelphia about a decade ago.

After the attempted sale, the FBI does not know what happened to the artwork, DesLauriers said.

DesLauriers repeatedly rebuffed questions from reporters on the identities of the thieves, saying releasing their identities could hamper the continuing investigation. He refused to say whether the thieves are now in prison on other charges, and would not say whether they are dead or alive.

Last year, a federal prosecutor in Connecticut revealed that the FBI believed a reputed Connecticut mobster, Robert Gentile, had some involvement with stolen property related to the art heist.

Gentile, 76, of Manchester, Conn., was not charged in the heist, but pleaded guilty in November in a weapons and prescription drugs case. Gentile's lawyer, A. Ryan McGuigan, said at the time that Gentile testified before a grand jury investigating the heist. He said Gentile knows nothing about the heist, but was acquainted with people federal authorities believe may have been involved.

The FBI also searched the Worcester home of an ex-convict who has a history of art theft.

Ortiz said the investigation was "active and at times fast-moving" over the past few years.

In the meantime, empty frames hang on the walls of the museum, a reminder of the "enormous loss" and a symbol of hope that they will be recovered, said Ortiz. The stolen paintings include: "The Concert" by Johannes Vermeer; and three Rembrandts, "A Lady and Gentleman in Black," Self-Portrait," and "Storm on the Sea of Galilee," his only seascape.

Ortiz said the statute of limitations has expired on crimes associated with the actual theft. She said anyone who knowingly possesses or conceals the stolen art could still face charges, but said prosecutors are willing to discuss potential immunity deals to get the artwork back.

The new publicity campaign will include a dedicated FBI website on the theft, www.FBI.gov/gardner , video postings on FBI social media sites and digital billboards in Connecticut and Philadelphia.

DesLauriers said authorities believe someone not involved in the theft has seen the artwork without realizing it is stolen.

"It's likely over the years that someone ? a friend, neighbor or relative ? has seen the art hanging on a wall, placed above a mantle or stored in an attic. We want that person to call us," DesLauriers said.

The FBI said it is re-emphasizing a $5 million reward being offered by the museum for information that leads directly to the recovery of the art.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fbi-focusing-recovery-90-mass-art-heist-182043308.html

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Are There Lessons For the United States in Ireland's Post-Crash Economy?

When Ireland?s Prime Minister Enda Kenny meets with President Obama in Washington next week, they should find plenty to talk about.

Both men are at the helm of economies that are turning around following devastating economic crises. A light seems to be emerging at the end of the tunnel for each, although it's elusive. Ireland is on track to exit from an international bailout program by the end of the year. The U.S. unemployment rate continues to tick down and the country's housing sector is finally on the up-and-up. For all their differences -- chief among them Ireland's membership in the eurozone and heavy reliance on exports -- the countries have shared some less-than-pleasant experiences, and could do well to share the lessons they've learned as a result, as well.

Ireland and the United States followed similar paths into economic crisis, although their routes have diverged in its wake. Ireland was the ?Celtic Tiger? during its boom years, but the growth fueled by easy lending standards eventually gave way to a bust. In a speech earlier this month at Dublin Castle in Ireland, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde called the Irish financial crisis a ?bubble-driven bonanza of lax lending, mounting private debt, skyrocketing property prices, and eroding competitiveness,? ?excess with little oversight.? The U.S. could have been described in similar terms in the years leading up to the bursting of its massive housing bubble, the consequence of which was the deepest recession since the Great Depression.

Then, the paths diverged. The Irish experience contains a cautionary note (don't let your banking system run wild) and a lesson (gradual deficit reduction can do good).?

First, the cautionary note. ?Ireland should be really a warning sign to American policymakers, as well, because essentially? what we had here in the United States is a mini version of what happened in Ireland,? said Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. ??The single biggest lesson from Ireland is that even if you do everything else right, if your banks get out of control, you?re toast.?

Ireland is part of the European Union and euro zone, and has been supported by a massive 85 billion-euro bailout from the EU and IMF. The bailout, which it received in 2010 when its banking system was on its knees and the country struggling to borrow, had strings attached: Ireland had to restructure and reorganize its banking sector, trim its deficits and implement structural reforms to help the country return to sustainable growth levels.

And so the country has consolidated and recapitalized its banking sector, shrinking it down to more closely resemble Canada's banking sector, dominated by just a handful of national banks, in contast to the sprawling one in the United States.

The U.S. has also reformed its banking system through the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law, which is?slowly being implemented. But some believe the law doesn?t go far enough toward preventing the recklessness that contributed to the 2008 financial crisis. ?For the past four years, the nation?s political leaders and bankers have made enormous?in some cases unprecedented?efforts to save the financial industry, clean up the banks, and reform regulation in order to restore trust and confidence in the American financial system. This hasn?t worked,? Frank Partnoy and Jesse Eisinger recently wrote in a?deep-dive?Atlantic?story?on the banking sector. ??Banks today are bigger and more opaque than ever, and they continue to behave in many of the same ways they did before the crash.??

Ireland has also abided by the other terms of its bailout. Today, the ?Celtic Tiger? is held up as a model of austerity in the eurozone. It won praise this week from the Institute of International Finance, a global association of financial institutions, for the gradual pace of its deficit reduction: ?A more tempered fiscal consolidation has helped Ireland succeed in restarting the growth needed to underpin debt sustainability and renew bond issuance,? the IIF said in a research note, adding that fellow bailout recipient Greece could take a page out of Ireland?s book.

In the United States, debt and deficits are a problem, too, but change has taken a different path. The economy has lurched from one fiscal crisis to the next as a divided Congress fights over passing a budget and raising the nation?s borrowing limit to prevent default. Spending reductions came abruptly, rather than gradually, this month when across-the-board cuts known as sequestration, which were included in a 2011 deal to raise the debt limit in the hopes of forcing a future agreement on getting the nation?s finances on the right track, went into effect (Congress couldn?t reach a deal to avoid them, much less set the country on the path toward deficit reduction). There's a new sliver of hope for a grand bargain, but passage of such a deal is far from assured. Economists have urged a slow and steady path toward fixing the nation's finances, but lawmakers haven't been able to agree on such a course.

Ireland got some good news this week; on Wednesday, it had its first 10-year bond issuance since receiving the bailout funds. The strong demand for the longer-term Irish bonds affirmed that investors perceived the signs of strength in Ireland's economy as real and this has raised hopes that the country would soon emerge from its bailout program. There are signs of economic improvement in the United States, too: Stocks continued their climb to record highs, and although there's some concern that the central bank's easy-money policies?could produce an asset bubble, a number of economists point to at least some strengthening in the fundamentals and hope for the future when they describe the soaring Dow.

Both countries have a long way to go. Unemployment in Ireland remains high at 14.1 percent in February, well above the 4.6 percent it was in 2007. In the United States, the jobless rate is 7.7 percent, versus 4.5 percent six years ago. The fates of the two economies are linked. Ireland depends enormously on trading partners like the United States, and could see closer links if the US-EU trade deal being discussed is enacted. Both must emerge from their crises better prepared to withstand the next, by shoring up their banking sectors and getting their fiscal houses in order. Perhaps Obama and Kenny can commiserate the tough road, or swap tips for the path ahead, when they meet on Tuesday.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lessons-united-states-irelands-post-crash-economy-080506757--politics.html

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Anderson Cooper Honored By GLAAD At 24th Annual Media ...

Jodie Foster, 2013

The "Silence of the Lambs" star ended years of rampant media speculation when she casually came out of the closet while accepting her Cecil B. Demille award at the 2013 Golden Globes. "I already did my coming out about a thousand years ago, back in the Stone Age," she said in the speech. "In those very quaint days when a fragile young girl would open up to trusted friends, and family, coworkers and then gradually, proudly, to everyone who knew her."

Gillian Anderson, 2012

The "X-Files" actress <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/13/gillian-anderson-lesbian-relationships-out-magazine_n_1342801.html" target="_hplink">revealed she's had numerous relationships</a> with women in a 2012 interview with <em>Out</em> magazine. The 43-year-old mother of three, who's long enjoyed a sizable lesbian fanbase, told <em>Out</em> that she first had a relationship with a woman while still in high school, after moving from her native England to suburban Michigan. "If I had thought I was 100 percent gay, would it have been a different experience for me?" Anderson, who was voted "Most Bizarre" and "Most Likely to Be Arrested" in high school, ponders. "Would it have been a bigger deal if shame had been attached to it and all those things that become huge life-altering issues for youngsters in that situation? It's possible that my attitude around it came, on some level, from knowing that I still liked boys."

Anderson Cooper, 2012

Anderson Cooper's sexuality had been <a href="http://www.out.com/entertainment/2008/09/22/glass-closet">scrutinized for years</a> but it wasn't until July 2012 that he finally addressed the issue when he <a href="http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/07/anderson-cooper-the-fact-is-im-gay.html">came out in an email </a> to his friend and fellow journalist, Andrew Sullivan, this summer. In Cooper's message, which was posted on Sullivan's blog, "The Dish," on <em>The Daily Beast</em>, the CNN anchor states, "The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn?t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud."

Lana Wachowski, 2012

Award-winning filmmaker <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0905154/">Lana Wachowski</a>, who's best known for co-writing and -directing the "Matrix" trilogy with her brother, Andy Wachowski, is the first major Hollywood director to come out as transgender in July 2012. The Chicago native recently released "Cloud Atlas" and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/24/lana-wachowski-transgender-cloud-atlas-director-reveals-pain-suicide-attempt_n_2009112.html">received the Human Rights Campaign's Visibility Award</a> in October 2012, where she delivered a revealing and heartfelt speech (VIDEO).

Zachary Quinto, 2011

Long rumored to be gay, the actor, most famous for his roles on "Heroes" and in the recent "Star Trek" film, came out in a October 2011 <em>New York</em> magazine profile, saying: <blockquote>"In light of Jamey's [Rodemeyer] death -- it became clear to me in an instant that living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it -- is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality. Our society needs to recognize the unstoppable momentum toward unequivocal civil equality for every gay lesbian bisexual and transgendered citizen of this country."</blockquote>

Meredith Baxter, 2009

In December 2009 Baxter, most famous for playing Elyse Keaton on '80s sitcom "Family Ties," went on the "Today Show" and told Matt Lauer that she was a lesbian. Baxter said, "Some people would say, well, you're living a lie and, you know, the truth is -- not at all. This has only been for the past seven years."

Frank Ocean, 2012

No mainstream black male hip-hop artist had ever come out until <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/07/arts/music/frank-ocean-draws-praise-for-declaring-his-homosexuality.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0">Frank Ocean did in July 2012</a>, just before he debuted his first solo album, "Channel Orange." The singer-songwriter posted a Tumblr post which read, in part, "4 summers ago, I met somebody. I was 19. He was too. We spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Everyday almost. And on the days we were together, time would glide.? After that, Ocean received support from fellow hip-hop artists Jay-Z (and wife, Beyonc?), 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes and more. Daryl Hannah, director of media and community partnerships for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said, "[The support for Frank is] an extension of the overall kind of support we?re seeing across the country for LGBT people, and not just in a broad sense, but specifically from iconic members of the black community.?

Wanda Sykes, 2008

The comedian and actress came out in November 2008 <a href="http://thestrippodcast.blogspot.com/2008/11/wanda-sykes-lv-gay-rally-im-proud-to-be.html" target="_hplink">while speaking at an anti-Prop 8 rally</a> in Las Vegas. Sykes said in part: <blockquote>"I got married Oct. 25, I don't really talk about my sexual orientation, I felt like I was living my life, I wasn't in the closet, but I was just living my life. Everybody who knows me personally, they know I'm gay. And that's the way people should be able to live our lives, really. We shouldn't have to be standing out here demanding something we automatically should have as citizens of this country."</blockquote>

Matt Bomer, 2012

The 34-year-old "White Collar" hunk <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/13/matt-bomer-comes-out-gay-thanks-partner_n_1272997.html" target="_hplink">thanked his partner</a> Simon Halls and his three children during Saturday's Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards, where he received the New Generation Arts and Activism Award for his work in the fight against HIV/AIDS. "I'd really especially like to thank my beautiful family: Simon, Kit, Walker, Henry," he told the crowd. "Thank you for teaching me what unconditional love is. You will always be my proudest accomplishment."

Anne Burrell, 2012

"Secrets of a Restaurant Chef" host Anne Burrell confirmed she's a lesbian and in a committed relationship with a woman, just days after "Chopped" host Ted Allen made a reference to her sexuality in a radio interview. "Anne doesn't feel she was outed," Burrell's rep told Page Six. "She has made no secret of her relationship." The rep went on to note, "Her significant other is a very private woman. They have been together for a couple of years and spend a lot of time together."

Adam Lambert, 2009

The singer's sexuality was always a topic of discussion for viewers when he was performing on "American Idol," but Lambert didn't come out until after the competition had wrapped. In a June 2009 <em>Rolling Stone</em> cover story, Lambert said, "Right after the finale [of "AI"], I almost started talking about it to the reporters, but I thought, 'I'm going to wait for <em>Rolling Stone</em>, that will be cooler,'.. I didn't want the Clay Aiken thing and the celebrity-magazine bullshit. I need to be able to explain myself in context."

Jim Parsons, 2012

<em>New York Times </em>scribe Patrick Healy confirmed "The Big Bang Theory" star's sexuality<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/theater/jim-parsons-prepares-for-his-lead-role-in-harvey.html?_r=1" target="_hplink"> as part of a profile</a>. The revelation came late in the article, when Healy describes the 39-year-old actor's role in the 2011 revival of Larry Kramer's HIV/AIDS crisis drama, "The Normal Heart." Wrote Healy: '"The Normal Heart" resonated with him on a few levels: Mr. Parsons is gay and in a 10-year relationship, and working with an ensemble again onstage was like nourishment, he said." Though the <em>Times </em>didn't identify Parsons' partner, he has been romantically liked with art director Todd Spiewak (pictured).

Laura Jane Grace, 2012

Punk band Against Me!'s lead singer made headlines in May with the announcement that <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/08/tom-gabel-transgender-against-me_n_1501731.html">she is transgender and will be now known as Laura Jane Grace</a>. The musician, who shared her story in <em>Rolling Stone</em>, said "For me, the most terrifying thing about this was how she [my wife, Heather] would accept the news. But she's been super-amazing and understanding." The couple has a 2-year-old daughter.

Cynthia Nixon, 2004

The "Sex And The City" star was out-ed in 2004 when the <em>NY Daily News</em> and the <em>New York Post</em> <a href="http://www.afterellen.com/People/92004/cynthianixon.html" target="_hplink">reported she was living</a> with another woman in September 2004. Nixon half-heartedly confirmed the rumors when she told the <em>Daily News</em>, "My private life is private... But at the same time, I have nothing to hide. So what I will say is that I am very happy."

Sam Champion, 2012

ABC's "Good Morning America" weatherman, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/fashion/weddings/patrick-abner-and-thomas-roberts-vows.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1&ref=weddings">Sam Champion,</a>, not only came out of the closet in October 2012, he also announced his engagement to longtime boyfriend, Rubem Robierb, at the same time. <em>The New York Times</em> subtly mentioned the news in an article about MSNBC personality <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/01/thomas-roberts-married-msnbc-host-weds-longtime-boyfriend_n_1928841.html">Thomas Roberts' recent wedding</a>, where Champion and Robierb were guests. After his revelation, Champion, 51, discussed about his plans on "GMA" and thanked everyone for their support (see video clip).

Kelly McGillis, 2009

Kelly McGillis, known as who starred opposite Tom Cruise in "Top Gun," <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1175410/Im-lesbian-declares-Top-Gun-siren-Kelly-McGillis.html">revealed she's gay</a> on lesbian website SheWired.com. McGillis, who was married twice to men and has two daughters, said, "It's a part of being true to yourself. That's been a challenge for me personally."

Chris Colfer, 2009

The "Glee" actor came out on the "Chelsea Lately Show" in December 2009: Chelsea Handler: "Your character on the show's gay. We know that you're gay. That's good for you. Congratulations. Don't be shy about that. Seriously. You shouldn't be shy about that because every time...an actor like you is helping a zillion other people that are scared to talk about their sexuality so good for you." Chris Colfer: "Thank you. You know what my answer to that question was prior to coming out -- was that I was straight as every other actor in Hollywood."

Ezra Miller, 2012

Breakout, up-and-coming actor Ezra Miller, who stars in "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," <a href="http://www.out.com/entertainment/movies/2012/08/15/ezra-miller-im-queer">came out as queer in an interview with Out magazine</a> in August. The 20-year-old actor, who's also known for his big screen roles on "City Island" and "We Need To Talk About Kevin," told Out: "I have a lot of really wonderful friends who are of very different sexes and genders. I am very much in love with no one in particular."

Sara Gilbert, 2010

Sara Gilbert, who's best known for her role on "Roseanne," <a href="http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/07/28/sara-gilbert-lesbian-the-tal/">officially came out in 2010</a>. At that time, she was getting ready to launch "The Talk," a daytime talk show which focuses on parenthood and families, so Gilbert felt compelled to acknowledge her sexuality. ?I don?t ever really think of things as out or in,? Gilbert said. ?I just think I am who I am, and when topics come up that are appropriate, I?ll talk about them and share when it seems right.?

Chaz Bono, 2009

Chaz Bono revealed his plan to transition in May 2009. TMZ.com broke the story <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2009/06/11/chastity-bono-becoming-a-man/#.TptSZ2VPkqU" target="_hplink">via a prepared statement</a> from Bono's publicist that read, in part: <blockquote>"Yes, it's true -- Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity... He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by his loved ones. It is Chaz's hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his 'coming out' did nearly 20 years ago."</blockquote>

Andrew Rannells, 2012

Andrew Rannells has had a stellar year. Since nabbing a Tony nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for the Broadway blockbuster "The Book of Mormon," Rannells went on to star in HBO's "Girls" and ABC's "The New Normal." In November, the 34 year old was named to Out magazine's prestigious <a href="http://www.out.com/out-exclusives/out100-2012/2012/11/15/out100-andrew-rannells">"OUT100" list</a>. ?I feel very proud to be a part of The New Normal,? Rannells told Out. ?I hope that it?s considered to be a part of the evolution of gay relationships on television. Coming from Nebraska, it?s exciting to me that people I went to grade school with, people that I grew up going to church with, are watching the show.?

Joanna Johnson, 2012

"Bold and the Beautiful" star Joanna Johnson became daytime soap opera's only active "out" actor when she said <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/14/joanna-johnson-lesbian-bold-and-the-beautiful_n_1515489.html">she was a lesbian in May</a>. Johnson said she feared coming out would prohibit her from getting acting roles. Johnson told <em>TV Guide</em> in an exclusive interview that she's married to L.A. club promoter Michelle Agnew, with whom she has two children, five-year-old Julian and Harlow, who is two.

George Michael, 1998

After being caught performing a "lewd act" in a public restroom, Michael came out to CNN in April 1998. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9804/11/george.michael/" target="_hplink">Michael said</a>, "This is as good of a time as any... I want to say that I have no problem with people knowing that I'm in a relationship with a man right now. I have not been in a relationship with a woman for almost 10 years." Later that year Michael spoofed the incident in the music video for his single "Outside."

Don Lemon, 2011

The CNN news anchor came out to the <em>New York Times</em> in May 2011. Lemon <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/business/media/16anchor.html?_r=3" target="_hplink">told the paper</a>, "It's quite different for an African-American male... It's about the worst thing you can be in black culture. You're taught you have to be a man; you have to be masculine. In the black community they think you can pray the gay away."

Todd Glass, 2012

Comedian Todd Glass <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/16/todd-glass-comes-out-as-gay-on-wtf-with-marc-maron_n_1209291.html">came out in January</a> in an episode of the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast. Glass cited the slew of LGBT teen suicides as his impetus for coming out. He told Maron: "I cannot listen to stories about kids killing themselves any longer without thinking [to myself], 'When are you going to have a little blood on your shirt for not being honest about who you are?'"

Rosie Pierri, 2012

Everyone loves Rosie. In a June episode of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," Rosie Pierri candidly came out to her sister, Kathy Wakile, a main cast member, proclaiming, "God made me this way. That's it." Pierri <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/30/rosie-real-housewives-nj_n_1555421.html">spoke with <em>The Huffington Post</em> in May</a> before the episode aired and shared that she was a "late bloomer," who didn't come to the realization until her 30s.

Jonathan Knight, 2011

The New Kids On The Block singer was out-ed by fellow '80s teen pop star Tiffany in January 2011 when she revealed she dated Knight before "he became gay later." In response, Knight posted a message on his website <a href="http://www.towleroad.com/2011/01/jonathan-knight.html#ixzz1azmexp8H" target="_hplink">stating in part</a>: <blockquote>"I have never been outed by anyone but myself! I did so almost twenty years ago. I never know that I would have to do it all over again publicly just because I reunited with NKOTB! I have lived my life very openly and have never hidden the fact that I am gay!"</blockquote>

Sean Maher, 2011

Sean Maher, known for his roles on "Firefly" and "Playboy Club," confirmed his sexuality in an <a href="http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/09/26/firefly-playboy-club-actor-sean-maher-comes-out-ga/"><em>Entertainment Weekly</em> interview</a>, saying, "This is my coming out ball. I?ve been dying to do this.?

Ricky Martin, March 2010

In March 2009 pop star Ricky Martin <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/29/ricky-martin-comes-out-im_n_517625.html" target="_hplink">posted a message on his website</a> telling the world, "I am a fortunate homosexual man."

Sean Hayes, 2010

Long dogged by rumors about his sexuality, the "Will and Grace" actor <a href="http://www.advocate.com/Arts_and_Entertainment/People/Sean_Hayes_I_Am_Who_I_Am/" target="_hplink">finally came out</a> in <em>The Advocate</em> in April 2010: "I am who I am. I was never in, as they say. Never," he said.

Lady Sovereign, 2010

In May 2010 the British rapper came out in <em>Diva</em> magazine. <a href="http://perezhilton.com/2010-05-12-lady-sov-comes-out#.Tpt-2WVPkqU" target="_hplink">Sovereign said</a>: <blockquote>"Magazines would always ask about it but [questions about my sexuality] would get stopped by my publicists. It was my choice, too, because I was a bit worried about it but now I don't really give a shit. You can't hide away forever. It's just stupid and now I've come out I feel a lot more comfortable with myself. But it was a bit scary back then because some people do have horrible opinions."</blockquote>

T.R. Knight, 2007

<a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20008737,00.html">T.R. Knight's coming out</a> wasn't necessarily ideal. The actor, who played George O'Malley on ABC's <em>Grey's Anatomy</em>, was called a "faggot" by co-star Isaiah Washington, prompting Knight to stand up for himself and others. He told Ellen DeGeneres, "I've never been called that to my face. So I think when that happened, something shifted, and it became bigger than myself."

Kristy McNichol, 2012

People magazine reported In January 2012 that Kristy McNichol, who was beloved for playing Buddy Lawrence in the '70s show "Family," for which she won an Emmy, and later Barbara Weston on the "Golden Girls" spin-off "Empty Nest," revealed she is a lesbian because she is "approaching 50" and wants to "be open about who I am." <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/07/kristy-mcnichol-comes-out-as-lesbian_n_1191204.html">McNichol</a> also cited the wave of antigay bullying stories for coming out, hoping to help bullied LGBT youth who need support.

Benji Schwimmer, 2012

After Benji Schwimmer won the second season of Fox's long-running hit series "So You Think You Can Dance," the 28-year-old dancer-choreographer became somewhat of a Mormon rockstar. But in a tell-all, five-hour interview for "Mormon Stories," Schwimmer came out and discussed at length his homosexuality and the church's views on the issue. He <a href="http://www.out.com/news-commentary/2012/06/18/benji-schwimmer-naked-truth-sytycd-gay-mormon-sexuality">spoke with Out magazine in June</a> and said: "I get at least 10 emails a day from kids that say, I was going to kill myself, and I heard something in the podcast that rang true to me, and I?m holding on. For that validation alone?it?s nice that Perez Hilton and Out are covering this, but just that personal touch is what it?s about. For the last year, I didn?t hide it. I held hands with a boyfriend in the streets. I kissed him in bars?in straight bars. I don?t give a fuck."

Clay Aiken, 2008

After becoming a father in August of 2008, the "American Idol" runner up <a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20228488,00.html" target="_hplink">came out on the cover</a> of <em>People</em> magazine in September 2008 saying, "[Coming out] was the first decision I made as a father... I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn't raised that way, and I'm not going to raise a child to do that."

Orlando Cruz, 2012

History was made in October when active professional featherweight boxer <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/04/orlando-cruz-comes-out-gay_n_1939204.html">Orlando Cruz of Puerto Rico came out</a>. He said in a USA Today article, "I've been fighting for more than 24 years and as I continue my ascendant career, I want to be true to myself. I want to try to be the best role model I can be for kids who might look into boxing as a sport and a professional career." He continued, "I have and will always be a proud Puerto Rican. I have always been and always will be a proud gay man."

Chely Wright, 2010

Country singer Chely Wright <a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20365936,00.html" target="_hplink">came out in May 2010</a>. She told <em>People</em> magazine, "There had never, ever been a country music artist who had acknowledged his or her homosexuality... I wasn't going to be the first." But she changed her mind and said of her decision, "Nothing in my life has been more magical than the moment I decided to come out."

Mika, 2012

The flamboyant singer-songwriter played coy about his sexuality for many years before finally coming out as gay in the September 2012 issue of Instinct magazine. Mika <a href="http://instinctmagazine.com/blogs/blog/exclusive-sneak-peek-mika-tells-instinct-%E2%80%9Cyeah-i%E2%80%99m-gay-%E2%80%9D?directory=100011">told the magazine</a>: <blockquote>"If you ask me am I gay, I say yeah... Are these songs about my relationship with a man? I say yeah. And it?s only through my music that I?ve found the strength to come to terms with my sexuality beyond the context of just my lyrics. This is my real life."</blockquote>

Lance Bass, 2006

The 'N Sync pop star came out on the cover of <em>People</em> magazine in July 2006. When asked why he decided to come out then, <a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1219142,00.html" target="_hplink">Bass said</a>, "The main reason I wanted to speak my mind was that (the rumors) really were starting to affect my daily life. Now it feels like it's on my terms. I'm at peace with my family, my friends, myself and God so there's really nothing else that I worry about."

Denise Ho, 2012

Hong Kong's fourth annual LGBT Pride Parade in November saw beloved Cantonese pop star <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/13/denise-ho-singer-gay-coming-out-hong-kong_n_2122773.html">Denise Ho come out as a lesbian</a>. This announcement made her the first mainstream female singer in Hong Kong to say she's gay, according to several Hong Kong media outlets. "As a celebrity, I think I have an obligation, a duty to stand forward for the sake of love and equality," the 35-year-old singer told the crowd.

Amber Heard, 2010

"I personally think that if you deny something or if you hide something you're inadvertently admitting it's wrong. I don't feel like I'm wrong," said actress Amber Heard, 26, who <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/06/amber-heard-lesbian_n_792419.html">came out while attending GLAAD's 25th anniversary party</a>. Heard has starred in movies like as "Pineapple Express" and "Zombieland."

Elton John, 1976

In <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/elton-john-lonely-at-the-top-rolling-stones-1976-cover-story-20110202" target="_hplink">an interview</a> with <em>Rolling Stone</em> in October 1976, the rock star came out by saying, "There's nothing wrong with going to bed with somebody of your own sex. I think everybody's bisexual to a certain degree. I don't think it's just me. It's not a bad thing to be. I think you're bisexual. I think everybody is."

Suze Orman, 2007

Financial guru Suze Orman came out in a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/25/magazine/25wwlnq4.t.html">2007 <em>New York Times Magazine</em> article</a>. The 61-year-old Chicago native was asked if she was married in the interview, which prompted her to officially come out and set the record straight (so to speak).

David Hyde Pierce, 2007

"Frasier" actor David Hyde Pierce kept a low profile and <a href="http://www.afterelton.com/blog/brianjuergens/exclusive-david-hyde-pierce-is-officially-out">subtly came out</a> in an article on <em>CNN</em> where he mentioned his longtime partner, TV writer and producer Brian Hargrove. Later, while on "The View", Pierce spoke about Hargrove and his sexuality and said,"What you choose to talk about yourself is a personal decision."

Neil Patrick Harris, 2006

The "Doogie Howser, MD" and "How I Met Your Mother Star" came out on the cover of <em>People</em> magazine in November of 2006. <a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1554852,00.html" target="_hplink">Harris told the magazine</a>: <blockquote>"The public eye has always been kind to me, and until recently I have been able to live a pretty normal life. Now it seems there is speculation and interest in my private life and relationships. So, rather than ignore those who choose to publish their opinions without actually talking to me, I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest and feel most fortunate to be working with wonderful people in the business I love." </blockquote>

Darren Hayes, 2006

The former Savage Garden front man came out by marrying Richard Cullen in June 2006. He announced the civil union on his website <a href="http://chartrigger.blogspot.com/2006/07/darren-hayes-comes-out.html" target="_hplink">saying in part</a>: "As so many of you have given me your heart and soul over the past 10 years I thought it only fitting that I too return the respect and inform you of the most significant event in my life... On June 19th 2006 I married my boyfriend of two years, Richard, in a Civil Partnership ceremony in London."

George Takei, 2005

The beloved George Takei, known as Sulu on "Star Trek," <a href="http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/9845944/ns/today-entertainment/t/george-takei-mr-sulu-says-hes-gay/#.UHWbJ0JAsu8">came out</a> in a 2005 article in Frontiers, a biweekly LGBT Los Angeles magazine. Takei, 75, cited the political landscape surrounding LGBT issues as one reason for coming out. Since then, Takei has been an outspoken (and humorous) advocate for LGBT rights.

Portia de Rossi, 2005

The actress had been out to friends for quite some time, but she told the entire world in the fall of 2005 in interviews with <em>Details</em> magazine and <em>The Advocate</em>. "I've had my years of being not open, many years of it... It's an honor for me to do this; it's just nice to be asked," de Rossi said in her September 2005 <em>Advocate</em> <a href="http://crispie764.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Urgent&action=display&thread=35" target="_hplink">cover story</a>, her first with the gay press.

Heather Matarazzo, 2004

The actress, perhaps best known for her role as tormented teen Dawn Wiener in the film "Welcome To The Dollhouse," <a href="http://www.afterellen.com/archive/ellen/People/82004/heathermatarazzo.html" target="_hplink">came out in August 2004</a> by telling the <em>NY Daily News</em> about falling in love with Caroline Murphy: <blockquote>"I met the person I'm so madly crazy in love with...She's not famous yet. She will be. She wants to do musical theater and stage, which is not as demoralizing as the movie business is."</blockquote>

Rosie O'Donnell, 2002

The comedian and talk show host <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/2002/2002-02-27-rosie.htm" target="_hplink">came out by revealing</a> "I'm a dyke!" during her stand up act at the Ovarian Cancer Research benefit at Carolines Comedy Club in February 2002.

Nathan Lane, 1999

The hilarious Nathan Lane, who's well known for starring in films like "The Birdcage," officially came out in an <a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/37588/nathan-lane-comes-out-finally">interview with <em>The Advocate</em></a> in 1999. In the issue, the 56-year-old Emmy- and Tony-winner said, "It's never been something I kept a secret." But Matthew Shepard's murder led the actor to publicly coming out. "It was like somebody slapped me awake," Lane said. "At this point it's selfish not to do whatever you can."

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/17/anderson-cooper-glaad-awards_n_2895376.html

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