Has Ted Cruz Hit The Tipping Point? [[DO NOT PUB]]

ABC's Michael Falcone reports:

The Ted Cruz headlines just won't stop.

"Sen. Ted Cruz says Obama wants immigration bill to fail to hurt GOP," wrote the Dallas Morning News last week. Another Texas paper, the Houston Chronicle, published a recent piece titled: "Ted Cruz: The next Reagan or the next Joe McCarthy?"

Politico carried this on their homepage: "Ted Cruz defends his blunt style." And Salon ominously foreshadowed, "The coming Rand Paul-Ted Cruz brawl."

In recent weeks the freshman senator from Texas has been the subject of a profile in The New York Times, which dubbed him "Washington's new bad boy," and in the New Yorker, which surfaced a speech he delivered in 2010 accusing a dozen members of the Harvard Law School faculty of being communists. (Cruz is a Harvard Law School graduate). Earlier this month, CNN's chief Congressional correspondent Dana Bash traveled to Texas to interview Cruz and so did the Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody.

Without a doubt, Cruz has attracted more attention than any other freshman member of Congress from either party in the opening months of the 113th Congress. The Republican lawmaker made waves for his blunt questioning of Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel during his confirmation hearings, and he has been embraced by conservative leaders seeking a new hero.

He has been hailed by the Tea Party Express as a politician who is "shaking up Washington, D.C. just like he promised" and by another political action committee, the Senate Conservatives Fund, as someone who is "showing Washington what courage looks like."

And that is almost exactly how Cruz sees it too.

"I made promises to the people of Texas that I would come to Washington to shake up the status quo," Cruz recently wrote to The New York Times and Politico in response to a list of e-mailed questions. (The Texas Republican declined to grant interviews to either publication).

"Ted's always been ambitious, he's always been arrogant," said one Republican strategist who has known Cruz since before coming to Washington. "I think the honest truth is, he's doing exactly what he's said he was going to do when he campaigned."

But keeping his promise has also earned him his share of criticism - and not just from those on the other side of the aisle - from prominent fellow Republicans too.

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called some of the questions Cruz posed to Hagel "out of bounds" and Sen. John McCain of Arizona told The Times' Jonathan Weisman in an interview that "the appropriate way to treat Senator Hagel is to be as tough as you want to be, but don't be disrespectful or malign his character" (implying that Cruz had fallen short of that standard). Democrats piled on too.

In an interview on Tuesday with the Texas Tribune, Cruz defended his conduct at the Hagel hearings, saying he "focused on substance and, in particular, Mr. Hagel's policy record."

"It has not focused on personal issues, and, indeed, the character attacks that have been raised have been leveled at me for asking questions that I think every senator should be concerned to know the answer," he told the Tribune's Emily Ramshaw.

Cruz has won prominent advocates for his take-no-prisoners style.

"Most politicians know what to say to get elected but then arrive in Washington with no real spine - or in many cases, no intention of ever doing what they promised," former Sen. Jim DeMint, a conservative icon who now heads the Heritage Foundation, wrote in a Politico Op-Ed. "Not Cruz. He's proved himself an effective advocate for the founding principles that made our nation great: personal freedom and responsibility, local control and adherence to the law as it is written, not the way some politicians wish it was written."

And the junior senator from Texas has already achieved a certain iconic status himself. A Texas Republican who filed paperwork to mount a primary challenge to incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn told the Daily Caller that Cruz is an inspiration to him.

"If I'm trying to describe somebody who I would best mimic, it would be Sen. Cruz," the challenger, Erick Wyatt, told The Daily Caller's Alexis Levinson. (Regardless of Wyatt's compliment, reports have suggested a close political alliance between Cruz and Cornyn).

Those who know him say Cruz has been more than happy to take full advantage of his time in the spotlight, but the freshman lawmaker who previously served as solicitor general of Texas, emphasized in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody that he is taking all of the new-found attention in stride.

"I try to pay, pay very little attention to the media," he said. "It is, as you know, a fickle creature."

Notably, Cruz's approach represents a marked contrast to that of another prominent Republican, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who started out his career in the U.S. Senate quietly. In 2011, Rubio spent his first months in Washington mostly out of the public eye. Since then, of course, he has become a major player in the Republican Party, emerging as a key voice in the immigration reform debate and stoking speculation about a potential 2016 presidential run.

With Cruz and Rubio's stars rising fast, one Texas GOP insider predicted that the U.S. Senate may eventually not be big enough for the both of them: "At some point the fire hydrant is going to get crowded, and we'll see who marks it."

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ted-cruz-hit-tipping-point-not-pub-153606221--abc-news-politics.html

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Pistorius plans his own service for Steenkamp

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? Oscar Pistorius planned a personal memorial service on Tuesday for Reeva Steenkamp, the 29-year-old model he shot at his home on Valentine's Day.

The evening service would be at the Pretoria home of his uncle Arnold, where the Olympic athlete has been staying since he was released on bail awaiting trial on a premeditated murder charge.

Pistorius' reputation management firm said Pistorius had specifically requested the service "as he remains in deep mourning for the loss of his partner Reeva," whom he says he shot by accident assuming an intruder had entered his home on Feb. 14.

"Oscar has asked for a private service with people who share his loss, including his family members who knew and loved Reeva as one of their own," Vuma Reputation Management said in a statement.

Exactly a week ago, a memorial service was held for Steenkamp in the southern coast city of Port Elizabeth, where her body was cremated following a private service.

That same day, the bail hearing for Pistorius started in the nation's capital Pretoria.

It was unclear exactly what Pistorius' service would consist of or how many people would attend.

Prosecutors say the pair had an argument before Steenkamp was killed. Vuma said that Pistorius "continues to grieve" for her. Vuma spokeswoman Janice Hills would not give any further details about the ceremony, saying it is "a private matter for the family."

Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair set bail for Pistorius at 1 million rand ($113,000). The 26-year-old track star was also ordered to hand over his passports, turn in any guns he owns and keep away from his upscale home in a gated community in Pretoria, the scene of the crime.

He cannot leave the district of Pretoria without his probation officer's permission and is not allowed to consume drugs or alcohol.

Nair himself was in private mourning on Tuesday. He confirmed that he is related to a woman suspected of killing her two children and committing suicide on the weekend.

The revelation was the latest twist in the saga of Pistorius and prominent figures linked to the case against the double-amputee athlete.

The bodies of a woman and her two sons were found Sunday evening at their Johannesburg home by her ex-husband, police Warrant Officer Balan Muthan said. Authorities suspect the woman administered a substance that killed her children, and took her own life by ingesting it as well.

"I can confirm the deceased is my first cousin," Nair told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

The woman's brother, Vishal Maharaj, identified her as Anusha Maharaj. Police said Maharaj was her family name before she married. South African media identified her as Anusha Mooljee.

Muthan said police suspect "she took her own life by ingesting a substance that killed her," and that she "most probably" gave the same substance to her children. Autopsies were conducted Monday and toxicologists were analyzing the substance believed to have killed the three family members.

Suicide notes were found and a murder investigation was underway, Muthan said. He said copies of the notes were admitted as evidence in the probe and declined to comment on the contents.

Eyewitness News, a South African media outlet, said the boys who died were 12 and 17 years old and cited neighbor Claire Osment as saying she rushed outside after hearing screams coming from the townhouse where they lived.

"We asked what happened. The dad just said, 'She has killed my boys.' He was just crying," Eyewitness News quoted her as saying. "He couldn't believe it, he couldn't believe that his sons are gone."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pistorius-plans-own-steenkamp-161548041--oly.html

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Anonymous Hack Of Bank Of America - Business Insider

Anonymous hackers have released 14 gigabytes of information allegedly related to Bank of America and a web intelligence firm it hired to spy on hackers and social activists last year.

Emails detail how employees of TEKSystems actively watched hacker forums and social media sites for any remotely relevant pieces of "intelligence."

The leak includes a list of more than 10,000 words, phrases, and references ? everything from "jihad" to "keg stand" to "I Wish That I Had Duck Feet" ? that was used to match for entries on forums like anonops and sites including Twitter (including Tweetdeck),?pastebin, Facebook,?and various blogs.

A press release from Par:AnoIA (aka Anonymous Intelligence Agency) states that the data "clearly shows that the research was sloppy, random and valueless."

But the emails include "Daily Cyber Threat Highlights" that list events and stories from all over the world.

And the data dump adds a new element to what is known about public and private entities surveilling protestors of Occupy Wall Street.

We knew that web intelligence firm Ntrepid mapped online relationships between anarchists and the leaders of Occupy. These documents reveal that TEKSystems assembled "intelligence" reports on both Occupy and hackers for (at least) the first 11 months of 2012.

Anonymous insists it was not a hack:

"[T]he data was not acquired by a hack but because it was stored on a misconfigured server and basically open for grabs. Even more alarming, the data was retrieved from an Israeli server in Tel Aviv."

"As a bonus," the hackers released 4.8 gigabytes of data containing the salary information top executives around the world, including Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/anonymous-hack-of-bank-of-america-google-2013-2

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Ronaldo, Real bounce Barca from Copa del Rey

By JOSEPH WILSON

Associated Press

Associated Press Sports

updated 5:50 p.m. ET Feb. 26, 2013

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -Cristiano Ronaldo is starting to look right at home at the Camp Nou.

For Lionel Messi and Barcelona, the Spanish league is starting to look like the only trophy they will win this season.

Ronaldo outshone Messi in the Argentine's own stadium on Tuesday, scoring twice to put Real Madrid into the Copa del Rey final with a 3-1 win at defending champion Barcelona.

After salvaging a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their semifinal, Madrid neutralized Barcelona's passing game and counterattacked to perfection to hand its archrival a first home loss in any competition since last April.

"We played a great game," Ronaldo said. "We faced the game with a serious attitude, played better (than Barcelona) and scored three goals, which is tough to do."

It was also a second straight cup setback for the Catalan club, which is running away with the Spanish league but lost 2-0 at AC Milan in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 matchup - and will need a much-improved performance in the return to stay in the hunt for a fourth European Cup in eight years.

While Messi was subdued for most of the night, Ronaldo scored for a sixth straight visit to Camp Nou when he earned and converted a penalty in the 13th minute. Ronaldo hit again on the break in the 57th before Raphael Varane got his second goal of the series in the 68th to turn a convincing win into a rout.

Defender Jordi Alba pulled a late goal back for Barcelona, but it was much too late to prevent Madrid from going through 4-2 on aggregate.

Madrid will play either Atletico Madrid or Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final on May 18.

After struggling in his first encounters with Barcelona, Ronaldo has become a nemesis for the Catalan club by scoring goals that have directly contributed to them losing titles the past three seasons.

Ronaldo also scored at the Camp Nou to dethrone Barcelona as league champions last season - after also netting the winning header against Barcelona in the 2011 cup final.

"Ronaldo is our reference. He's vital for us," said Madrid goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas, who in a rare move attended the post-match news conference in place of coach Jose Mourinho despite not even playing because of a broken hand. "He has shown how good he is not just today but in other `clasico' matches. He is on a great run right now and we have to try and get the most out of it."

A victory in the cup for Madrid would go some way toward salvaging what could be Mourinho's last season with the club, after seeing its defense of the Spanish league title stutter and crumble.

With another "clasico" looming on Saturday at Madrid in the league, that title is firmly in Barcelona's grasp as it is 12 points clear atop the standings, with Mourinho's team another four points back.

That means Madrid can turn its attention to next Tuesday's Champions League match at Manchester United, following a 1-1 home draw in the first leg of their last-16 series.

Since being thrashed 5-0 in his first game in charge of Madrid in 2010, Mourinho has a record of four wins, six draws and six losses against Barcelona.

For Barcelona, it was their worst defeat to Madrid since losing 4-1 in the Santiago Bernabeu in 2008.

"This is a hard loss to accept but we have to pick ourselves up quickly," Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas said. "We had our chances but they get out on the break so easily and we left too many spaces open. We need to learn from our mistakes (and) remember that we still have two titles to fight for."

Barcelona suffered the same problems it had against Milan, unable to convert its better share of possession into goals, while its defense again proved brittle as it allowed goals for the 12th straight match.

The two cup losses also indicate that Barcelona is sorely missing coach Tito Vilanova, who is still undergoing treatment in New York after having a second tumor in two years removed from his throat in December.

Barcelona, which was again led by assistant coach Jordi Roura, has five wins, three draws and three losses since mid-January.

Barcelona came out looking sharp, and Messi brought the first collective gasp from the vibrant Camp Nou crowd with a shot just outside the far post from a tight angle after Pedro Rodriguez set him up inside the box.

But Ronaldo put Madrid in front by earning a penalty on the break when defender Gerard Pique stretched to try and dispossess him of the ball and ended up tripping the Portugal forward in the area.

Ronaldo dispatched the spot kick into the lower left corner of the net to beat goalkeeper Jose Pinto before running and sliding on his knees at the corner flag to the ire of the home fans.

Barcelona started the second half strong as Sergio Busquets forced goalkeeper Diego Lopez into a diving save, but again it was Ronaldo and Madrid who caught Barcelona off-balance and doubled the lead.

After Barcelona lost the ball in another frustrated attempt to unlock Madrid's defense, two touch passes left Angel Di Maria streaking toward the other end. The Argentina international cut back to bring Carles Puyol to the turf before firing a shot that Pinto did well to block, but the rebound fell to Ronaldo to drive home with his left foot.

Varane then put the result beyond all doubt when he was left all alone to rise up and head Mesut Oezil's corner kick off the underside of the crossbar before Alba got Barcelona's consolation goal two minutes from time.

"We are playing well here in recent visits," Ronaldo said. "Playing against Barcelona gives us extra motivation."

Sevilla hosts Atletico on Wednesday needing to overturn the 2-1 loss in their first to move on to the final.

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

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Can Red Bulls finally run the table?

PST:?New York?has the makings of a team that will again challenge for the?Eastern Conference crown, but can Thierry Henry deliver that elusive MLS Cup?

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/50962887/ns/sports-soccer/

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Kerry pushes trans-Atlantic free trade in Germany

Feb 25 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 2. Matt Kuchar $1,987,000 3. Hunter Mahan $1,412,965 4. John Merrick $1,296,014 5. Phil Mickelson $1,232,760 6. Dustin Johnson $1,200,125 7. Tiger Woods $1,144,000 8. Russell Henley $1,129,080 9. Brian Gay $1,089,181 10. Charles Howell III $1,087,944 11. Jason Day $1,009,164 12. Chris Kirk $990,013 13. Steve Stricker $940,000 14. Josh Teater $870,934 15. Bill Haas $816,300 16. Jimmy Walker $812,620 17. Scott Piercy $789,592 18. Charlie Beljan $785,800 19. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-pushes-trans-atlantic-free-trade-germany-133433528--finance.html

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Mathematically, How Many Different Tweets Could There Ever Be?

There's only so much you can say in 140 paltry characters. So how many possible different tweets are there that could ever be sent? More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/tGlHF46W5Io/mathematically-how-many-different-tweets-could-there-ever-be

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ITV to pay special dividend as earnings rise

LONDON (Reuters) - ITV , Britain's largest free-to-air broadcaster, posted a 13 percent rise in 2012 earnings, helped by growth in non-advertising revenues, and said it would pay shareholders a 156 million pound special dividend.

The firm, home to soap opera "Coronation Street", period drama "Downton Abbey" and talent show "The X-factor", on Wednesday reported adjusted earnings for 2012 of 520 million pounds on total external revenues up 3 percent to 2.2 billion pounds.

ITV said adjusted earnings per share rose 16 percent to 9.2 pence, ahead of an analysts' consensus of 8.7 pence, according to Reuters data.

Having ended the year with net cash of 206 million pounds the firm is paying a full year dividend of 2.6 pence a share and a special dividend of 4.0 pence a share.

Non-advertising revenue rose 12 percent to 1.04 billion pounds with the firm's production division, ITV Studios, increasing revenue 16 percent to 712 million pounds.

Adam Crozier, chief executive since 2010, is reshaping ITV's business from a dependence on revenue from a struggling advertising market, seeking greater revenue streams from television production, online and pay businesses.

Though ITV's net advertising revenue (NAR) in 2012 was flat, the firm said it outperformed the wider television market.

It said it had made a positive start to 2013 with first quarter advertising expected to be up 5 percent and continued strong demand for ITV Studios content.

Shares in ITV have increased 50 percent over the last year, partly due to private equity bid speculation. They closed Tuesday at 120.2 pence, valuing the business at 4.7 billion pounds.

(Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Louise Heavens and Hans-Juergen Peters)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/itv-pay-special-dividend-earnings-rise-071341475--finance.html

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SES New York Keynote Speaker Says Internet is TV's Best Friend ...

The Internet didn?t kill TV! According to Mike Proulx, the Internet has become TV?s best friend. Proulx will be the opening keynote speaker at SES New York 2013. The leading event for experienced marketing and advertising professionals will take place March 25-28, 2013, at the New York Marriott Marquis.

Proulx is a Senior Vice President and the Director of Social Media at Hill Holliday, a renowned advertising agency based in Boston, where he leads a team with a focus on cross-channel integration, emerging and social media. He has spent the last 17 years working at various interactive, high-tech, and new media companies on the agency-side, client-side, and as an entrepreneur. He has spoken at dozens of events and has been widely featured in the press including The New York Times, Fast Company, TV Guide, Forbes, BusinessWeek, Mashable, BuzzFeed, and NPR.

Proulx conceived, produced, directed, and co-host the TVnext summit, which took place in early 2011 and 2012. He is the co-author of Social TV, a best-selling book from Wiley publishing that launched in February of 2012. He is also the host of the social TV web series, ?The Pulse on Lost Remote?. He holds a Master?s degree in Computer Information Systems from Bentley University and in 2012 was named the Ad Club?s Media All Star.

His opening keynote is titled, ?Social TV: How Marketers Can Reach and Engage Audiences by Connecting Television to the Web, Social Media, and Mobile.?

Search Engine Watch (SEW) asked Mike Proulx (MP) five questions about his upcoming keynote. Here are his answers:

SEW: How does the convergence of television with the web, social media, and mobile change our behaviors and shake up our long standing beliefs about TV?

MP: There are those who believe that television is a traditional medium with an impending death. The web, social media, and mobile have evolved TV into a multi-screen experience that transcends devices. Not only are we watching more television than ever before, we?re interacting with programming on the ?second screen? in ways that enrich storylines and bring us together to virtually co-view. The modern era of television is a new media that?s more social, more connected, and more portable?and because of this TV is more alive than it?s ever been.

SEW: How has social media created a new and powerful "backchannel" and why does this fuel the renaissance of live broadcasts?

MP: There are a ton of posts happening in social media about any given TV show as it airs. Since Twitter is open and public, it acts as television?s backchannel filled with real-time commentary and conversation ? And it?s not just about TV series but also TV commercials giving producers and marketers instant feedback about their content. Live television events are seeing some of the highest ratings in years and social media brings a level of community and connection to TV watching the likes of which the medium has never before experienced.

SEW: Can you give us some examples of how mobile devices allow us to watch and interact with television whenever and wherever we want?

MP: Tablets, smartphones, and laptops enable television?s portability but it?s apps like HBO Go, ABC Player, Xfinity Remote, and CNN that deliver ?TV? content via those devices. And in the 4G world of mobile, we can watch TV in places once inconceivable. My favorite spot? Laying out on the roof deck on a warm summer night with my iPad in hand streaming HBO?s The Newsroom.

SEW: Why would ?connected TVs? blend web and television content into a unified big screen experience that will bring us back into our living rooms?

MP: Apple TV, Roku, Boxee TV, Google TV, Samsung Smart TVs, etc. stream online video (that was once relegated to our computer screens) onto the ?big screen? of our living rooms. HD YouTube clips suddenly come to life in ways that are far more impactful and dynamic than tiny smartphone screens further blurring the lines of what?s ?TV.? While the notion of TV everywhere lets us watch TV at will regardless of our physical location, the increasingly seamless ability to channel streaming video through the TV set makes the living room that much more compelling.

SEW: With the television landscape changing, why should brands approach the medium once labeled ?traditional? as new media?

MP: TV has become mashed up with the Web, social media, and mobile. Television networks, providers, brands, and agencies must continue to unshackle themselves from dated business and advertising models and rediscover television as a new medium. This means planning television and digital together to tell stories across devices and engage viewers with TV experiences not just TV shows. The speed, scale, and degree of change that has and is happening create enormous opportunity for those brands who have the courage to innovate.

SES New York 2013 offers a variety of conference passes and on-site training. If you register by Thursday, March 7, 2013, you can save up to $600 on Platinum or All Access passes.

For more information, click on Rates and Registration Details. Group discounts for 4 or more pass holders from the same company are also available by contacting [email?protected] and are the best value for the lowest price possible.

I should disclose that SES New York is a client of my agency. But, trust me, TV is not dead yet.

---

Become an Expert Digital Marketer at SES New York
March 25-28, 2013: With dozens of sessions on Search, Social, Local and Mobile, you'll leave SES with everything and everyone you need to know. Hurry, early bird rates expire February 21. Register today!

Source: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2250850/SES-New-York-Keynote-Speaker-Says-Internet-is-TVs-Best-Friend

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Health and Fitness Talk ? Acoustic Neuromas

by Kimberly Allen, RN

Acoustic neuromas are also called vestibular Schwannomas. ?They are slow growing benign, in other words non cancerous, tumors. ?They can develop in anyone though they are more common ?in men than womenand they usually develop between 30 to 60 years of age. ?In the US there are around 3,000 new cases diagnosed every year. ?They account for 80% of all tumors located in an area called the cerebellopntine angle which is the area of the brain near the pons and cerebellum.

Acoustic neuromas form on the 8th cranial nerve which is the main nerve that goes from your inner ear to your brain. ?The branches of this nerve have a direct connection with balance and hearing. ?Acoustic neuromas put pressure on these nerves causing a loss of balance, ringing in your ear as well as hearing loss.

Acoustic neuromas are believed to be associated with a gene on chromosome 22 that is malfunctioning. ?This gene normally produces a protein that assists in controlling the growth of Schwan cells that covers the nerves. ?Scientists are not sure why the gene malfunctions, however they do know that the malfunctioning gene is inherited in approximately half of the people with neurofibromatosis II. ?There is also another type of acoustic neuroma that is a sporadic type. ?Sporadic acoustic neuromas account for around 95% of all diagnosed acoustic neuromas. ?Sporadic acoustic neuromas are considered to be unilateral, meaning ?only 1 ear is affected. ?The cause of this type if acoustic neuroma is unknown, however, there have been some studies that indicate they are associated with protracted exposure to loud noises and extensive cell phone use.

The symptoms of an acoustic neuroma occur due to the pressure of the tumor on the surrounding nerves and blood vessels. ?The most common symptoms of an acoustic neuroma is hearing loss, which manifests in over 95% of patients. ?There is a unilateral hearing impairment that progresses slowly in approximately 90% of those with an acoustic neuroma. ?Most people with an acoustic neuroma experience a high frequency hearing loss while others experience low frequency hearing loss. ?Other symptoms of an acoustic neuroma inicludes a ringing or ?buzzing?in your ear, virtigo and impaired balance as well as facial weakness and numbness. ?Occasionally an acoustic neuroma grows large enough to put pressure on the brain stem becoming life threatening.

Currently there are three main treatments available for acoustic neuromas. ?They include monitoring, radiation and surgery. ?If your acoustic neuroma is small and not growing or growing very slowly and you have minimal or no symptoms your doctor may recommend monitoring it, especially if you are an older adult. ?If your tumor is larger and causing symptoms your Dr may recommend sterostatic radiosurgery, like gama knife radiosurgery. ?This type of surgery allows the Dr to deliver radiation to the tumor without making an incision. ?This type of treatment is aimed at stopping the growth of the tumor. ?Then there is surgical removal. ?Due to the increased potential for complications this treatment is reserved for those with large acoustic neuromas causing significant impairment.

Once diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma even though they are benign can cause a great deal of stress. ?Coping with the possible hearing loss as well as facial paralysis and trying to decide which treatment you and your doctor feel is best for your situation can be very stressful. ?Its important to educate yourself on acoustic neuromas because the more you know the better equiped are to make decisions regarding treatment. ?And always remember te support of family and friends can be a tremendous help in difficult times.

Kimberly Allen is a registered nurse with an AND in nursing. She has worked in ACF, LCF and psychiatric facilities, although she spent most of her career as a home health expert. She is now a regular contributor to HealthAndFitnessTalk.com, dispensing advice and knowledge about medical issues and questions. You can reach her with any comments or questions at? mussatti3@gmail.com.

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Source: http://www.healthandfitnesstalk.com/acoustic-neuromas/

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McCain and Graham press Obama on border

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham pressed President Barack Obama on the importance of border security at a rare White House meeting Tuesday and came away praising the president's commitment to overhauling the nation's immigration laws.

"I believe that the president is very committed to comprehensive immigration reform," McCain, R-Ariz., told reporters afterward. "Now does that mean he's committed to anything we do? No, he has his positions on the issue as well, but I believe he is sincerely desirous of comprehensive immigration reform."

The praise from McCain and Graham, two leaders of a bipartisan Senate group developing comprehensive immigration legislation, came even though some other Republicans say Obama just wants to pursue immigration as a political issue to get Latino support and isn't truly committed to a bill.

The pair met with Obama as the White House continued to work to repair damage from a leak earlier this month of draft immigration legislation Obama was preparing, which he's said he'll make public only if the Senate working group on immigration doesn't move quickly enough. McCain said after the leak that it raised questions about Obama's commitment to the issue, and he also criticized the president for failing to communicate with Republicans on immigration.

Tuesday's meeting appeared successful in repairing relations. The White House had no immediate comment on the meeting.

"I think we'll have presidential leadership in a very productive way on immigration reform and with that we've got a very good chance of doing it this year," said Graham, R-S.C.

Both Obama's draft bill and the legislation emerging in the Senate would secure the border, improve legal immigration, crack down on employers and provide a pathway to citizenship to the 11 million illegal immigrants already in the U.S. An important difference is that the Senate bill would mandate a secure border before a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants could begin, a linkage Obama hasn't embraced.

The senators discussed border security with Obama and said they were encouraged by what they heard, though it was unclear if they'd extracted any commitments.

"He understands we need border security that we can afford and Sen. McCain made a strong point about the border, and the president understands the working components of it, so I was, quite frankly, encouraged," Graham said.

McCain, who often speaks of problems along the border in his home state of Arizona, said he was "more confident after our conversation today" that Obama understands those issues.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mccain-graham-press-obama-border-231800869--politics.html

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Lindsay Lohan guest-starring on Sheen sitcom

NEW YORK (AP) ? Lindsay Lohan will be playing herself, but as a therapy patient, in an upcoming episode of the FX sitcom "Anger Management."

Producer Lionsgate Television says Lohan will develop a romantic relationship during her sessions with the therapist character played by series star Charlie Sheen.

Lionsgate says the episode is set to air in April. Sheen and Lohan have also recently worked together in the upcoming "Scary Movie 5," which is set to debut the same month.

"Anger Management" airs Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-25-TV-Lindsay%20Lohan/id-122daf58379841bfab402166e495a0a1

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Seattle Times Will Install Paywall Next Month

Poynter.:

The Seattle Times will begin a digital-subscription plan in March, Times Executive Editor David Boardman told readers in a column Sunday. The plan resembles The New York Times' paywall -- print subscribers will have full access to the Times' site, and nonsubscribers will be able to access a limited number of articles before hitting the pay gate.

Read the whole story: Poynter.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/25/seattle-times-will-instal_n_2758751.html

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Telecom CEOs: US regulators better than Europe

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) ? The CEOs of AT&T, Vodafone and Telefonica ? three of the world's largest cellphone companies ? had some rare words of praise for U.S. regulators Monday, saying they're doing better than their European counterparts in promoting faster wireless data networks.

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson told an audience at Mobile World Congress, the world's largest cellphone trade show, that the U.S. government's practice of selling phone companies large swathes of space of the airwaves for perpetual use was helping encourage companies, including AT&T, to build out large networks using the latest "LTE" technology.

By contrast, many European countries lease out space on their airwaves for eight- to 15-year terms. The perpetual licenses in the U.S. gives phone companies the incentive to invest, Stephenson said. The large, contiguous slices of spectrum the U.S. sold in its latest auctions make it easy to build fast networks, he added.

He was joined in a panel discussion by Vittorio Colao, the CEO of British-based Vodafone Group PLC and Cesar Allerta, his counterpart at Spain's Telefonica SA, both of whom agreed with him. Vodafone and Telefonica have wide international holdings.

Verizon Wireless launched LTE service in the U.S. in 2010, followed by AT&T the year after. Both are using airwaves that regulators reclaimed from TV broadcasters ? a process that has run slower in Europe.

The cellphone trade show is being held in Barcelona, Spain, a country that illustrates the slow build-out of LTE in Europe. There are some LTE pilot projects in the country, but no plans for full nationwide build-outs. There are exceptions in Europe, like Sweden, where four phone companies offer LTE mobile services.

According to trade group 4G Americas, there were 33 million LTE-capable devices in North America at the end of last year, representing 52 percent of global LTE connections. Japan and South Korea also have strong LTE networks. The GSM Association, which organizes the show, said Europe accounts for 6 percent of global LTE devices.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-02-25-EU-TEC-Wireless-Show-Faster-Broadband/id-1f208fb32af64b93ba2d5a0998d3c4e8

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Net providers begin warning of illegal downloads

Anne Flaherty , The Associated Press ? ? ? 2 hrs.

Internet users who illegally share music, movies or television shows online could soon receive warning notices from the nation's five major Internet service providers.

The Copyright Alert System, organized by the recording and film industry, is being activated this week to target consumers using peer-to-peer software.

Under the new system, complaints will prompt an Internet service provider ? such as Verizon or AT&T ? to notify a customer whose Internet address has been detected sharing files illegally. A person will be given up to six opportunities to stop before the Internet provider will take more drastic steps, such as temporarily slowing their connection, or redirecting Internet traffic until they acknowledge they received a notice or review educational materials about copyright law.

Consumers who maintain they have been wrongly accused would be forced to pay $35 to appeal the decision. The fee would be reimbursed if they prevail.

Proponents say the focus is on deterring the average consumer rather than chronic violators. The director of the organization behind the system, Jill Lesser of the Center for Copyright Infringement, said in a blog post Monday that the program is "meant to educate rather than punish, and direct (users) to legal alternatives."

Each Internet provider is expected to implement their own system. The other providers expected to participate are Cablevision, Time Warner Cable and Comcast. (NBC News is part of NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast, a provider of cable TV and broadband Internet access.)

The program gives each customer five or six "strikes" after a music or film company has detected illegal file-sharing and lodged a complaint. The first alerts are expected to be educational, while the third and fourth would require the customer to acknowledge that they have received the warnings and understand their behavior is illegal. The final warnings are expected to lead to "mitigation measures," such as slowing a person's Internet connection speeds.

Officials involved in the effort acknowledge it's unlikely to stop the biggest violators. There are ways to disguise an IP address or use a neighbor's connection that is unlocked. Public wireless connections, such as those offered at coffee shops, also won't be monitored.

? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/net-providers-begin-warning-illegal-downloads-1C8543845

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Film of Austrian girl's hostage ordeal premieres

VIENNA (AP) ? The story of Natascha Kampusch, who grew from a 10-year old to a young woman as a captive of a sadistic abductor, is now a movie.

The film depicting her more than eight-year long ordeal premiered late Monday in Vienna. Titled "3096 Days," the English-language film is based on Kampusch's biography.

Thure Lindhardt, who played abductor Wolfgang Priklopil, says the role was "challenging," while Campbell-Hughes describes her portrayal of Kampusch as "a very great responsibility."

Prominent Austrians in the audience came away impressed. Former Interior Minister Karl Blecha said the film succeeded in depicting the horrors of Kampusch's torment.

Kampusch was snatched off a Vienna street when she was 10 and held prisoner until she fled in August 2006. Priklopil committed suicide within hours of her escape.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/film-austrian-girls-hostage-ordeal-premieres-091304905.html

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Former White House Press Secretary: Treating Drones Like a Secret Is 'Inherently Crazy' (Atlantic Politics Channel)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287223778?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Exclusive: Goldman to begin fresh round of job cuts - sources

REUTERS - Goldman Sachs Group Inc plans to begin a fresh round of job cuts as early as this week, sources familiar with the matter said on Monday, with its equities-trading business bracing for bigger cuts than fixed-income trading.

The cuts come at the time of year in which the Wall Street bank typically gets rid of its weakest 5 percent of employees across the entire firm. But as the trading business continues to suffer from weak volumes and earnings, the losses are expected to be deeper in some businesses.

Equities trading will likely see cuts bigger than 5 percent, while fixed-income trading, which took big hits last year and has had better volumes, will likely see cuts of less than 5 percent, the sources said. The number of shares traded on major U.S. exchanges this year is down 7.2 percent.

It is unclear whether the cuts in totality will be larger than Goldman's typical 5 percent culling across the firm.

Big banks globally have been cutting staff for the past few years, as weak trading and dealmaking volumes and increased costs have put pressure on shareholder returns. Banks including Morgan Stanley , Bank of America Corp , Citigroup Inc , and UBS AG have all laid off staff or announced plans to cut thousands of jobs in the past year or two.

Goldman's latest round of dismissals follows the bank's layoffs of 3,300 employees, or 9 percent of its workforce, over the past two years.

Earlier this month, Goldman's new chief financial officer, Harvey Schwartz, said that laying off more workers may be the way that banks generate higher returns on equity for shareholders. The metric is important because it shows how much profit banks can squeeze from their balance sheets.

Last year, Goldman's return-on-equity was 10.7 percent, an improvement from 2011, but still well below its historical highs above 30 percent. Schwartz said he does not see Goldman's returns last year as "aspirational for the long term."

"I think the industry will migrate to higher returns because they will have to," Schwartz said, adding that it might be "a question of excess capacity coming out of the industry over a period of time."

(Reporting By Lauren Tara LaCapra and Katya Wachtel; Editing by Kenneth Barry; Editing by Maureen Bavdek)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-goldman-begin-fresh-round-job-cuts-sources-193110132--finance.html

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Video: Anger from far right attacks GOP leaders

>>> let's play "hardball."

>>> good evening. i'm chris matthews . in washington, let me start with this tonight, with the angriest cries from the right. listen to them. they arise from the last row of the latest town meeting of the tea party . they voices reach up to the highest levels of the gop. the republican party , a long time ago the party of prudence and fiscal responsibility is now the war party of the mideast, the stop the government party here at home. watch tonight as someone who has pander eed to those extreatmen treemz. we start tonight with the tea party and what it does to someone like john mccain . i told you it would come to this and now we've got the proof on camera. a party that spits at its leaders listens only to the loudest, angriest person in the back row. boehner is nothing to this crowd. it never heard of kantor. mitch mcconnell , a nobody. what matters to the republican far right are the few to dare to be even further right. now the huffington post editorial director. the 2013 version of john mccain version took on his constituents who looked like a room full of right wing 2010 mccains with their anti-immigrant build a fence talk. here's a bit of his exchange, if you want to call it that, with angry right wing tea partiers.

>> why didn't the army go down there and stop 'em? because the only thing that stops 'em, i'm afraid to say, and it's too damn bad, but is a gun. that's all that will stop 'em.

>> the border is 2,000 miles long, sir. i don't know how many troops and army people you think would have been required. i don't know how many you think would be required, but i'll give you expert information that shows you that probably maybe you're talking about two million soldiers. there are people who have been here illegally for 50 years or 40 years. am i then telling them to become guest workers ? no, you can't do that. why can't you do that? because we're a judeo principal christian nation . that's why you can't do that.

>> i guess those people aren't judeo christians, you guys. i rarely brag on this show but i've been saying for a long time what's really running the republican now is the angriest guy, we just saw, in the last row of the latest tea party meeting.

>> well, basically they have unleashed the hounds and now the hounds are in charge. they created a frankenstein, whatever metaphor you want to use.

>> i used that one.

>> sorry.

>> don't say orwellian because that's what john mccain does and he don't like it. go ahead.

>> the republican party has mobilized the far right over the last few years to beat back obama to, you know, win the house with the tea party in 2010 and they have sort of -- now they're kind of stuck with these people.

>> you mean to say if you play hopscotch or piggyback with j.d. hey hayworth and try to go to his right you may be expected to be at his right. and there's john mccain , the executive producer deserves a lot of praise. here's john mccain 20 -- what is it now, 2013 . trying to disremember he was john mccain 2010 . long ago he was john mccain 2000 .

>> john mccain did what he could to climb aboard the tea party express.

>> to get re-elected.

>> to get re-elected. and now he's confronting his old self as he argues with the guy he was a few years ago, as john reese said. and john mccain has never been good at hiding his anger or his contempt for people he considers to be idiots that are in his way.

>> except that moment happened to disagree with him because he said to build that dang fence.

>> john mccain is the perfect expression, the perfect 'embody embodiment of the schizophrenia the republican party is.

>> explain.

>> he both wants to be the anti-establishment screw the government kind of guy. he's the war hawk , as you said. he's the tea party guy, in certain respects he is. but he's also a guy who wants to get deals done, who believes in the old establishment, loves the senate, was in the navy and is an old republican guy.

>> he worked with kennedy on the old imdwrags bill, he worked with lieberman on climb change. and he also --

>> he also likes to get deals done.

>> you can't do that --

>> he's in many ways an admirable senator except when he's in that mode. here's another taste when more voters remind mccain he once kidded about working with ted kennedy . that brings us to the campaign of three years ago. watch.

>> senator, i remember when you were in bed with kennedy --

>> in bed with kennedy ? thank you.

>> we have a large group of dependent people that are going to -- you want to make citizens that are going to be on -- they're going to be on medicare, they're going to be on welfare, they're going to be on food stamps .

>> well, again --

>> and you know it. what's going to happen is --

>> again, sir, you're not telling these people the truth. they mow our lawns, they care for our babies.

>> you're a senator with the federal government and you're doing nothing about it. you said build a dang fence. where's the fence?

>> in case you missed it, i showed you --

>> that's not a fence.

>> it's not a fence? it's a banana. we're putting up a banana with about $600 million worth of appropriations. sir, you can -- you're entitled to your opinion. you're not entitled to your facts. the facts are that we have made significant improvements.

>> you're stealing from everybody in this audience right here. you're taking away from their social security to give it to a dependent class of people.

>> this is an orwellian experience. i've had enough. you've had enough.

>> to refresh your memory on this dang fence talk. this is what he said in an ad when he went to the far right and was challenged by right wing former congressman j.d. hayworth and he had to hopscotch past him to the right. let's watch.

>> human smuggling, hum invasions, murder.

>> we're outmanned. of all the illegals in america, more than half come through arizona.

>> have we got the right plan?

>> the plan is perfect. you bring troops, state, county and local law enforcement together.

>> and complete the dang fence.

>> it will work this time. senator, you're one of us.

>> well, one of us is dangerous here because when you refer to people, i know we have to get the lingo right in the nicest way of undocumented workers . somewhere between undocumented workers and aliens or illegals is illegal immigrants . when you call them illegals, you're basically saying they're not anything connected to us.

>> it's dehumanizing. if they're illegals they don't deserve citizenship --

>> they're not people. so he was playing their game.

>> he was playing footsie all the way in 2010 . he refused to call himself a maverick. he ran from the john mccain of 2008 and 2000 and 1996 . and now he's kind of in a corner.

>> he's the guy to get off my lawn, mr. wilson in dennis the menace ?

>> they have been many john mccains .

>> which one do you like?

>> david and i have probably covered most of them.

>> which one do you like?

>> 2000 was mccain at his best.

>> he was up against w.

>> he was up against w., which brought out the best of his reformist instincts and the best -- the best side of his anti-establishment instincts and he was terrific.

>> best town meeting we ever had back in those days, those wonderful big town meetings was auburn.

>> well, new hampshire, chris, i remember one in new hampshire, a thousand people showed up and they were a thousand reasonable people.

>> yes.

>> that because bush was on one extreme and other people around there. that was the mccain we liked.

>> you said something usually brilliant by you, which is that he personified the schizoid nature of the republican party . he tries to be part of the governing of the united states . he gets paid to be a senator and to get something done, to pass bills, to legislate, to refine, to improve the government, the country. and yet the other part is this other guy, this enraged person who wants to at least pretend he doesn't believe in government.

>> well, on a simple level, he needed to be that other guy in order to be able to get back in the room to make deals as this guy. he thinks people will forget the fact that he was that other guy. well, the people at the meeting don't forget that.

>> why is he calling these meetings?

>> that's a very good question.

>> i have a theory. i think he's trying to ward off a real primary challenge next time because he wants to be a senator for life , which is fine for me. but that's what he wants to do.

>> i don't think there will be a next time for him.

>> you don't think he'll run again?

>> i think there have been too many john mccains . he'll lose to a real right candidate or real reasonable democrat.

>> claude pepper . some of these guys learn how to change.

>> those are old days. he can't change fast enough.

>> here he is. he didn't take to a reporter's question about the audience reception. here he is plowing into in the same mood we saw him with the people with reporters.

>> oh, sure. people are people unhappy. most of the people in here are happy. most of the people in here agree with me. most of the people agree that as was carried recently, 70% of the american people believe there should be a path to citizenship as long as they pay a fine, pay backs taxes, get in line behind everybody else .

>> would you say 70% of the people in the room agree?

>> sure, absolutely. what's your problem?

>> i don't have a problem.

>> yeah, you to do because you keep somehow thinking that this was not a typical town hall meeting . it is.

>> i've been to many meetings. this felt like --

>> i'm glad to know you're an expert. i'm the one going to the town hall meetings and we have lots of them and they're very vigorous and that's what they're supposed to be.

>> what's that about? you're an expert. he didn't say he was an expert, he just said i've been coming to these town meetings .

>> all i can say is that mccain has gone in and out of love with the press corps as they have with him.

>> did you ever put up with that lip?

>> well, he used to like to -- but in a good-natured way. i mean i think overall he's become a meaner person than he was 12 or nine years ago.

>> let's talk a bigger question rather than just the personality traits of this fellow and different people that are sometimes in the same body. i want you to look at a montage as we call it. this isn't the first time an audience has shown its right wing features, it's anger against in this case illegal immigrants . when all of a sudden you see by maude, these people really are haters. let's take a look at it. these are from the debates this past year.

>> in 2010 when i was deployed to iraq. i had to lie about who i was because i'm a gay soldier. i didn't want to lose my job. my question is under one of your presidencies, do you intend to circumventing the progress that has been made for gay and lesbian soldiers in the military?

>> your state has executed 234 death row inmates, more than any other governor in modern times . [ applause ] have you struggled to sleep at night with the idea that any one of those might have been innocent?

>> no, sir, i have never struggled with that at all.

>> that's what freedom is all about, taking your own risk. this whole idea that you have to prepare and take care of everybody -- [ applause ]

>> but congressman, are you saying that society should just let him die?

>> well, there you have in three different cases, a gay soldier fighting for this country overseas and you have the question of people, lots of -- dozens and dozens, hundreds of people being executed in texas. every time the word is "execute" or to bash a gay soldier or let someone down because they don't have health insurance , it is so viciously right wing.

>> the trick is, and the trick on both extremes of american politics , especially conservatives and republicans over the last 50 years, is to turn that resentment and that fear and that anger to productive purposes. to channel it into a tax cut program or channel it into legislation to drain the swamp which ronald reagan was supposedly going to do. reagan had the ability to take the energy of that resentment and bring it into the mainstream. the problem that the republicans have now is that they have this sort of boiling cauldron down there and they have nowhere -- they have no people able to channel it.

>> but there's a difference between resent maenment and hatred. it may be a fine line in politics but i think they moved from resentment to hatred.

>> when mccain isn't right wing enough, you know we have problems.

>> without any leaders to contain it, that's the way it's going to be.

>> congratulations on your program rachel introduced and explained, that whole story of your book, it's an amazing book. also had a huge audience. people do care about the dishonesty about the war in iraq . they really do care. thank you, howard and david.

>>> guess who has the high ground again in his battle with republicans? the latest debate in washington is going just the way the democrats hoped it would. republicans defending the wealthy again. president obama out there for the middle class . how can it be so good?

>>> also how much have we heard from republicans since the election about how they know they need to change? don't worry, we got the message they keep telling us. check out the names of the next month's conservative political caucus. pailin, lapierre, santorum, newt. i could go on with all these names.

>>> later, it feels a bit like the new improved edsall, doesn't it? how the media machine turned a tongue in cheek joke by a reporter into a deliberately misleading story that chuck hagel talked to a nonexistent group called friends of hamas. never happened. no such group.

>>> let me finish with a new bipartisan push for marriage equality . this is "hardball," the place for politics. the carful?

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/hardball/50879025/

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