Romney to speak with Israeli PM Netanyahu

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? Mitt Romney is set to speak by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (neh-ten-YAH'-hoo) on Friday.

The Republican presidential nominee's campaign confirms the scheduled conversation. It would come the same day that President Barack Obama also is expected to speak with Netanyahu phone.

The economy has dominated the presidential contest so far, but both candidates have focused more on foreign policy in recent weeks.

Romney has been critical of Obama's relationship with Israel's leadership.

Netanyahu told the United Nations on Thursday that tougher action is needed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The prime minister argues that an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities may be the only answer.

Obama and Romney support the use of military force if necessary to prevent Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/romney-speak-israeli-pm-netanyahu-140128284--election.html

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Avoiding Defaults on Your Loans

If you are in default on any one of your loans, this can potentially lead to you having a black mark against your name, in regards toyour credit history. This mark, or negative listing, can stay on your credit history for up to 7 years and can significantly limit your financial options. A poor credit history can affect your application for a credit card, home loan, car finance,?cash loan, or any form of credit through banks. It is therefore sensible to look after your credit health and avoid defaults on your loans.

What is a Default?

A loan default means that you haven?t met your legal obligations of acontract to repay a loan. A default occurs when you have missed a payment, are late with a payment, or haven?t made any payments.

A default shouldn?t be confused with:

• Insolvency, which means a debtor cannot pay their debts.
• Bankruptcy, which involves legal intervention in the finances of those who are insolvent or in default.

AvoidaDefault

This is really a no-brainer. Make your loan repayments on time, all the time,until the loan is paid in full ? it?s that simple. But sometimes, this is easier said than done, because as we all know, life happens. The unexpected occurs, emergencies arise and disasters hit ? and the funds we allocated for one purpose are now suddenly neededfor another. In these instances, quick cash loans can provide financial support to cover the cost of an unexpected emergency, without impinging on your budget and financial obligations.

Causes of a Default

Researchers have actually identified certain factors that make people more at risk of defaulting on loans and other credit. These include single households, unemployment, aged under 50 years, elderly, lack of social support, and even internet illiteracy,because these households may be less likely to find support services and benefits available to them.

Be Pro-Active

If you find you?re struggling to make a payment, don?t just sit there and panic, because that will not help you, in fact, it?s likely to hurt you if you end up with stomach ulcers from stress. Talk to your lender, explain your circumstances and negotiate. Ask for a reduction of your debt or if they can alter payments to make them easier for you to meet. Lenders would much rather you paid them less money over a longer period of time than nothing at all.

Take Responsibility

Here are a couple of the responsibilities you should take to avoid defaulting on your loans:

• Write up a budgetand stick to it ? Ensure that appropriate funds for living necessities and debt repayments are allocated.
• Don?t take on more debt than you can manage ? Live within your means and don?t fall into the trap of keeping up with the Joneses. The Joneses are trying to keep up with the Smiths and they?re all in debt up to their eyeballs, so stop wanting what other people have when they can?t really afford it either. If you can?t afford it, learn to live without it.

Source: http://www.urbancartography.com/avoiding-defaults-loans/

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RT Interview: Looper's Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Rian Johnson

by Grae Drake | Thursday, Sep. 27 2012 6 comments Grae Drake fires time travel questions at Looper writer/director Rian Johnson and star Joseph Gordon Levitt, which they handle with the graceful ease of men who have been to the future and lived to tell about it.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1925979/news/1925979/

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Off-Peek: Radio Telescopes Edge In on Plasma Jet Spewing from Massive Black Hole

Zooming in on Galaxy M87 reveals answers about the turbulent environment surrounding the invisible black hole at its center

By John Matson

JET ENGINE: Astronomers have now zoomed in on the base of the jet emanating from Galaxy M87. Image: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

• 

  Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...

  Read More??

Black holes, by definition, emit no light. They are unseeable.

But astronomers would like to get as close as they can by zooming in on the region immediately surrounding a black hole. That is the objective of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), a network of linked radio telescopes around the globe.

An actual event horizon?the point beyond which light and matter alike become hopelessly lost to a black hole's pull?remains out of sight, but the telescope has now succeeded in piercing the veil of a nearby supermassive black hole to peer into unprecedented depths of its turbulent surroundings.

Researchers trained EHT radio dishes in Hawaii, Arizona and California on the giant elliptical galaxy M87, some 54.5 million light-years away. The galaxy features a dramatic jet, thousands of light-years long, emanating from its center and thus, presumably, from the galaxy's black hole. In a study published online September 27 in Science, Sheperd Doeleman of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Haystack Observatory in Westford, Mass., and his colleagues report that the dish network has resolved the base of M87's jet. The size of the jet at that position, close to its origin, in turn allowed the researchers to deduce some of the most fundamental attributes of both the galaxy's behemoth black hole, which weighs in at a mass of 6.6 billion suns, and the swirling disk of matter surrounding it.

Outside the event horizon of a black hole orbits a disk of material pulled in but not yet consumed by the gravitational pull of the black hole. That accretion disk grows quite dense and hot as infalling material collides and compresses, emitting copious amounts of radiation in the process. Accretion disks can also accelerate particles into a jet of plasma that propagates outward at a substantial fraction of light speed.

Doeleman and his colleagues measured the base of the jet in M87 to ascertain the inner edge of stability within the black hole's accretion disk, beyond which matter quickly falls inward to its doom. That edge, the densest and fastest-moving part of the accretion disk, can fling particles outward with ease. "The jets that we see from M87 are likely launched from right around this region," Doeleman says.

The EHT, with its superior resolving power from the long baselines separating its individual sites, allowed the researchers to measure a size for the jet's footprint of just 5.5 times the black hole's Schwarzschild radius. (The Schwarzschild radius is the size below which a given mass cannot be compressed without collapsing into a black hole.) "We saw something that was just impossibly small, startlingly small," Doeleman says.

The size of the jet?and, by inference, the size of the innermost stable orbit within the accretion disk?implies that the black hole is spinning, and that the accretion disk is rotating in the same direction. A nonrotating black hole would feature a much wider jet, and an accretion disk spinning counter to the black hole's rotation would launch a fountain that was broader still.

In measuring the jet's footprint the researchers had to account for distortions, caused by the warped spacetime of Einstein's general theory of relativity, inherent to observations of such massive objects. Because of the distortion, a particle jet measured by Earth-based tools can appear larger than it actually is. "The black hole acts as its own lens," Doeleman says. "That's just because the black hole is bending the light rays like taffy."

Simply visualizing the event horizon is not the only goal of the project. A central aim is to peer into an astrophysical environment dominated by supermassive objects to see if gravity works as predicted. "If Einstein's theory is going to break down, it's probably going to be near a black hole," Doeleman says, before acknowledging that the reigning theory of gravity has survived countless challenges before. "It is never wise to bet against Einstein," he adds. "I think the bookies in Vegas give you very long odds. But you have to try."

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=1cf4ce9c440f412c915649f8683fed8a

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Iran condemns U.S. removal of MEK group from terrorist list

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran condemned the planned removal of the Iranian dissident group Mujahadin-e Khalq (MEK) from the United States' list of terrorist organizations, Iranian media reported on Wednesday.

U.S. officials said last week that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had made the decision to remove MEK from the list, handing a political victory to a group once sheltered by Iraqi leader, and arch-foe of Iran, Saddam Hussein.

The group, also known as the People's Mujahideen Organization of Iran, calls for the overthrow of Iran's clerical leaders and fought alongside Saddam's forces in the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. It also led a guerrilla campaign against the U.S.-backed Shah of Iran during the 1970s, including attacks on American targets.

"By taking this step the government of America must be held accountable for the blood of thousands of Iranians and Iraqis assassinated by members of this sectarian group," said Ramin Mehmanparast, spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, the Mehr news agency reported on Wednesday.

The U.S. decision comes after years of intense lobbying by the MEK, which had seen many of its members stranded in Iraq even as the group fell out of Baghdad's favor after Saddam's downfall.

The United States added the MEK to its list of foreign terrorist organizations in 1997. But the group has since said it renounced violence and mounted a vigorous legal and public relations campaign to have the designation dropped, including endorsements by prominent former U.S. public officials.

The United States had repeatedly said its decision on the MEK's terrorist designation hinged partly on the group's remaining members leaving Camp Ashraf, an Iraqi base where they had lived for decades, and moving to a former U.S. military base in Baghdad from which they were expected to be resettled overseas.

Officials said last week that the final large group of dissidents had moved from Camp Ashraf to the new location, ending a long standoff with Iraqi authorities.

"The moving of the members of this terrorist group from Camp Ashraf to another place is not at all an acceptable excuse ... for the terrorist nature of this group to be ignored," Mehmanparast said, according to Mehr.

"If America removes this group, with a long history of terrorist actions, from its list, it would be a breach of its international obligations and undermine global efforts to combat terrorism."

(Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati; editing by Patrick Graham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-condemns-u-removal-mek-group-terrorist-list-070008546.html

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Mars rover Curiosity finds signs of ancient stream

This image provided by NASA shows shows a Martian rock outcrop near the landing site of the rover Curiosity thought to be the site of an ancient streambed, next to similar rocks shown on earth. Curiosity landed in a crater near Mars' equator on Aug. 5, 2012, on a two-year mission to study whether the environment could have been favorable for microbial life. (AP Photo/NASA)

This image provided by NASA shows shows a Martian rock outcrop near the landing site of the rover Curiosity thought to be the site of an ancient streambed, next to similar rocks shown on earth. Curiosity landed in a crater near Mars' equator on Aug. 5, 2012, on a two-year mission to study whether the environment could have been favorable for microbial life. (AP Photo/NASA)

This image provided by NASA shows shows a Martian rock outcrop near the landing site of the rover Curiosity thought to be the site of an ancient streambed. Curiosity landed in a crater near Mars' equator on Aug. 5 on a two-year mission to study whether the environment could have been favorable for microbial life. (AP Photo/NASA)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The NASA rover Curiosity has beamed back pictures of bedrock that suggest a fast-moving stream, possibly waist-deep, once flowed on Mars ? a find that the mission's chief scientist called exciting.

There have been previous signs that water existed on the red planet long ago, but the images released Thursday showing pebbles rounded off, likely by water, offered the most convincing evidence so far of an ancient streambed.

There was "a vigorous flow on the surface of Mars," said chief scientist John Grotzinger of the California Institute of Technology. "We're really excited about this."

The discovery did not come as a complete surprise. NASA decided to plunk Curiosity down inside Gale Crater near the Martian equator because photos from space hinted that the spot possessed a watery past. The six-wheeled rover safely landed Aug. 5 after a nail-biting plunge through the Martian atmosphere. It's on a two-year, $2.5 billion mission to study whether the Martian environment could have been favorable for microbial life.

Present day Mars is a frozen desert with no hint of water on its radiation-scarred surface, but geological studies of rocks by previous missions suggest the planet was warmer and wetter once upon a time.

The latest evidence came from photos that Curiosity took revealing rounded pebbles and gravel ? a sign that the rocks were transported long distances by water and smoothed out.

The size of the rocks ? ranging from a sand grain to a golf ball ? indicates that they could not have been carried by wind, said mission scientist Rebecca Williams of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Ariz.

Though Curiosity did not use its high-tech instruments to drill into the rocks or analyze their chemical makeup, Grotzinger said scientists were sure that water played a role based on just studying the pictures.

It's unclear how long the water persisted on the surface, but it easily could have lasted "thousands to millions of years," said mission scientist Bill Dietrich of the University of California, Berkeley.

Curiosity chanced upon the dried-up streambed while driving to Glenelg, an intriguing spot where three types of terrain meet. Its ultimate destination is Mount Sharp, a mountain rising from the center of crater floor, but it was not expected to travel there until the end of the year.

Finding past water is a first step toward learning whether the environment could have supported microbes. Scientists generally agree that besides water and an energy source such as the sun, organic carbon is a necessary prerequisite for life.

While an ancient streambed holds promise as a potentially habitable environment, scientists don't think it's a good place to preserve the carbon building blocks of life. That's why the rover will continue its trek to the foothills of Mount Sharp where there's a better chance of finding organics.

___

Alicia Chang can be followed at http://twitter.com/SciWriAlicia

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2012-09-28-Mars%20Curiosity/id-5d5f203127774875b0d2e4cc4d7c7f09

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Why Is Padded Short Important?

Adventure sports are all about fun, thrill and of course risks. Most of the time, people neglect the need of protective gears and end up getting seriously injured. Wearing protective gears not only acts as a guard but also provide the confidence to perform better. There is wide range of protective gears that you should wear to protect yourself from the unwanted injuries. Your each and every part requires equal level of protection, and hence, there is a wide range of protective gears comprising wrist guard, ankle guard, helmet, chest protector, elbow guard, padded shorts for head to toe protection.

With the increase in popularity of biking, many people are using padded shorts to get relief from the unpleasant experiences. Basically, padded shorts act as a layer between your lower body and the seat of the bike. For this, many manufacturers are developing top rated padded shorts using high quality material. They use highly advanced and newest manufacturing techniques to prepare the superior quality and low profile shorts for high level safety. Light in weight, these shorts proffers complete protection from impacts as well as abrasions. The low profile construction of the padded shorts allows wearing it under any pant.

There are many benefits of wearing padded short during adventure sports. The padded shorts provide resistance against wind. Along with increasing comfort, the tight fit of these shorts prevents the friction between the leg and the bike or bicycle, whichever you are using. Also, it prevents muscle fatigue and has a long shelf life. Most of the good quality padded shorts feature pores that offer cooling effect on sunny day. Always make sure that your biking apparel has the tendency to pull moisture away. For cycling, you need different kind of padded shorts. While mountain bike shorts are loose and has extra pockets, cycling shorts are tight fit. Not to forget, it also makes you feel differentiated among the crowd. You can wear reflective or shining yellow colored padded short or can put some colorful stickers on the shorts.

So, after seeing so many wonderful benefits of padded shorts, you must have made your mind for buying a pair of padded shorts for yourself too. There are various manufacturers who have an online store offering wide range of padded shorts and other accessories to choose from. Purchasing protective gears from online store is a much better option than buying from a retail shop. This saves lots of money as well as time. So, whether you are riding for pleasure or participating in any competition, always equip yourself using padded shorts and ride like never before.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Why-Is-Padded-Short-Important-/4180003

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Tips for Raising Happy Children | Toddler Times

In my house we have an afternoon tradition: each day after preschool my 3 and 5 year old stop at the end of our front walk while I continue on to the house. As soon as I?ve reached the porch I turn around to face them, oversized backpacks dwarfing their tiny frames.

On your mark, get set, GO! I yell. The two of them come galloping toward me like miniature thoroughbreds out of the gate. Whoever reaches me first calls, I WIN! I got to Mommy first! I get to pick the dessert!

It?s a silly childhood tradition whose origin I can?t recall, but it?s become part of the rhythm of our family?s life. I have to wonder, though, will they remember it?

One of the most difficult concepts for me to wrestle with as a parent is this: that until my children are at least three and a half, it?s unlikely that they?ll remember anything about their lives. It?s called ?childhood amnesia,? the blank slate of early childhood.

So that trip we took to Disney World this summer? Only my 9 year old will recall the hotel with the awesome water slide and how daddy belly danced that night at Epcot. The memories we?ve made in the house we?re moving out of next month will one day fade away. And their great grandfather who passed away last winter? My younger two will only have our photographs and stories to go by.

It?s a bitter pill to swallow.

I thought of this one recent Sunday morning as I read the New York Times? Motherlode blog. One of my favorite writers, Gretchen Rubin, contributed a great post, ?Why Little Bear Made Me Burst into Tears.? I was intrigued by the title because as a sentimental mama myself, I can certainly relate. But the post wasn?t as much about the emotional grip of children?s literature as it was about the swift passing of time, especially the childhood years.

According to Rubin, ?Remembering happy times in the past is an important way to boost happiness in the present, and children need parents? help to sustain happy memories.? But when their memories haven?t yet fully imprinted in their minds, how can we as parents foster them?

In ?the days since I read her words I?ve been mulling it over a bit. I thought of one of my daughter?s favorite activities: hearing the story of her birth. She certainly can?t remember the day she was born but delights in the story nonetheless. She also loves looking through her baby pictures with me and listening as I give her details.

This was your favorite toy.

Grandpa?s friend made you that cradle.

I loved the way your brothers made you laugh.

From the huge smile on her face as I tell her these things, I can?t imagine she?d be any happier if she remembered the details herself. Maybe Gretchen Rubin is correct: it?s the parents? job to collect the memories and recount them, to create a solid base for happiness as they grow up.

And I can see her now: my daughter, several years older, with lanky legs and a missing front tooth.

Tell me about when we raced up the walk to you, Mommy.?

Even though she?ll be too big for my lap then, I?ll make a spot for her, pull her close, and tell her how she looked as she ran. Oversized backpack and all.

Mary Lauren Weimer?is a social worker turned mother turned writer. Her blog,?My 3 Little Birds, encourages moms to put down the baby books for a moment and tell their own stories. Connect with her on?Facebook?and?Twitter.

More by Mary Lauren:

Expert Tips for Tackling Tough Toddler Questions

Lengthening the Fuse: 5 Tips for Becoming a More Patient Mom

Why I Won?t Apologize for Blogging about My Family

Source: http://blogs.babble.com/toddler-times/2012/09/24/on-the-bittersweet-passage-of-time/

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Guarantor Financial loans Vs . Unsecured Loans from banks | My Blog

Posted by BrodzikBusboom629 on Sep 22, 2012 in ANIMAL | Comments Off

Banks are secured collectors plus they give over cash with straightforward answers to the actual customer. However, financial institutions furthermore choose a settlement ensure. Guarantor financial loans are usually well suited for those who have before encounter downside to their particular credit rating. They could improve their personal credit record as well, if the settlement is completed properly.

Guarantor lending options entail a third person. This kind of next individual should have a favorable credit background. They?re usually somebody who possess a residence, generate more than ?800 and are also among Twenty-three and also 70 years of age. Such a great situation, the normal quantity that?ll be of course for the customer is all about ?5000. Nevertheless, the quantity is based on the evaluation with the credit history with the guarantor and many risk factors. In the event the guarantor himself has taken a loan or mortgaged his / her house then a banking institutions is going to take this kind of factor into consideration. The role of the guarantor inside the complete deal is very simple. They usually don?t hear from the lender when the consumer is able to pay off the credit in time. Nevertheless, when the applicant doesn?t pay back the quantity inside time period, next under the agreement from the guarantor financial loans, the particular guarantor is liable to cover the borrowed funds quantity along with the interest and all some other costs.

In contrast to the unsecured loans, in which the candidate alone is likely for many fees about the loan, underneath the guarantor mortgage the actual guarantor gets accountable for repayment as they have got stood as surety. It?s a large obligation which is why solely those which know the candidate strongly enough might consent to function as the guarantor for this particular loans.

Under the unique circumstances, it really is observed that banking institutions are usually leaving offering heavy funds to people. Banks are actually able to spend that towards the organizations, which subsequently lend the cash to folks. Nonetheless, financial institutions usually are not ready to directly provide funds towards the consumer, especially on an unsecured foundation.

Along with short term loans such as pay day loans, the amount is going to be limited, the particular payment term very quick and also the rate of interest very high, and also other costs. Defaulting or slowing down repayment can lead to nonetheless much more costs getting extra upon and also the customer is going to be with high risk of finding yourself paying often times more the total amount they?ve got lent. Therefore the customer has to take into account all phrases carefully before signing the agreement for this type of bank loan. This loan should be considered being a temporary, cease gap set up simply as well as sufficient cash flow needs to be set up to fulfill responsibilities.

I was so moved in what I have learned about this on the main site, consequently I had to write my views about it. To get further amazing information regarding this short article, ensure to look at click here or guarantor loans. (12)

Source: http://funclub24.com/2012/09/22/guarantor-financial-loans-vs-unsecured-loans-from-banks/

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The Best Car Insurance coverage Companies Offer Auto Insurance ...

Write-up by Randolph Summitt

The Very best Vehicle Insurance policies Companies Offer you Auto Insurance Quotes Comparison Online ? Insurance policy ? Automobile

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Buying a new automobile or basically hunting for a a lot more affordable to get the coverage you require on your recent automobile? When you need to know where to get the prices for the best auto insurance policies businesses, get on-line. You can get an auto insurance quotes comparison of the top rated insurance coverage suppliers as properly as some you may by no means have seen of prior to.

Driving a car is a great privilege but it confident can get expensive. Between buying the automobile and spending for fuel and maintenance, a vehicle can quickly drain your wallet. If you might be not lined by a great car insurance policy, you can end up spending a good deal much more funds out that you would at any time imagine.

If you have no insurance or you have inadequate insurance protection, you can land yourself in courtroom and a great deal of difficulties. If you are concerned in an automobile accident, you might be accountable for spending for the damages to the other person?s car if they declare you ended up at fault in the incident.

If you have insufficient coverage, you can be sued for damages. Never bargain with these issues when you have a fantastic, affordable auto insurance coverage coverage.

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All auto insurance policy companies have their personal sites these days. Most of them are more than pleased to give you auto insurance quotes comparison screens that demonstrate you who is the greatest and who is the most affordable for your requirements. Do not arrive up empty handed in the celebration your car is ruined, even if the incident is not your fault. You need to make confident you might be coated for life?s tiny sudden surprises and go over your self and your car with a good coverage. You can get excellent offers on car insurance policies on the internet.

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Originally posted 2012-05-26 03:44:34.

Source: http://www.mujeresindigenas.net/2012/09/21/the-best-car-insurance-coverage-companies-offer-auto-insurance-quotes-comparison-online/

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Robert Pattinson and Kristin Stewart: When Does It - Dr. Jane Greer

Robert Pattinson and Kristin Stewart: When Does It Make Sense To Forgive Someone?

When Kristen Stewart admitted to cheating on boyfriend and Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson, it was all over the news. So it was surprising to see the other day that the talk about Robert?s forgiving Kristen was tucked away in the New York Post, where it could easily have been missed. Since then, however, various magazines are, in fact, writing about their possible reuniting. Their situation raises several issues. The first is, given that the treacherous betrayal made the headlines repeatedly, it was interesting that the potential reconciliation was initially glossed over. Secondly, why is it that when women cheat, the impact of the story has a different tone, almost as though they are held to higher expectations, from when men cheat? And finally, and most importantly: When does it make sense to forgive someone?

We see it time and time again, but usually from the other side ? male celebrities and politicians having affairs. Not only do the women often decide to stand by their side and stay with them, but the public is generally willing to accept the apologies from the men and move on without it having to bring down their relationship or career. So why does it seem different when a woman cheats? They seem to take a harder hit. If people do forgive them, they certainly remember. Meg Ryan is still known for cheating on Russell Crowe. LeAnne Rimes is remembered for admitting to cheating on her then-husband Dean Sheremet. Their betrayals can resonate for years and can contaminate their careers. In the same way, Kristen Stewart?s actions may stick with her. Concern about movie sales dropping are focused on her behavior and what she did with Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders, not so much around what he did. It is as if the standards are separate, and women are still condemned with The Scarlet Letter.

In reality, there shouldn?t be any difference. No matter who is cheating, it is a scalding experience for anyone that sometimes can be forgiven and sometimes cannot. The options for men and women are the same. When all is said and done, the ability to forgive boils down to a few considerations. The first is how important is this person to you? How much shared history do you have together, how much joy do they bring to your life, and how strong is your chemistry? The second consideration is whether or not this has happened before. Is it the first time, and they are stepping up to the plate with a readiness to rebuild your trust and strengthen the relationship? Or has this happened in the past and, while they may have apologized, they never did the work to regain your trust?

If you?ve established your desire to rekindle your relationship, the ball falls back into your partner?s court. Are they putting their apology into action? Generally they have to be willing to apologize more than once, the rule of thumb being as often as you need to hear it. They have to be able to answer any questions you have about what happened. They have to be open about the details of their indiscretion so that you can make it real and attempt to no longer have it haunt you. They have to be willing to put you first and make time to be with you, hear your hurt, and respond to it.

On the flip side, if you feel all-consumed by your anger and are deeply wounded beyond healing, then forgiveness might not be an option. If, despite whatever good there was between you before this happened, you still don?t believe what they are telling you, are not willing to take a chance to see if they are true to their word, want to protect yourself from being hurt again or if they are out of chances, then it might be time to say goodbye. And if your partner?s promises are empty and they are not willing to do any of the heavy lifting in the construction of your new relationship, then there is nowhere to go but out.

Only time will tell which camp Kristen and Robert belong to. But, in the end, it should make no difference if the one doing the forgiving is male or female. What matters is if they are in it together.

Please tune in to ?Let?s Talk Sex? which streams live on HealthyLife.net every last Tuesday of the month at 2 PM EST, 11 AM Pacific. We look forward to listener call-in questions, dealing with relationships, intimacy, family, and friendships, at 1.800.555.5453.

Connect with Dr. Jane Greer on Facebook, at www.facebook.com/DrJaneGreer, and be sure to follow @DrJaneGreer on Twitter for her latest insights on love, relationships, sex, and intimacy.

Follow Dr. Jane Greer on Twitter: www.twitter.com/https://twitter

Posted September 21, 2012 in Huffington Post

Source: http://www.drjanegreer.com/huffpo/robert-pattinson-and-kristin-stewart-when-does-it-make-sense-to-forgive-someone/

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Diet high in total antioxidants associated with lower risk of myocardial infarction in women

ScienceDaily (Sep. 21, 2012) ? Coronary heart disease is a major cause of death in women. A new study has found that a diet rich in antioxidants, mainly from fruits and vegetables, can significantly reduce the risk of myocardial infarction.

The study is published in the October issue of The American Journal of Medicine.

"Our study was the first to look at the effect of all dietary antioxidants in relation to myocardial infarction," says lead investigator Alicja Wolk, DrMedSci, Division of Nutritional Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. "Total antioxidant capacity measures in a single value all antioxidants present in diet and the synergistic effects between them."

The study followed 32,561 Swedish women aged 49-83 from September 1997 through December 2007. The women completed a food-frequency questionnaire in which they were asked how often, on average, they consumed each type of food or beverage during the last year. The investigators calculated estimates of total antioxidant capacity from a database that measures the oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC) of the most common foods in the United States (no equivalent database of Swedish foods exists). The women were categorized into five groups of total antioxidant capacity of diet.

During the study, 1,114 women suffered a myocardial infarction. Women in the group with the highest total antioxidant capacity had a 20% lower risk, and they consumed almost 7 servings per day of fruit and vegetables, which was nearly 3 times more than the women with the least antioxidant capacity, who on average consumed 2.4 servings.

Dr. Wolk notes that trials testing high doses of antioxidant supplements have failed to see any benefit on coronary heart disease and, in fact, in one study higher all-cause mortality was reported. "In contrast to supplements of single antioxidants, the dietary total antioxidant capacity reflects all present antioxidants, including thousands of compounds, all of them in doses present in our usual diet, and even takes into account their synergistic effects," she explains.

In a commentary accompanying the article, Pamela Powers Hannley, MPH, Managing Editor of The American Journal of Medicine, observes that with the industrialization of our food supply, Americans began to consume more total calories and more calories from processed food high in fat and sugar. As a result, obesity rates began to climb steadily. "Although weight-loss diets abound in the US, the few which emphasize increasing intake of fruits and vegetables actually may be on the right track," she says. "Yet only 14% of American adults and 9.5% of adolescents eat five or more servings of fruits or vegetables a day."

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Journal References:

1. Susanne Rautiainen, Emily B. Levitan, Nicola Orsini, Agneta ?kesson, Ralf Morgenstern, Murray A. Mittleman, Alicja Wolk. Total Antioxidant Capacity from Diet and Risk of Myocardial Infarction: A Prospective Cohort of Women. The American Journal of Medicine, 2012; 125 (10): 974 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2012.03.008
2. Pamela Powers Hannley. Back to the Future: Rethinking the Way We Eat. The American Journal of Medicine, 2012; 125 (10): 947 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2012.07.012

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/health_medicine/nutrition/~3/Q6KG8azql1s/120921111053.htm

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Romney paid at least 13 percent tax rate over 20 years: letter

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/romney-paid-1-9-million-taxes-2011-campaign-180139596.html

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U.S. doesn't support tying Iraq aid to cooperation on Iran

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The State Department said on Thursday it did not support a suggestion from a prominent senator that future U.S. assistance to Iraq be made conditional on Baghdad's cooperation in stopping Iranian aircraft suspected of ferrying weapons to Syria.

"We've been very clear about our ongoing conversation with the government of Iraq, and our view that they either need to deny overflight requests for Iranian aircraft going to Syria or to require that such flights land in Iraqi territory for inspection," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told a news briefing.

"We do not support linking U.S. assistance to Iraq to the issue of Iranian overflights precisely because our assistance is in part directed towards robust security assistance including helping the Iraqis build their capability to defend their airspace."

Senator John Kerry, the Democrat who heads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, suggested on Wednesday that Baghdad should be warned that U.S. assistance could be reviewed if it did not take a firmer line on Iranian overflights.

Iraq on Thursday denied a Western intelligence report that Iranian aircraft had flown weapons and military personnel over Iraqi airspace to Syria to help President Bashar al-Assad battle an 18-month-old uprising.

The allegation, reported by Reuters on Wednesday, said arms transfers were organized by the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Syria's upheaval is politically tricky for Iraq's Shi'ite Muslim-led government. Close to Assad's ally, Shi'ite Iran, Baghdad has resisted joining Western and fellow Arab calls for the Syrian leader to step down, while also calling for a reform process in Syria.

Nuland repeated that the United States wanted to see "maximum vigilance" by Iraq, noting that all countries were obligated by U.N. Security Council resolutions to block Iranian arms sales.

"Iran will stop at nothing to try to help prop up the Assad regime, so we are asking for vigilance and giving advice on how that can be best applied," she said.

(Reporting By Andrew Quinn. Editing by Warren Strobel and Peter Cooney)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-doesnt-support-tying-iraq-aid-cooperation-iran-195337311.html

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Obama's record in Muslim world: strides, setbacks

Pakistani protesters hold a banner depicting U.S. President Barack Obama and pastor Terry Jones during a rally in Peshawar, Pakistan as a part of widespread anger across the Muslim world about a film ridiculing Islam's Prophet Muhammad, on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012. Hundreds of Pakistanis angry at an anti-Islam film that denigrates the religion's prophet clashed with police in the Pakistani capital Thursday, the most violent show of anger in a day that saw smaller demonstrations in Indonesia, Iran and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

Pakistani protesters hold a banner depicting U.S. President Barack Obama and pastor Terry Jones during a rally in Peshawar, Pakistan as a part of widespread anger across the Muslim world about a film ridiculing Islam's Prophet Muhammad, on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012. Hundreds of Pakistanis angry at an anti-Islam film that denigrates the religion's prophet clashed with police in the Pakistani capital Thursday, the most violent show of anger in a day that saw smaller demonstrations in Indonesia, Iran and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

A Pakistani protester reacts to tear gas fired by police, during clashes erupted as protestors tried to approach the U.S. embassy, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012. Hundreds of Pakistanis angry at an anti-Islam film that denigrates the religion's prophet clashed with police in the Pakistani capital Thursday, the most violent show of anger in a day that saw smaller demonstrations in Indonesia, Iran and Afghanistan. The vast majority of Muslims have not taken to the streets over a film mocking the Prophet Muhammad, and behind the visible public anger a more measured debate is taking place over how much free speech is acceptable in the Muslim world. While many do yearn for more openness, few if any will go as far as accepting the right to blaspheme as the ultimate test of freedom of speech. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

President Barack Obama walks with Col. Michael Minihan from Marine One to board Air Force One, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012, in Andrews Air Force Base, Md., en route to Florida. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Pakistani protesters burn a representation of a U.S. flag and an effigy of President Barack Obama during a rally in Peshawar, Pakistan as a part of widespread anger across the Muslim world about a film ridiculing Islam's Prophet Muhammad, on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012. Hundreds of Pakistanis angry at an anti-Islam film that denigrates the religion's prophet clashed with police in the Pakistani capital Thursday, the most violent show of anger in a day that saw smaller demonstrations in Indonesia, Iran and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Images of angry mobs in Arab cities burning American flags and attacking U.S. diplomatic posts suggest the Muslim world is no less enraged at the United States than when President George W. Bush had to duck shoes hurled at him in Baghdad.

But more than three years after President Barack Obama declared in Cairo that he would seek "a new beginning" in U.S.-Muslim relations, a closer look reveals strides as well as setbacks.

One U.S.-led war is over and another is receding, although there are questions about whether America has made lasting gains in Afghanistan. The Arab Spring revolution, a spontaneous combustion that happened independent of Western influence, has given people new power and hope as well as democratic elections the U.S. supports.

But peace between Israel and the Palestinians is nowhere in sight, Iran is seen as a menace and broad mistrust with America is still deep and explosive across much of the Muslim world.

As nations across North Africa and the Middle East move chaotically toward democracy, they and Washington have settled into a wary, redefined relationship. Obama is not ready to call Mohammad Morsi, the popularly elected Egyptian president, an ally, and the democratically elected Iraqi president, Nouri al-Maliki, has dismissed U.S. demands that he stop Iran from using Iraqi airspace to fly weapons to Syria for use against anti-government rebels.

Such is the complicated progress report that Obama carries toward the United Nations General Assembly next week, his final moment on a world stage before the U.S. election on Nov. 6. For that election, Pew Research Center polling shows Obama has a clear edge over Republican Mitt Romney in handling foreign policy in general and problems in the Middle East specifically.

Across the world his standing remains markedly lower in predominantly Muslim nations. However, Leila Hilal, a Mideast expert at the New America Foundation, said Obama may have made more progress toward improving relations than critics say.

"Obama inherited a very damaged U.S. credibility in the region," she said, and so it would be unrealistic to think that his "new beginning" would take hold fast.

"There's only so much one president can do, given the history" of perceived insults by the U.S., she said. Those range all the way from the American invasion of Iraq to, more recently, the privately made anti-Islam video that ridicules the prophet Muhammad and triggered major protests across the Muslim world.

The question of the Obama administration's relationship with that Muslim world came under new election-year scrutiny when four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed in a Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Obama found himself eulogizing the dead, pledging that the work of U.S. diplomacy would go on undaunted ? and prodding his Muslim partners to accept responsibilities.

"As they emerge into new forms of government, part of what they're going to have to do is to recognize that democracy is not just casting a ballot," Obama said this week. "It's respecting freedom of speech and tolerating people with different points of view."

Obama's critics say he misunderstands the nature of the threat to moderation in the Mideast. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said the White House is demonstrating this by overstating the role of the anti-Islam video in igniting the violence that killed Stevens in Benghazi.

"It has nothing to do with videos. It has everything to do with Islamists trying to hijack these revolutions in places like Libya," McCain, Obama's 2008 challenger, said Wednesday. "And it shows the abysmal ignorance of this administration of what's really going on in the Middle East."

Abdeslam Maghraoui, the director of undergraduate studies in Duke University's political science department, says the protests that have erupted in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen and in other Arab countries had more to do with local conditions than with U.S. policies. "The current anti-American backlash in the region is the byproduct of genuine misunderstanding, real ignorance and political jockeying among Islamic groups," he said.

Obama warned from the start that it would be a long slog.

In his Cairo speech on June 4, 2009, Obama noted that it was a "time of tension" between the U.S. and Muslims around the world ? "tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate."

At the time, Egyptians had not yet ousted their authoritarian leader, Hosni Mubarak, a decades-long U.S. ally, and popular rebellions had not yet sprung up across the region.

"I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect," Obama declared.

Assessing such an enormous promise is hard to quantify.

"It's vital to keep in mind that how Obama is perceived by the average person in Egypt or Iraq or Pakistan is not going to be the same as the way he's perceived by the diplomats or the opposition party," said Kecia Ali, an Islamic studies expert at Boston University. "To assume that there is a Muslim world view or a Middle Eastern view or even an Egyptian view of Obama makes no sense at all. There's not even an American view of Obama."

Then how about actions and results?

He has been unable to gather an agreed international response to Syria, where an Arab Spring revolt has devolved into a civil war that has killed 23,000 people, and the U.S. is unwilling to go it alone there. Without lethal aid from the West, the Syrian rebels have begun to accept arms and other assistance from more extreme factions, possibly including terror groups. That leaves open the possibility that if the rebels succeed in ousting President Bashar Assad, the country could be run by factions sympathetic to extremists.

On other big issues that help define U.S.-Muslim relations ? Iran, the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the Arab Spring ? the president has seen a combination of setback, stalemate and frustration.

Iran stands out as perhaps the most clear-cut failure. Early in his presidency Obama offered an open hand to Iran's leaders, hoping to negotiate limits on their nuclear program. He said in June 2009 that the nuclear standoff had reached a "decisive point," and that what was at stake was preventing a nuclear arms race in the Mideast.

But the Iranians gave him the cold shoulder, and after a series of inconclusive attempts at negotiations, they are thought to be progressing toward a nuclear weapons capability. As he nears the end of his term, Obama has little to show for his Iranian outreach beyond a strengthening of international sanctions and a chilled relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli has complained publicly about U.S. inaction and has given Romney a warm welcome in his country.

Obama did, as promised, reduce the U.S. military's presence in Muslim countries by removing all troops from Iraq and beginning to wind down the war in Afghanistan. But relations with Pakistan are arguably worse.

Obama priorities have been not just to mend relations with the broader Muslim world but also to sharpen the focus of U.S. policy toward defeating al-Qaida through the use of less blunt instruments of military power. And in joining NATO allies and the Arab League to get rid of Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi, Obama succeeded without committing U.S. ground troops. But there are limits to the power of a U.S. president to shape relations with Muslim nations, even longstanding allies.

Steven A. Cook, a Mideast expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, says Washington has long tended to make political demands of Egypt and other Arab countries that they cannot reasonably be expected to meet.

"Americans consistently fail to recognize," he recently wrote, "that Arabs have their own politics and have the ability to calculate their own interests independently of what Washington demands."

___

Robert Burns is the Associated Press National Security Writer. Ben Feller is the AP White House Correspondent. AP writer Donna Cassata contributed to this report.

___

Follow Burns on Twitter at http://twitter.com/robertburnsAP and Feller at http://www.twitter.com/benfellerdc

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-09-20-Obama-Muslims/id-03765fd461a143cda6214ca5762a327f

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NFL 2012

Tony Siragusa smashes Rich Gannon in the AFC Championship game in 2001. Gannon hurt his shoulder in the play.

Photo by JEFF HAYNES/AFP/Getty Images.

Speaking of mythmaking and brutality, Tony Siragusa was on Howard Stern's satellite-radio program last week, promoting his new book. The subject of the Saints' bounty program came up, and the Ravens defensive tackle turned football commentator took the high ground: "You don't mess with guys' livelihoods," he said. "You don't go out and say, 'Listen, we're going to try to hurt this guy.' Like, you know. You don't play the game of football to try and hurt somebody."?

This is what NFL player safety comes down to: a string of words being dutifully, sanctimoniously, hypocritically jabbered out by someone whose life is dedicated to the exact opposite of what the words pretend to mean. You don't play the game of football to try and hurt somebody. Here, for the record, is a video clip of how Tony Siragusa played The Game of Football, and to what end:?

Siragusa's purpose on that play was to hurt somebody?to hurt somebody in the most blatant, cowardly, premeditated way possible. The hit on Rich Gannon, in the AFC championship game in 2001, was the defining play of his professional career. He even brought it up with Howard Stern, after his host expressed skepticism about this gospel of harmlessness.?

"When you go in and take out a quarterback, you're doing everything you can to slam that motherfucker as hard as you can," Stern said.

"Oh, yeah, absolute?I mean, you want to go," Siragusa said. "Do you want to hurt him? Noo.

"Like when I hit Rich Gannon in the AFC championship game against the Raiders, and I, you know, and, I, you know, whatever, hurt his shoulder, dislocated, whatever, whatever it was."

Should Siragusa wish to remind himself of the specifics, it was a separated left shoulder, Gannon's non-throwing side.

"You weren't happy about it," Stern said.?

"I wasn't, like, trying to hurt the guy," Siragusa said. "Yeah, did I want him to know that I was there? Yeah. Did I want to get him out of the game? Yeah. Did I want to hurt him? No."

It's a remarkable feat of self-bullshitting, and one he's been doing for more than a decade. ("It's not like I was trying to hurt him, but I was definitely trying to go after him," he said after the incident, while yukking it up on media row before the Super Bowl.) He wanted to get Gannon out of the game, but not to hurt him, oh, no. Maybe he was hoping that while Gannon lay on the grass, the quarterback might look over at the sideline, spy a fetching cheerleader, and run off to elope with her.?

But the video leaves no doubt at all. Perhaps the most telling fact is that the live broadcast doesn't show you what happens to the quarterback. The hit on Gannon is so far from being part of the game action that the camera and the announcers totally miss it. They watch the pass go incomplete, then notice Gannon mysteriously crumpled on the field. Maybe he hit his arm on something on his follow-through?

Oh, nope. On replay, Siragusa comes through the line with his arms up?because Gannon is already throwing the ball?and steps into Gannon as the quarterback follows through. He takes three steps, knocking Gannon down and shoving him backward.?

By now, with the ball long gone, the play is already dirty. Siragusa, though, is only getting started. With Gannon lying on the ground, Siragusa clearly pauses, aims, hitches himself in the air?and drives his full body weight into the fallen player. "That is absolutely illegal," the announcer says.?

Siragusa's listed weight was 342 pounds, though he was almost certainly fatter than that. Gannon was listed at 210. And, lest we forget, was already lying defenseless on the ground when Siragusa delivered the decisive blow.

Siragusa has, with considerable success, branded himself in retirement as a football Falstaff, a loudmouthed, straight-talking, regular guy who happened to be big and tough enough to play football. It's a crude, Fox Sports-ready copy of the infinitely more agile-footed Artie Donovan's routine. (The distance between Donovan and Siragusa is more or less the distance between the Baltimore Colts and the Baltimore Ravens.)

But here's the genuine Tony Siragusa, in one concise video clip. He was a dirty player and a bully. And he won a championship by being one. In that game, Gannon was forced to give way to Bobby Hoying. He made it back on the field, but went 6 for 13 passing the rest of the way. The Ravens won the game, 16-3, and moved on.?

At that Super Bowl press session, Siragusa complained about being fined $10,000 for the hit: "All year long they train us to go in there and hit people, beat people. Half the T-shirts you see say, 'Sack Master' or 'Quarterback Killer,' but all of a sudden you hit the quarterback and knock him out of the game, they want to fine you." Siragusa cared about someone messing with his own livelihood. He didn't care about Rich Gannon's.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=be1fce4a9a45abe8841bef08148881df

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PFT: Merriman visits 49ers, 49ers sign someone else

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In Week One, we disagreed on one game.? That was boring.

In Week Two, we differed on two games.? A little less boring.

This week, all hell is breaking loose; MDS and yours truly disagree on six of the 16 games.

Last week was a rough one for me, with a pathetic 7-9 finish.? MDS was 9-7, which gives him the season-to-date lead by one game:? 19-13 to 18-14.

Or, in other words, pathetic.

Here?s hoping for something other than pathetic this weekend.

Giants at Panthers

MDS?s take: Last week my Panthers pick helped me take the season lead over Florio, and I?m tempted to pick the Panthers to beat the Giants in something of a changing of the guard in the NFC. But after the way Eli Manning played in the fourth quarter against the Buccaneers on Sunday, I see the Giants winning a shootout.

MDS?s pick: Giants 34, Panthers 31.

Florio?s take:? The defending champs hit the road for the first time this season, on a short week with a laundry list of injuries.? It all adds up to the Panthers making the most of their rare chance to dance on a national stage, especially if they can stick to the run and withstand Eli Manning?s inevitable late-game push.

Florio?s pick:? Panthers 24, Giants 21.

Rams at Bears

MDS?s take: The Rams have a defense that can bring pressure on Jay Cutler, but Cutler will respond better to the pressure than he did last week against the Packers. (He could hardly respond to the pressure any worse than he did last week against the Packers.) Sam Bradford is off to a strong start, but the Rams are going to fall short here.

MDS?s pick: Bears 23, Rams 20.

Florio?s take:? Jeff Fisher returns to the place where he once played for the best defense in NFL history.? And while his current defense is still a far cry from the ?85 Bears, it?s already a lot better than what the Rams have had in recent years.? Look for the Rams to rattle Cutler and company early, forcing them into more mistakes and temper tantrums.

Florio?s pick:? Rams 27, Bears 24.

Bills at Browns

MDS?s take: So far this season I?ve picked the Bills to win twice and Florio has picked the Bills to lose twice. I?d love to see that pattern continue this week. I may jump off the Bills bandwagon eventually, but not yet.

MDS?s pick: Bills 24, Browns 14.

Florio?s take:? CJ2K2.0 is averaging more than 10 yards per carry.? While the Browns? defense is good enough to keep that number in single digits, the Bills woke up in a big way last Sunday ? and they?ll be ready to carry that momentum from one shore of Lake Erie to another.

Florio?s pick:? Bills 31, Browns 21.

Buccaneers at Cowboys

MDS?s take: The Cowboys looked absolutely terrible on Sunday in Seattle, but I see them bouncing back and Tony Romo having a big game against the same Bucs secondary that just gave up 510 yards to Eli Manning.

MDS?s pick: Cowboys 34, Buccaneers 20.

Florio?s take:? So which Cowboys team is the real Cowboys team?? I?ll go with Week One.? And I?ll hope that the Cowboys are up by a touchdown or less late in the game, so that the team whose owner doesn?t believe in using kneel downs will have a chance to try one against the team whose coach doesn?t believe in honoring kneel downs.

Florio?s pick:? Cowboys 27, Buccaneers 20.

Jaguars at Colts

MDS?s take: The winner of this game is the second-best team in the AFC South ? not that that?s saying much. I believe that team will be the Colts, as Andrew Luck will have his second consecutive strong game.

MDS?s pick: Colts 27, Jaguars 17.

Florio?s take:? The round robin for the first pick in the draft continues.? The Vikings beat the Jags, the Colts beat the Vikings, and it would be fitting for the Jags to now beat the Colts.? But the Colts are better than most realize.? Peyton Manning won only three of his first 16 games; Andrew Luck goes for two out of his first three.

Florio?s pick:? Colts 27, Jaguars 24.

Jets at Dolphins

MDS?s take: The Dolphins? offense looked much better in Week Two than it had in Week One, and the Jets? offense looked much worse in Week Two than it had in Week One. But the Jets are going to bring a lot of heat on Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, and I don?t like Tannehill?s chances of taking that heat.

MDS?s pick: Jets 16, Dolphins 3.

Florio?s take:? Former Miami coach Tony Sparano will find a way to use Tim Tebow more effectively (which should make Jeff Ireland mutter ?asshole? under his breath . . . again), and Dolphins fans will realize that last week?s romp over the Raiders, who traveled cross-country on a short week, isn?t an accurate picture of the current state of the franchise.

Florio?s pick:? Jets 24, Dolphins 17.

49ers at Vikings

MDS?s take: The 49ers look to me like the best team in the league by a wide margin. They should win this one handily, improving to 3-0 with all three wins coming over teams from the NFC North.

MDS?s pick: 49ers 31, Vikings 14.

Florio?s take:? Randy Moss returns for the Metrodome for the first time as a member of the opposing team.? Though it would be even uglier if Brad Childress were still the head coach, it?ll be ugly enough to be a thing of beauty for 49ers fans.

Florio?s pick:? 49ers 34, Vikings 13.

Chiefs at Saints

MDS?s take: The team that loses this one will be 0-3 and perhaps the NFL?s single biggest disappointment in the 2012 season. I like Drew Brees to have a big game at home and the Saints to finally get in the win column.

MDS?s pick: Saints 30, Chiefs 20.

Florio?s take:? The Chiefs are desperate and the Saints are desperate.? The edge goes to the home team.

Florio?s pick:? Saints 28, Chiefs 17.

Lions at Titans

MDS?s take: The Titans have been absolutely dreadful this season, and it goes well beyond Chris Johnson: Their offensive line has been terrible and their secondary is riddled with holes. I see Matthew Stafford putting up about 400 yards through the air in this one.

MDS?s pick: Lions 31, Titans 17.

Florio?s take:? The Titans are desperate and the Lions should be.? Again, the edge goes to the home team.

Florio?s pick:? Titans 28, Lions 23.

Bengals at Redskins

MDS?s take: We?ll learn a lot about what kind of team Mike Shanahan has built by the way they recover from last week?s major disappointment in St. Louis. I think the Redskins will bounce back.

MDS?s pick: Redskins 24, Bengals 21.

Florio?s take:? RG3 makes his home debut, as the Bengals continue their trend of losing the games they should lose.

Florio?s pick:? Redskins 30, Bengals 21.

Eagles at Cardinals

MDS?s take: Raise your hand if you picked this one as a Week Two matchup of 2-0 teams. The Cardinals? defense is a lot better than people are giving them credit for, and they?ll force Michael Vick to keep turning the ball over. But the Eagles? defense will have a big game against old teammate Kevin Kolb, too, and I like Philadelphia to win a low-scoring game.

MDS?s pick: Eagles 13, Cardinals 10.

Florio?s take:? Kevin Kolb gets a chance to do to John Skelton what Mike Vick did to Kevin Kolb two years ago, in a game against Mike Vick.? The defense, however, will be the difference.? If Ray Horton?s unit confused Tom Brady, it will turn Mike Vick into a turnover machine.? Wait, he already is one.

Florio?s pick:? Cardinals 17, Eagles 13.

Falcons at Chargers

MDS?s take: In this week?s other battle of 2-0 teams, the Falcons take a long road trip after a short work week. The Falcons? secondary showed that it?s opportunistic on Monday night, but I don?t see Philip Rivers throwing as many bad balls as Peyton Manning did, and the Chargers will improve to 3-0.

MDS?s pick: Chargers 24, Falcons 17.

Florio?s take:? Sure, no one will take the Falcons seriously until they win a playoff game.? But Sunday gives them a chance to make folks take seriously their chances of winning a playoff game this year.

Florio?s pick:? Falcons 34, Chargers 27.

Texans at Broncos

MDS?s take: The schedule doesn?t get any easier for the Broncos, heading back home to host the team that most of us think is the best in the AFC. Denver?s run defense may be good enough to contain Arian Foster, but the pass defense is going to struggle against Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, and Owen Daniels.

MDS?s pick: Texans 21, Broncos 20.

Florio?s take:? The Falcons have given the Texans the blueprint for beating the Broncos:? Force Peyton Manning to throw it deep.? The fact that J.J. Watt is ready to swat any and all short throws makes it even more important for Peyton to try to get the ball down the field.? Key word:? try.

Florio?s pick:? Texans 26, Broncos 17.

Steelers at Raiders

MDS?s take: The Steelers looked great on both sides of the ball in Week Two, and the Raiders looked lousy on both sides of the ball in Week Two. This looks like a mismatch.

MDS?s pick: Steelers 28, Raiders 13.

Florio?s take:? Once upon a time, this would have been a great game.? But the Raiders have taken a step back (in the hopes of eventually taking multiple steps forward), and quarterback Carson Palmer will be cringing (again) when he steps up and throws with those Steelers jerseys swarming around his knee.

Florio?s pick:? Steelers 27, Raiders 14.

Patriots at Ravens

MDS?s take: Both of these teams had disappointing losses to NFC opponents last week, but to me the Patriots? loss raised far more questions.? Specifically, it raises the question of what kind of offense New England is going to have while Aaron Hernandez is out. The Patriots are going to have a tough time moving the ball against a good Baltimore defense, and New England is going to have a losing record for the first time since they were 0-1 at the start of the 2003 season.

MDS?s pick: Ravens 17, Patriots 16.

Florio?s take:? Last year?s AFC title game notwithstanding, the Ravens have had the Pats? number lately.? With a suspect offensive line in New England and an improving offense in Baltimore, that continues on Sunday night.

Florio?s pick:? Ravens 20, Patriots 17.

Packers at Seahawks

MDS?s take: The Seahawks looked awfully good against the Cowboys, but I think the same Packers pressure that frustrated Jay Cutler last week is going to frustrate Russell Wilson this week.

MDS?s pick: Packers 28, Seahawks 10.

Florio?s take:? The Green Bay offense isn?t what it used to be, and the Seahawks? defense is better than anyone gives it credit for.? Especially at home.

Florio?s pick:? Seahawks 28, Packers 27.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/09/20/shawne-merriman-visits-the-49ers-49ers-sign-someone-else/related

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