Gun vote backlash: Five senators who said 'no' see ratings plunge

Five senators have seen their approval ratings drop after they voted against a measure to expand background checks to gun buyers online and at gun shows, according to recent surveys from Public Policy Polling, a Democratic-leaning firm.

But only the Democrat ? Sen. Mark Begich of Alaska ? is up for reelection in 2014. So the question becomes, will these poll numbers have any bite when the Republican senators return to the electoral ring in 2016 or 2018?

The answer depends, as so often is the case, on who you ask.

?This will remain a persistent political problem for them,? asserts Geoff Garin, a Democratic pollster and strategist, speaking on a conference call with reporters to discuss the PPP survey.

RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about the Second Amendment? A quiz.

True, the polling numbers for the four Republican senators ? Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Rob Portman of Ohio, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Jeff Flake of Arizona ? don't look good.

Senator Flake, for example, has a 19-percentage point spread between those who approve of his performance (32 percent) versus those who don?t (51 percent), making him the most unpopular senator in PPP?s polling data.

Senators Ayotte, Portman, and Murkowski saw their approval ratings decline by more than 15 percentage points, compared with previous PPP polls taken in recent months. Senator Begich saw an eight-point decline, and Senator Dean Heller (R) of Nevada held roughly steady with a three-point drop in approval.

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The liberal polling firm zeroed in on Ayotte, Portman, Heller, and Flake because those senators represent states that voted for President Obama in 2012 or, in Flake?s case, have been trending more Democratic in recent years.

?For Republican senators to be successful [in their reelection bids] in those states, they have to come across as centrists,? Tom Jensen, director of Public Policy Polling, said in the call Monday with reporters. ?This is a vote that could haunt them for six years down the road,? he argued, because it risks their independent-minded images, making the senators look like ?Washington Republicans when Washington Republicans are about the most unpopular things you can be in politics.?

Moreover, the pollsters expect that the deep-pocketed Mayors Against Illegal Guns (bankrolled by billionaire New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg) and the politically savvy and emotionally resonant Americans for Responsible Solutions (led by former US Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, herself the victim of gun violence) will keep the issue of gun regulation and gun violence in front of the public between now and those distant elections.

?We think there is a very good likelihood that this is an issue that will be injected into public debate and public discourse with some constancy and consistency over the coming months and coming years, if it's not resolved before then,? said Mr. Garin. ?Sadly, violence is a continuing problem in our society, so the salience of the issue gets renewed periodically.?

Charlie Gerow, a veteran GOP political observer in Pennsylvania, has heard such claims before ? and he?s still not buying them.

?Mayor Bloomberg?s money will help them,? acknowledges Mr. Gerow. But ?there have been groups around for decades that haven?t been able to ultimately persuade people that they should constrict their constitutional freedoms,? he adds.

Sen. Pat Toomey (R) of Pennsylvania got a modest bump in his approval ratings after he introduced the background-check measure with Sen. Joe Manchin (D) of West Virginia. But it?s much too early to say one whether Senator Toomey, who is actually up for reelection in 2014, has hurt or helped himself, Gerow says.

?Those [polling] numbers will move many, many, many times between now and when he has to run for reelection,? he says of Toomey.

Among Toomey?s GOP base, moreover, there?s been some ?slippage,? Gerow says. "There was a Second Amendment rally here at the Capitol [in Harrisburg, Pa.], and Pat Toomey was not kindly referred to.?

Garin, though, argues that the difference this time is that the public has crossed a threshold of support for expanded background checks, and that will make the issue resonate with voters longer than in the past.

That goes for traditional gun-rights strongholds ? something Democratic senators serving those states should take into consideration, Garin says.

?Can voters who support Second Amendment rights understand why it?s a good idea to have background checks. and will they support candidates who make those distinctions?? Garin asks. ?What we?re seeing in our polling is that voters in places like Montana and North Dakota are capable of drawing distinctions that, when in doubt, senators can actually feel quite safe treating their voters as if they are smart enough to be able to hold these two thoughts in their minds at the same time.?

Whether Democratic senators in red states are convinced of that remains to be seen. As Gerow notes, four red-state Democrats (including Senator Begich) bailed on the Manchin-Toomey measure because they, whether for reasons of conscience or politics, don?t yet believe the polls showing solid majorities of voters in their states support expanded background checks.

RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about the Second Amendment? A quiz.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gun-vote-backlash-five-senators-said-no-see-225642794.html

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CA-NEWS Summary

Lawmakers press Obama to take action on Syria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican senators on Sunday pressed U.S. President Barack Obama to intervene in Syria's civil war, saying America could attack Syrian air bases with missiles but should not send in ground troops. Pressure is mounting on the White House to do more to help Syrian rebels fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, which the Obama administration last week said had probably used chemical arms in the conflict.

Gunmen surround Libyan foreign ministry

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Gunmen surrounded Libya's Foreign Ministry on Sunday, calling for a ban on officials who worked for deposed dictator Muammar Gaddafi holding senior positions in the new administration. Just days after the French embassy in Tripoli was bombed, the armed protest raised fresh security fears in the capital and the German embassy suspended some of its activities.

Fire breaks out in Bangladesh building where 377 die

DHAKA (Reuters) - Fire broke out on Sunday in a garment factory that collapsed in the Bangladeshi capital, complicating attempts to find any survivors of a disaster that has killed 377 people. Fire service officials said the blaze had been started by sparks from cutting equipment used by rescuers.

German finance minister calls anti-euro party's policy "insane"

BERLIN (Reuters) - A core policy of a new anti-euro party was criticized as "economically insane" by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble in an interview published on Sunday. Support for the Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD), which wants Germany to quit the euro and reintroduce the deutsche mark, is at 2 percent, according to a survey by Emnid pollsters also released on Sunday.

Two policemen shot as new Italy government sworn in

ROME (Reuters) - Enrico Letta was sworn in as Italy's new prime minister on Sunday and immediately faced an emergency after an unemployed man shot two police officers outside his office. The 49 year-old gunman, from the poor southern region of Calabria, told investigators he had planned to attack politicians but had found none within range.

Iraq watchdog suspends 10 TV channels for inciting violence

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has suspended the licenses of satellite news network Al Jazeera and nine other channels, accusing them of inciting violence through their coverage of recent sectarian clashes. The Communication and Media Commission (CMC) regulator criticized their reporting of violence triggered by a security forces raid on a Sunni Muslim protest camp in Hawija on Tuesday.

British PM's party turns on anti-EU rival before vote

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's ruling Conservatives derided the rival UK Independence Party as a "collection of clowns" on Sunday as they tried to stop supporters switching to the surging anti-European Union movement in local elections this week. Thursday's vote in England and Wales offers parties a chance to test the political climate before a national election in 2015 at a time when Conservative strategists fear UKIP will split the center-right vote.

Millions in CIA "ghost money" paid to Afghan president's office: New York Times

(Reuters) - Tens of millions of U.S. dollars in cash were delivered by the CIA in suitcases, backpacks and plastic shopping bags to the office of Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai for more than a decade, according to the New York Times, citing current and former advisers to the Afghan leader. The so-called "ghost money" was meant to buy influence for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) but instead fuelled corruption and empowered warlords, undermining Washington's exit strategy from Afghanistan, the newspaper quoted U.S. officials as saying.

Syria's neighbors cautious about U.S.-led intervention

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Syria's neighbors, wary of stirring a conflict that could spill back over their borders, would be reluctant partners in a U.S.-led intervention but are ultimately likely to support limited military action if widespread use of chemical weapons is proven. The White House disclosed U.S. intelligence on Thursday that Syria had likely used chemical weapons, a move President Barack Obama had said could trigger unspecified consequences, widely interpreted to include possible U.S. military action.

Iceland seeks end to austerity with new center-right government

REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - Iceland's center-right parties began talks on Sunday to form a new government, promising to end years of austerity and provide debt relief to households, and only arguing about which one of them should lead the government. Fed up with years of belt tightening and soaring debt, Icelanders ousted the Social Democrats on Saturday, handing the biggest defeat to any ruling party since independence from Denmark in 1944 and offering a new chance to the very parties that presided over its economic rise and collapse.

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Czech communist whisky matures to excellence

PRADLO DISTILLERY, Czech Republic (AP) ? The Scottish peat was put on trucks and trains. The destination was Communist-era Czechoslovakia. The recipient: apparatchiks desperate for a decent whisky.

The journey beyond the Iron Curtain during the Cold War turned out to be the easy part. When the batch arrived, the Czech distillers had only a faint idea how to make whisky ? and it took years to get things right.

"It was one thing to read about it in books, but reality is something different," recalled Vaclav Sitner, a member of the team tasked with creating a premium whisky.

Now, almost 40 years on, the last batches of "Hammer Head" are winning rave reviews. And, in a historical twist, they are owned by a U.S. hedge fund that bought the beverage company that Sitner worked for.

Sitner, whose name still appears on the label, recalls the "alchemy" and "joy" as they concocted the whisky. It sold well despite its relatively high price in a communist economy.

In Czechoslovakia, living standards were higher than in most other communist nations, but only a limited variety of Western products were available at special stores for those privileged enough to have access to foreign currency. In common stores, there was a significant shortage of Western goods, from bananas to electronics.

"There were no means to import foreign whisky," Sitner said. Communist states' currencies were not convertible and the struggling command economies failed to produce enough decent goods to sell in exchange for hard currency.

The original plan was to source all the ingredients and equipment locally ? but met no luck.

"The problem was with the peat, because it didn't work," said Sitner. "The peat we had was from South Bohemia and in combination with oak shavings it created all sorts of problems."

"It was the most expensive peat in Europe. The (Scottish) peat didn't actually cost that much but the transport cost a fortune. We placed it on trucks and a train carriage. One carriage was enough for us for 5-6 years."

Sitner and his colleagues had to rely completely on their own skills since they had no chance to travel to Scotland to visit distilleries. They needed a good barley supplier and knowledge of how to grind it, a source of suitable water and new oak barrels where the product could mature for at least three years.

A small distillery in Pradlo, in the west of the country, coincidentally had a hammer mill of the kind used in Scottish distilleries. Dating from the 1920s, it was the only one in the entire country. Work started in 1976; three years of tests were needed before trial production could start ? and mass production started eight years later.

Communist apparatchiks liked it so much that the bottles became a favored present.

"The comrades liked to drink whisky, despite the fact that people (in those days) were obligated to drink vodka," Sitner said. "But comrades still liked the whisky."

The 1989 Velvet Revolution toppled the regime and the Czech whisky also vanished from sight as the market was flooded by whiskies from all over the world. Then whisky ceased to be made for good. What left had time to mature in the original oak barrels for years to improve gradually into its current level of excellence.

The liquor company that the distillery belonged to, Stock Plzen-Bozkov, was privatized. The new owners felt the drink had no future. They sold some 250 barrels for a ridiculously low price ? "barbarism," recalled Sitner.

In 2007, U.S. hedge fund Oaktree Capital Management acquired the company.

When officials from London-based Stock Spirits Group that controls the company for the fund were presented the local whisky, their first response was "impossible it was made here," Sitner remembered. After it passed a test in a tasting with some other single malt whiskies that followed, the company decided to put it on the market.

"Look at the gold," Sitner said with pride during a recent visit to Pradlo cellar where hundreds the original oak barrels are still in place. "It's a beautiful color," he said, holding a glass just taken from a barrel.

Demand for Hammer Head has been solid around the globe, but Sitner would not reveal how much was made and how much is still available. He would only said if the current sales remain at the same level of 10,000 - 15,000 bottles a year, it is expected to be sold out in five to seven years. The whisky sells for about ?45 ($59) a bottle.

Since 2011, Hammer Head has been listed in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible, an annual international whisky guide, where it scored 88.5 points out of 100 ? putting it among "very good to excellent whiskies definitely worth buying."

"This is one of Europe's maltiest drams ... if not the maltiest," the guide said.

In 2011, it won a Masters award at the 2011 Whiskeys of the World Masters.

Petr Nemy, an organizer of whisky tastings from the Scottish Club in Prague said that after more than 20 years of aging, Hammer Head "is beautifully matured. It's delicately malty and smoky with a taste of nuts and maybe, vanilla. It has a beautifully rounded taste. It's a joy to taste it."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/czech-communist-whisky-matures-excellence-143044322.html

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Want To Know What Foods Go Well With Wine? Look At The Tips ...

Wine is among the oldest drinks around and tastes great. If you don?t like wine, maybe you just haven?t found one you like yet. This article has a ton of tips and tricks to help you become more knowledgeable about wine.

Trust your instincts when it comes to trying wine. For example, just because a friend likes a wine that you have never liked in the past, don?t buy some just to look good. You will just end up wasting funds on a wine you already know you?re not likely to enjoy.

If you drink and cook with wine frequently, especially pricier varieties, it may be worthwhile to have your own wine cellar installed. You definitely need this if you plan on storing your expensive wine for a long time in a location other than your kitchen. A wine cellar can prolong the life of your wines.

Windex is a life-saver if you get from wine. It gets the stain out faster than water and soap and water does. Use Windex right away or you can before the stain completely.

This is key if you own pricey wines that you plan to drink down the future and cannot store it in your kitchen.A wine cellar keeps the wine over extended periods.

If you find that you really prefer less expensive wine, don?t be afraid to buy it. You might be told that one wine is better than the one you like by a professional wine taster, but that won?t make it taste better. If a less expensive variety tickles your fancy, then choose that wine with glee! The end goal, after all, is to enjoy what you?re drinking.

Don?t be afraid to join a discussion forum or two to discuss your new hobby. There are some really good forums out there where people about wine.

Do not be frightened of the sulfite warnings on the labels scare you. All wines contain sulfites, but it?s the American made versions that must show a warning.While it is true that some may experience an allergic reaction to sulfites, there is no need to worry if this has not been a problem in the past.

If you are getting many headaches after you drink wine with your meal, cut down on the amount of wine that you are drinking that week. Wine contains sulfites, and sulfates encourage headaches. Drink water on off days, to filter some of the wine out of your system.

Try different things when buying wine! You can experience different countries by trying their wines. Ask your local wine shop staffer what they recommend. You may find something you never tried before is your new favorite.

Wine country is a place that you should visit wineries. These places are both scenic and gain some context on their origins.

Know whether the wine you wish to store away will age well. It would be a wise idea to learn about the particular type of wine you plan to store to learn just how long that particular type will store. One tip is that Bordeaux wine will store and age very well.

Listen to the advice of wine experts, but don?t take them too seriously.Any reputable wine expert readily admit that they don?t know everything there is to know about wine.

The variety and color of grapes determine if a wine is white or white. Red wines are made out of purple grapes that have a fuller body. White wines use green grapes that are known for being crisp and crisper. There is more than just color differences in these wines, but this is the most fundamental discrepancy.

If you love wine, plan your next vacation in wine country. Vineyards are gorgeous, and you will learn a lot that you did not know.

Many varieties of wines go well with your favorite dessert. Dessert wines are typically sweeter than the wines served with your meal. Port wines are a natural sweetness that compliments most chocolates and desserts. They should be served at around 55 degrees.

As was mentioned in the beginning, people have been enjoying wine for years. While it may seem tough to find the perfect wine at first, it?s easy enough to do with a little knowledge about wine. Start by using the tips from this article when you go shopping for a bottle of wine.

Enjoy yourself when it comes to wine. Too much time is often spent trying to figure out all the components of wine and which wines go well with which foods. Be creative and allow your imaginations to explore. After all, the purpose of wine is to have a good time.

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Want To Know What Foods Go Well With Wine? Look At The Tips Below!

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Newcastle recording studios: Factors to consider when looking for a ...

Finding a sound recording and mixing facility out of many Newcastle recording studios is a challenging job as you have to consider many factors. The first factor is the quality of service provided. It should be a professionally managed facility and above all it should be able to provide you the atmosphere and support you need for your project.

Determining your needs is the first step towards locating the right facility. You should know what you need for your project. Whether you are making a short ad film or a large music album, you should be able to complete it in time and in a hassle free manner. The facility that you are using for recording sound beats for your project should understand you needs. Also it should be ready to customize its services to suit to your needs.

Today there is hardly any business that doesn't need music for promotion and branding. Ad films, websites and promos come with background music that holds the attention of the viewer. Demand for music beats is increasing at a fast pace and this demand has attracted many entrepreneurs to set voice recording and mixing facilities. Some facilities are opened in homes, while others are opened in marketplaces.

A home based facility running from a basement or garage could provide affordable services but it is doubtful that such a studio could provide quality services. For quality, you need professional environment. Music is produced with instruments but for recording, you need suitable space, where no sound beat is lost. You would find many studios that have latest music instruments but they are unable to provide right atmosphere.

Search Newcastle recording studios to find leading facilities in this city but to locate a perfect facility, you have to carefully evaluate the services of each facility. If price is a concern then you should shed all your worries as you could negotiate the best price with a leading studio. First find reliable Newcastle recording studios and then filter your search to locate the facilities that have worked with your competitors.

Music has become a subject of law. Most of the Newcastle recording studios are aware about the involvement of law in music industry but it would be better if you could inquire how the studio handles the music rights. An ideal studio owner would never hesitate in disclosing his way of working to his clients. Also the facility owner could happily provide you the client testimonials.

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Dems cave on FAA sequester, pass ?Reducing Flight Delays Act? (Michellemalkin)

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Swype (for Android)

Most Android users are familiar with Swype's signature input method of dragging a finger over keys instead of tapping them, a feature that has been baked into several phones. The Swype app, now available on Google Play for 99 cents (limited time price), brings this familiar feature to any Android device, but also adds a slew of other clever input methods like dictation and handwriting. It also provides smart suggestions as you write, letting you quickly finish words and sentences.

With cloud-syncing dictionaries, support for more than 60 languages, and the ability to learn from your writing and social media, Swype is a powerful app that totally changes how you type.

Writing With Swype
The main way to interact with Swype is by "Swyping"?where you drag you finger from letter to letter to spell out words. Once you complete a word, it appears in place in the text. When you next begin swiping, the app automatically adds a space between the words (this can be toggled on and off in the settings).

The word the app believes you swiped is displayed on a ribbon above the keyboard on the far left. Other words which the app believes you may have been attempting to swipe or type appear to the right. The list is extensive, and can be explored by dragging the ribbon left and right.

Typing works as you expect. With each tap of a letter, the suggestions across the top change. Let's say I'm typing the word "best." By the time I'm through "be," the word "be" is on the left as the top suggestion. "Best" is the third suggestion, so I could just tap the word and keep typing.

Like SwiftKey, Swype also displays three suggested words above the keyboard before you begin Swyping or typing. For instance, after writing "I am enjoying the hams of my ancestors" several times, Swype suggested "enjoying," "the," and "hams" after I typed "I am." This makes spitting out frequently used phrases even faster. In other words, it's content-aware, so you could simply tap the suggestions to dash through sentences.

Suggested words are a smart feature, but sometimes Swype spits out strange utterances. During my testing, I tapped the middle of the three suggestions repeatedly and the app wrote "Is it possible to have a good time for the holidays [sic]," a question I am sure many of us have asked before. In general, SwiftKey does a better job of identifying the phrases I use a lot and was more consistent with its suggestions.

Moving between all three modes of text input makes for fast, accurate typing and is the best way to use the app. However, it's hard to get used to looking at suggestions instead of the keyboard while writing. Obviously there's a learning curve before you can take full advantage of everything the app has to offer.

Dead-On Dictation
Nuance Communication, the developer behind Swype, is also responsible for Dragon Dictate for Mac and Dragon NaturallySpeaking 12 Premium (Windows), desktop speech-to-text software that picked up our Editors' Choice award. It's not surprising that the company chose to include a dictation capability in Swype, which it calls Dragon. To activate this feature, simply tap the small flame-like logo on the bottom left of the Swype keyboard. Speak your sentence and then tap "done" when you're finished, although you can allow the app to end dictations automatically from the settings menu.

I was immediately impressed with Dragon on Swype, which requires no tedious set up or training. Out of the box it did a pretty good job transcribing my utterances, even when another speaker was close by.? It's definitely better suited for composing shorter messages, and I also noticed it took longer than expected to process the speech to text, which requires a data connection. The Google Now search bar on my Nexus 7 transcribed my speech much faster, but a little less accurately.

With dictation more than other aspects of Swype, you'll probably end up having to correct the app a fair amount which is thankfully simple. Just tap a word and Swype's suggestions will appear on the ribbon again.

Handwriting Recognition
I thought handwriting recognition fell out of favor around the time of the Newton, but Swype has a toggle-able option to let you write with your fingertip. As you shape letters?either in upper or lower case?the lines vanish quickly as Swype collects them. You can enter text letter by letter or in entire words.

Because English is my first language, my impulse was to move left to right as I wrote. This works fine, but you'll quickly run out of space for longer words. I found the app worked just as well when I wrote the letters over each other slowly.

Annoyingly, to handwrite numbers, you have to switch between letter and number entry modes. Between that and the time it takes to write letters out, it's obvious why this isn't a central feature of the app. In fact, it's not even enabled by default.

Surprisingly, handwriting input shines for entering long strings of numbers?like a phone number.

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Wikileaks suspect named SF Pride parade marshal (Providence Journal)

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Beyond pen sets and paper weights: Gifts fit for a president

(Getty Images)

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama could stroll around the White House in matching Dior bathrobes and Brazilian soccer jerseys before he grabs his $7,750 golf bag or goes for a ride on his bamboo bicycle while listening to his new 2GB iPod shuffle ? all courtesy of the bewildering array of gifts that world leaders showered on the first couple in 2011.

The list also includes shirts, pens, sculptures, quite a few rugs (way to think outside the box, Afghan leaders!), the occasional flavored liquor, a deluxe package of items linked to the Polish-made video-game "Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings" and one small sword.

The State Department?s office of the chief of protocol on Friday released the list of presents American government officials received from foreign government officials.

[Related: Search and sort all gifts to Obama, Biden and their families.]

Not to worry: The Obamas won?t be keeping the $52,695 gift from Ali Bongo Ondimba, president of the Gabonese Republic. Like most of the items bestowed on the first couple, Ondimba's gift?a ?14? blue mask sculpture by Daum, on a 10? black and silver stand, enclosed in 34? x 16? x 13? red box? is at the National Archives. The U.S. requires all such gifts to be reported and turned over to the archives or other institutions for display. These are not, in short, bribes.

From the list, it appears that the only thing Obama "personally retained" from his 2011 haul is the book ?Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World,? by Jack Weatherford. The president received that work, which retails for $23.95 on Amazon, from his Mongolian counterpart, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj.

Next to each item is an entry entitled "circumstances justifying acceptance." For gifts to the Obamas, it reads: "Non-acceptance would cause embarrassment to donor and U.S. government."

Gifts to the first family totaled $243,970.96. Of that, items for the president himself totaled $194,125.33; those to the first couple ran $21,438.78; those to the first lady were $22,343.59; and those to daughters Malia and Sasha, $6,063.26.

A Yahoo News review of the gifts shows no obvious thread?not like in 2004, when George W. Bush received a bunch of guns, including a $10,000 sniper's rifle, and a "Worst-Case Survival Handbook." But golf is a big theme for this president, and there are some standouts. The second most-pricey present appears to have come from Sergio Cabral, governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Cabral gave Obama a photograph by artist Vik Muniz entitled "Marat (Sebastiao)." Declared value? $40,000. (Symbolic value? Potentially priceless: Jean-Paul Marat was a radical journalist during the French Revolution. He was murdered in his bathtub.)

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk showed off his hometown pride by giving Obama a lavish package with "Witcher 2"-themed presents and Polish vodka. Here's how the chief of protocol describes the loot:

DVD, title: ?Best of the Witcher 2: Video Trailers for President Barack Obama,? distributor: Atari. Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka. Book, title: ?Blood of Elves,? by Andrzej Sapkowski. Book, title: ?The Last Wish,? by Andrzej Sapkowski. Set of four 2? x 1.5? clear glass liqueur glasses, each has ?Zubrowka? engraved in white. 13.5? x 9.75? x 4.5? ?Witcher 2? gift box, inside are three golden ?Witcher 2? coins, a ?Witcher 2? book, ?Witcher 2? stickers, ?Witcher 2? make your own aircraft. 5.5? x 6.5? x 3? ivory-colored bust of ?Witcher 2? character ?Gwynbleioo,? a DVD box set of ?Witcher 2? bonus DVD, Game DVD, and Game Guide. ?Witcher 2? playing cards, and 5 wooden die in black sack with ?Witcher 2? emblem. 11.75? x 7? x 5? brown leather carrying case with handles and lock. Rec'd?5/28/2011. Est. Value?$497.08.

Then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy and French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy gave Obama the "large, black Hermes golf accessory bag, including set of lock and key, and extra strap in bottom compartment" valued at $7,750?but didn't stop there. Non, monsieur. On other occasions, "Sarko" and his wife presented Obama with a "Lacoste white classic men's polo shirt," a fountain pen, "six black glass goblets in a plastic display case" and a 14"-tall "blue-gray glass sculpture of Bucephalus, Alexander the Great's horse."

And in August 2011, with Washington consumed by the debt-ceiling crisis, the Sarkozys again played to Obama's fondness for golf, giving him a "Crystal golf statuette by Baccarat, depicting a golfer with his iron pitched over his head in the moment before striking a ball. Black Hermes golf travel bag with canvas cover and carrying strap," all for an estimated value of $1,650. Were they done? Nope.

In December 2011, they gave Obama a Louis Vuitton "men's business bag" embossed with "B.O." That was valued at $2,310.

The Sarkozys' generosity didn?t stop there. A Hermes beach towel, a fancy Laguiole letter opener, a reusable grocery tote bag (in case the Obamas don?t want to pay the 5-cent D.C. plastic bag tax?), ?his and hers white, belted Dior bathrobes with ?Dior? embroidered on the breast pocket,? and one of the more amazing gifts on the list. Take it away, State Department chief of protocol:

17? tall Plexiglas sculpture, entitled ?Wrapping Flag Candy USA,? depicting an upright ?Tootsie Roll? with an American flag patterned wrapper, on a 6? x 6.75? x 0.75? clear Plexiglass base, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

If you think the good people at the chief of protocol?s office struggled with that one, check out their description of the $778 present from South Korean President Lee Myung-back and first lady Kim Yoon-ok

11? x 14.5? x 7? Korean, black lacquer jewelry box with mother of pearl inlay that depicts landscapes and birds, and has bureau-style doors with turtle-shaped doorknobs on the front and a drawer below, with an inner compartment that has three smaller drawers on the left and a section for hanging necklaces on the right.

Note to members of Congress: If Obama gives you a 9.5? by 12? signed and framed photo of Denmark?s queen and its prince, he?s regifting.

The Philippines ambassador and his wife gave Obama the bamboo bicycle ($1,060). German Chancellor Angela Merkel also thought ?golf!? She gave Obama a $1,400 care package comprising a ?Kramski putter set, includes: 35? HPP 340 putter with two protective club head covers, teal HPT 40 training console, HPS 30 Aim Aid set, book title: 'The Kramski Putt Philosophy.'"

You know what Qatar?s emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, probably didn?t hear from Obama? Anything resembling ?Oh, I already have one just like it.? The emir gave Obama a ?30? circumference gold and silver base with silver statues of two wild goats and a tree with gold clock hanging from it, depicting a desert scene.?

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper seems to have been the only one to zero in on Obama?s other sports passion: basketball.

Harper gave Obama a basketball signed by the 2010-2011 Toronto Raptors.

The list also includes items to Vice President Joe Biden and other officials.

Three Senate Democrats, Jon Tester of Montana, Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Carl Levin of Michigan, each received silver Janbiyas from Dr. Rashad Mohamed Al-Alimi, the deputy prime minister for security forces of the Republic of Yemen. Janbiyas are thick, ornate knives that curve at the blade commonly worn at the belt.

Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Susan Collins of Maine each were given an iPod Touch and an incense burner from King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. (Recommended listening for that gift combination here.)

(Brent Stirton/Getty Images)

Chris Moody contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-foreign-gifts-7-750-golf-bag-40-163656900.html

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Whales are able to learn from others: Humpbacks pass on hunting tips

Apr. 25, 2013 ? Humpback whales are able to pass on hunting techniques to each other, just as humans do, new research has found.

A team of researchers, led by the University of St Andrews, has discovered that a new feeding technique has spread to 40 per cent of a humpback whale population.

The findings are published April 25 by the journal Science.

The community of humpback whales off New England, USA, was forced to find new prey after herring stocks -- their preferred food -- crashed in the early 1980s.

The solution the whales devised -- hitting the water with their tails while hunting a different prey -- has now spread through the population by cultural transmission. By 2007, nearly 40 per cent of the population had been seen doing it.

Dr Luke Rendell, lecturer in the School of Biology at the University of St Andrews, said: "Our study really shows how vital cultural transmission is in humpback populations -- not only do they learn their famous songs from each other, they also learn feeding techniques that allow them to buffer the effects of changing ecology."

The team -- also including Jenny Allen from the University of St Andrews, Mason Weinrich of the Whale Center of New England and Will Hoppitt from Anglia Ruskin University -- used a new technique called network-based diffusion analysis to demonstrate that the pattern of spread followed the network of social relationships within the population, showing that the new behaviour had spread through cultural transmission, the same process that underlies the diversity of human culture.

The data were collected by naturalist observers aboard the many whale-watching vessels that patrol the waters of the Gulf of Maine each summer.

Dr Hoppitt said: "We can learn more about the forces that drive the evolution of culture by looking outside our own ancestral lineage and studying the occurrence of similar attributes in groups that have evolved in a radically different environment to ours, like the cetaceans."

Humpbacks around the world herd shoals of prey by blowing bubbles underwater to produce 'bubble nets'.

The feeding innovation, called 'lobtail feeding', involves hitting the water with the tail before diving to produce the bubble nets.

Lobtail feeding was first observed in 1980, after the stocks of herring, previously the main food for the whales, became depleted.

At the same time sand lance stocks soared, and it would seem the innovation is specific to that particular prey, because its use is concentrated around the Stellwagen Bank, spawning grounds where the sand lance can reach high abundance.

Using a unique database spanning thirty years of observations gathered by Dr Weinrich, the researchers were able track the spread of the behaviour through the whales' social network.

Jenny Allen said: "The study was only made possible because of Mason's dedication in collecting the whale observations over decades, and it shows the central importance of long-term studies in understanding the processes affecting whale populations."

The scientists believe their results strengthen the case that cetaceans -- the whales and dolphins -- have evolved sophisticated cultural capacities.

The skills, knowledge, materials and traditions that humans learn from each other help explain how we have come to dominate the globe as a species, but how we evolved the capabilities to transmit such knowledge between ourselves remains a mystery that preoccupies biologists, psychologists and anthropologists.

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Journal Reference:

1. J. Allen, M. Weinrich, W. Hoppitt, L. Rendell. Network-Based Diffusion Analysis Reveals Cultural Transmission of Lobtail Feeding in Humpback Whales. Science, 2013; 340 (6131): 485 DOI: 10.1126/science.1231976

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/mZt8q9y9ovA/130425142353.htm

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Who Actually Uses Math at Work?

Let's admit it together. We all kind of suck at math. It's okay! Numbers are evil. And back in high school when you were forced to struggle through Algebra and Geometry and Algebra again and if you were especially unlucky, Calculus, you probably thought to yourself when in the hell would you ever use all those stupid theories, equations and computational silliness in real life. And the truth is you won't use them! Who needs math! More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/CYNsqg1mBCY/who-actually-uses-math-at-work

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Intractable seizures halted with experimental treatment for rare pediatric 'Pretzel syndrome'

Apr. 24, 2013 ? With a better understanding of underlying mechanisms that cause a rare neurodevelopmental disorder in the Old Order Mennonite population, referred to as Pretzel syndrome, a new study reports that five children were successfully treated with a drug that modifies the disease process, minimizing seizures and improving receptive language.

The study, by researchers including experts from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, appears in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The disease -- PSME or polyhydramnios, megalencephaly, and symptomatic epilepsy syndrome, commonly called Pretzel syndrome -- is caused by a double-deletion of a specific gene that encodes for STRADA. About 4 percent of Old Order Mennonite individuals in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York have a single copy of the deleted gene. When a double-deletion occurs, the loss of STRADA causes an activation of mTORC1 and, subsequently, the kinase p70S6K. This causes intractable seizures and results in limited cognitive development and language function, leaving PSME patients wheelchair-bound, mute and completely dependent.

When five children, ranging from 8 months old to nearly 5 years old, were given doses of a drug that inhibits mTOR, the drug Sirolimus (rapamycin) significantly reduced seizures. Four of the five patients have been seizure free for the last year; previously no PSME patients had achieved freedom from seizures, even while on anti-epileptic medication. Starting the drug by three months of age seemed to stave off seizures; one patient who started treatment early had a single seizure and another has had no seizures.

The use of this drug in Pretzel syndrome patients stems from earlier research showing that sirolimus was an effective treatment for a related and more common disorder, tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), which is also associated with seizures, altered brain structure and enhanced mTOR activation.

The research was conducted by a team including the study's senior author, Peter Crino, MD, PhD, now at Temple University School of Medicine and Shriners Pediatric Research Center; lead author and MD/PhD candidate Whitney Parker, and Ksenia Orlova, William Parker, Jacqueline Birnbaum, Marianna Baybis, Jetle Helfferich, and Kei Okochi from the Penn Epilepsy Center and Department of Neurology; Vera Krymskaya and Dmitry Goncharov from Penn's Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care division, and collagues from the University of Groningen School of Medicine in the Netherlands, as well as partners from the Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg, Pa., the Department of Biology in Franklin and Marshall College and Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster, Pa.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NS045022, HL110551, GM008216) and the Penn-Pfizer Collaborative Program, and a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, via Newswise.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. W. E. Parker, K. A. Orlova, W. H. Parker, J. F. Birnbaum, V. P. Krymskaya, D. A. Goncharov, M. Baybis, J. Helfferich, K. Okochi, K. A. Strauss, P. B. Crino. Rapamycin Prevents Seizures After Depletion of STRADA in a Rare Neurodevelopmental Disorder. Science Translational Medicine, 2013; 5 (182): 182ra53 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3005271

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/top_news/~3/7W0mYtGC0Ww/130424160933.htm

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Twitter for Mac update brings photo sharing improvements, Retina Display support

Twitter's showing off an updated version of its Mac app today, featuring a number of key fixes, including a slew of new languages and improvements to photo sharing. On the imaging side of things, you can now share a photo by clicking on the camera icon in the tweet composing module, or just do it the old fashioned way by dragging pictures from your desktop. Also new in this version is support for Macs with Retina Displays and 14 new languages, including Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese and Turkish. Interested parties can download the update via the source link below.

Filed under: Software, Apple

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Via: Twitter Blog

Source: iTunes

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/a--ZdhCG6uA/

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Brain biology tied to social reorientation during entry to adolescence

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

A specific region of the brain is in play when children consider their identity and social status as they transition into adolescence -- that often-turbulent time of reaching puberty and entering middle school, says a University of Oregon psychologist.

In a study of 27 neurologically typical children who underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at ages 10 and 13, activity in the brain's ventromedial prefrontal cortex increased dramatically when the subjects responded to questions about how they view themselves.

The findings, published in the April 24 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, confirm previous findings that specific brain networks support self-evaluations in the growing brain, but, more importantly, provide evidence that basic biology may well drive some of these changes, says Jennifer H. Pfeifer, professor of psychology and director of the psychology department's Developmental Social Neuroscience Lab.

"This is a longitudinal fMRI study, which is still relatively uncommon," Pfeifer said. "It suggests a link between neural responses during self-evaluative processing in the social domain, and pubertal development. This provides a rare piece of empirical evidence in humans, rather than animal models, that supports the common theory that adolescents are biologically driven to go through a social reorientation."

Participants were scanned for about seven minutes at each visit. They responded to a series of attributes tied to social or academic domains -- social ones such as "I am popular" or "I wish I had more friends" and academic ones such as "I like to read just for fun" or "Writing is so boring." Social and academic evaluations were made about both the self and a familiar fictional character, Harry Potter.

In previous research, Pfeifer had found that a more dorsal region of the medial prefrontal cortex was more responsive in 10-year-old children during self-evaluations, when they were compared to adults. The new study, she said, provides a more detailed picture of how the brain supports self-development by looking at change within individuals.

The fMRI analyses found it was primarily the social self-evaluations that triggered significant increases over time in blood-oxygen levels, which fMRI detects, in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex. Additionally, these increases were strongest in children who experienced the most pubertal development over the three-year study period, for both girls and boys. Increases during academic self-evaluations were at best marginal. Whole-brain analyses found no other areas of the brain had significant increases or decreases in activity related to pubertal development.

"Neural changes in the social domain were more robust," Pfeifer said. "Increased responses in this one region of the brain from age 10 to 13 were very evident in social self-evaluations, but not academic ones. This pattern is consistent with the enormous importance that most children entering adolescence place on their peer relationships and social status, compared to the relatively diminished value often associated with academics during this transition."

In youth with autism spectrum disorders, this specialized response in ventral medial prefrontal cortex is missing, she added, citing a paper she co-authored in the February 2013 issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and a complementary study led by Michael V. Lombardo, University of Cambridge, in the February 2010 issue of the journal Brain. The absence of this typical effect, Pfeifer said, might be related to the challenges these individuals often face in both self-understanding and social relations.

"Dr. Pfeifer's research examining self-evaluations during adolescence adds significantly to the intricate puzzle of this turbulent age period," said Kimberly Andrews Espy, vice president for research and innovation and dean of the graduate school. "Researchers at the University of Oregon are piecing together how both biology and the environment dynamically and interactively support healthy social development."

###

University of Oregon: http://uonews.uoregon.edu

Thanks to University of Oregon for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127882/Brain_biology_tied_to_social_reorientation_during_entry_to_adolescence

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Prevent Weight Gain During Menopause - Lose The Lower Belly Fat -

Stay active to maintain your weight as you age.

Fred Froese/Getty Images Both women and men complain about midlife weight gain. But women often attribute the weight gain to menopause. The hormonal changes that occur during the midlife transition can wreak havoc on your body.

But is weight gain during midlife inevitable? Scientists have studied the changes that women go through during this time, and their research provides clues about how to maintain your weight or achieve weight loss during menopause.

Perimenopause, or early menopause, begins with changes to a woman?s menstrual cycle. The changes may occur in the early to mid-forties or as late as the mid-fifties. The average age for the mid-life change is 51.

In the early stages, a woman?s levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone begin to decline. During this time, her menstrual cycle may become irregular. Menopause occurs when a woman has not had a menstrual period for twelve months.

Many women experience hot flashes, difficulty sleeping and/or concentrating, and moodiness or irritability during this transitional time. Some women also report bone or joint aches, and weight gain during menopause. Weight loss during menopause is often difficult.

Researchers have studied the link between weight gain and menopause. Many studies have confirmed that menopausal and postmenopausal women are likely to gain weight and have larger midsections than women who have not gone through menopause. But the reason why this weight gain occurs is not clear.

One research study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology questions how different factors such as age, menopause, and lifestyle changes account for the weight gain often experienced by midlife women. They studied the activity levels of over 3000 women across the country. They found that by remaining active, many women prevented weight gain.

In another study where both men and women were studied over the course of 20 years, researchers found that those who maintained a very high level of physical activity experienced smaller increases in BMI and waist circumference.

So what really causes midlife weight gain? In addition to the changes that happen in women?s bodies during middle age, consider some of the other life changes that often occur. Kids move away from homeDecreased workload around the houseRetirementIncreased travelIncreased interest in leisure activitiesIncreased time for social activities, such as cooking/entertaining/dining outChange in life priorities, slower pace in life

Not every person will experience these changes, but many of them result in a decrease in our overall physical activity level. When our physical activity level decreases, so does our metabolism. This pattern has led some researchers to wonder if weight gain occurs because of a change in lifestyle rather than a change in our hormones.

To achieve weight loss or to prevent weight gain during menopause, stay active and eat a healthy diet. If your lifestyle begins to change as you age, try to keep physical activity and portion control at the top of your priority list.

When kids move away from home, use your extra time to exercise. Join a gym, organize a hiking or walking group, or learn a new sport.
If you have more time to entertain, learn a few healthy cooking tips and share low-calorie, low-fat meals with friends and family.
Travel and leisure activities can include exercise. Many travel companies specialize in active vacations. Instead of laying on the beach, bike, hike, or paddle through your favorite tropical destination.Hormone replacement therapy is the use of prescription estrogen, progesterone or testosterone to reduce menopausal symptoms. In some women, hormone replacement therapy has prevented weight gain. But HRT is also associated with side effects, such as an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

If you would like to consider hormone replacement therapy, speak to your health care provider. Together with your physician, you can determine the best treatment for your menopausal symptoms.

Sources:

Chmouliovsky L, Habicht F, James RW, Lehmann T, Campana A, Golay A. ?Beneficial effect of hormone replacement therapy on weight loss in obese menopausal women? Maturitas. 1999 Aug 16;32(3):147-53.

Ulf Ekelund, Herve Besson, Jian?an Luan, Anne M May, et al. ?American Society for Nutrition.? Physical activity and gain in abdominal adiposity and body weight: prospective cohort study in 288,498 men and women February 23, 2011.

The ESHRE Capri Workshop Group, Maggiore Policlinico Hospital. ?http://humupd.oxfordjournals.org/content/17/5/706.abstract.? Human Reproductive Update September-October 2011.

Arlene L. Hankinson, MD, MS, Martha L. Daviglus, MD, PhD, Claude Bouchard, PhD, Mercedes Carnethon, PhD, Cora E. Lewis, MD, MSPH, Pamela J. Schreiner, PhD, Kiang Liu, PhD, Stephen Sidney, MD, MPH. ?Maintaining a High Physical Activity Level Over 20 Years and Weight Gain.? JAMA. 2010;304(23):2603-2610.

Donato, Giovana B, Fuchs, Sandra, Oppermann, Karen Bastos, Carlos and Spritzer, Poli Mara. ?Association between menopause status and central adiposity measured at different cutoffs of waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio.? Menopause March/April 2006 ? Volume 13 ? Issue 2 ? pp 280-285.

View the original article here

Source: http://blastthebellyfat.com/lowerbellyfat/?p=265

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Battling with bugs to prevent antibiotic resistance

Apr. 23, 2013 ? New scientific research published today in the journal PLoS Biology shows that bacteria can evolve resistance more quickly when stronger antibiotics are used.

Researchers from the University of Exeter and Kiel University in Germany treated E. coli with different combinations of antibiotics in laboratory experiments.

Unexpectedly they found that the rate of evolution of antibiotic resistance speeds up when potent treatments are given because resistant bacterial cells flourish most during the most aggressive therapies.

This happens because too potent a treatment eliminates the non-resistant cells, creating a lack of competition that allows resistant bacteria to multiply quickly. Those cells go on to create copies of resistance genes that help them rapidly reduce the effectiveness of the drugs. In tests this effect could even cause E.coli to grow fastest in the most aggressive antibiotic treatments.

In addition to evolution experiments, the results of this Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC) funded research were confirmed using mathematical models and whole-genome sequencing of resistant and non-resistant E. coli.

Professor Robert Beardmore, EPSRC Research Fellow from the University of Exeter said: "We were surprised by how quickly the bacteria evolved resistance. We nearly stopped the experiments because we didn't think some of the treatments should be losing potency that fast, sometimes within a day. But we now know that the bacteria remaining after the initial treatment have duplicated specific areas of their genome containing large numbers of resistance genes. These gene copies appear more quickly when the antibiotics are combined, resulting in the rapid evolution of very resistant bacteria.

"Designing new treatments to prevent antibiotic resistance is not easy, as this research shows, and governments may need to increase their funding for antibiotics research if scientists are to be able to keep pace with the rapid evolution of bacterial pathogens that cause disease."

Dr Rafael Pena-Miller from Biosciences at the University of Exeter said: "The evidence that combining antibiotics to make a more potent therapy can lead to the creation of more copies of the genes the bacteria needs to be resistant is of real concern."

Professor Hinrich Schulenberg from Kiel University in Germany said: "The interesting thing is that the bacteria don't just make copies of the genes they need. Just in case, they copy other genes as well, increasing resistance to antibiotics the cells weren't even treated with."

About 440 000 new cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis emerge annually, causing around 150 000 deaths. Statistics like this recently lead the Department of Health to state that antibiotic resistance poses one of the greatest threats to human health.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/zprA_T5Qf9w/130423172704.htm

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Cautious relief in Peoria as water levels fall

Mike Branchik returns to dry land using a make shift walkway from his home as the Illinois River floods homes Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in Peoria Heights, Ill. Floodwaters are rising to record levels along the Illinois River in central Illinois. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

Mike Branchik returns to dry land using a make shift walkway from his home as the Illinois River floods homes Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in Peoria Heights, Ill. Floodwaters are rising to record levels along the Illinois River in central Illinois. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

A water pump house is surrounded by water as the Illinois River rises out of it's banks Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in Peoria Heights, Ill. Floodwaters are rising to record levels along the Illinois River in central Illinois. Communities in Illinois and Missouri are hoping to hold back surging rivers swollen by days of drenching rain. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

The Illinois Valley Yacht and Canoe Club is surrounded by water as the Illinois River rises out of it's banks flooding businesses and homes Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in Peoria Heights, Ill. Floodwaters are rising to record levels along the Illinois River in central Illinois. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

Heavy machinery moves sandbags as other sit staged, ready for possible use in the fight against floodwaters Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in Dutchtown, Mo. The tiny community of Dutchtown is doing what it can to prepare ahead of any possible flood. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Water covers the intersection of Illinois State Route 100 and Route 3 in Grafton, Ill. on Tuesday, April 23, 2013. More rain on Tuesday was the last thing flood fighters across the Midwest wanted to see, adding more water to swollen rivers that are now expected to remain high into next month. (AP Photo/Belleville News-Democrat, Derik Holtmann)

PEORIA HEIGHTS, Ill. (AP) ? Floodwaters began a slow, inch-by-inch retreat Wednesday in inundated Peoria, Ill., offering hope to residents who watched helplessly as the Illinois River reached a 70-year high and swamped their homes and businesses.

In downtown Peoria, tens of thousands of white and yellow sandbags stacked 3 feet high lined blocks of the scenic riverfront, holding back waters that already had surrounded the visitors' center and restaurants in the 114-year-old former train depot. Across the street, smaller sandbag walls blocked riverside pedestrian access to the headquarters of heavy equipment maker Caterpillar and the city's arts and culture museum.

The flood will take its toll economically on Peoria, but authorities watching the receding waters expressed relief that, so far, no lives have been lost.

Elsewhere, there were no reports of other significant Midwestern population centers in peril, but officials were urging caution because of predictions that waterways will remain high through early May and sustain pressure on earthen levees.

Concerns persist along the Mississippi River in southeast Missouri, where smaller levees had been overtopped or breached, especially in Lincoln and Pike counties. But sandbag levees in the unprotected towns of Clarksville, Mo., and Dutchtown, Mo., were holding ahead of expected crests later in the week.

Officials in Peoria said the Illinois River finally crested Tuesday at 29.35 feet, eclipsing a 70-year record.

Because the water made numerous roads around the city impassable, firefighters had been especially concerned about being able to battle blazes since the water made numerous roads around the area impassable.

Their closest call came late Tuesday when an above-ground gasoline storage tank at a former boat repair business broke loose, raising concerns of potential disaster if it got swept south into downtown Peoria.

Peoria Heights Fire Chief Greg Walters and others managed to lasso it and wrangle it to shore.

"That's the only real issue we've had at this point," Walters said. "We're fortunate in that respect. I'm feeling blessed. Fingers crossed."

Blair Pumphrey also hoped for good luck, but he wasn't so fortunate. On Wednesday, he was moving out of his small, brick rental home ? its basement flooded to the rafters and the garage swamped. His backyard resembled a lake, with an occasional goose swimming by.

A small wall of sandbags he put up with friends days earlier held off the river for a time, but it proved futile.

"Once the basement started leaking, there was no stopping it," said Pumphrey, 29, an electrician and member of the Illinois Air National Guard. "Then when the river came around the front, there was nothing I could do."

Among those still in their homes was Mark Reatherford. The 52-year-old unemployed baker has lived for decades in his split-level, which has a view of a small park and the Illinois River. By Tuesday afternoon, as a chilly rain fell, the river had rolled over the park and reached Reatherford's home, creating a 3-foot-deep mess in the basement.

He cleared out the basement furniture and was hoping the main floor would stay dry. But he hadn't dismissed the idea of abandoning his home in Peoria Heights, about 150 miles southwest of Chicago.

"You can't get a better view than what we've got here," he said, acknowledging "I'm getting too old to deal with this."

Nearby, retired Caterpillar crane operator Roland Gudat spent much of Tuesday afternoon on his porch swing, marveling at the river, which had swamped houses down the street but largely spared his home of 46 years. The 73-year-old said he had pumped from his basement hundreds of gallons of water that had seeped up from the saturated ground.

Gudat remarked that he'd never seen the river so high, but nonetheless could not tolerate the gawkers that were using neighborhood driveways to turn around.

"I told them this isn't a damn cul-de-sac," he said. Gudat and his neighbors placed saw horses in their driveways, forcing sightseers to reverse back down the road.

"If they knock those saw horses over, I'm gonna turn their keys off and call the cops. Don't come here and bug people in misery," he said.

In southwestern Indiana, floodgates have been installed to keep the Wabash River from overrunning Vincennes, which was founded in 1732. Some strategic spots in the state's oldest town have been reinforced with sandbags. The weather service projected a crest on Saturday about 12 feet above flood stage, the highest in nearly 70 years.

The Grand River at Grand Rapids, Mich., which reached record levels recently has receded about 2 feet. Weather officials said it was expected to fall below flood stage Thursday, but it was unclear when the hundreds of people evacuated could return to their homes.

___

Salter reported from St. Louis. Associated Press writer Don Babwin in Chicago contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-04-24-Spring%20Flooding/id-9a02e475e58a4adf9e94e985ca6d25cf

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