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Man In Tupelo Mississippi Charged With Using Ricin As A Weapon

4/29/2013

41 year old Kevin Everett Dutschke of Tupelo, Mississippi has been arrested in connection with sending letters laced with ricin to President Obama, a senator and a judge. He has been charged with possession of the biological agent ricin, developing, producing, transferring and delivering a biological agent toxin for use as a weapon. If convicted, Dutschke could get life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to statements released by the U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Mississippi, today, Dutschke is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Oxford, before Magistrate Judge S. Allan Alexander.
Read more at www.edition.cnn.com

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Russian Internal Security Service Record Conversation Between Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect And Mother

4/29/2013

In 2011, The FSB, Russian Internal Security Service recorded a conversation between dead Boston Marathon bombing suspect, 26 year old Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his mother Zubeidat. They were vaguely discussing jihad and the possibility of Tamerlan going to Palestine. Russian authorities felt that Tamerlan may be embracing extreme religious views and alerted the U.S. The FBI questioned Tamarlan but was given limited information by Russian authorities, so the case was closed.

Ruslan Tsarni, an uncle of Tamerlan Tsarnaev stated that Zubeidat was a “big-time influence” on her eldest son Tamerlan. She encouraged him to quit boxing and focus more on his faith. It is believed that Tamerlan influenced his younger brother 19 year old Dzhokhar, his suspected accomplice in the bombing. The family moved from Dagestan Russia to Cambridge, Mass., in 2002. Tamerlan visited Dagestan Russia for six months in 2012. Authorities are investigating what he was doing while he was there.

U.S. authorities believe that the Tsarnaev brothers may have had help with the Boston attack. However, Dzhokhar stated to officials that the two of them learned how to build the bombs on the internet. Dzhokhar who was badly hurt when trying to flee from police is recovering in a prison hospital. Read more at www.nypost.com

Video: President Obama Had Jokes At the 2013 White House Correspondents' Dinner

4/29/2013

Saturday night, President Obama and Conan O'Brien were hilarious at the Annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.

The President made his entrance to Hip Hop Record " All I Do Is Win" By "DJ Khaled featuring T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg and Rick Ross." He jokingly said that things were going to change during his second term, and that Rush Limbaugh had previously warned everyone. The Pres. gets major points for that one.

It was a star studded event at the Washington Hilton where DC met up with Hollywood. The President gave his fifth address to the organization of White House Journalists.

President Obama is such a cool dude. He poked fun at himself, and nothing was off limits. He included everything from his supposed fake birth certificate, to him getting high in college, to the relationship he has with congress, to the $100 million dollars that was spent on advertisements in an attempt to stop him from being reelected.

The President said that the $100 dollars spent is crazy, "That's Oprah Money!" He laughingly said that it would have been better to offer him $100 million dollars to drop out of the race. Although he wouldn't have taken it, he would have thought about it. He did say that Michelle Obama would have taken it for sure.

The President also joked about how everyone says that he should have a drink with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel. The President replying "Really, why don't you have a drink with Mitch McConnel?"

President Obama did end on a more serious note, acknowledging how important the news media is to American Society.

Conan O'Brien then took the stage and was funny as usual. Poking fun at news media outlets, he said that Fox News are the Jocks, MSNBC are the Nerds, NPR are the kids with Peanut Allergies and Al Jazeera is the Weird Foreign Exchange Student that nobody talks to. Read more at www.whitehouse.gov

Senate Passes Bill to Ease FAA Furloughs

4/26/2013

Thursday, the Senate passed legislation to end air traffic controller furloughs and stop flight delays. The house is expected to vote today.

Under the legislation, the Federal Aviation Administration would gain authority to transfer up to $253 million from accounts of other programs, to "prevent reduced operations and staffing" through the September 30th, the end of the fiscal year.

This would restore the full staff of controllers, and prevent the closing of small airport towers around the country. Those closures would have been the result of the sequester which went into effect last month.

Following the vote, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney stated, "It will be good news for America's traveling public if Congress spares them these unnecessary delays. But ultimately, this is no more than a temporary Band-Aid that fails to address the overarching threat to our economy posed by the sequester's mindless, across-the-board cuts."

Read more at www.abcnews.go.com

Mother of Boston Bombing Suspects Defends Her Sons

4/26/2013

The mother of the Boston Marathon Bombing suspects' Zubeidat Tsarnaev has returned to the United States. She says that she doubts that her sons were guilty of the attack.

In an interview with CNN, Ms. Tsarnaev stated "I really feels sorry for all of them, really feel sorry for all of them, but I do not want to believe that this were my sons"

Read more at www.cnn.com

Death Toll Rising From Collapse Of Factory Building in Bangladesh

4/26/2013

Rescuers are working tirelessly searching for survivors in the rubble of a collapsed factory building in Bangladesh. The death toll has risen to 256. Workers had previously alerted authorities that there were cracks in the wall. Police say that Sohel Rana, the owner of the 8 story Rana Plaza assured bosses that the structure was sound, allowing 3,000 workers to return to work.

As of Thursday, Bangladeshi authorities have started an investigation. The police have charged the owner Sohel Rana, his father and the owners with negligence. The court has issued a summons for Mr. Rana to appear in court next Tuesday.

Read more at www.nytimes.com

President Obama: Syria Using Chemical Weapons Is A Game Changer

4/26/2013

Thursday the White House stated that the U.S. believes "with some degree of varying confidence" based on "physiological samples," that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against it's own people. Specifically the nerve agent Sarin.

A White House Official stated "We are continuing to do further work to establish a definitive judgement as to whether or not the red line has been crossed and to inform our decision making about what we'll do next.." "All options are on the table in terms of our response."

Obama has stated that if Syria uses chemical weapons, that would be a game changer with respect to the U.S. involvement in the conflict.

Read more at www.usnews.nbcnews.com

Brown University Student Missing Since March

4/25/2013

Sunil Tripathi, 22 years old, has been missing since March 16th. He made headlines when Reddit users mistook him for one of the Boston Marathon Bombers. According to his family, the six feet tall 130 pound Sunil known as "Sunny," was last seen on March 15th, hanging out with family and friends near his apartment. He was wearing jeans, an Eastern Mountain Sports ski jacket, a Philadelphia Eagles hat and glasses. He left home without his bicycle, wallet or cell phone.

On March 16 a security camera did record the student in Providence walking south on Brook Street, near the university campus. Sunny last logged onto his computer a short while before that.

His family stated that the university student had been struggling with depression and was on an approved leave from school. They have asked for the public to assist them in finding Sunny. Details are on the Facebook Page "Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi."

Police have recovered a body in the Providence River. However no positive identification has been made.

Read more at www.india.nydailynews.com

Update: Body Found In The River Was That of Sunny.

Dead Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect Was On Public Assistance

4/25/2013

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon Bombing suspect killed in a gun battle with police, was receiving public assistance. He, his wife and his daughter, his father, mother and brother were receiving aid at some time. So how could someone who was obviously helped by the government at some time turn to hate the very people who assisted him.

According to his accomplice and brother, the two of them had no help. Tamerlan planned the attack in it's entirety after watching videos and reading the online magazine "Inspire" published by al-Qaeda. It is known that the Russian government warned the U.S. in 2011 that Tamerlan may have terrorist ties. The FBI did investigate him and chose to close the case.

What is known is that for six months in 2011 Tamerlan traveled to Russia to visit his father. Questions investigators want the answers to? What else did he do while he was there? Did he train with an al Qaeda group? And if so, what happened to Tamerlan? What made him so angry? What turned him against a country that his family immigrated to years ago for a better life? What made him hate the country that helped him so much? I guess we should all stay tuned.

Read more at www.nypost.com

Why Eat Sweet Potatoes?

4/25/2013

Flickr Brant Family Farm

I enjoy eating sweet potatoes. Not only are they delicious, but they are really good for you. Yes, I love to eat them like so many others, candied with lots of sugar, or made into a sweet potato pie. But let's face it, unless I want to end up in a diabetic coma, I can't eat them prepared that way very often. So I restrain myself to eat those dishes only on holidays.

However, I do eat sweet potatoes prepared this way at least a couple times a week. Baked in their skin, right out of the oven with a small pat of butter. Butter you ask, can that be healthy? Yes and I will tell you why. In order to absorb all of the nutrients from sweet potatoes, it is better to eat them with a small amount of fat. This will help to lower the Glycemic Index. Meaning that your insulin levels won't spike and thus your body will store less fat.

Besides the great flavor of sweet potatoes, they also have many nutritional values. Nutritionists at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), ranked the sweet potato as the most nutritious vegetable. Points were given for the content of complex carbohydrates, iron, dietary fiber, calcium, natural sugar, vitamin A and vitamin C. Points were deducted for saturated fat, added sugars, cholesterol, sodium and caffeine.

Sweet potatoes are high in beta-Carotene. Carotene is what gives the sweet potato its bright orange color. Carotene assists in stabilizing blood sugar levels, lowers insulin resistance which helps with metabolism and has been shown to reduce lung cancer. Sweet potatoes are also high in fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B6 , vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, calcium, thiamine, niacin, potassium and copper. The fiber in sweet potatoes helps to reduce heart disease, lower LDL or bad cholesterol levels, lower the risk of diabetes, lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes, lower blood pressure and helps to maintain a healthy weight.

The high vitamin and antioxidant content in sweet potatoes help to fight the aging process, reduce inflammation, help with asthma, stroke, cancers, heart disease, memory loss, Alzheimers and dementia.

Sweet potatoes are high in magnesium. Magnesium helps with artery function, bone, heart, muscle blood and nerve functions. They are also high in potassium, which aids in relaxing muscle contractions, reducing swelling and protecting the kidneys.

So the next time you are in the grocery store, pick up a sweet potato. Rinse it off, cut a slit in the top, wrap it in foil and pop it in the oven for about an hour. If you are craving something a little more decadent, try one or all of the recipes below. Oven Roasted Sweet Potato Fries, Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup or Sweet Potato and Maple Syrup Mashed Potatoes.

For recipes click on images below or go to www.health.com