The New York City Mayoral Already Has a Bribery Scheme

But that move was seen as part of Smith's over-arching plan to run on the GOP ticket while still being a Democrat.?As The Post mentions, in order to get on the Republican ballot you have to convince three of the city's five GOP county chairs to let you on?it's called a Wilson Pakula authorization.

RELATED: Want to Recover from a Scandal? Run for Mayor in New York

When YNN's Capital Tonight checked in on the possibility of that happening back in August, it looked grim for Smith.?"I spoke to everybody today, and three of them were like: ?No? ... One would not rule out the possibility." Manhattan GOP Chairman Dan Isaacs told Capital Tonight on August 1. Isaacs added:

I am not open to him, quite frankly. His problem is the baggage he brings along. There have been a lot of disconcerting stories about what has gone on with him with the nonprofits, the racino, his stewardship of the Democratic majority, his distasteful use of campaign funds. At the end of the day, there are a lot of issues with Malcolm Smith.

The "racino" Isaacs is referring are a separate set of allegations that Smith had used political favoritism in the Aqueduct Entertainment Group?s bid to build the Aqueduct Racino and minimized his involvement in two non-profits that had been the subjects of official investigations,"?reports the Queens Times Ledger.

RELATED: New York's H&H Bagels Is Closing: A Pop Culture History

So you could see why a bribery plot wouldn't necessarily be out of the question for a hungry politician, especially since Republican party leaders and its GOP chair were already sour on Smith. And according to The Post, it seems like Smith wasn't even the initial target:

He [Halloran] is separately charged with taking bribes from a consultant in return for up to $80,000 in City Council discretionary funding.

The feds were already investigating Halloran when they got wind of the alleged ballot-manipulating plan in November, the sources said. Smith met with his alleged co-conspirators as recently as February.

WABC-TV adds?that authorities expect to make at least five arrests in the corruption probe, including?Spring Valley Mayor Noramie Jasmin and Deputy Mayor Joseph Desmaret. Though, according to both the Post and WABC, it's unclear if Jasmin and Desmaret are connected to Smith. The?Daily News more directly links two other men:

Agents were also rounding up four suspects, including Bronx Republican Chairman Jay Savino and Queens GOP vice chairman Vincent Tabone who were to receive bribes in exchange for backing Smith when he switched sides last year in a never-realized run for City Hall.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/york-city-mayoral-already-bribery-scheme-123209461.html

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Mount Your Second Monitor Above Your Main One To Reduce Distractions

If you do a lot of multitasking on a desktop computer, a second monitor can be a great way to increase productivity. It can also increase distractions. If you're like me and find yourself paying more attention to IM conversations, Netflix, or Twitter on your second display, I've found mounting it above your main one can help.

It may sound counterintuitive, but having a second monitor above your primary display is uncomfortable. Looking up to check Twitter or to glance at the episode of House of Cards you have running is a strain on your neck. While working like this eight hours a day would obviously destroy your posture, a quick glance is no big deal. After a moment or two, that stress serves as a physical reminder to tilt your head down and get back to work.

To mount the monitor above your second one, you can either use a treadmill stand behind your main desk, or use TV wall mounts.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/nU__3i9byMM/mount-your-second-monitor-above-your-main-one-to-reduce-distractions

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Consumers Overestimate Benefits of Organic Foods

Consumers see a lot of value in organic foods and new research has found that those shoppers are willing to pay a great deal more for that value.

Overall, researchers found that people were willing to pay up to 23.4 percent more for organic foods than they were for the same products not labeled organic. Consumers are willing to pay more for organic foods?because of the so-called "health-halo effect," researchers say.?

That effect, where consumers overvalue the benefits of organic foods, was shown in research by Cornell University?s Food and Brand Lab researchers?Wan-chen Jenny Lee, Mitsuru Shimizu, Kevin Kniffin and Brian Wansink. In that research, 115 people were recruited from a shopping mall in Ithaca, N.Y.

Each of those shoppers was then asked to evaluate three pairs of products. The catch was that one of those products was labeled organic while the other was not. However, both pairs of yogurt, cookies and potato chips used in the study were identical.? Consumers were not able to make the distinction between the products and rated organically labeled food?lower in fat, more nutritious, more appetizing and more flavorful. The only difference came when consumers rated cookies not labeled organic as tasting better.?

Those attitudes go a long way in explaining why consumers are willing to pay more for organic products than others, researchers say.?

"The study found that people tend to assume that organic foods are good for everything (e.g., low calorie, more fiber), so they tend to pay more for organic foods," said Shimizu, a postdoctoral research associate at the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell. ?"This effect is stronger among those who rarely buy organic foods or those who do not pay attention to the nutrition labels."

However, consumers should take a slightly cautious view of organic foods, Shimizu says. That's because the researchers say that the health-halo effect can significantly bias consumers in their purchases of organic foods.?

"Thus, consumers, especially those types of consumers, need to be careful ? they should pay more attention to the nutrition label of organic foods," Shimizu said. "Organic foods?are not necessarily as good and worthy as they think."

This story was provided by BusinessNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. Email?David Mielach?or follow him @D_M89. Follow us?@bndarticles,?Facebook?or?Google+.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/consumers-overestimate-benefits-organic-foods-210758789.html

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Chris Brown Tries To Keep His 'Sanity' On Social Networks

'Everything I say is looked at under a microscope, so I gotta kinda pull back sometimes,' Breezy tells MTV News.
By Rob Markman

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704794/chris-brown-twitter-sanity.jhtml

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256 Shades Of Grey

I want a black and white computer, and I don't want it out of sheer, wanton weirdness. I actually think it's a good idea. Here's why.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/WgBl6Rz7Tpo/

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Deadly NYC meningitis warning now expanded beyond city, vaccine recommendation grows (Americablog)

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

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Rivals prepare to go head to head over abortion bans

Abortion-rights activists plan to challenge laws in Arkansas and North Dakota. The Arkansas law bans most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, while the North Dakota measure bans them after six weeks.?

By David Crary,?AP National Writer / March 31, 2013

Kris Kitko leads chants of protest at an abortion-rights rally at the state Capitol in Bismarck, N.D. March 25. Rival legal teams, each well-financed and highly motivated, are girding for high-stakes court battles over the coming months on laws enacted in Arkansas and North Dakota that would impose the nation's toughest bans on abortion.

James MacPherson/AP/File

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Rival legal teams, well-financed and highly motivated, are girding for court battles over the coming months on laws enacted in Arkansas and North Dakota that would impose the nation's toughest bans on abortion.

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For all their differences, attorneys for the two states and the abortion-rights supporters opposing them agree on this: The laws represent an unprecedented frontal assault on the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established a nationwide right to abortion.

The Arkansas law, approved March 6 when legislators overrode a veto by Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe, would ban most abortions from the 12th week of pregnancy onward. On March 26, North Dakota went further, with Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple signing a measure that would ban abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, when a fetal heartbeat can first be detected and before some women even know they're pregnant.

Abortion-rights advocates plan to challenge both measures, contending they are unconstitutional violations of the Roe ruling that legalized abortion until a fetus could viably survive outside the womb. A fetus is generally considered viable at 22 to 24 weeks.

"I think they're going to be blocked immediately by the courts ? they are so far outside the clear bounds of what the Supreme Court has said for 40 years," said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights.

The center will be leading the North Dakota legal challenge and working in Arkansas alongside the American Civil Liberties Union's state and national offices. Both Northup and ACLU lawyers say they have ample resources to wage the battles, and they expect victories that would require their attorneys' fees to be paid by two states.

Dalrymple, in signing the ban, acknowledged that its chances of surviving a court challenge were questionable, but said it was worth the eventual price tag ? at this point unknown ? in order to test the boundaries of Roe.

North Dakota's attorney general, Wayne Stenehjem, initially said lawyers from his office would defend any lawsuits but is now considering hiring outside help. His office is working on a cost estimate for the litigation that could be presented to lawmakers soon.

"We're looking at a sufficient amount to adequately defend these enactments," Stenehjem said.

A lead sponsor of the Arkansas ban, Republican state Sen. Jason Rapert, said threats of lawsuits "should not prevent someone from doing what is right."

He contended that the ban had a chance of reaching the U.S. Supreme Court through the appeals process and suggested that the victory predictions made by abortion-rights lawyers amounted to "posturing" aimed at deterring other states from enacting similar bans.

In both Arkansas and North Dakota, the states' lawyers will be getting pro bono assistance from lawyers with Liberty Counsel, a conservative Christian legal group.

Mathew Staver, the group's chairman, said supporters of the bans were resolved to fight the legal battles to the end, and issued a caution to the rival side.

"They ought to hold off on their celebrations," he said. "The cases have a long way to go through the court system."

The North Dakota ban is scheduled to take effect Aug. 1, along with two other measures that have angered abortion-rights backers. One would require abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a local hospital, the other would make North Dakota the first state to ban abortions based on genetic defects such as Down syndrome.

The Center for Reproductive Rights is reviewing its options regarding the latter two bills, but definitely plans to challenge the 6-week ban before Aug. 1. Northup said her team is pondering whether to file suit in state court or U.S. district court.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/JIR2zrwpIWI/Rivals-prepare-to-go-head-to-head-over-abortion-bans

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