“I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors, when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together; when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married,” Obama told Roberts. The fullest report from the wide-ranging interview will be on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Thursday. Excerpts also on World News and Nightline today.

Here are some pieces:

Obama explains evolution on marriage –

Obama on how his kids influenced his decision –

How Michelle agrees with him –

Timeline of Obama’s Evolution -  From ’96 support to ’04 and ’08 opposition, ’10 evolution Windows 7 Key, ’11 meditation, ’12 conversion - 

Writing was on the Wall  When Obama Stopped Defending DOMA –

Gay Rights Activists Rejoice –

Richard Soccarides to Devin Dwyer – “The struggle he’s had on this issue and how and why he’s ended up where he has… will be helpful to all Americans who are struggling with this,” Socarides said.  “I think that the fact that he was thinking about this for awhile – neither yes, nor no – was where many Americans are.” –

Log Cabin Republicans Bristle at Manipulation – “”That the president has chosen today, when LGBT Americans are mourning the passage of Amendment One, to finally speak up for marriage equality is offensive and callous,” said R. Clarke Cooper, Log Cabin Republicans executive director. “Log Cabin Republicans appreciate that President Obama has finally come in line with leaders like Vice President Dick Cheney on this issue McAfee Product Key, but LGBT Americans are right to be angry that this calculated announcement comes too late to be of any use to the people of North Carolina, or any of the other states that have addressed this issue on his watch.” –

Ralph Reed Predicts Backlash – “This is an unanticipated gift to the Romney campaign.  It is certain to fuel a record turnout of voters of faith to the polls this November.”

Flashback 2004 – Was Same-Sex Marriage Partly to Blame for Kerry Loss? – ’04 Era Tapper Report –

Back to 2012 – Obama’s Base – Minorities and Young Voters – Have Different Ideas on Same Sex Marriage – More from Amy Walter and Yahoo! News’ David Chalian –

What Same Sex Marriage Polling Today Tells Us – From Gary Langer and the most recent ABC News / Washington Post Polls -

Men 50 percent support, 45 percent oppose.

Women 54 percent support, 41 percent oppose.

Independents 54 percent support, 42 percent oppose.

And the following from our last two polls combined -  Whites 54-43. Blacks 41-55. Hispanics 49-42.

Langer – “Polling has shown dramatic increases in support for gay rights over the years. Slightly more than half of Americans support gay marriage Windows 7 serial key, 52 percent in our most recent ABC/Post polling on the subject (in March). That’s risen sharply in recent years, reached a majority about a year ago and has remained there since. There are striking differences by age, partisanship and ideology.”

But will it Matter? Out at the Royal Cuts Barber Shop in Manassas, Virginia, Charles Robinson, Owner and Sole Proprietor, recited some bible verse to ABC’s Jack Date and explained his opposition to same sex marriage. But he said he wouldn’t be taking the Obama 2012 sign out of his window.

Consider this – Romney was Governor when Massachusetts became the first state with legal same sex marriage. Add that to the oddity of the man who first enacted a universal health reform law running against the guy who did it for the rest of the country.

But Romney’s Marriage Position Isn’t Evolving – He’s still opposed to it – “I have the same view on marriage that I had when I was governor and that I have expressed many times: I believe marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman,” said Romney at an impromptu news conference following a speech in Oklahoma City this afternoon. “States are able to make decisions with regards to domestic-partnership benefits, such as hospital visitation rights; benefits and so forth of various kinds can be determined state by state,” said Romney. “But my view is that marriage itself is a relationship between a man and a woman, and that’s my own preference. “I know that other people have differing views,” he added. “This is a very tender and sensitive topic, as are many social issues.” – More from Emily Friedman –

Boehner Says on Fox Business Network This is a Distraction – “I think he made his position pretty clear. I have always believed that marriage was between a man and a woman. But Republicans here on Capitol Hill are focused in on the economy. The American people are still asking the question where are the jobs? And our focus is going to continue to be on the economy like it has been for the last year and a half. ”

Some Selected Other Items -

Tweets – @tromney: Came home and found mom @AnnDRomney holding a sched. meeting at my kitchen table. Can’t keep grandma away!

McDonnell Says Democrats Better Prepared in Virginia –

What Lugar’s Loss Really Means – Matt Jaffe used to cover the senate and now he’s in the Midwest… so listen to this –

Ron Paul Rejects Convention Chaos –

Michelle Bachmann, Swiss –

SHOWS: Nightline This Week World News

Chiara Danese replica watches, a 20-year-old beauty contest winner, had tears in her eyes as she told a Milan court that Berlusconi asked the women to play sex games with a nude statue of the ancient fertility god Priapus.

“He touched the girls while they simulated oral sex with the statue,” she said.

“Then Berlusconi, whom the girls called ‘daddy’ and he called ‘my babies’, also had them kiss him in his private parts. The girls meanwhile chanted ‘thank God for Silvio’. I and (fellow guest) Ambra were shocked.”

Berlusconi’s lawyer Niccolo Ghedini offered Danese a tissue to wipe away her tears while she testified about the August 2010 party.

Berlusconi, 75, is charged with paying for sex with Moroccan-born Karima El Mahroug in 2010 replica watches, when she was 17, and then abusing the powers of his office by getting her freed from police custody after she had been arrested for theft.

Prosecutors say that dozens of showgirls and aspiring starlets received cash and other gifts for taking part in sex games at his Milan home.

Berlusconi, who denies the charges, says he was only helping the young women out of generosity and accuses magistrates of mounting a politically biased campaign against him. He says his parties were “elegant, convivial dinners”.

Danese and her friend Ambra Battilana are seeking damages in a separate trial where three associates of Berlusconi are accused of procuring prostitutes for him.

They said they lost job opportunities because of the bad publicity surrounding the women who attended the former prime minister’s parties.

Berlusconi, a billionaire media tycoon, was forced from power in November after his repeated failure to pass tough austerity measures led to a crisis on bond markets alarmed at the weakness of the government in the euro zone’s third largest economy.

(Reporting By Manuela D’Alessandro, writing Danilo Masoni replica watches, editing by Philip Pullella and Pravin Char)

COMMENTS:

ELLEN ZENTNER, SENIOR U.S. ECONOMIST, NOMURA SECURITIES, NEW YORK

“A good deal of that (4.2 percent decline) was in transportation equipment, which was the big drop in billing orders over the month. But the headline drop was still bigger than expected even when you account for billing orders.

“If you look at it from a momentum perspective, this adds to the evidence that momentum in the economy sort of fell flat in March. You had the first two months coming in with a lot of upward surprises, then the data started to become more mixed and many of the indicators in March came in to the downside.

“What this tells us for business investment is that a lot of steam, the wind has been taken out of the sails, going into the second quarter.

“The component of non-defense capital goods shipments excluding aircraft is the component for calculating GDP and that was much stronger than expected for March. So it’s likely to lift estimates, believe it or not, for Q1 GDP.

“But forward looking this report implies a fairly weak outlook for business investment.”

MICHAEL MORAN, CHIEF ECONOMIST, DAIWA SECURITIES AMERICA:

“It’s a disappointing report, not so much because of the headline number which was due to an expected large drop in aircraft orders.

“The most disappointing aspect of the report was the 1.1 percent decline in orders excluding transportation. Several categories contributed to that decline: primary metals, fabricated metals, and machinery. Orders have flattened in the last few months.

“Another category we keep a close eye on is orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, a proxy for business spending, and they have been moving sideways.”

VASSILI SEREBRIAKOV Homemade Tattoo Machine, SENIOR CURRENCY STRATEGIST, WELLS FARGO, NEW YORK:

“The durable goods data is known to be a volatile series. A deviation from consensus is not uncommon. But looking at the overall picture, the breakdown of the report mitigates the negative headlines. Overall, the report doesn’t really change the overall picture and still supports moderate U.S. growth. We did get a move lower in the dollar against the yen and euro, but that should be short-lived because we have the Fed this afternoon.”

JIM AWAD Tattoo Gun Needles, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT ZEPHYR MANAGEMENT IN NEW YORK

“Far worse than expected. Futures were up strongly on Apple Tattoo Gun Tattoo Designs, but this will create doubts about the strength of the recovery and reinforce the bears. Today will be a tug of war between doubts about economic strength and good earnings from several companies.”

MARKET REACTION

STOCKS: U.S. stock index futures trim gains.

BONDS: U.S. Treasury debt prices pare losses.

FOREX: Dollar extends losses versus the yen.

(Americas Economics and Markets Desk; +1-646 223-6300)

U.S.

A simple scheme to defraud Paul Allen, one of the richest men in the world, has landed an AWOL soldier in federal custody, authorities said this week. The case raises basic questions about how safe anyone’s information can really be.

Federal investigators allege in a complaint unsealed Monday that Brandon Lee Price, 28, changed the address on a bank account held by Allen, then had a debit card sent to his Pittsburgh home to use for payments on a delinquent Armed Forces Bank account and personal expenses.

“Clearly, it’s a reminder that anyone can be a victim of this,” said David Postman, a spokesman for Allen. “It certainly is a surprise and reason for everyone to make sure that all that stuff is properly cared for and monitored.”

So, how would someone go about stealing the identity of the man who helped start a company that itself was a pioneer in digital security?

Price called Citibank in January pretending to be Allen and changed the address on one of Allen’s accounts from Seattle to Pittsburgh, then called back three days later to say he had lost his debit card and asked for a new one to be sent to him, an FBI investigator wrote in a criminal complaint filed in February.

The card sent to Allen’s address was used to attempt a $15,000 Western Union transaction and make a $658.81 payment on the Armed Forces Bank loan account the day it was activated, according to the complaint. Surveillance footage also captured him attempting purchases at a video game store and a dollar store Best Tattoo Machines, authorities alleged.

The fraud was detected by the bank, which alerted law enforcement officials, Postman said. None of Allen’s other accounts was compromised, and the only transaction that apparently made it through was the loan payment, he said.

Investigators found Price had been listed since June 2010 as absent without leave from the Army and was wanted as a deserter, authorities said. He was arrested March 2, as first reported by WPXI-TV, and an Army spokesman said he was returned to Fort Polk in Louisiana.

Citibank is not talking, citing customer confidentiality rules, and Price’s lawyer did not return a call Tuesday.

But there’s no reason to assume that a public figure like Allen is any less susceptible to identity theft, experts said.

Nearly everyone has personal information readily available online — more so for public figures like Allen — that can provide answers to many basic security questions like birthdate Tattooing Kits, address, mother’s maiden name, pet’s name and high school name, said Nikki Junker of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit providing victim services and consumer education about identity theft.

Too few customers take advantage of added layers of security offered by many credit card companies, such as using unique verbal passwords or signing up for automatic alerts when account information is changed, Junker said.

“As we strive for more convenience, the safety goes down,” she said. “You would think being one of the richest men in the world would make you more careful about your account.”

Allen made the bulk of his fortune founding Microsoft Corp. with Bill Gates in 1975. He left the company in 1983 and now owns the Seattle Seahawks and the Portland Trail Blazers. He is the founder and chairman of Vulcan Inc., the company that manages his business and charitable undertakings.

Forbes estimates Allen’s net worth at $14.2 billion.

“On one hand, you can say that there’s lots we can find out about the Paul Allens of the world,” said Dennis Adsit, vice president of consulting services for KomBea Corp., a company that develops security technology for call centers. “On the other hand, a guy like Paul Allen can hire and pay someone to scrub his information on the Internet, to make him more bulletproof.”

About 280,000 cases of identity theft were reported in 2011, according to the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. That includes complaints through the Better Business Bureau and state attorney general offices and other law enforcement agencies.

Jeff Blyskal, senior editor at Consumer Reports, noted that banks “do have systems in place” to counter fraud.

“This is surprising that they would do this,” he said of the allegations that Price simply called the bank on Jan. 9 and changed Allen’s address, called again Jan. 12 identifying himself as Allen and asking for a replacement debit card, and got a debit card delivered to his own home the next day.

“They have ways to ID you when you call up,” Blyskal said. “Passcodes, security questions.”

Citibank would not comment on how the address on the account was changed or any other details. The bank will continue to work with investigators, spokeswoman Catherine Pulley said in an emailed statement.

One likely bonus for Allen? “If your bank gives your money away to someone else, you shouldn’t have to pay for it. You’re not going to be liable for it Tattoo Machine Suppliers,” Blyskal said.

That inquiry, being led by the SEC’s office in Fort Worth Buy DKNY Clothing, Texas, comes after Reuters reported about loans McClendon had obtained on those wells that raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest by the company’s CEO.

Chesapeake said it would end the program that gives McClendon a 2.5 percent stake in every one of the company’s thousands of wells in 2015, when the shareholder approval of the program that started in 2005 expires.

The company said in a statement earlier on Thursday that its directors had never reviewed or approved McClendon’s mortgages on stakes in those wells, reversing its prior assertions that its board of directors was “fully aware” of McClendon’s financing transactions around the well ownership stakes.

“The board of directors did not review, approve or have knowledge of the specific transactions engaged in by Mr. McClendon or the terms of those transactions,” the company said.

Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s said on Thursday the turmoil surrounding the well ownership program and McClendon’s personal transactions could hamper the company’s ability to meet “massive external funding requirements stemming from its currently weak operating cash flow.”

S&P lowered its credit rating for Chesapeake – which has been junk grade for some time – one notch to “BB” from “BB-plus” and said another cut could occur within a few months.

Chesapeake shares ended Thursday down 3.1 percent at $17.56 on the New York Stock Exchange, bringing the decline so far this year to about 20 percent.

The company’s recently issued 6.775 percent note due March 15, 2019, the most active issue on Thursday, was down 0.5 to 0.75 point following the S&P downgrade, according to traders.

Reuters reported on April 18 that McClendon, who founded the company, had borrowed as much as $1.1 billion in the last three years against his ownership stakes in wells that he received under the company’s “Founder Well Participation Program.”

The majority of the borrowing came from an investment management firm that is also a major financier of Chesapeake itself.

On Thursday, McClendon disclosed that as of the end of 2011, he owed $846 million on loans taken out against his well stakes. But the company did not disclose the total amount McClendon has borrowed, or whether his outstanding debt has risen since the end of last year.

The loans had been previously undisclosed to shareholders, analysts and academics said, raising concerns that McClendon’s personal financial deals could compromise his fiduciary duty to Chesapeake.

An informal inquiry is the first step taken by the SEC before it launches any full investigation into potential wrongdoing by a company.

One major shareholder questioned whether the company’s new statements had been prompted by the SEC probe.

“It seems somewhat coincidental that the board has acted this way today, and the SEC announces its inquiry. You wonder if they didn’t have the news,” said David Dreman, chairman of Dreman Value Management LLP, which owns about 1 million Chesapeake shares.

‘FULLY’ VS ‘GENERALLY’

Critics of the company have long complained the company’s board acted a little more than a rubber stamp for McClendon, one of the energy industry’s most visible leaders.

McClendon founded Chesapeake in 1989 and quickly built the company into one of the nation’s fastest-growing producers of natural gas. It is now the second-largest U.S. natural gas producer behind Exxon Mobil Corp.

Chesapeake said “the statement last week that ‘the Board of Directors is fully aware of the existence of Mr. McClendon’s financing transactions’ was intended to convey the fact that the Board of Directors is generally aware” that McClendon had used the well ownership stakes as security for the loans.

One analyst said Chesapeake’s new statement did not provide any reassurance that it was addressing the issues.

“How can this make me more comfortable?” said Phil Weiss, an analyst with Argus Research. “Either you’re fully aware, or you’re not. ‘Fully’ and ‘generally’ are two entirely different words.”

Chesapeake board members declined to comment in specific terms on why they reversed course on McClendon’s stakes in the wells and how the company’s general counsel could describe the board as fully aware of the CEO’s related loans if they had “no knowledge” of them as the board said in a statement.

“All of this is a work in progress,” Frank Keating, a Chesapeake board member and former governor of Oklahoma, said in an email.

But an investor said the move was a step in the right direction, and that it showed the company was listening to shareholders’ complaints.

“It’s basic due diligence that sadly wasn’t being done before,” said Jake Dollarhide, chief executive of Longbow Asset Management in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which owns Chesapeake shares. “It shows the free rein that McClendon had.”

McClendon disclosed additional information about his ownership stakes in the wells, and the board is reviewing the CEO’s financing arrangements.

The CEO listed his share of Chesapeake’s proved natural gas reserves at 810 billion cubic feet equivalent, or slightly more than 5 percent of the company’s total. That equates to about 12 days’ supply for the United States based on 2011 consumption.

The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma-based company has been at the leading edge of the shale gas industry and holds vast acreage in the fields discovered in recent years that are expected to yield decades of fuel for the United States.

But the steep jump in natural gas output has sent prices for the fuel plummeting to their lowest level in decade, squeezing profits and pressuring share prices for Chesapeake and many of its peers.

Debt rating firm Fitch Ratings said on Thursday it had revised its outlook to “stable” from “positive” for Chesapeake, which has $13 billion in rated securities, largely because of the low natural gas prices.

(Reporting by Matthew Goldstein Replica Karen Millen Dresses, Matt Daily and Jennifer Ablan in New York, Anna Driver in Oklahoma and Brian Grow in Atlanta, writing by Matt Daily, editing by Sofina Mirza-Reid, Bernadette Baum and Tim Dobbyn)

Chesapeake Energy Regulatory News Related Quotes and News Company Price Related News

That’s not to say that the deal is set in stone at this point. The Chrysler 200 has a major chink in its armor when it comes to doing battle in Europe – it doesn’t come with a diesel option. With only two gasoline engine options, Fiat would have to source its own oil-burning powerplant to make the ploy work. Throw in the fact that the car is set to be replaced in three years and the likelihood of seeing the 200 in Europe is slimmer yet. Still Tattoo Supplies, the company says that it’s currently looking at the numbers to see if there’s a solid business case for the move.

Related Gallery2011 Chrysler 200
[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req'd via Carscoop]

These include a new TV spot highlighting the Chevrolet Camaro and a new tagline for Cadillac Discount DKNY Clothing, so get ready to hear plenty about “The New Standard of the World” in the near future. Likewise Discount Emilio Pucci Dresses, Chevrolet will try on a new slogan after “Excellence for All” proved to be a dud. Exactly when these new marketing efforts will start popping up on our TV sets is still to be determined.

[Source: Automotive News]
Photo by Chris Shunk/ Copyright ©2009 AOL

Nearly 60 percent of dogs in the United Kingdom are overweight or obese Bandage dresses sale, according to a recent study from the University of Glasgow. Using slightly different standards, researchers in the United States have found excess poundage in more than 45 percent of dogs and 58 percent of cats. How do they know when a pet is overweight?

By taking a good look and feeling for bones. The researchers assigned each animal a “Body Condition Score” of 1 to 7, according to a relatively new flowchart-based system (PDF) designed for pet owners. To determine a dog’s BCS, the tester begins by running her fingertips gently along its coat, and deciding whether she can “easily feel the ribcage.” In successive steps, she might feel for the spine Emilio Pucci Dresses sale, shoulder blades, or the indentation of the waist. Veterinarians more often use a 5-point or 9-point scale based on similar tactile and visual assessments. In general, a dog of “ideal” weight will have ribs that are easily felt, but not necessarily seen. There should also be a well-defined waist when viewed from above and a tucked-up abdomen from the side. Although based primarily on physical appearance, these scoring systems are strongly correlated with more objective measures of body fat percentage Buy White Herve leger, like dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. That said, the huge variability in size and body type among different dog breeds has made developing a gold standard for canine obesity elusive.

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While the data are more limited Buy DKNY Clothes, studies indicate that excess weight is associated with many of the same problems in animals as it is in humans. Dogs that score high on the BCS scales are at greater risk for developing osteoarthritis and other orthopedic problems, as well as canine diabetes. Pudgy pets are also at increased risk for respiratory problems and cardiovascular disease, as well as reproductive disorders Replica DKNY Clothes, certain skin conditions, and a number of cancers. Older fat cats are especially prone to kidney failure.

Got a question about today’s news? Ask the Explainer.

Explainer thanks Ernie Ward Discount Bandage dresses, President of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention and author of Chow Hounds: Why Our Dogs Are Getting Fatter—A Vet’s Plan To Save Their Lives.

Like  Slate and the Explainer on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

Police are searching for a missing New South Wales man, believed to be lost in a southern Tasmanian national park.

49 year-old Paul Stephen Wilson has been missing since Tuesday.

Tasmania's rescue helicopter, a search dog, police, State Emergency Service crews and volunteers are combing Mt Field National Park Replica Herve Leger v neck, about 85 kilometres north-west of Hobart.

Mr Wilson is of slim build with light brown hair and hazel eyes.

He has a large scar on his head Missoni Dresses sale, and small scars above both eyes.

He is thought to be wearing a light blue fleece jumper Replica Herve Leger gown, a dark blue Chanel Dresses sale, long-sleeved thermal Chloe Dresses sale, black cycling pants and running shoes.

A white sedan Mr Wilson is believed to have been driving has been found.

Police are concerned for Mr Wilson's welfare Herve Leger sale, saying he suffers from a medical condition.

The British automaker has been using the chain’s high-end hotels around the world for years to launch its new models Replica Tissot Watches, and last year kicked the relationship up a notch by hosting a driving event through the Italian countryside for Bentley owners and guests of the St. Regis hotels in Rome and Florence. Now that they’re done flirting Replica Panerai Watches, the two luxury marques are about to consummate the relationship with a more comprehensive partnership.

The freshly inked collaboration will see fleets of Continental Flying Spurs stationed at St. Regis hotels around the world from Singapore and Abu Dhabi to the flagship location in Manhattan. But that’s not the end of it.

The St. Regis and its associated locations in The Luxury Collection of hotels and resorts in the Starwood group will also be hosting a series of driving programs Replica Rado Watches, special events and brand initiatives for Bentley and guests of the hotels Buy Cheap Replica Rado Watches, starting with the Springtime Bentley Grand Tour that will take participants over the course of two days from Vienna to Salzburg behind the wheel of the new Continental GT. Scroll down for the full press release.