Syrian rebel put his dreams on hold in civil war

BEIRUT (AP) ? Abdullah Qadi stood apart from his fellow rebel fighters ? an educated young man from a poor farming town who managed to make it through veterinary school.

He was fresh out of school in March 2011, when Syria's uprising began and erased his career plans of treating animals and someday becoming a professor.

As the violence deepened into a civil war, Qadi worked as a medic but later took up arms when his brother was killed, becoming a field commander.

Qadi was leading fighters into battle against the government forces when I met him on two occasions last year, a 25-year-old who was swept up in events he didn't quite understand and didn't expect to survive.

"I try to ask myself where I'll be after the revolution, and I can't imagine myself anywhere but in the grave," Qadi told me the last time I saw him in person.

I saw Qadi again earlier this week: As I sat at my computer in Beirut, a YouTube video flashed across the screen showing his body after he had been killed in northern Syria during government shelling and airstrikes. The video, posted online by the rebels, declared him a "martyr" in the fight against President Bashar Assad.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Ben Hubbard, an Associated Press correspondent based in Beirut, interviewed rebel fighter Abdullah Qadi during reporting trips into Syria. Here is his remembrance of the young brigade commander who died this week while fighting in northern Syria.

___

Qadi's death was like many of the more than 70,000 in the civil war ? violent, fast and mostly invisible to the outside world, other than in a few posts on Facebook pages run by his friends.

For me, it was a moment of recognizing someone familiar in the stream of gruesome images from the nearly 2-year-old conflict.

Because the government bars most reporters from working in Syria, on-the-ground reporting can only be done on dangerous, clandestine trips into the country.

It was on one such trip in November that I spent several days with Qadi and his brigade in northern Syria, both in a simple farmhouse they used as a base near their hometown of Maaret Misreen and in a fancy villa where they squatted while planning to attack an army base.

Qadi fielded my questions about his group, answering softly and earnestly, laughing shyly at times without opening his mouth much to hide a chipped front tooth.

His college education made him different from most of his fellow fighters. He was shorter than many of his colleagues and he usually wore an army green sweater and camouflage pants. He had grown a beard in the revolutionary fashion, but it was too downy to harden his image.

When the political protests against Assad grew more violent, his future was changed forever. Instead of healing farm animals, his medical expertise was put to use in treating victims of the government crackdown.

Then, in December 2011, his brother, Mazen, was killed in a shootout with a pro-regime militia, and Qadi joined a new brigade called The Beloved of Allah, most of whose members were guys he grew up with.

Like most of those fighting Assad's forces, he was a devout Sunni Muslim who didn't fully agree with the jihadists and foreign fighters who had joined the civil war seeking to turn Syria into an Islamic state. But their presence didn't bother him enough to make him refuse their help in battle.

He was popular with his men and known for his caution, recalled Sair Schaib, another brigade member, in an interview via Skype.

Some chafed at times at Qadi's reluctance to push forward quickly, but they later appreciated it. They realized that despite all the talk of the glory of martyrdom, he really didn't want to get his men killed.

This week, Qadi's brigade was among the rebels who pushed into Khan al-Assal, a village east of Aleppo in northern Syria near a police academy that Assad's forces have turned into a military base that regularly fires shells at nearby villages.

Government forces heavily shelled the area and the rebels organized cars to evacuate the civilians, said Schaib, who was a few streets away from Qadi.

Then a government jet bombed them, damaging homes and wounding a number of fighters and civilians.

Once they had been evacuated, Schaib rejoined the rest of his group and found another fighter cradling Qadi's head in his lap and reciting the Muslim declaration of faith.

Qadi's colleagues announced his death on their Facebook page, telling his story in epic language that portrayed him as a model for all.

"He picked up his weapon and joined the valiant revolutionaries, a courageous hero who did not fear death, but instead asked Allah for it, seeking martyrdom and receiving it from Allah," it said. "You will live on in our presence and in or hearts as we continue the march until we reach one of two blessings, victory or martyrdom."

They also posted a video of his body, his face uncovered. His fellow rebels, their voices cracking with emotion, yelled "God is great!"

Qadi was buried Monday night in his hometown, next to his brother.

Months earlier, over a plate of chicken fingers and french fries, Qadi spoke of how he had deferred his dreams of work, graduate study and marriage to fight a war he didn't expect to see end.

But he didn't seem depressed at that late-night dinner. He had fully embraced his new life.

"I'm happy with the battles and the people I've gotten to know," Qadi said. "These are the best moments of my life."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebel-put-dreams-hold-civil-war-193622834.html

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Viruses can have immune systems: A pirate phage commandeers the immune system of bacteria

Feb. 27, 2013 ? A study published today in the journal Nature reports that a viral predator of the cholera bacteria has stolen the functional immune system of bacteria and is using it against its bacterial host. The study provides the first evidence that this type of virus, the bacteriophage ("phage" for short), can acquire a wholly functional and adaptive immune system.

The phage used the stolen immune system to disable -- and thus overcome -- the cholera bacteria's defense system against phages. Therefore, the phage can kill the cholera bacteria and multiply to produce more phage offspring, which can then kill more cholera bacteria. The study has dramatic implications for phage therapy, which is the use of phages to treat bacterial diseases. Developing phage therapy is particularly important because some bacteria, called superbugs, are resistant to most or all current antibiotics.

Until now, scientists thought phages existed only as primitive particles of DNA or RNA and therefore lacked the sophistication of an adaptive immune system, which is a system that can respond rapidly to a nearly infinite variety of new challenges. Phages are viruses that prey exclusively on bacteria and each phage is parasitically mated to a specific type of bacteria. This study focused on a phage that attacks Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium responsible for cholera epidemics in humans.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Andrew Camilli, Ph.D., of Tufts University School of Medicine led the research team responsible for the surprising discovery.

First author Kimberley D. Seed, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in Camilli's lab, was analyzing DNA sequences of phages taken from stool samples from patients with cholera in Bangladesh when she identified genes for a functional immune system previously found only in some bacteria (and most Archaea, a separate domain of single-celled microorganisms).

To verify the findings, the researchers used phage lacking the adaptive immune system to infect a new strain of cholera bacteria that is naturally resistant to the phage. The phage were unable to adapt to and kill the cholera strain. They next infected the same strain of cholera bacteria with phage harboring the immune system, and observed that the phage rapidly adapted and thus gained the ability to kill the cholera bacteria. This work demonstrates that the immune system harbored by the phage is fully functional and adaptive.

"Virtually all bacteria can be infected by phages. About half of the world's known bacteria have this adaptive immune system, called CRISPR/Cas, which is used primarily to provide immunity against phages. Although this immune system was commandeered by the phage, its origin remains unknown because the cholera bacterium itself currently lacks this system. What is really remarkable is that the immune system is being used by the phage to adapt to and overcome the defense systems of the cholera bacteria. Finding a CRISPR/Cas system in a phage shows that there is gene flow between the phage and bacteria even for something as large and complex as the genes for an adaptive immune system," said Seed.

"The study lends credence to the controversial idea that viruses are living creatures, and bolsters the possibility of using phage therapy to treat bacterial infections, especially those that are resistant to antibiotic treatment," said Camilli, professor of Molecular Biology & Microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine and member of the Molecular Microbiology program faculty at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University.

Camilli's previous research established that phages are highly prevalent in stool samples from patients with cholera, implying that phage therapy is happening naturally and could be made more effective. In addition, a study published by Camilli in 2008 determined that phage therapy works in a mouse model of cholera intestinal infection.

The team is currently working on a study to understand precisely how the phage immune system disables the defense systems of the cholera bacteria. This new knowledge will be important for understanding whether the phage's immune system could overcome newly acquired or evolved phage defense systems of the cholera bacteria, and thus has implications for designing an effective and stable phage therapy to combat cholera.

Additional authors are David W. Lazinski, Ph.D., senior research associate in the Camilli lab at Tufts University School of Medicine, and Stephen B. Calderwood, M.D., Morton N. Swartz, M.D. academy professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and chief, division of infectious disease and vice-chair, department of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award numbers R01AI55058, R01AI045746, and R01AI058935.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Tufts University.

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. Kimberley D. Seed, David W. Lazinski, Stephen B. Calderwood, Andrew Camilli. A bacteriophage encodes its own CRISPR/Cas adaptive response to evade host innate immunity. Nature, 2013; 494 (7438): 489 DOI: 10.1038/nature11927

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/top_environment/~3/Wyf-HIQF99Q/130227134334.htm

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Tattoo parlors may need to keep photocopy ID - The Salt Lake Tribune

Tattoos are permanent. And tattoo parlors may soon need to keep long-lasting proof that young people gave them identification showing they were adults to obtain body art or piercings.

The House voted 68-1 Tuesday to pass HB117, and sent it to the Senate. It requires parlors to keep photocopies on file of identification that someone used to show they were old enough to obtain a tattoo without permission of a parent.

Its sponsor, Rep. Jon Stanard, R-St. George, said a constituent reported that a 15-year-old child recently obtained a tattoo without parental consent.

"As the parents talked to the child about it, it turns out that this person went into a tattoo parlor. They said, ?Are you 18?? He said no. They said, ?Well if anyone asks us, you showed us an ID.? The law is currently allowing that big of a loophole," Stanard said.

He added that the change in the law will protect both businesses and children, and said most tattoo parlors report that they already keep such information on file.

Lee Davidson

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Reader comments on sltrib.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Salt Lake Tribune. We will delete comments containing obscenities, personal attacks and inappropriate or offensive remarks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. If you see an objectionable comment, click the red "Flag" link below it.
See more about comments here.

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/55904906-90/tattoo-parlors-child-file.html.csp

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DC is killing off a major character this week (SPOILER ALERT ...

The death of a major comic book character is one of those pop culture events that gives you a moment to sit back and really consider the big questions. Questions like: ?So, is this a shameless marketing ploy, or is it an actual good story that will nevertheless be pitched as a shameless marketing ploy?? And: ?How long until they bring him/her/it back to life?? Well, even cynical grouches ? who remember the good old days when it seemed like Barry Allen might actually stay dead ? might be a bit surprised by the news that DC is preparing to off one of their main characters. Which character you ask? Take a look ? SPOILERS FROM HERE:

Image Credit: DC Comics

As reported by the New York Post, the current Robin will bite the dust in the upcoming Batman Incorporated #8. The current Robin is Damian Wayne, the 10-year-old son of Bruce Wayne and femme fatale Talia Al-Ghul. Damian was brought back into the continuity by Grant Morrison, who has been shepherding the Bat-titles for the last several years. Morrison?s run is coming to an end this summer, with Batman Incorporated #12, and with Damien?s death, it?s clear that he?s pulling out all the stops for the endgame. He tells the Post, ?He saves the world. He does his job as Robin. He dies an absolute hero.?

Students of Bat-history will know that this is actually the second time a Robin has died in the line of duty. The second Robin, Jason Todd, bit the dust in the iconic ?Death in the Family? storyline in the last ?80s. (Fans were actually allowed to vote on whether he would live or die.) Todd was replaced by Tim Drake, who notably did not die before being replaced by Damian. So, lesson learned: Even-numbered Robins probably aren?t long for this world.

Follow Darren on Twitter: @DarrenFranich

Read More:
DC is making a new ?Batman/Superman? comic book ? Check out art by Jae Lee!
The most powerful person in the comic book industry?

Source: http://popwatch.ew.com/2013/02/26/robin-damian-wayne-dying/

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Spotted Skunk Rehabbed at Fund for Animals Wildlife Center : The ...

February?25,?2013

Shy skunk released after a three-week stay

• 

  Snuggling in donated furs, the little skunk spent three weeks recovering at the FFAWC. Gina Taylor/The HSUS

• 

  Under the careful watch of volunteer Lauren Perry, the skunk took stock of his new surroundings. Mirjam Schippers/The HSUS

• 

  With the carrier door opened, the cautious skunk took his first steps toward freedom. Mirjam Schippers/The HSUS

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  With a flick of his bushy tail, the skunk scurried off to a life in the wild. Mirjam Schippers/The HSUS

While many rural and suburban dwellers are familiar with the sight of a striped skunk, fewer are aware of the rarely seen, diminutive spotted skunk.

Although just as common as their striped cousins, spotted skunks are much more reclusive. Spotting one is a rarity, even for wildlife rehabilitators.?

So when the Fund for Animals Wildlife Center received a tiny spotted skunk in January, it was something of a treat.

From peril to protection

The little skunk came to us after someone spotted him struggling to stay afloat inside a water-filled trash can. He was quickly scooped up and brought to the FFAWC, where an exam revealed him to be hypothermic, lethargic, and suffering from nerve damage to his front left leg.?

Doctor's orders? Three weeks of rest in a quiet space, where he could regain his strength and his leg could heal.

Snuggled in his nest of donated fur coats, the patient made good progress, and in mid-February, FFAWC veterinarians deemed him ready for release.?

The big release day

On the afternoon of his release date, the skunk was very curious about the small dark box that was placed in front of him and easily lumbered inside. Once inside his transport box, the skunk rode for the next 30 minutes to his release site.

"Because skunks are most active at dusk and dawn, we timed his release to happen just as the sun was low in the sky," says FFAWC Director Ali Crumpacker. "We made sure there was still enough sunlight for us to hike safely, but that it was close enough to nightfall for the skunk to feel safe."?

The skunk's releasers found a dense area of brush, well away from the usual hiking trails. Once the door was opened, the newly freed skunk strutted out, with tail on high alert.

With a bit of luck, no one was sprayed, and the little spotted skunk scampered off into the brush just as the sun set.

Fun facts about spotted skunks

Spotted skunks are much smaller than striped skunks; they are more like a ferret- or weasel-sized creature with lots of white spots.

If you can tolerate their smell, they are great animals with whom to share your property, as they eat insects and rodents and help keep the neighborhood free of fallen fruit debris.

Spotted skunks have an acrobatic way of warning any predators: They will often raise up on their forelegs in a handstand position to display a warning before spraying.

The Fund for Animals Wildlife Center in Ramona, Calif., is operated by The Humane Society of the United States in partnership with The Fund for Animals, providing care for nearly 500 wild animals annually.

Source: http://www.humanesociety.org/news/news/2013/02/ffawc-spotted-skunk-release-022513.html

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Marlins owner says he didn't renege on promises

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) ? A cluster of media stood outside the Miami Marlins clubhouse, awaiting the arrival of owner Jeffrey Loria, when outfielder Bryan Petersen walked past.

"Somebody getting married?" Petersen said.

It was more like somebody trying to salvage a relationship. Loria's three-day public relations campaign to patch things up with angry fans brought him to spring training Tuesday for an interview session that included several testy exchanges before the owner cut it short.

Loria reiterated many of his previous comments regarding the 2012 payroll purge, saying it wasn't about money but about improving the farm system. Ten minutes into the news conference, he bristled when asked why fans should believe him.

"You've said that question in four different ways," Loria said. "My response to you is we have put together some championship-caliber players. We're going to field an excellent team in the next two or three years that you're going to be proud of."

Fans are upset that after only one season of big spending in a new ballpark built mostly with tax money, the Marlins have reverted to their tight budgets of the past. Loria was asked about trying to change the impression the ballpark project was "a con job."

"A con job? I'm not even going to answer that," Loria said.

Many project the Marlins to lose 100 games only a year after they were the talk of baseball and touted as playoff contenders. This year's payroll is expected to be less than $45 million, compared with $90 million in 2012.

Loria denied he reneged on any promise, noting the Marlins finished last in the NL East with their biggest payroll ever.

"I fulfilled my promise in the new ballpark last year," he said. "It didn't work. So what do you do? Go back again and lose more games? We needed to do something to beef up the organization."

A blockbuster trade in November sent to Toronto three of the Marlins' highest-paid players ? shortstop Jose Reyes and pitchers Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson. In exchange Miami acquired mostly prospects.

"We have some very exciting young players here," Loria said. "We need to bring them along and develop our own stars, or else we're going to be a last-place team forever."

As he stepped away from the TV cameras after 15 minutes, a PR aide said the owner would take more questions. Instead, Loria disappeared through a clubhouse door and didn't return.

At some point the team's play will have to speak for itself.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/marlins-owner-says-didnt-renege-promises-180146430--mlb.html

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Pitbull Aims At Lil Wayne With 'Welcome To Dade County' Dis

Mr. 305 takes exception to Lil Wayne's slurs against the Miami Heat on the new track, over Baauer's 'Harlem Shake' instrumental.
By Rob Markman

Lil Wayne and Pitbull
Photo: Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702604/pitbull-lil-wayne-welcome-to-dade-county-dis-track.jhtml

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HIDDEN SECRETS ABOUT PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS(LOVE ...

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There?s more to platonic love than meets the eye. What is platonic love really? And why is it so hard for us to experience platonic love? Find out here. By Elizabeth Arthur

When we think of platonic love today, we assume that platonic relationships are the kind where two people are close, but avoid sharing sexual intimacy with each other.

But history reveals a story that?s far more illuminating.

But before we go back in time, let?s take a look at platonic love the way we see it today.

The meaning of platonic love

To explain it in simple words, platonic love is now understood as a form of true love between heterosexual friends?that?s devoid of sexual attraction.

We experience it all the time when we get close to someone of the opposite sex, even if it scares us or builds an intense sexual chemistry.

Every time we find ourselves getting closer to someone we admire or whose company we love, we feel the grasp of platonic love.

And to a large extent, we struggle to stay behind the barrier dividing platonic love from romantic love.

The divide between these two kinds of love is too thin and unless there?s a reason to stop the friendship from merging into sexual attraction, the relationship starts to drift towards romance.

There are several people in the world who successfully share platonic relationships. But do they really love each other intensely, or are they just casual friends?

And if they do intensely love each other, can they still remain just friends forever?

Why is it so hard to experience platonic love today?

Platonic love may be hard to experience today, not because we think more with our loins and less with our heads, but because of the restrictions imposed on us by society.

Over two thousand years ago, when Plato first explained his thoughts about love in a debate, the idea of platonic love as we know today was only a small part of his description of love and the complex idea behind love.

According to Plato, love was the desire to want good, or want happiness in life. When you?re filled with happiness when you see something, what you experience is the feeling of love.

In the debate where the idea of platonic love was first discussed by Plato and other philosophers, Plato never really spoke of love as a heterosexual experience. So when we talk about platonic love today, as much as it?s understood to be a bond between opposite sexes, it doesn?t always have to be interpreted in that manner.

So what makes platonic love so hard to experience between the sexes?

In today?s world, any affection beyond a handshake, a friendly hug or a kiss is deemed inappropriate between friends. But when you truly love someone and your heart aches to hold them close and touch them, would you feel satiated with a simple hug when you meet this friend after a year?s wait?

Platonic love is hard to experience because of the restrictions that are imposed on us today. And these very restrictions between friends also create insecurity, jealousy, heartbreaks and affairs.

Sexual orientation is a new myth

This may come as a shock to you, but in many civilized cultures sexual orientation is a new trend that?s been followed only for the last few centuries. Of course, reproduction occurs only between the opposite sexes. But affection was openly shared between the same sexes too.

Today, it?s not acceptable to be overly affectionate with any friend, be it a guy or a girl. But even a hundred years ago, it was acceptable for individuals to caress or even kiss other members of the same sex just to show their affection. Romantic relationships between the same sexes and friends were extremely common and were never seen as taboo until a century ago. Of course, homosexuality was considered taboo, but displaying affection through physical intimacy, on the other hand, was commonly accepted as a show of friendship.

The philosopher Plato too considers love to be a purely homosexual phenomenon, and addresses sexual attraction as a heterosexual trait.

Plato?s definition of love

Plato defines love as ?a desire for the perpetual possession of the good.? He says that love is a desire, a continuous thirst for things that will satisfy and fulfill our needs.

According to Plato, every human being is an unstable mix of two halves, their body and their soul, and each of these parts is governed by two kinds of love. The body craves for carnal desires and falls prey to sexual desires and lust, which forces the human to create physical attachments to worldly entities. And on the other hand, the soul cares only for a noble and spiritual kind of love that transcends beyond mere sexual desires.

Plato describes love as intense attraction and craving to be with a particular person or object, but yet, it is not guided by sexual addiction or carnal desires. And hence, we have this pure kind of love between two people, the love that goes beyond sexual attraction, the love we know today as platonic love.

Platonic love between the sexes

Can men and women ever just be friends? They can, but it?s a lot harder than it once was. When you love someone, you want to admire them, you want to hold them and adore them because you can?t find a better way to express the overwhelming affection you feel inside.

But is that really acceptable in today?s society? Can you really kiss a friend or cuddle a friend without feeling awkward about it because someone?s judging you?

These days, even perfectly platonic friends end up becoming sex buddies or have secret affairs because they can?t understand what they feel themselves!

The world has convinced us to believe that physical intimacy between friends or between two members of the same sex is inappropriate and damned, and just as bad as sexual intercourse. But our minds just can?t seem to understand this!

Platonic best friends are harder to make and keep because the world cannot accept your relationship anymore. We?re being forced to avoid physical intimacy everywhere. And in theory, this shunning of physical intimacy between friends by the society may be causing more affairs and broken relationships too.

After all, even when you feel passionate about a close friend, you can?t help but feel awkward and embarrassed about it because someone else has convinced you that the true love you feel inside is wrong!

The different dimensions of love

Desiring someone sexually is not love. It?s sexual attraction.

Poets and romantics have always placed romantic love on a pedestal and forced us to believe that romantic love is the most powerful form of love there can ever be.

We?re forced to believe that we can only love one person at once, and if we experience any form of love that?s similar to romantic love with anyone else, we feel guilty about it which convinces us to believe that we?re cheating or having an affair.

But that?s not the truth. Everything we want and desire, everything that makes us work towards achieving something, be it a person or an object, is because of the force of love. The sacrifices you make, the small and the big ones, is because of your desire to want someone or something. And if that?s not love, then what is?

Platonic love and emotional affairs

An emotional affair is a kind of platonic love. But in today?s society, it?s not acceptable for us to feel passionately closer to anyone else other than our own partners. It?s just wrong because it threatens the romantic relationship we?re already involved in.

In today?s world, we?re just as threatened by emotional affairs as much as sexual affairs. If you mentally bond with someone of the opposite sex and feel more emotionally attached to them than your own partner, it?s only a matter of time before your partner starts to feel insecure about the marriage or relationship.

The best test for emotional affairs is the awkward test. Can you comfortably talk about your platonic friend with your partner? Can you tell your partner about every detail of the conversation you have with your friend without feeling uncomfortable?

Emotional affairs are almost always a closely guarded secret because you feel uncomfortable with the idea, especially around your partner. If you can?t talk about it with your partner, then your platonic friendship may be coming in the way of a happy relationship with your own partner.

A platonic friendship is never bad as long as you stay within your moral boundary. But if your affection for a friend starts to replace the love you have for your partner, you know your love life is only going to head downhill, don?t you?

Will platonic friendships ever be understood?

A platonic relationship doesn?t involve just two people, you and your friend. It involves your own partner and your platonic friend?s partner too. Even if you or your friend are single today and everything?s dandy, would things still feel the same when one or both of you enter into romantic relationships with other people?

If you?re comfortable snuggling with your best friend of the opposite sex under the blanket while watching a movie, do you think your new partner would be accepting of that idea?

And on the other hand, if your partner spends a night over with their platonic friend, would you really be fine with that?

This is the monogamous world we live in today. As humans, we?re jealous and we?re insecure, and we can?t live in the idealistic world that defines Plato?s pure love that?s devoid of sexual desires, however reasonable or intellectual his idea may be.

Setting rules for platonic love

If you have a platonic friend and you don?t want that friendship getting in the way of your love life, learn to set rules. Setting ground rules with your romantic partner may be the safest way to experience platonic love and have a happy love life. But remember, your partner may always add new rules each time they feel insecure, and that may happen very often!

The insuppressible power of love

According to Plato himself, love is the desire for the perpetual possession of the good. If you find someone attractive or if you find something desirable, you can?t help but fall in love.

Perhaps, culture and society has burdened the words ?love? and ?passion? and forced us to avoid feeling these emotions towards anyone but our romantic partners. But whether we?re willing to accept it or suppress it, all of us know that every now and then, we feel a surge of love, passion and affection towards platonic friends, even if we?re never willing to acknowledge it or accept it.

But once you realize you?re truly in love with a platonic friend, and you have a romantic partner too, does that make you feel awkward?

The answer to that question will help you make up your mind on whether you have the emotional capability and the relationship stability to experience platonic love with a friend and maintain romantic love with your partner at the same time.

After all, platonic love seems easy to understand while reading about it or when you?re single. But unless you have a very understanding partner, it?s easier to avoid passionate platonic friendships and its short sighted interpretations of society, than deal with its confusions

SOURCE: lovepanky.com

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Source: http://naijamayor.com/hidden-secrets-about-platonic-relationshipslove/

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Mediterranean Diet Fights Heart Woes

Eating a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil and nuts lowers the rate of major cardiovascular events, at least among people at increased risk for heart disease, a new study found.

In a randomized trial in Spain in high-risk people, those who ate the Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or mixed nuts saw a reduction in the rate of major cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes by nearly 30 percent compared with a control group eating a low-fat diet, according to Dr. Ram?n Estruch of the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona, and colleagues.

The results support the use of the Mediterranean diet for "primary prevention" of heart disease, the researchers wrote online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Read this story on www.medpagetoday.com.

But they cautioned that participants in the study lived in a Mediterranean country and were already at high risk for cardiovascular events, so it is not clear how well the results will apply to other people.

Nonetheless, the trial's data and safety monitoring board ruled late in 2011 that the benefits were sufficiently clear that the study should be stopped, Estruch and colleagues reported.

The traditional Mediterranean diet, the researchers noted, is characterized by lots of olive oil, fruit, nuts, vegetables, legumes, and cereals, some fish and poultry, and limited amounts of dairy products, red meat, processed meats, and sweets. As well, the diet includes moderate amounts of wine with meals.

To test the idea that the diet protected against heart disease, the researchers randomly assigned 7,447 people, ages 55 to 80, to one of three diets -- a Mediterranean diet with additional extra-virgin olive oil, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts, or a control diet, which consisted essentially of advice to reduce dietary fat.

The majority of the participants were women and were free of cardiovascular disease when they started, but either had diabetes or at least three important cardiovascular risk factors, such as smoking, hypertension, or obesity. They received quarterly educational sessions and, depending on group assignment, free extra-virgin olive oil, mixed nuts, or small nonfood gifts

The primary endpoint was a composite of strokes, heart attacks, and cardiovascular death. The olive-oil diet led to a 28 percent reduction in risk, compared with the control diet. The mixed nut diet led to a similar risk reduction.

Results were similar when the two Mediterranean diets were combined and compared with the control diet, they found.

The researchers cautioned that loss to follow-up might have affected the results, although those lost were mainly from the control group and had worse cardiovascular risk profiles than those who remained in the trial.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/HeartHealth/mediterranean-diet-fights-heart-disease-study-finds/story?id=18589007

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Jobless, cities could be first to feel budget pain

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, accompanied by White House press secretary Jay Carney, briefs reporters on the sequester, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, accompanied by White House press secretary Jay Carney, briefs reporters on the sequester, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, accompanied by fellow members of the House GOP leadership, responds to President Barack Obama's remarks to the nation's governors earlier today about how to fend off the impending automatic budget cuts, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal answers questions during a news conference outside the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, following a meeting between National Governors Association (NGA) and President Barack Obama. From left are, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro Garc?a Padilla, Jindal, and NGA Vice Chair, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama addresses the National Governors Association in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, accompanied by fellow members of the House GOP leadership, responds to President Barack Obama's remarks to the nation's governors earlier today about how to fend off the impending automatic budget cuts, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, on Capitol Hill in Washington. From left are, Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Kansas, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Va., Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., Boehner, and Rep. James Lankford, R-Okla. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Who'll be the first to feel the sting?

Jobless Americans who have been out of work for a long time and local governments that are paying off loans to fix roads and schools are in tough spots when it comes to the automatic federal budget cuts that are scheduled to kick in Friday.

About 2 million long-term unemployed people could see checks now averaging $300 a week reduced by about $30. There could also be reductions in federal payments that subsidize clean energy, school construction and state and local public works projects. Low-income Americans seeking heating assistance or housing or other aid might encounter longer waits.

Government employees could get furlough notices as early as next week, though cuts in their work hours won't occur until April.

The timing of the "sequester" spending cuts has real consequences for Americans, but it also has a political ramifications. How quickly and fiercely the public feels the cuts could determine whether President Barack Obama and lawmakers seek to replace them with a different deficit reduction plan.

Eager to put pressure on Republican lawmakers to accept his blend of targeted cuts and tax increases Obama has been highlighting the impact of the automatic cuts in grim terms. He did it again on Monday, declaring the threat of the cuts is already harming the national economy.

Republicans say he is exaggerating and point to rates of spending, even after the cuts, that would be higher than in 2008 when adjusted for inflation. All Obama has to do to avoid the damage, House Speaker John Boehner said at the Capitol, is agree to the GOP's recommended spending cuts ? with no tax increases.

By all accounts, most of the pain of the $85 billion in spending reductions to this year's federal budget would be slow in coming. The dire consequences that Obama officials say Americans will encounter ? from airport delays and weakened borders to reduced parks programs and shuttered meatpacking plants ? would unfold over time as furloughs kick in and agencies begin to adjust to their spending reductions.

"These impacts will not all be felt on day one," Obama acknowledged in a meeting with governors at the White House on Monday. "But rest assured the uncertainty is already having an effect."

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned that the federal government would be unable to "maintain the same level of security at all places around the country" once the automatic cuts began to take effect.

The public will feel the results "in the next few weeks," she said, and "it will keep growing."

The majority of the federal budget is in fact walled off from the cuts. Social Security and veterans' programs are exempt, and cuts to Medicare are generally limited to a 2 percent, $10 billion reduction in payments to hospitals and doctors. Most programs that help the poor, like Medicaid, food stamps, subsidized school lunches, Pell Grants and supplemental security income payments are also exempt.

Still, the Pentagon will feel the brunt of half the cuts. Pay for active military is off-limits for cuts, so the rest of the defense budget must absorb the hit. The Obama administration says defense contractors have already ramped down work, contributing to a dip in economic activity in the fourth quarter of last year. The Navy has decided not to deploy an aircraft carrier as planned to the Persian Gulf.

Elsewhere, the White House's budget office says long-term unemployed Americans would lose an average of more than $400 in benefits over the year. The cuts do not affect state unemployment benefits, which jobless workers typically get soon after their loss of work. The federal reductions could begin immediately, though some analysts say the government could delay them for a short period to avoid a harmful hit on the economy.

Bill Hoagland, a former top Republican Senate budget aide and now senior vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington think tank, said the administration must be "betwixt and between" when it comes to addressing reductions in programs like jobless aid.

"They want to make sure the American public knows this sequester is a bad thing, but they also don't want to disrupt the economy too much," he said. "It's not that the reductions won't take place. But they could delay the impact of that until later in the year."

Administration officials also say the Treasury Department is prepared to begin reducing subsidies that cover interest payments by state and local governments on public works, school and renewable energy projects. That means those governments will have to find money in their budgets to make up the difference in bond interest payments, and while that might not affect projects already under way, it could delay new construction efforts.

The sequester, says Douglas Rice of the Center on Budget and Policy priorities, also would mean that families that leave subsidized housing would be less likely to be replaced with people from waiting lists, and that eventually some families could lose their apartments.

Many federal programs, like heating aid for the poor, already have many more people seeking assistance than the program budgets can cover. Funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, for instance, has fluctuated greatly in recent years, with the administration proposing to cut it by 13 percent this year. In such cases, it may be impossible for people denied aid to know whether it's because of the sequester since they might have been denied help anyway.

In some instances the cuts will be felt not by beneficiaries being thrown out of programs but by longer delays to get help. In the case of subsidized housing, for example, there are already long waits for assistance in most of the country.

In the case of the Women, Infants and Children program for low-income pregnant women and their children, the government has generally tried to make sure that every eligible woman can get food aid. States aren't permitted to cut the food benefit, which means fewer people will be served. The Agriculture Department says it will prioritize things so that pregnant women and nursing mothers keep their aid but post-partum women who do not breastfeed could lose their aid.

Who gets hit first also depends on how the government's budget flows. Education aid to school districts, for instance, is delivered in the fall, so impacts won't be felt until the new school year. But some teachers are already being informed that they could lose their jobs in August or September. Most Head Start programs won't feel cuts until the upcoming school year, too.

Some programs, like subsidized child care for the poor, are run by states, which will have flexibility in how to allocate the cuts. Just one in six eligible low-income families benefits from a federally funded child care slot. Cuts to the program leave states with difficult options: reduce the number of children cared for, require poor families to contribute more or cut payments to providers.

"I don't think people are going to feel it as dramatically as the administration has been suggesting," said Hoagland. "I'm not questioning the administration's numbers, I'm questioning their timing."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-02-25-Budget%20Battle-Casualties/id-a11e7a0b01d74bb38adbaf5e24b92cdd

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CONCACAF Under-20 Championship in Mexico continues today

Jamaica will continue their campaign toward World Cup qualification when the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship in Mexico continues today.

The young Reggae Boyz will face Panama in a Group ?C? top-of-the-table clash at 3:30 p.m. Jamaica time.

Both teams, who are on three points from a game, have already booked their spot in the quarterfinals and will now play for group honours.

In the second game at the venue, Group D teams Mexico and El Salvador will face off. Those teams are also through to the quarterfinals.

The CONCACAF Championship comprises four groups.

The top two teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals, the winners of which will progress to the competition's semifinals and qualify for the 2013 FIFA Under 20 World Cup in Turkey.

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Source: http://go-jamaica.com/news/read_article.php?id=43056

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Will Consumer Debt Hold Back the Brazilian Economy?

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Aurora, CO - American Sentinel University Announces Scholarships

Studies project that healthcare costs, if left unchecked, could rise 30% or more by 2050. This forecast, along with the federal government's response in the form of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), are increasing the need for healthcare organizations to improve their understanding of the costs of care and the use of data-driven insights to optimize efficiencies while simultaneously improving patient outcomes and satisfaction.

American Sentinel University understands the numerous issues confronting healthcare organizations. As a leader in online healthcare education, the university is proud to offer qualified individuals currently employed by a health system or health system support provider located in the United States the opportunity to apply for one of five full-tuition scholarships in its Master of Health Care Informatics (MHCI) program.

American Sentinel University's MHCI online degree is designed to develop skills in gathering, analyzing and presenting healthcare data to support clinical, administrative or quality decision-making needs that meet operational, legislative and regulatory requirements to reduce costs, improve workflows, impact quality and safety initiatives and more.

To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must currently be employed by a U.S. health system or an organization supplying services to a U.S. health system. They must complete the application process, which includes submitting a resume and an essay describing their personal commitment to improving health systems and how American Sentinel's MHCI degree will enhance their effectiveness in their roles and organizations. Applicants must also hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree and be available to start class on April 15, 2013. The deadline for entries is March 11, 2013.

Applicants can learn more about American Sentinel University's MHCI scholarship and submit their entries at https://forms.americansentinel.edu/enter/.

Source: http://nursing.advanceweb.com/News/Regional-News/Aurora-CO-American-Sentinel-University-Announces-Scholarships.aspx

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7 Obscure, Remote and Super-Geeky Military Bases

The military doesn't always pick prime real estate for its bases. Often it prefers strange, far-flung and obscure parts of the world ? particularly when it comes to its geekiest endeavors. Some are out-of-the-way test sites for the latest military and space technology. Others are far-flung spots of particular interest to scientists, in areas few could survive unshielded from the elements. Some are obscure because the Pentagon doesn't like to advertise what they do.

Others face a predicament. Some bases built during the Cold War have found their original reason for existing suddenly disappear. But instead of closing them down, the Pentagon has found new reasons to justify their existence. Others now exist only on life support. There are also the bases built as a consequence of Cold War nuclear paranoia, now acting as a shelter for paranoia over terrorism and global pandemics.

Aside from their obscurity, these bases are monuments to the military's faith in technology. Implicit in their location is the idea that no matter how extreme or odd or isolated a location, the military can build a place to track intercontinental ballistic missiles, launch secretive drones, or hook up an array of antennas that can study the ionosphere. From the deserts of Utah to the islands of the Arctic Circle and the Pacific, here are seven such bases.

Above:

Along the frigid northwestern coast of Greenland lies one of the U.S. military's most isolated bases, and home to one of the Pentagon's primary tools for keeping an eye out for intercontinental ballistic missile launches: a giant phased array radar. Called the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) at Thule Air Base, the radar works by blasting a constant beam of radio waves off the ionosphere, instantly detecting any object flying over the North Pole once it crosses the horizon.

But since the end of the Cold War, BMEWS at Thule has seen its mission recede in importance, a kind of post-1980s job security crisis for missile-tracking radars. The dangers of a nuclear missile attack on the United States of the kind the Pentagon feared in the 1970s and 1980s ? and which would necessitate immovable radars in the Arctic ? is now largely unthinkable. The good news is that the radar has found another job monitoring satellites and scanning for space debris.

Though it's a bit tricky keeping everything functioning up in Thule. The temperatures regularly drop to negative 40 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter, with storms that can lead to frostbite on exposed skin in less than a minute. Four months of every year are without sunlight, and sea access is blocked by ice for nine months. (These extreme conditions hampered clean-up during one of the "worst "Broken Arrow" nuclear accidents in U.S. history.) Oh, and there's unexploded ordinance left over from Cold War missile tests around the site, and arctic "wormholes" (.pdf) of frozen ice that can collapse when you step on them.

Photo: NATO

Source: http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/index/~3/eqllraKNT38/

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Let Your iPhone Toot Its Own Horn With These Custom Brass Amplifiers

There are plenty of speaker solutions out there for turning your iOS device something of a future-boombox, but none are quite as awesomely old-school as using re-purposed brass instruments. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/iV0thCBNY2Q/let-your-iphone-toot-its-own-horn-with-these-custom-brass-amplifiers

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Sony NSZ-GS7 update brings Google TV's newer voice search and YouTube perks

Someone must have declared it Google TV Update Week without telling us: just days after a Vizio Co-Star upgrade, Sony's NSZ-GS7 Internet Player is getting its own tune-up. The Sony update parallels its Vizio counterpart in focusing mostly on the features from the fall 2012 Google TV revamp, including PrimeTime and the updated YouTube app. Viewers pining for Amazon VOD access can also grab its app through Google Play. Sony mostly claims an edge over Vizio through its support for the equally new voice search feature: owners just have to chat with Sony's remote to get things done, instead of leaning on phone or tablet control. However GS7 owners plan to steer their TVs, they'll just need to check for a software update in the days ahead to rejuvenate their set-top boxes.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Sony

Comments

Source: Sony

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/23/sony-nsz-gs7-update-brings-google-tvs-newer-voice-search/

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LDS Church announces 58 new missions

LDS Church announces 58 new missions

By Stephanie Grimes

February 22nd, 2013 @ 12:44pm

SALT LAKE CITY ? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Friday the creation of 58 new missions, including one in Utah.

The announcement came after the LDS church saw a drastic increase in members interested in serving missions following LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson's October announcement that the church would lower the age of mission eligibility to 18 for men and 19 for women.

Men were previously required to be at least 19 years old for missionary service; women were required to be at least 21.

The response to the announcement led to the church's missionary force exceeding 60,000 for the first time in many years.

The 58 new missions include one in Utah ? the Salt Lake City East mission ? and two in Idaho, in Nampa and Twin Falls.

Three new missions were added in Central America, and eight were added in Mexico. South America, too, saw a significant increase, with seven missions being added to Brazil alone. The additional missions raise the number of missions from 347 to 405.

All of the new missions are being created through boundary adjustments within existing missions.

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New LDS Missions
Africa Southeast Area	Mexico Area	North America West Area
Angola Luanda	Mexico Cancun	California Bakersfield
Botswana Gaborone	Mexico Ciudad Juarez	California Irvine
Africa West Area	Mexico Ciudad Obregon	California Rancho Cucamonga
Ghana Accra West	Mexico Mexico City Chalco	Pacific Area
Liberia Monrovia	Mexico Pachuca	Australia Sydney North
Nigeria Benin City	Mexico Queretaro	New Zealand Hamilton
Asia North Area	Mexico Reynosa	Papua New Guinea Lae
Japan Tokyo South	Mexico Saltillo	Philippines Area
Korea Seoul South	North America Central Area	Philippines Cavite
Brazil	Colorado Fort Collins	Philippines Cebu East
Brazil Curitiba South	Illinois Chicago West	Philippines Legaspi
Brazil Fortaleza East	Kansas Wichita	Philippines Urdaneta
Brazil Juiz de Fora	North America Northeast Area	South America Northwest Area
Brazil Natal	Virginia Chesapeake	Bolivia Santa Cruz North
Brazil Piracicaba	Ohio Cincinnati	Ecuador Guayaquil West
Brazil Santos	North America Northwest Area	Ecuador Quito North
Brazil Sao Paulo West	Oregon Salem	Peru Huancayo
Central America Area	Washington Federal Way	Peru Iquitos
El Salvador San Salvador East	Washington Vancouver	South America South Area
Guatemala Coban	North America Southeast Area	Argentina Comodoro Rivadavia
Honduras San Pedro Sula West	Georgia Macon	Argentina Posadas
Europe East Area	North America Southwest Area	Chile Santiago South
Ukraine L'viv	Arizona Gilbert	Utah Area
Idaho	Arizona Scottsdale	Utah Salt Lake City East
Idaho Nampa
Idaho Twin Falls

Stephanie Grimes, ksl.com Reporter

Stephanie Grimes is a feature writer and reporter for ksl.com.

?

Source: http://www.ksl.com/?sid=24168317&nid=1016&s_cid=rss-extlink

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Boingo to Acquire Endeka, Expand to Military Bases and Federal Training Centers

February 21, 2013 --

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 21, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Boingo Wireless (Nasdaq:WIFI), the Wi-Fi industry's leading provider of software and services worldwide, today announced that it has signed a merger agreement to acquire Endeka, a provider of Wi-Fi, VoIP and IPTV services to military bases and federal law enforcement training facilities. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Endeka's military specialization focuses on large populations of enlisted men and women who are Internet-hungry users and are clamoring for high-quality broadband," said David Hagan, President and CEO of Boingo Wireless. "Their portfolio of venues and management team are natural additions to our managed network business."

"Boingo's experience and resources will help us scale to meet the opportunity ahead of us," said Tim Rout, President and founder of Endeka. "Extending the value of our broadband subscription services with global Wi-Fi roaming capabilities will further differentiate our offering to military bases and federal law enforcement centers. The combined services will contribute significantly to morale and welfare of the troops, wherever they are."

Endeka (http://endekagroup.com/) will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Boingo Wireless, Inc..

About Boingo Wireless

Boingo Wireless, Inc. (Nasdaq:WIFI), the world's leading Wi-Fi software and services provider, makes it easy, convenient and cost-effective for people to enjoy Wi-Fi access on their laptop or mobile device at more than 600,000 hotspots worldwide. With a single account, Boingo users and Boingo's wholesale partners can access the mobile Internet via Boingo Network locations that include the top airports around the world, major hotel chains, caf?s and coffee shops, restaurants, convention centers and metropolitan hot zones. Boingo, through its Concourse Communications Group subsidiary, operates Wi-Fi and/or Cellular DAS networks at large-scale venues worldwide such as airports, major sporting arenas, malls, and convention centers, as well as restaurants and retail establishments. The company's Cloud Nine media platform enables brand advertisers to reach a captive audience through high engagement Wi-Fi sponsorships. For more information about Boingo, please visit http://www.boingo.com and http://cloudnine.com.

Boingo, Boingo Wireless, the Boingo Wireless Logo and Don't Just Go. Boingo are registered trademarks of Boingo Wireless, Inc. All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" that involves risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "seeks," "believes," "estimates," "expects" and similar references to future periods. These forward-looking statements include the quotations from management in this press release, as well as any statements regarding Boingo's strategic plans and future guidance. Forward-looking statements are based on the company's current expectations and assumptions regarding its business, the economy and other future conditions. Since forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. The company's actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include regional, national or global political, economic, business, competitive, market and regulatory conditions, as well as other risk and uncertainties described more fully in documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including Boingo's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 filed with the SEC on April 13, 2012 and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2012 filed with the SEC on November 14, 2012. Any forward-looking statement made by Boingo in this press release speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause the company's actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Boingo to predict all of them. Boingo undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

CONTACT: Katie O'Neill
Boingo Wireless, Inc.
Phone: 310-689-1163
Email: koneill@boingo.com

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Source:2013 GlobeNewswire, Inc. . All Rights Reserved

Source: http://www.broadcastnewsroom.com/ibc/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=2443829

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Cycle Gear Donates To Keep Trails Open In 2013 | BlueRibbon ...

BENICIA, CA (February 21, 2013) -- Cycle Gear, the country's largest retailer of motorcycle apparel and accessories, pledges $10,000 to the BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC) in support of the organization's efforts to ensure continued access to public lands.

The donation highlights Cycle Gear's total fiscal commitment to the BRC Trail Access Fund for 2013.? This is the 11th year in a row in which Cycle Gear matches club and rider donations -dollar for dollar- to the Fund (up to $10,000 per year).

Dave Bertram, 5-time ISDE gold medalist, two-time national off-road champion and CEO of Cycle Gear, states, "Many challenges continue to confront trail enthusiasts who like to ride on state and federal lands.? Cycle Gear is proud of this grant program that supports BRC's efforts to successfully champion responsible motorized recreation on designated roads, trails, and areas."

"Unwarranted lawsuits, overzealous regulators, and agenda-driven politicians continue to threaten family-oriented OHV recreation with closures on a daily basis.? The off-road business community must continue to support access groups that fight to protect our rights to enjoy public lands." Bertram said.

Don Amador, Western Representative for the BlueRibbon Coalition, said, "This continued support from Cycle Gear in 2013 will help us in the fight to keep riding areas open for OHV recreation."

About Cycle Gear:
Cycle Gear(r) Inc. is the country's largest retailer of motorcycle and power sports apparel, parts and accessories. Since 1974 Cycle Gear's product selection and superior service have delighted enthusiasts. With stores nationwide, ecommerce and mobile websites, Cycle Gear provides access and unbeatable prices to riders wherever they are. As an employee-owned company of motorcycle enthusiasts, the Cycle Gear Team takes enormous personal pride in providing its "100% Satisfaction - Guarantee," which includes: 7-Day No Hassle Helmet Exchange, 30-Day Best Price Guarantee, Easy Returns: In-Store or On-Line, and No Restocking Fees -ever. Visit one of many store locations or online at www.cyclegear.com today.

###

The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national recreation group that champions responsible recreation, and encourages individual environmental stewardship. With members in all 50 states, BRC is focused on building enthusiast involvement with organizational efforts through membership, outreach, education, and collaboration among recreationists. 1-800-BLUERIB - http://www.sharetrails.org.

Source: http://www.sharetrails.org/news/2013/02/21/cycle-gear-donates-keep-trails-open-2013

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Chris Kilham, Medicine Hunter, Meets With Harvesters And Trade Officials In Search Of Potent Herbs

Olivia Wilde

<em>House</em> actress Olivia Wilde was <a href="http://features.peta.org/sexiest-Vegetarian-Celebrities-2011/PastWinners.aspx" target="_hplink">crowned 2010's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity</a>, along with fitness guru Bob Harper, by PETA. Wilde, previously vegan, abandoned that diet this year following her divorce from filmmaker Tao Ruspoli, <a href="http://haveuheard.net/2011/09/olivia-wilde-quit-vegan-diet-divorce/" target="_hplink">haveuheard.com reported.</a> The site writes she told <em>Cosmopolitan</em> magazine: "I was hardcore vegan for years. When everything in my life became a little hectic, going through the divorce and everything afterward, I was like, 'I need some goddamn cheese.' And so I had some cheese." On her website <a href="http://wildethings.org/vegan-things" target="_hplink">Wilde Things she says</a>: "I'm a firm believer in the adage 'your dollar is your vote.' Often we forget the power of each of our purchases." She adds: "Sadly it is incredibly difficult to ensure that you are not perpetuating a cycle of cruelty that is only getting worse as demand rises and profits grow."

Russell Brand

PETA has crowned comedian Russell Brand <a href="http://features.peta.org/sexiest-Vegetarian-Celebrities-2011/Winners.aspx" target="_hplink">Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity of 2011</a> alongside actress Kristen Wiig. Brand, who has been vegetarian since he was 14-years-old, said, "You shouldn't eat animals, it's mean to them," PETA wrote. <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2028407/Husband-Russell-Brands-veggie-challenge-hard-chew-Katy-Perry.html" target="_hplink">According to the <em>Daily Mail</em></a> he said: "Even as a junkie I stayed true to vegetarianism." He added, "I shall have heroin, but I shan't have a hamburger." According to the report, Brand's wife, singer Katy Perry, gave up eating meat two years ago to keep him happy but has found it difficult to stick to the diet.

Jessica Chastain

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/29/peta-sexiest-vegetarian-celebrities-2012_n_1638049.html" target="_hplink">Winning the much-coveted title of PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian 2012</a>, the "Tree of Life" and "The Help" star knows how to take care of her body and soul. "I don't want to torture anything," <a href="http://www.peta.org/mediacenter/news-releases/Jessica-Chastain-and-Woody-Harrelson-Are-PETA-s--Sexiest-Vegetarians-.aspx" target="_hplink">Chastain said in a PETA press statement</a>. "While I am on this planet, I want everyone I meet to know that I am grateful they are here." The fiery redhead says she's been a vegetarian for 15 years and a vegan for 5.

Ben Stiller

After a challenging inner struggle, Ben Stiller finally came out to his parents... as a vegan. "They were a little bit confused at first, but now they're supportive," the star told Conan on his show this summer. Although Stiller is not fully vegan (he still eats some fish, but no eggs, milk, or other animal proteins) the star is adjusting to his newly herbivorous diet. According to Ecorazzi, <a href="http://www.ecorazzi.com/2012/07/28/watch-ben-stiller-comes-out-as-vegan-to-his-parents/" target="_hplink">Stiller attributes his ability to perform sans stunt double</a> on the set of his new movie "The Watch" to his recent dietary changes.

Anne Hathaway

Actress Anne Hathaway has had an on-again/off-again relationship with a meat-free diet. but according to the most recent reports, she is currently a a vegetarian. <a href="http://www.realbollywood.com/2011/08/anne-hathaway-speaks-vegetarian-diet.html" target="_hplink">Realbollywood.com reported</a> the actress had trouble while in the UK in August. <a href="http://www.metro.co.uk/film/851230-anne-hathaway-theres-nothing-wrong-with-nudity-in-films" target="_hplink">In an interview with <em>Metro</em></a> in December 2010, Hathaway said: "I've actually been a commitment-shy vegetarian since I was about 12. I wasn't all that committed, to be honest, and then when I was in England filming One Day, I don't know what happened but I just didn't want to eat meat any more. But I was still eating fish. And then I was sent a copy of Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals. I read it and that was it for me in terms of being able to eat fish - which is a shame because I really enjoy the taste but I just can't support the way fish are farmed and caught." The Mother Nature Network reports that after wrapping up filming for "The Dark Knight Rises," <a href="http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/blogs/anne-hathaways-vegan-catwoman-diet" target="_hplink">Hathaway took the plunge and dedicated herself to a (mostly) vegan diet</a>, but admits to indulging in chocolate desserts every now and then.

Kristen Wiig

"Bridesmaids" actress Kristen Wiig has been named <a href="http://features.peta.org/sexiest-Vegetarian-Celebrities-2011/Winners.aspx" target="_hplink">PETA's 2011 Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity</a> alongside comedian Russell Brand. According to PETA, Wiig stays healthy by eating a lot of tofu and soy.

Bill Clinton

Former U.S. president Bill Clinton has opted for a vegan diet to improve his health since having quadruple bypass surgery in 2004 and stent surgery in 2010, <a href="http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/diet-nutrition/story/2011-08-23/Bill-Clinton-declares-vegan-victory/50111212/1" target="_hplink">according <em>USA Today</em></a>. Clinton does not eat beef, chicken or dairy. A big move for someone known for their love of burgers and junk food. <em>USA Today</em> reported Clinton said he lost 24 pounds last year in time for his daughter Chelsea's wedding.

Natalie Portman

Actress Natalie Portman <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/natalie-portman/jonathan-safran-foers-iea_b_334407.html" target="_hplink">wrote for The Huffington Post in 2009</a>: "Jonathan Safran Foer's book Eating Animals changed me from a twenty-year vegetarian to a vegan activist." In 2011, <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/WomensHealth/natalie-portman-drops-vegan-diet-pregnancy/story?id=13349964" target="_hplink">ABC News reported</a> she returned to her vegetarian diet while pregnant with her first child. "I actually went back to being vegetarian when I became pregnant, just because I felt like I wanted that stuff," Portman told the radio's Q100 "Bert Show." "I was listening to my body to have eggs and dairy," ABC reported. In 2007, the star launched her own vegan shoe line, <a href="http://www.vegnews.com/web/articles/page.do?catId=8&pageId=2790" target="_hplink">according to VegNews.com.</a> Portman was voted <a href="http://features.peta.org/sexiest-Vegetarian-Celebrities-2011/PastWinners.aspx" target="_hplink">PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity in 2002</a> alongside actor Tobey Maguire.

Mike Tyson

Boxing champion and vegan Mike Tyson <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/on-the-record/transcript/mike-tyson-039i-live-boring-life-i039ve-learned-love039?page=2" target="_hplink">spoke with Fox News</a> about switching to an animal product-free diet earlier this year. In the interview, Tyson says he became a vegan two years ago after his wife was trying out different weight-loss diets and says he "feels awesome" even though he "forgets to eat sometimes." "(I feel) incredible. I wish I was born this way. When you find out about the processed stuff you have been eating. I wonder why I was crazy all those years." He adds, "All that garbage I was eating running around, the drugs didn't help either."

Pamela Anderson

Baywatch star and PETA activist Pamela Anderson let viewers know how she feels about non-vegetarians on the Ellen DeGeneres Show earlier this year. <a href="http://www.ecorazzi.com/2011/02/28/pamela-anderson-bangs-the-vegan-gavel-on-meat-eaters/" target="_hplink">Ecorazzi.com reports</a> that Anderson said, "I don't think I'd be a very good juror. You know, if you're not vegetarian--guilty!" Anderson <a href="https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=3205" target="_hplink">appeared on a PETA campaign</a> in 2010 showing "All Animals Have the Same Parts" and encouraging people to ditch meat.

Tobey Maguire

A vegetarian since 1992 and vegan since 2009, some reports suggest Tobey Maguire doesn't allow leather in his house, even making guests remove any leather clothing before they come through the front door, <a href="http://www.zimbio.com/Vegan+Stars/articles/Ip8hg8soxDe/Tobey+Maguire" target="_hplink">according to Zimbio.com.</a> <a href="http://features.peta.org/sexiest-Vegetarian-Celebrities-2011/PastWinners.aspx" target="_hplink">The actor was PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity in 2002</a> alongside actress Natalie Portman.

Kristen Bell

Actress and animal activist Kristen Bell has been a vegetarian for more than 16 years, <a href="http://www.vegetariantimes.com/features/editors_picks/896" target="_hplink">according to <em>Vegetarian Times</em>.</a> She told the site in 2010: "I had a lot of quirks as a child. One was that I didn't like to eat meat: I didn't like to chew it, didn't like the taste or smell of it, and just wasn't having any of it. I was in the minority of kids who actually loved fruits and vegetables." She added, "When I was little, I loved my dogs so much. Part of my becoming a vegetarian was that I would look at my burger, then look at my dogs, and I wasn't able to see a difference." Bell was crowned <a href="http://features.peta.org/sexiest-Vegetarian-Celebrities-2011/PastWinners.aspx" target="_hplink">Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity in 2006</a> by PETA alongside singer Prince. In January 2012, <a href="http://www.ecorazzi.com/2012/03/14/forks-over-knives-scores-again-kristen-bell-goes-vegan/" target="_hplink">the star and her fiance Dax Shepard decided to go vegan</a> after watching the documentary "Forks Over Knives," according to Ecorazzi.

Chris Martin

PETA labeled Coldplay frontman Chris Martin <a href="http://features.peta.org/sexiest-Vegetarian-Celebrities-2011/PastWinners.aspx" target="_hplink">Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity of 2005</a>. <a href="http://www.contactmusic.com/news-article/paltrow-and-martin-give-apple-a-vegan-feast" target="_hplink">Contact Music</a> writes that he and his wife Gwyneth Paltrow made "international headlines when they gave their daughter, Apple, a vegan birthday cake from Moby's New York eatery, <a href="https://www.teany.com/story" target="_hplink">Teany</a>."

Lauren Bush

Model and niece of Former President George W. Bush, Lauren Bush was also labeled one of the <a href="http://features.peta.org/sexiest-Vegetarian-Celebrities-2011/PastWinners.aspx" target="_hplink">World's Sexiest Vegetarians in 2003 by PETA</a>. In 2007, Bush launched <a href="http://www.feedprojects.com/" target="_hplink">FEED Projects</a> in conjunction <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/farryn-weiner/lauren-bush-feed-bags_b_852678.html" target="_hplink">with the UN World Food Program </a>. "I'm a vegetarian, so sometimes food isn't always my friend, but sometimes it's amazing. It's hit or miss. For me, (travel is) all about walking around, exploring and taking photos," she said.

Milo Ventimiglia

Named by<a href="http://features.peta.org/sexiest-Vegetarian-Celebrities-2011/PastWinners.aspx" target="_hplink"> PETA as 2009's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity</a> alongside musician Kellie Pickler, Milo Ventimiglia has been a vegetarian since he was "in the womb." In 2009, the Heroes actor <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P9qda1IH3Y" target="_hplink">appeared on the Bonnie Hunt Show </a>and talked about how he was raised vegetarian. "I was a vegetarian in the womb, I was doing it before it was a trend," he joked. "My parents have been vegetarian for 40 years. They raised my sisters and I vegetarian, we had a dog - he was vegetarian." He added that even when he branched out as a teenager to other foods it just "didn't sit well" with him.

Daryl Hannah

Activist and strict vegan Daryl Hannah <a href="http://www.vegetariantimes.com/features/editors_picks/914" target="_hplink">told <em>Vegetarian Times</em></a> in 2010 she converted to vegetarianism at age 11 after bonding with a calf. "I noticed this truck full of calves and bonded with one in particular, who kept kissing me. After about an hour the truck driver came out of the restaurant. I asked him what the calf's name was, and he said, "Veal, tomorrow morning by 7 o'clock." That was it: I could no longer disassociate the creature from what was on my plate," she said in the interview.

Ellen DeGeneres

Talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres has been vegan since 2008. She launched her new website this year to help people who want to stop eating meat and animal products: <a href="http://vegan.ellen.warnerbros.com/" target="_hplink">Going Vegan with Ellen</a>. Last year, DeGeneres was<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeSA2j4oiDA" target="_hplink"> interviewed by Katie Couric</a> about becoming vegan: "I used to love cheeseburgers and steak, I just did what most people do, I had a disconnect. I decided it's more important to taste a cheeseburger and have a steak or have a turkey sandwich and it's easier and I put it out of my mind ... I read Skinny Bitch first and then I forced myself to watch a documentary called 'Earthlings' and it is inside footage of factory farms and dairy farms and you just see that and you go, "I can't participate in that, I can't be a part of something that is suffering and it's 50 billion animals a year that are killed," and I think we all fool ourselves that there is some happy cow and it's a quick death ... and it's a very disturbing reality ... I do it because I love animals and I saw the reality and I just couldn't do it anymore."

Kevin Eubanks

Musician Kevin Eubanks was voted the <a href="http://features.peta.org/sexiest-Vegetarian-Celebrities-2011/PastWinners.aspx" target="_hplink">World's Sexiest Vegetarian in 2007</a>, alongside Carrie Underwood by PETA. At the time, he <a href="http://veggietestimonial.peta.org/psa.aspx?CID=c8d89b22-add4-4385-badc-7e49b1c53efe" target="_hplink">released a vegetarian testimonial</a> dressed as a strawberry in which he says: "none of that cholesterol or animal fat for me, oh no. I want to enjoy every moment I can, I don't want my organs getting messed up with all that stuff."

Jane Goodall

Primatologist, philanthropist, conservationist and vegetarian Jane Goodall <a href="http://vegetarian.procon.org/view.source.php?sourceID=010726" target="_hplink">said on Procon.org</a> she switched to a plant-based diet after learning about factory farms in the early 1970s after reading Peter Singer's Animal Liberation. "I thought about the delicious pork chops that I loved, the heavenly smell of frying bacon in the morning. And all the roast chicken, casseroled chicken, fried chicken, and chicken soup that I had enjoyed during my life... When I saw meat on my plate, from that moment on, I should think of pain-fear-death. How horrible. And so it was clear. I would eat no more meat," she says.

Andy Lally

NASCAR driver Andy Lally fuels himself on a vegan diet. He made the switch two years ago, <a href="http://vegetarianstar.com/2011/07/13/andy-lally-races-on-vegan-fuel/" target="_hplink">according to Vegetarianstar.com.</a> The site writes Lally said: "If (people) were able to see the mistreatment and what goes on and see what shows up to them in a nice shiny package." Earlier this year, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/16/lally-pumpelly-factory-farms_n_928172.html" target="_hplink">at a visit to Farm Sanctuary</a>, Lally said: "By this point in human evolution, we should be smart enough and kind enough to live without torturing other living beings just so we can enjoy lunch, especially when there are so many delicious plant-based options available."

Kellie Pickler

In 2008, country singer Kellie Pickler <a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20236190,00.html" target="_hplink">told People Magazine</a> she stopped eating meat to improve her health but changed her reasoning after discovering animal cruelty videos online. "One night I couldn't sleep and I was up just Googling random stuff and I'm like, 'Hmmm, PETA.' I saw all the videos and I just thought it was horrible. It's animal cruelty. A lot of it has to do with knowing what happens to the animals and it really bothered me and so I will not eat meat," she said. Pickler was named <a href="http://features.peta.org/sexiest-Vegetarian-Celebrities-2011/PastWinners.aspx" target="_hplink">Sexiest Celebrity Vegetarian of 2009</a>, alongside actor Milo Ventimiglia, by PETA.

Alec Baldwin

<a href="http://www.zimbio.com/Vegan+Stars/articles/QHaN-JTolFJ/Alec+Baldwin" target="_hplink">According to Zimbio.com,</a> Alec Baldwin said "he chooses an animal-free diet for the animals, for the environment, and for his health." Conflicting reports over the years suggest Baldwin may be an "on and off" vegetarian.

Anthony Kiedis

Red Hot Chilli Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis was <a href="http://www.maxim.com/amg/MUSIC/Articles/An+Interview+with+Anthony+Kiedis+of+The+Red+Hot+Chili+Peppers" target="_hplink">asked by Maxim this year</a> whether he would eat a fatty steak or some tempeh for his last meal, considering he was a vegan. "I'm not a true vegan. I dabble in sustainable fish and dawdle in the consumption of eggs. Steak doesn't speak to me, and tempeh is so-so. I'll savor a solitary apricot that's been kissed by my baby," Kiedis answered. The musician was labeled <a href="http://features.peta.org/sexiest-Vegetarian-Celebrities-2011/PastWinners.aspx" target="_hplink">Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity of 2008 by PETA</a>, alongside singer Leona Lewis. After acquiring the title, Kiedis <a href="http://www.accesshollywood.com/_article_9984" target="_hplink">told AccessHollywod</a> animal cruelty videos convinced him of his switch to veganism. "Soon after I [went vegan] I saw some documentary footage of what happens in the factory farming of cows ... It sealed the deal," the rocker said.

Leona Lewis

Singer Leona Lewis was labeled <a href="http://features.peta.org/sexiest-Vegetarian-Celebrities-2011/PastWinners.aspx" target="_hplink">Sexiest Vegetarian of 2008 by PETA</a> alongside rocker Anthony Kiedis. In 2010, she <a href="http://redcarpetroxy.com/?p=17073" target="_hplink">told redcarpetroxy.com</a> she had a vegan clothing line in the works. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzvmTRRdnOs" target="_hplink">In the interview, </a>she told the site she looked for alternative materials when buying clothes and accessories. For example, she doesn't buy leather products. The animal activist turned down a $1 million dollar deal in 2008 with Mohamed Al Fayed to open a Harrods sale. <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2034820/X-Factors-Leona-Lewis-laugh-spends-time-animals-Essex-rescue-home.html" target="_hplink">According to the Daily Mail</a>, she turned down the deal because the UK department store "continues to stock clothing made from animal fur." <a href="http://www.moderndogmagazine.com/features/voice-animals" target="_hplink">According to <em>Modern Dog</em>, Lewis</a> began the campaign "Animals Matter To Me" asking for public support for the World Society for the Protection of Animals' mission. "I've been a vegetarian since I was twelve," she told the magazine.

Paul McCartney

Vegetarian Paul McCartney urged India earlier this year to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/04/paul-mccartney-urges-india-to-declare-vegetarian-day_n_804047.html" target="_hplink">declare a national Vegetarian Day</a>. The singer sent a letter to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh suggesting the day to "celebrate meat-free living and a compassion towards animals," a report said. McCartney's letter says, "it would be a celebration of life."

Carrie Underwood

Earlier this year, <a href="http://features.peta.org/sexiest-Vegetarian-Celebrities-2011/PastWinners.aspx" target="_hplink">PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity of 2007 and 2005</a> Carrie Underwood announced she had rid all animal products from her diet, <a href="http://tasteofcountry.com/carrie-underwood-vegan/" target="_hplink">according to TasteofCountry.com.</a> The site reports she told Australian television show <em>The Circle</em>: "I recently made the switch to vegan because I'm actually kind of lactose intolerant." The singer said she became a vegetarian at age 13 when she realized what happened to animals on her family's farm.

Alicia Silverstone

Hollywood star and vegan Alicia Silverstone bares all in a<a href="http://features.peta.org/AliciaSilverstoneVeganPSA/" target="_hplink"> Veggie PETA testimonial</a>. She writes on their website: "Now when I see a steak, it makes me feel sad and sick because right away, I see my dog or the amazing cows I met at a sanctuary. I've been vegan for 10 years, and it's the single-most important and helpful decision I have ever made." Silverstone -- <a href="http://features.peta.org/sexiest-Vegetarian-Celebrities-2011/PastWinners.aspx" target="_hplink">PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity in 2004</a> -- adds: "I am doing everything I can to reduce animal suffering with simple lifestyle choices like being vegan, never wearing any products made from animals (like wool and leather), and buying only from companies that NEVER test their products or ingredients on animals."

Shania Twain

Country singer Shania Twain was <a href="http://features.peta.org/sexiest-Vegetarian-Celebrities-2011/PastWinners.aspx" target="_hplink">PETA's first Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity</a>, crowned in 2001. <a href="http://blog.friendseat.com/vegetarian-meatless-celebrities" target="_hplink">Blog friendseat.com writes</a> Twain kicked meat from her diet after marrying long time vegetarian Mutt Lange in 1993. The blog writes that Twain said she "was never really a fan of meat or a keen meat-eater and her diet does not include meat, fish or eggs."

Alyssa Milano

Animal activist and actor Alyssa Milano launched a PETA ad in 2008 dressed in an outfit made entirely from green vegetables under the slogan "Let Vegetarianism Grow on You." <a href="http://www.peta2.com/outthere/o-alyssaveggies.asp" target="_hplink">According to Peta2.com, in 2008</a> Milano said: "The world has so much suffering in it already -- choosing to be vegetarian is one thing you can do to reduce the suffering on a daily basis." <a href="http://blog.friendseat.com/vegetarian-meatless-celebrities" target="_hplink">Blog friendseat.com says</a> the actress has a green thumb and loves veggies, even sticking to her vegetarian diet during her pregnancy in which she had cravings for broccoli and pickles.

Boy George

Singer Boy George, who spent four months behind bars in 2009 for falsely imprisoning a male escort, <a href="http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/116487/Why-Boy-George-can-t-wait-to-go-back-to-prison-" target="_hplink">told the <em>Daily Express</em></a> he worked as chef, preparing all-meatless food during his time in jail. "I'm a pretty good cook and made all the vegetarian food," he said. On September 18th, <a href="https://twitter.com/BoyGeorge/status/248173083100332033" target="_hplink">Boy George outed himself as a vegan</a> by tweeting "Rat meat for sale in London! F**king glad I'm vegan! # Not-Glamorous!"

Brad Pitt

<a href="http://nakedhealth.avvo.com/2011/04/13-celebrity-vegans-and-vegetarians/" target="_hplink">According to Naked Health</a>, actor Brad Pitt has been identified as a vegetarian throughout the years. There are rumors that his partner, actress Angelina Jolie's meat-eating habits have started to upset Pitt. Jolie was reportedly vegan until she said the plant-based diet nearly killed her.

Christina Applegate

Actress and animal activist Christina Applegate <a href="http://www.peta.org/features/christina-applegate-fur-get-me-not.aspx" target="_hplink">told PETA</a> she stopped eating meat when she saw blood on her plate while at a restaurant. I was eating lunch on the Married With Children set, and they served me some kind of meat (I don't even know the names of them all anymore because it's been so long). I looked down and there was blood on my plate, and it was that realization, that I can't eat something that has been alive, I just can't do it," she said in the interview. Applegate was featured in a 2007 PETA Christmas-time campaign reminding shoppers not to buy fur as gifts.

Emmylou Harris

<a href="http://vegetarianstar.com/2009/06/29/emmylou-harris-is-a-sexy-vegetarian-over-50-are-you/" target="_hplink"><em>Vegetarian Star</em> writes</a> <a href="http://features.peta.org/petaprime/sexiest-veg-over-50-2011/Round1.aspx" target="_hplink">PETA's Sexiest Vegetarians Over 50</a> are in good company with vegetarians like Emmylou Harris falling into the category. The 62-year-old runs a dog shelter in Nashville, Tennesee, her hometown and is involved with organizations like<a href="http://www.bestfriends.org/" target="_hplink"> Best Friends Animal Society</a>, according to Vegetarian Star.

Bob Harper

<em>Biggest Loser</em> trainer Bob Harper was crowned <a href="http://features.peta.org/sexiest-Vegetarian-Celebrities-2011/PastWinners.aspx" target="_hplink">2010's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity</a>, along with actress Olivia Wilde, by PETA. Harper is a long time vegetarian-turned-vegan, <a href="http://www.vegnews.com/web/articles/page.do?pageId=2220&catId=8" target="_hplink">according to Veg News.</a> He told the site his new diet made him feel "clear headed and strong." The 44-year-old fitness guru added: "Not to mention my genetically high cholesterol dropped more than 100 points. That was all the motivation I needed." However, Reuters reported in September 2011 that <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/16/us-biggestloser-idUSTRE78F2CV20110916" target="_hplink">Harper has given up on the vegan lifestyle</a>: "I still believe that a plant-based diet has tremendous health benefits but I have incorporated more animal protein into my diet," the trainer admitted.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/21/chris-kilham-medicine-herbs-plants_n_2733537.html

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