April 2013: Employer's business tax calendar ? Business ...

NOTE: Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays as observed in the District of Columbia are taken into account to determine due dates. Under the federal deposit rules, you?re allowed a deposit shortfall of the greater of $100 or 2% of your tax liability.

Semiweekly and monthly deposits are for the deposits of FICA and withheld income taxes due on wages paid during the time periods indicated.

April 1 ?? ?

All employers. File Copy A of Forms W-2 with the Social Security Administration. This due date applies only if you file electronically. Paper forms should have been filed by Feb. 28. Employers with incentive stock option plans, file Forms 3921 with the IRS; employers with employee stock purchase plans, file Forms 3922 with the IRS. This due date applies only if you file electronically. Paper forms should have been filed by Feb. 28.

All businesses. File Forms 1099 with the IRS. This due date applies only if you file electronically. Otherwise, forms should have been filed by Feb. 28.

April 3 ?? ?

Semiweekly deposit for wages paid on March 27, 28 and 29.

April 5 ?? ?

Semiweekly deposit for wages paid on March 30, 31, April 1 and 2.

April 10 ?? ?

Semiweekly deposit for wages paid on April 3, 4 and 5.

Employees who work for tips. If employees received $20 or more in tips during March, they should report them to you on Form 4070.

April 12 ?? ?

Semiweekly deposit for wages paid on April 6, 7, 8 and 9.

April 15??

Monthly deposit for wages paid in March, if the semiweekly deposit rule didn?t apply.

Corporations. Calendar-year corporations deposit the first installment of estimated income tax for 2013. A worksheet, Form 1120-W, is available to help you make an estimate of your tax for the year. Fiscal-year corporations deposit by the 15th day of the 4th month of their tax year.

Partnerships. Calendar-year partnerships file a 2012 Form 1065 and provide each partner with a copy of Schedule K-1 (Form 1065). If you want an automatic 5-month extension to file the return and provide Schedule K-1, file Form 7004. Then file Form 1065 by Sept. 16. Fiscal-year filers file by the 15th day of the 4th month after the end of the tax year.

Electing large partnerships. Calendar-year partnerships file a 2012 Form 1065-B. If you want an automatic 6-month extension to file the return, file Form 7004. Then file Form 1065-B by Oct. 15. Schedule K-1 should have been provided by March 15, 2013. Fiscal-year filers file by the 15th day of the 4th month after the end of the tax year; partners receive Schedule K-1 by the first March 15 after the end of the tax year.

April 18 ?? ?

Semiweekly deposit for wages paid on April 10, 11 and 12.

April 19 ?? ?

Semiweekly deposit for wages paid on April 13, 14, 15 and 16.

April 24 ?? ?

Semiweekly deposit for wages paid on April 17, 18 and 19.

April 26???

Semiweekly deposit for wages paid on April 20, 21, 22 and 23.

April 30 ?? ?

All employers. Quarterly filers file Form 941 for the first quarter of 2013. Deposit any undeposited tax. If the total is less than $2,500 and not a shortfall, you can pay it with the return. If you deposited the tax for the quarter in full and on time, you have until May 10 to file the return. Annual filers deposit any undeposited tax, if the total liability is $2,500 or more for 2013, but less than $2,500 for the first quarter. All employers deposit FUTA taxes owed through March, if more than $500.

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Churches slam British government's welfare reforms

LONDON (AP) ? Government welfare reforms that include a contentious cut dubbed the "bedroom tax" will cause upheaval for some of Britain's most vulnerable people, religious leaders and anti-poverty activists claim.

The measure, which takes effect Monday, will reduce rent subsidies to social housing tenants if they have a spare bedroom.

The government ? which prefers the term "under-occupancy penalty" ? says it is one of a series of changes that will make the country's unwieldy welfare system simpler, cheaper and fairer.

But thousands of trade unionists, advocates for the disabled and anti-poverty campaigners held protest marches against the change on Saturday, and on Sunday four churches released a joint criticism of the reforms. The Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist and United Reform churches and the Church of Scotland argued that "the cuts are unjust and that the most vulnerable will pay a disproportionate price."

"Our feeling is that these benefit changes are a symptom of an understanding of people in poverty in the United Kingdom that is just wrong," Methodist spokesman Paul Morrison told the BBC. ?"It is an understanding of people that they somehow deserve their poverty, that they are somehow 'lesser', that they are not valued."

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, leader of the Anglican church, has also criticized the welfare reforms.

The British government is trying to reduce public spending by 50 billion pounds ($76 billion) by 2015 in a bid to deflate Britain's ballooning deficit and kick-start its spluttering economy. It says its welfare reforms will save 4.5 billion pounds by 2014-15.

The measures include changes to disability benefits, below-inflation increases and, eventually, the replacement of a patchwork of housing, unemployment and parental benefits with one payment called the Universal Credit.

The Department for Work and Pensions says the spare-bedroom levy ? a cut of 14 percent to households with one extra room and 25 percent for two ? will save taxpayers money and will help free up social housing for families because people with too many rooms will downsize.

"It is wrong to leave people out in the cold with effectively no roof over their heads because the taxpayer is paying for rooms which aren't in use," Conservative lawmaker Grant Shapps told Sky News.

Officials say the new rules won't apply to retirees, or to those who really need extra space, such as parents of severely disabled children.

But campaigners say the "bedroom tax" has already produced injustices. Parents whose children are not considered disabled enough by local officials have been told they must pay. So has a bereaved couple who couldn't bear to change the bedroom of their 7-year-old daughter after she died of brain cancer.

To its opponents, the "bedroom tax" is an indignity on a par with the "poll tax," a levy on every adult that sparked violent protests and helped bring down Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1990. Her successor, John Major, scrapped it.

The government says its welfare reforms are modest measures that will encourage people to get off welfare and find jobs. In tough times, officials say, everyone must make sacrifices.

Opponents ask why the government can't tax mansions or second homes, rather than the poor. And they allege the cuts will force impoverished residents to move from homes and neighborhoods where they have lived for years.

Frank Field, a minister in the previous Labour administration and now a government adviser on fighting poverty, told The Guardian newspaper that "the government is introducing social and physical engineering that Stalin would have been proud of."

___

Jill Lawless can be reached at http://Twitter.com/JillLawless

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/churches-slam-british-governments-welfare-reforms-120851734.html

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Two fifth-graders face trial in alleged Washington murder plot

By Laura Myers

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Two Washington state fifth-grade boys, accused in a foiled plot to rape and kill a girl and kill or harm six other classmates, will stand trial as juveniles, a prosecutor said on Friday.

Stevens County Prosecutor Tim Rasmussen said the boys, 11 and 10, pleaded not guilty during an arraignment on Friday over the alleged murder-rape plot that also targeted other children in Colville, Washington, about 215 miles east of Seattle.

One of the boys wanted the girl dead because "she's rude and always made fun of me and my friends," according to court documents.

"There are very few prosecutions of a crime of this magnitude with boys of this age," Rasmussen told Reuters.

Stevens County Superior Court Judge Allen Nielson determined during the hearing that the boys had the capacity to understand right and wrong, Rasmussen said.

Under Washington state law, children ages 8 to 12 are presumed not to have the mental capacity to form an intention to commit a crime. Juvenile court is typically reserved for defendants between ages 12 and 18.

The 10-year-old suspect was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, juvenile firearm possession and witness tampering, Rasmussen said.

The younger boy had taken a gun that originally belonged to his grandfather from his older brother's room, according to a declaration of probable cause.

The 11-year-old was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, possession of a dangerous weapon, a knife, at school and tampering with a witness, Rasmussen said.

The boys planned to lure the girl away from school in Colville, a town of 4,600 people in eastern Washington, according to court documents.

A teacher found a list of six more targeted classmates, prosecutors said.

The fifth-graders had boarded a school bus on February 7 with a knife, a semi-automatic pistol and ammunition in a backpack on their way to Fort Colville Elementary School, prosecutors said.

A fourth-grader on the bus saw the knife and reported it to a teacher's aide, prosecutors said. One of the suspects later said he would kill the student who told school officials about the weapons, they said.

If convicted of all charges, the boys could each be sentenced to 103 to 127 weeks unless a judge finds "manifest injustice" and orders a longer sentence, Rasmussen said.

The boys have been expelled from the school district indefinitely. A status hearing is set for April 8.

(Reporting by Laura Myers; Editing by Ian Simpson and Eric Beech)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/two-fifth-graders-face-trial-alleged-washington-murder-024624612.html

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Air Force general picked for NATO post

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A senior Air Force general is being nominated to take over as commander of all U.S. and NATO forces in Europe.

Gen. Philip M. Breedlove is the top Air Force commander in Europe. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says Breedlove is particularly well qualified. Hagel announced the nomination Thursday.

If confirmed, Breedlove would be the first Air Force general to hold the top NATO job since Joseph Ralston served in the post from 2000-2003.

Breedlove would succeed Navy Adm. James Stavridis, who has held the job since 2009.

President Barack Obama chose Breedlove after his first choice for the job, Marine Gen. John Allen, announced he would retire after 19 months commanding allied forces in Afghanistan because of his wife's health issues.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hagel-says-air-force-general-pick-nato-post-185002937.html

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Finding Hidden Money at Your Hospital

Mar 28, 2013 6:27pm

ABC News? Paula Faris reports:

Joyce Ann Huston of Las Vegas has been a musician her entire life and is one of the 26 percent of Americans who say that they or a family member have struggled to pay medical bills in the last year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Want to learn how to slash those medical bills?

Join Michelle Katz in a live Twitter chat at 7 p.m. ET today. Check it out here:?@michellekatzmsn?#RealMoney or www.facebook.com/michellekatzmsn

Huston, known as ?Lady J,? was on stage Wednesday night and today, she?s paying for it.

Like millions of Americans, Huston has a chronic medical condition: She suffers from lupus.

She preps her body for days before performing, citing music as not just her only escape, but the only way she pays her bills.

Huston still owes $25,000 from her original diagnosis, and new bills from her ongoing care are mounting. With medical bills continuously contributing to her debt, she worries she could lose everything. Among those Americans who file for personal bankruptcy, 62 percent do so because of medical bills, according to one study in the American Journal of Medicine.

?I could end up losing my house,? Huston told ABC News.

ABC News' Paula Faris talks to Joyce Ann Huston of Las Vegas about saving money on her medical bills.

But what Huston and many others don?t realize is that more than half of the nation?s hospitals ? the nonprofits ? are required to give back to the community, often through what is called ?Patient Assistance Programs.?

?No, I wasn?t aware of that, at all,? Huston told ABC News.

Non-profit hospitals are required to publicize their policies on assistance programs. The American Hospital Association told ABC News, ?Hospitals should widely publicize on the premises, on the website, and distribute directly to patients their policies on assistance programs.?

But in one study by Community Catalyst of 100 hospitals, nearly half didn?t mention it on their website and almost 70 percent didn?t tell patients how to qualify when they called.

With the help of a patient advocate at the Colors of Lupus Foundation in Nevada, Katz and Huston went after some of that money. Sure enough, Huston?s hospital had a fund.

It took several weeks of phone calls to cut through all the red tape.

?You have to understand if they announce it, everyone would be flooding, right?? said Hui-Lim Ang, founder of the Colors of Lupus Foundation in Nevada.

?It?s just a matter of negotiation,? Ang added, ?just knowing it?s out there and not being afraid to ask for it.?

In the end, Huston qualified for assistance. ?Her $25,000 bill was reduced to just $7,000, which she will pay in monthly, interest-free payments of $100.

?I?m just shocked you all were able to do that,? Huston said. ?I didn?t know how I was going to make it through. I didn?t know things like this were possible. I?m so touched, so deeply touched.?

And today, after saving $18,000 on her medical bills, Huston is singing a much different tune.

Tips that could save you money:

1.?????? Ask for a written financial assistance policy.? Hospitals should have a written financial assistance policy available that includes eligibility criteria, the basis for calculating charges and the method for applying for financial assistance.

2.?????? If you can, let your hospital know ahead of time.? Hospitals use a process to identify who may or may not be able to pay in advance of billing, in order to determine whether a patient?s care needs could be funded by an alternative source, such as a charity care fund. This is also done during the billing and collection process, but it is best to address any billing issues in a timely manner. Since 2000, hospitals of all types have provided more than $367 billion in uncompensated care to their patients, according to the AHA.

3.????? Keep communicating and be calm.? People make mistakes, so it?s important to stay in touch with your care providers, hospital representatives and insurance providers. Be sure you document everything. Be prepared for representatives who may disagree with something you said. But if you have documentation to back up your claim, remain calm and use it.

For more, check out Michelle Katz? tips on her blog

If this story helped you, let us know on Twitter:?#MyWorldNewsStory

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/03/28/real-money-hidden-money-at-your-hospital/

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Asia stocks weighed down by Europe debt woes

BANGKOK (AP) ? Renewed jitters about the debt crisis in Europe sent Asian stock markets lower Thursday.

Banks in Cyprus are due to open later Thursday for limited banking only after being shut for nearly two weeks as an emergency loan was being pieced together to prevent the nation's financial sector from collapsing.

The agreement reached late Monday with international lenders gives Cyprus a 10 billion euro ($12.9 billion) bailout but forces losses on depositors with more than 100,000 euros in the country's two largest banks.

Evan Lucas of IG Markets in Melbourne said the deal has sparked fears it may be repeated in other European nations that faced similar circumstances. In an email commentary, he said investors saw the deal "as a monster in the shadows for banks in Portugal, Spain and Italy" since it requires depositors ? not the public or its tax contributions ? to take the pain.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index tumbled 1.6 percent to 12,300.42. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.1 percent to 22,214.61. South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.2 percent at 1,990.04. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.2 percent to 4,984.30.

Investors are waiting to see the reaction later Thursday, when Cypriot banks open their doors. Authorities have been putting measures in place to prevent a rush of euros out of the country's banks. Cash withdrawals will be limited to 300 euros ($383) per person each day, and no checks will be cashed.

Peter Lai of DBS Vickers Securities in Hong Kong said he was expecting a "disastrous phenomenon" in Cyprus when banks reopen.

"We also expect there'll be some kind of bank run. So lots of people are trying to get their cash back and this undoubtedly will be some kind of bad impact on the Cyprus banking system and people believe that or they think that this may affect the euro system," he said.

Meanwhile, in Italy, a leading political party failed in its attempt to form a new government. The stalemate has raised concerns that the country will be unable to manage its deep debts. Italy is the third-largest economy of the 17 countries that use the euro.

Financial stocks across Asia slumped. Japan's Mizuho Financial Group dropped 2.4 percent. Agricultural Bank of China fell 2.9 percent in Hong Kong.

In Australia, Newcrest Mining plummeted 7.9 percent after the company said its gold production target for the 2012-13 fiscal year would not be reached.

Wall Street stocks closed mostly lower Wednesday on Europe worries. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 0.2 percent to close at 14,526.16. The S&P 500 fell less than 0.1 percent to close at 1,562.85. The Nasdaq composite index rose 0.1 percent to 3,256.52.

Benchmark oil for May delivery was up 7 cents to $96.65 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained 24 cents to close at a five-week high of $96.68 per barrel on the Nymex on Wednesday.

In currencies, the euro rose to $1.2783 from $1.2774 late Wednesday in New York. The dollar fell to 94.06 yen from 94.38 yen.

___

Follow Pamela Sampson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pamelasampson

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-28-World%20Markets/id-68b9ac315fb74bf58e768bd11229c40f

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Ethanol Debate Has Glimpse of Bipartisanship

The top Republican and Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are finally on the same page about a controversial energy policy after reading from two completely different playbooks the last four years.

Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., and ranking member Henry Waxman, D-Calif., are both undecided about what Congress should do about the renewable-fuels standard, a federal mandate established in 2005 that requires increasingly large amounts of biofuels each year to be blended with gasoline.

?I don?t have an immediate solution. I don?t have the answer,? Upton said in a recent interview in his office. ?But we?re going to have thoughtful hearings, first a couple of white papers. We?re going to see where people are. I have confidence that we?ll have a solution by going regular order.?

So will Waxman, who has vehemently disagreed with Upton on everything from the Keystone XL pipeline to greenhouse-gas regulations, be working with him on this? ?I?d like to think Henry would be on board,? said Upton, noting the two jointly released the first of a series of white papers on the mandate last week.

In a recent interview in Waxman?s corner office in the Rayburn Office Building, the usually opinionated California liberal was noncommittal. ?I?m not going to take a position on this issue,? he said. ?I?m looking forward to working with [Upton]. Let?s explore it. Let?s get the options. Let?s get input. And then let?s sit down together.?

The geographical and parochial interests shaping the debate over the biofuels mandate put Waxman and Upton on the same side of one of the most controversial issues Congress is poised to take up this year. The mandate is facing criticism from an informal?and unusual?coalition that includes the American Petroleum Institute, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the National Chicken Council, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

While they?re not willing to admit it, both lawmakers seem open to reforming the policy, which has come under intense scrutiny from Republicans and Democrats alike in the wake of last summer?s record-setting drought that sent corn prices souring. Refineries that are required to blend biofuels with gasoline often use corn-produced ethanol to meet the mandate. Apart from providing fuel in the form of ethanol, corn also serves as a key feedstock to the poultry, pork, and cattle industries. More advanced biofuels made from products other than corn are not coming to market as quickly as the 2005 law had envisioned. On top of these concerns, the original intent of the standard?to wean America off foreign oil?has been trumped by the boom in oil and natural-gas production around the country in the last five years.

Waxman?s chief concerns, according to sources knowledgeable about his position, center on the impact corn-based ethanol could have on efforts to tackle global warming. Some reports have found that gasoline blended with corn-based ethanol is no better at reducing greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline alone. He is also aware of the legal liability automakers could incur if engines are unable to run using blends with more ethanol.

Waxman has never been a big fan of corn ethanol. He voted against the energy bill in 2005 that initially created the mandate but supported a 2007 measure that strengthened the mandate?s goal of promoting advanced biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol, which don?t use corn and have lower carbon footprints.

Waxman may also be getting an earful from a powerful opponent of the standard: Chevron. Waxman?s newly redrawn district includes, for the first time since he came to Congress in 1975, a refinery. Chevron bills the facility, located along the coast near the Los Angeles International Airport, as the largest refinery on the West Coast. The facility spans 1,000 acres and employs 1,100 people, according to Chevron?s website. When National Journal Daily asked about the refinery in the interview, Waxman laughed, smiled broadly, and simply said: ?Yeah.? He said he hasn?t met (yet) to talk with Chevron about the biofuels mandatey.

?I?m not anti-oil,? Waxman said. ?I?m happy there is a refinery in my district that is producing a product that is very much needed. That doesn?t mean I?m going to agree with them on everything.? He quickly added: ?We?re going to need fossil fuels for the foreseeable future. I?d like us to start moving away as quickly as possible and make our portfolio of energy resources more than just fossil fuels.?

The background of Upton?s stance on the policy is equally nuanced. Along with 207 other Republicans, he supported the creation of the mandate as part of the 2005 bill and also the measure two years later that strengthened it. Republican President Bush signed both those bills into law.

Sources familiar with Upton?s thoughts on the policy now say the Republican is more inclined to oppose it, given the Republican Party?s growing hostility to federal mandates and the resurgence in oil and natural-gas production that?s helped get the U.S. closer than ever to the elusive goal of energy independence.

Upton has another concern to keep in mind: Ensuring that any movement on the standard doesn?t divide his conference, which is already splintered on a host of other issues. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., who works closely with Upton as the chairman of the House Environment and Energy Subcommittee, is a big proponent of ethanol (Illinois produces the third-highest amount of ethanol in the country). ?Yes, I know there are real hard feelings on all sides of the issue: oil and gas side to the corn folks,? Upton said.

For the next couple of months, expect Upton and Waxman to be reading quietly from the same playbook as they roll out white papers on the standard. The real test of how long this bipartisanship will last will come when the hearings?and actual debate?begin in the committee.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ethanol-debate-glimpse-bipartisanship-195915918--politics.html

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Demi Lovato back for "X Factor," 2 new judges yet to be announced

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Singer Demi Lovato will return as a judge on TV contest "The X Factor" for a second year, broadcaster Fox announced on Thursday, but there was no word on two more open positions on the celebrity panel.

The 20-year-old former Disney Channel star will be back in her seat when the show returns in the fall of 2013 along with creator Simon Cowell.

"I couldn't be happier that Demi wants to come back this year," Cowell said in a statement.

"She's a superstar in her own right and was a fantastic mentor last year. Even though she can be really, really annoying - I truly enjoyed working with her and so did the artists."

"X Factor" producers however have yet to announce replacements for departing judges Britney Spears and record producer Antonio "L.A." Reid, who quit at the end of the show's second season in December.

"There are going to be four judges," a source close to the show said on Thursday, but gave no details on who they might be or when the two new names would be announced.

Recent speculation on possible new judges for the U.S. version of the show have included singers Katy Perry, John Mayer, Pink and Ne-Yo.

Open auditions for singers hoping for a spot on the third season of "X Factor" are underway in cities across the United States. Auditions before the judges are expected to start in late May or early June.

Audiences for "X Factor" slumped in 2012, losing about three million viewers from its first season despite the hiring of Spears for a reported $15 million salary.

The show is just one of a plethora of singing and talent shows on U.S. television, including Fox television's long-running "American Idol," which has also seen a drop in viewers despite new judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj, and NBC rivals "The Voice" and "America's Got Talent."

Fox is a unit of News Corp and NBC is a unit of Comcast Corp.

(Reporting By Jill Serjeant)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/demi-lovato-back-x-factor-2-judges-yet-190044955--finance.html

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Mice show innate ability to vocalize: Deaf or not, courting male mice make same sounds

Mar. 26, 2013 ? Scientists have long thought mice might be a model for how humans learn to vocalize. But new research led by scientists at Washington State University Vancouver has found that, unlike humans and songbirds, mice do not learn to vocalize.

The results, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, point the way to a more finely focused, genetic tool for teasing out the mysteries of speech and its disorders.

To see if mice learn to vocalize, WSU neurophysiologist Christine Portfors destroyed the ear hair cells in more than a dozen newborn male mice. The cells convert sound waves into electrical signals processed by the brain, making hearing possible.

The deaf mice were then raised with hearing mice in a normal social environment.

Portfors and her fellow researchers, including WSU graduate student Elena Mahrt, used males because they are particularly exuberant vocalizers in the presence of females.

"We can elicit vocalization behavior in males really easily by just putting them with a female," Portfors said. "They vocalize like crazy."

And it turned out that it didn't matter if the mouse was deaf or not. The researchers catalogued essentially the same suite of ultrasonic sounds from both the deaf and hearing mice. "It means that they don't need to hear to be able to produce their sounds, their vocalizations," Portfors said. "Basically, they don't need to hear themselves. They don't need auditory feedback. They don't need to learn."

The finding means mice are out as a model to study vocal learning. However, scientists can now focus on the mouse to learn the genetic mechanism behind communication disorders.

"If you don't have learning as a variable, you can look at the genetic control of these things," Portfors said. "You can look at the genetic control of the output of the signal. It's not messed up by an animal that's been in a particular learning situation."

Portfors and Mahrt did their research in collaboration with scientists at the University of Washington. The study was funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute for Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Washington State University. The original article was written by Eric Sorensen.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/wJZgOYI1xmk/130326194113.htm

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Netflix signs up The Matrix, Babylon 5 creators to develop a new sci-fi series: Sense8

Continuing its quest to sate subscribers' appetites with a flow of original content, Netflix has announced a new original series, Sense8. Due in late 2014, it's being developed by the Wachowskis of The Matrix, V for Vendetta, Cloud Atlas and Speed Race fame, as well as J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5. Details are thin, but the press release promises a gripping global tale of minds linked and souls hunted with a ten episode run for its first season.

As it did with House of Cards, Arrested Development and other productions, Netflix is relying heavily on data from viewers to decide which programs to support. According to chief content officer Ted Sarandos, "Andy and Lana Wachowski and Joe Straczynski are among the most imaginative writers and gifted visual storytellers of our time," whose creations are very frequently viewed on the service. According to the creators themselves, they've sought to work together for a decade, and this idea started from a late night conversation about "the ways technology simultaneously unites and divides us." If that's not enough for now, then there are a few more details and quotes in the press release, which is included after the break.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/27/netflix-wachowskis-sense8/

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BracketRacket: A bookstore, a reunion and a mamba

Duke's Mason Plumlee (5) dunks the ball past Albany's Luke Devlin (11), Sam Rowley (14) and Jacob Iati (0) during the second half of a second-round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 22, 2013, in Philadelphia. Duke won 73-61. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

Duke's Mason Plumlee (5) dunks the ball past Albany's Luke Devlin (11), Sam Rowley (14) and Jacob Iati (0) during the second half of a second-round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 22, 2013, in Philadelphia. Duke won 73-61. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

Ohio State head coach Thad Matta calls a play against Iowa State in the first half of a third-round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday March 24, 2013, in Dayton, Ohio. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

Welcome back to BracketRacket, the one-stop shopping place for all your NCAA needs.

Today's edition includes the mad rush at Florida Gulf Coast's bookstore, a Plumlee family reunion and Nate Silver's reconfigured odds for the 16 teams left in the field. And, for your viewing pleasure, a little dance move we've called the (Gregg) Marshall Mamba.

___

BOOKSTORE RUSH

The surprising run to the Sweet 16 has made Florida Gulf Coast University a favorite bandwagon team, with fans from all over the nation jumping onboard.

On campus, it's created quite a stir, particularly at the university bookstore.

After the guys from Dunk City became the first No. 15 seed to reach the Sweet 16, the school bookstore was bombarded with hundreds people hoping to pick up FGCU gear. The bookstore website had Sweet 16 shirts available Monday morning and the line outside the store snaked around more than 100 long. Customers stood shoulder to shoulder inside ? a somewhat blurry look here: http://bit.ly/10cKHAY ? and the checkout lines took up to an hour to get through.

According to information provided by Susan Evans, FGCU's vice president and chief of staff, sales of hats and apparel for the men's team at the bookstore from March 1-25 were just under $115,000, over $100,000 more than a year ago. The women's team has gotten a nice boost in popularity as well, sales of their team's gear at over $34,000 after hitting just over $5,000 last year.

The school's websites also have seen a huge uptick in traffic during the Eagles' run.

The daily unique visitors to www.fgcu.edu barely eclipsed 50,000 even after FGCU made it into the NCAA tournament, but was over 230,000 on Monday. The athletics website, www.fgcuathletics.com, had a dramatic jump as well, climbing over 117,000 unique visitors after hovering under 10,000 before the weekend.

Oh, and the Eagles seem to have some strong support in Alaska, at least to an ESPN SportsNation poll: http://bit.ly/15SgVEP

___

FAMILY REUNION

Miles Plumlee spent most of his rookie season bouncing from the NBA's Indiana Pacers to the D-League's Fort Wayne Mad Ants and back.

Now he's hitting the road again ? at the wrong time for an impromptu family reunion.

His two younger brothers, Mason and Marshall, will be in town for Thursday night's NCAA Midwest Regional, playing for second-seeded Duke against No. 3 Michigan State at Lucas Oil Stadium.

"I'm excited for them, but I'm a little upset we're not playing any home games this week," Miles told AP Sports Writer Michael Marot after Tuesday's Pacers practice.

About an hour after practice, Miles left with the team headed to Houston for its first stop on a four-game road trip that runs through the rest of the regional round.

The rest of the Plumlees will likely converge on his hometown while the oldest brother is gone.

"I have no idea who's coming, but a lot of the family is coming. We still have a lot of family here," Miles said. "I'm so proud of him (Mason). He's put in a lot of work since his freshman year and now you can see how he's grown."

___

SILVER'S ODDS

Statistical guru Nate Silver has recalculated the odds for the final 16 teams in the NCAA tournament.

Why do you care what he thinks? Well, the man from the FiveThirtyEight blog had his statistics dialed in the past two presidential elections, nailing all 50 states in the most recent one while calling nearly every Senate race.

He's turned his critical eye toward the NCAA bracket and came up with new odds now that the field has pared down.

Louisville is still the favorite, its odds up to 32.4 percent from 23.8 percent. Next in line is Florida, which jumped eight points to 21.3 percent and leapfrogged Indiana, which dropped nearly eight points from 18.4.

Florida Gulf Coast has better odds of winning now that the No. 15 seed has reached the Sweet 16, but not much ? the Eagles are up to 0.02 percent after starting at 0.001.

See Silver's analysis here: http://nyti.ms/10F5Irz

___

MARSHALL MAMBA

Yesterday, we showed you Miami coach Jim Larranaga's version of the Muhammad Ali Shuffle.

Today, we give you the celebration dance of Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall. The Marshall Mamba? Via Yahoo! Sports and CBS/Turner: http://yhoo.it/105XzJ7

___

WHAT DOES A GUY GOTTA DO?

Used to be that getting to the NCAA tournament was a huge goal for a basketball program.

These days, it's not always good enough.

On Monday, UCLA's Ben Howland and Minnesota's Tubby Smith were fired after leading their teams to the field of 68.

Howland had a 10-year run in Westwood, going 233-107 while making three consecutive Final Four appearances and winning four Pac-12 titles. The Bruins were the regular-season champions this season and went 25-10, but lost to Minnesota by 20 in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Smith, who won a national championship with Kentucky in 1998, was fired Monday after the Gophers lost to Florida in the NCAA's third round. He went 124-81 in six seasons at Minnesota, helping to bring the program back to respectability after it was hit hard by an academic cheating scandal.

Now both coaches are looking for jobs.

___

STAT OF THE DAY

Ratings for the first week of the NCAA tournament were the highest in 15 years.

Turns out, you're watching online, too.

NCAA March Madness Live, managed by Turner Sports, set all-time marks by getting 36.6 million live video streams and more than 10 million hours of live video across online and mobile platforms during the opening weekend on the NCAA tournament.

The live video streams doubled from last year and the live video time is up 198 percent.

That's a lot of tablets and smartphones tuned in to the tournament.

___

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"He is an avid physical fitness freak. That's probably a reason why his back situation is what it is today. He would run 20 miles at a time. The physical condition that he is in is amazing to this day. I would've been the opposite, I would've been doing whatever I'm supposed to do other than that. In a funny way, that combination made us get along so well." ? Arizona Sean Miller on Ohio State coach Thad Matta, whom he calls one of his closest friends in coaching.

___

Follow John Marshall on Twitter at http://twitter.com/johnmarshallap

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-27-BKC-BracketRacket/id-44c48bb523514d9790ea543f1ecca856

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Senators back gay marriage as Supreme Court hears cases

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Carolina's Kay Hagan on Wednesday became the sixth Democratic senator to endorse gay marriage this week as the Supreme Court hears two cases on the issue.

"After much thought and prayer, I have come to my own personal conclusion that we shouldn't tell people who they can love or who they can marry," Hagan said in a statement on her Facebook page on Wednesday.

Although public opinion polls show a majority of Americans believe that homosexuals should have the right to wed, support varies between states.

Hagan is up for re-election next year in a state that backed Republican Mitt Romney - an opponent of gay marriage - in the November 2012 presidential election, and where voters also strongly backed a measure in May 2012 prohibiting both civil unions and domestic partnerships.

Five other Senate Democrats - Mark Begich of Alaska, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana and Mark Warner of Virginia - have also announced their support for gay marriage in the last few days.

Their backing left only about 10 of the 55 members of the Senate Democratic caucus who have not endorsed same-sex marriage, reflecting a shift in public sentiment.

Hagan's announcement came as the Supreme Court heard arguments on Tuesday and Wednesday on two gay marriage cases. The justices on Wednesday indicated interest in striking down a 1996 law that denies federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples.

President Barack Obama announced that he approved of gay marriage in May 2012.

Republicans, who are generally more socially conservative than Democrats, remain largely opposed.

Ohio Senator Rob Portman became one of the most prominent Republican politicians to back gay rights in mid-March when he announced his support for same-sex marriage, two years after his son told him he was gay.

Hagan compared her decision to Portman's in her statement on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Eric Beech)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senators-back-gay-marriage-supreme-court-hears-cases-181136034.html

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Baby Boomers & New Homes ? Irresistible Attraction | NewsGeni.us

By: Denise Lones

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More The Zebra Report Articles

Baby Boomers & New Homes ? Irresistible Attraction
Baby Boomers are individuals born between 1946 and 1964 ? and they are a very important part of the new home industry due to their strong buying power. Not only have they worked for many years?

Editing Your Life? Essential for All Agents
There are only so many hours in a day, days in a week and weeks in a month. Time is the one thing that we can?t buy more of. We are the only ones who are in complete control of our time. It can?t?

What Low Inventory Means for Buyers and Sellers
The real estate market is alive and well! The multiple offers we are seeing on so many listings is proof of that. With resurgence in our market comes a rapid decline in inventory. One of my clients?

Smart Phones: Being Too Tuned-In Can Be A Turn-Off
Recently I attended the Home Show in Seattle and was quite surprised by what I found. Initially I went to the Home Show to check out all the latest and greatest products and companies in the home?

Scripts Are Out!
Five Tips for Effective Communication with Sellers I want to take a moment to discuss the importance of learning how to instill calm communication and conflict resolution at a listing presentation,?

Baby Boomers are individuals born between 1946 and 1964 ? and they are a very important part of the new home industry due to their strong buying power. Not only have they worked for many years and have equity in their existing homes, but they also have inherited the largest passing down of wealth from their parents. Most of the Baby Boomers? parents were from either the Silent Generation or the GI Generation ? both generations of savers. That strong saving ethic has translated into wealth being passed down to Baby Boomers.

In addition to inheriting from their parents, Baby Boomers are no strangers of leveraging. They are the first generation to really capitalize on this concept and many have leveraged their existing homes to buy second homes and investment properties. And while the real estate correction slowed their spending down it did not slow down their love for their homes. To a Baby Boomer, the home has much more significance than just a place to live ? it is where they have raised their children and made their memories. It represents safety, security, love and pleasure. To Baby Boomers, their home truly is their castle.

Many Baby Boomers feel, however, their castle is in need of a little makeover. Perhaps they feel their kitchen is a better fit for scullery maid cuisine than their culinary creations. Or perhaps the space no longer fits their ever-changing needs. Their children have grown up and moved on (or not). They may be caring for other adults. Or they may have health concerns which make it more difficult for them to climb stairs. They may want space for their grandkids to stay over. In any case, they are looking to new homes to satisfy their desire for something new and something right for them.

In fact, the National Association of Home Builders did a survey both in 2006 and in 2012 in which 1,400 Baby Boomers were asked to evaluate their satisfaction with their current home. The results indicated that overall satisfaction with their current home slipped 19% between 2006 and 2012 (from 49% to 30%). These results are surprising:

• 4% reported they were very dissatisfied with their home
• 4% reported they were dissatisfied with their home
• 17% indicated they felt neutral about their home
• 44% were satisfied with their home
• 30% were very satisfied with their home

Of the respondents, 24% of the 55-64 age group indicated the recession delayed their plans to move while 19% of the 65-74 age group delayed. This represents pent-up demand, and as conditions continue to improve, we can expect these Baby Boomers to find home solutions that give them exactly what they want.

Baby Boomers with bucks are once again flocking to new home sales centers like children to ice cream trucks. They find new homes irresistible and with the increase of home improvement and decoration shows on almost every other channel they just can?t control their want for new spaces.

So what is it about new homes that Baby Boomers love so much? First and foremost is the idea of being able to customize the home to give them exactly what they want in the size of home they need. When Baby Boomers are given the choice to customize their homes, they have the will and means to pay for it and they will do so. Builders who have realized this powerful trend and provide customization or ?personalization options? are reaping the benefits of a smart marketing move. Customization and personalization are the new buzz words for the Baby Boomer.

What our builders are building today will undergo even more change tomorrow because the Baby Boomers are reshaping the new home sales industry. Baby Boomers know what they want and they want it their way. Smart builders and smart real estate professionals are benefiting from working with this very creative and financially-capable generation by giving them what they really want ? ?personalization? their way.

Source: http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?genericContentID=194333&fromGSA=1

Source: http://newsgeni.us/?p=107323

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How to Use Feng Shui to Get Laid | Care2 Healthy Living

• Bedsider
• March 20, 2013
• 3:00 pm
• add a comment

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Even if you?re having adventurous sex all over the place, bedrooms are still where the magic happens the majority of the time. Does yours have a let?s-get-it-on vibe? Here?s how to use feng shui?the ancient Chinese art of creating spaces that foster harmony, health and good fortune?to turn a drab bedroom into a sexy slumber party for two.

• Clear it out. Clutter is a mood killer. Try to keep your bedroom as clean as possible, so you can easily use every surface for your pleasure.

• Decorate to captivate. Scrap the cutesy kitten posters and surround yourself with grown up images that are sensual or ones that make you feel passionate.

• Put color to work. Red, pink, peach, and white are believed to open your heart. Go for colors that add warmth; they can enhance sexual energy. If you can?t paint your walls, try painting your headboard. Even colored candles will do.

• Select furnishings that feel good. A comfy, delicious bed. Silky sheets. Soft pillows. Try to surround yourself with things that are delightful to touch. This can encourage touching of other things, if you know what we mean.

They say this stuff can be pretty potent, so don?t forget: Once you sexify your love nest, please make sure your birth control can handle it.

____________________________________________________________________________________
Frisky Fridays are Bedsider?s weekly column on sex, life, love, and kicking ass. Get ?em straight to your inbox by signing up on bedsider.org.

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Related:

5 Ways Your House Can Ruin a Date

6 Feng Shui Don?ts

Tantric Sex for Beginners: 4 Easy Tips!

Attract Romance with Feng Shui

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Read more: Feng Shui & Organizing, Home, Love, Relationships, Sex, bedsider, birth control, feng shui, furniture, home decor, sex, Sex Tips

Originally published on bedsider.org

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Bedsider

Everyone should have the life they want, when they want it. And until someone is ready to have a baby, we believe they should have access to birth control. That?s where we come in. Bedsider makes birth control easier. How? By giving you everything you need to find it, get it, and use it well.

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It's Written on the Wall: (Boy) Baby Shower Party Printables-9 Sheets ...

So you're hosting a baby shower, that's sounds like fun. We've just made it a lot easier to impress your family and friends. ?Lots of fun things are included in this Baby Shower Party Printable. Everything you need complete with the invitation as shown above. ?(fits into a 5x7 envelope) Click HERE to go to our Etsy Shop and get this Baby Shower Party Printable!
Our party tags and flags are fun to use with your food and treats. ?Set out individual servings of vegetables. We used a skewer for the cherry tomatoes and put the "smallest" tag on the top of the it. ?Then we purchased footlong sandwiches, sliced them up into bit-sized pieces and attached a flag. You could use either the small round tag or the larger one for this too. You can also use them on sliders or meatball sandwiches on small rolls. The round tags always look fun on cupcakes or any other kind of dessert. They just add a little fun to the party. We choose an orange soda for the beverage....it matches our color scheme so nicely. ?Add the cute giraffe "It' a boy" wrap to the bottle. Then attach the straw/flag with a ribbon and you've got something festive! Our Hershey Nugget Wraps are a fun "thank-you" gift for your party guests. ?There are three different designs with 15 nuggets wraps on the sheet. ?Attach either size of the round tag with twine. It's the kind of "thank-you" gift that won't break the bank. You can also attach this tag to other gifts too. (heart, giraffe, and ?"It's a boy") ?The "Advice to a new Mom" printable is a great thing to do while your guests are arriving. ?It's something the ?guest of honor (mom to be) can keep as a remembrance too. It's also a great ice breaker in case you have guests that don't know each other.
Food Tents/Cards are always such a good idea for parties. It's great to have these so your guests know exactly what you're serving, especially in case of allergies and picky eaters. Now you don't have to explain anything. There are three different cards, as shown. The final touch to your baby shower are these cute little bow tie napkins. Super simple to make and a cute addition to the fun. (Just fold a napkin and add a ring around the middle)

How about a plate full of "baby" donuts with one of our tags in the middle. Little effort but fun to look at! (Little Debbie)

We found this fun treat and thought it would make a yummy dessert for a baby shower. ?You could make this as larger or small as you like. ?We added the larger round tag in the center of the dessert. ?Recipe

One more time.....What's included in this Baby Shower Party Printable?

12 thank-you round tags

12 round tags with fun baby sayings

11 "It's a Boy" blue tags

11 "It's a Boy" orange tags

Sheet of drink wraps (3 on sheet)

15 Nugget Wraps-3 different designs

Baby Shower Invitation (2 on sheet)

Food Tents (3 different on sheet)

Advice for the new Mom Game (1 on sheet)

15 Smaller round tags (used on veggie bucket)

Click HERE?to go to our Etsy Shop and get this Baby Shower Party Printable!

Once you purchase and download the Baby Shower Party Printables you can print out as many as you need. We suggest having them copied by a laser printer (Office Max, Office Depot etc) ?The colors will be bright and crisp. Print out on white cardstock (we use 80 lb or 110 lb paper-the printers will have the right paper)

?Is a baby girl on the way? ?We've got you covered. Click HERE to see our Baby Shower ?Party Printable package for girls

Source: http://itswrittenonthewalls.blogspot.com/2013/03/boy-baby-shower-party-printables-9.html

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James Beard Awards - Final Finalists Finally Announced -

It seems like this will never end. The James Beard Awards finalists were announced today. Here are the Portland Nominees:

Books ? Vegetable Focused and Vegetarian Cookbooks:
Roots, by Diane Morgan

Books ? Single Subject:

Modern Sauces: More than 150 Recipes for
Every Cook, Every Day,?by Martha Holmberg

Books ? Baking and Desserts:

Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals
of Artisan Bread and Pizza,?by Ken Forkish?(Ten Speed Press)
Outstanding Pastry Chef:

Ken Forkish, Ken?s Artisan Bakery, Portland

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Best Chef ? Northwest:

Naomi Pomeroy, Beast, Portland
Gabriel Rucker, Le Pigeon, Portland
Cathy Whims, Nostrana, Portland

Up against: Jason Franey, Canlis, Seattle and?Ethan Stowell, Staple & Fancy Mercantile, Seattle.

The winners will be announced Monday May 6th at Lincoln Center in NYC

You can see the entire list of finalists here.

"I have a wide-range of food experience - working in the restaurant industry on both sides of the house, later in the wine industry, and finally traveling/tasting my way around the world. Whether you agree or disagree, you can always count on my unbiased opinion. I don't take free meals, and the restaurants don't know when, or if, I am coming."

Source: http://portlandfoodanddrink.com/james-beard-awards-final-finalists-finally-announced/

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FBI: We know who carried out famed $500M art heist

Gardner Museum via Reuters

Govaert Flinck's "Landscape with an Obelisk" (1638) is one of 13 works of art stolen from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in a brazen robbery on March 18, 1990.

By Pete Williams, Justice Correspondent, and Andrew Mach, Staff Writer, NBC News

Who is behind the largest art heist in world history?

After an aggressive 23-year investigation that included law enforcement tracking down and following leads around the globe, the FBI on Monday said officials believe they know who famously made off with 13 works of art from Boston?s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990, valued collectively at more than $500 million.

But today, instead of making arrests, the FBI, along with the museum and the U.S. Attorney?s Office for the District of Massachusetts, is making a plea: bring back the artworks and federal prosecutors will consider not filing charges.

Plus there's a $5 million reward.

?The FBI believes with a high degree of confidence that in the years after the theft, the art was transported to Connecticut and the Philadelphia region, and some of the art was taken to Philadelphia, where it was offered for sale by those responsible for the theft,? Richard DesLauriers, a special agent in charge of the FBI?s Boston office said Monday. ?With that same confidence, we have identified the thieves, who are members of a criminal organization with a base in the Mid-Atlantic states and New England.?

"But we haven?t identified where the art is right now, and that?s why we are asking the public for help.?

In what is one of the FBI?s Top Ten Art Crimes, two men disguised as policemen allegedly entered the museum during the early morning hours of March 18, 1990, overpowered the security guards and pilfered 11 paintings and drawings, some of which were cut from their frames and rolled up, and two sculptures, including a 3,000-year-old Chinese bronze vessel.

See the paintings that were stolen in this gallery from the FBI.

The guards, who were not to let any outsiders in, were found handcuffed and duct-taped to chairs in the basement of the museum seven hours later. No one has ever been arrested.

Gardner Museum via Reuters

Rembrandt's "Storm on the Sea of Galilee

The haul, which included three works by Rembrandt, a painting by Dutch painter Vermeer, a Manet painting and five drawings by Degas, was the largest private property theft ever, Harvard Magazine reported. Several empty frames still hang in the museum?s Dutch Room gallery, both as an homage to the missing works and as placeholders for when they are returned.

?With these considerable developments in the investigation over the last couple of years,?it?s likely over time someone has seen the art hanging on a wall, placed above a mantel, or stored in an attic. We want that person to call the FBI.??said Special Agent Geoff Kelly, who heads the FBI investigation.

The statutes of limitation have long since passed for prosecuting the the thieves, though the government could still bring charges of receiving stolen property. But the FBI and the Justice Department believe the most important goal now is recovery, not prosecution.

?With this announcement, we want to widen the ?aperture of awareness? of this crime to the reach the American public and others around the world,? DesLaurier said.??The successful return of the paintings to the Gardner Museum would be the final chapter in one of the most significant art theft cases in the FBI?s history. And it is a result we would all welcome?seeing these paintings returned to their rightful home.?

?It?s time for these paintings to come home,? said Anthony Amore, the museum?s chief of security. ?You don?t have to hand us the paintings to be eligible for the reward. We hope that through this media campaign, people will see how earnest we are in our attempts to pay this reward and make our institution whole.?

The $5 million reward is not from the federal government. It was raised by the museum from private donors.

To recover stolen items and prosecute art and cultural property crime, the FBI has a specialized Art Crime Team of 14 special agents supported by special trial attorneys.

The team investigates theft, fraud, looting, and trafficking across state and international lines, with estimated losses running as high as $6 billion annually. The FBI also runs the National Stolen Art File, a computerized index of stolen art and cultural properties that is used as a reference by law enforcement agencies worldwide.

The Gardner Museum was founded by Isabella Stewart Gardner, an art collector who died in 1924. Her will contained very particular conditions on the running of the museum, including the arrangement of her collection and free admission to anyone named Isabella, a practice that continues today.?

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/18/17360429-fbi-confident-they-know-who-carried-out-famed-23-year-old-500-million-art-heist-offers-reward?lite

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