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E-Filing and the Explosion
in Tax-Return Fraud
Wall Street Journal, by Jay Starkman
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Original Article
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Posted By:StormCnter, 1/14/2013 5:50:35 AM
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| Now that Americans finally know the tax rate they´ll be paying, it´s time to start thinking about the annual drudgery of filing their returns. It´s also the season when identity thieves begin ripping off those returns and stealing billions in false or misdirected refunds. Tax fraud, amazingly, is now the third-largest theft of federal funds after Medicare/Medicaid and unemployment-insurance fraud. Tax-identity theft exploded to more than 1.1 million cases in 2011 from 51,700 in 2008. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration last summer reported discovering an additional 1.5 million potentially fraudulent 2011 tax refunds totaling in excess of $5.2 billion.
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Reply 1 - Posted by:
GreatGreyhounds, 1/14/2013 6:15:36 AM (No. 9115092)
Since ´Uncle´ demands more and more of us each year, I snail-mail mine each year on 15 April, along with the extra tribute required to be given away to buy votes...
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Reply 2 - Posted by:
fireman28, 1/14/2013 6:59:37 AM (No. 9115139)
A good read - take the time.
As my friend in the tax prep business always says, Use a good national company, like the one with the green square.
Unfortunately, the scammers are at work 24/7
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Reply 3 - Posted by:
john56, 1/14/2013 7:37:40 AM (No. 9115181)
Spent a few weeks working at the IRS office nearby last year ... grunt work, opening envelopes and doing initial sorts on paper returns.
They had a little meeting talking about the fraud issues, many coming from foreign returns and those coming from South Florida and Puerto Rico (the latter get extra coverage).
Another big fraud area is in the area of the ETIN, although it wasn´t said in these terms what I remember was those undocumented workers would (1) file to get any tax withheld paid back and (2) take the ETIN (Earned Income Tax Credit).
Evidentally, our esteemed legislators wrote the law allowing us to pay the filer for dependents even if those dependents do not live in the United States (and of course, don´t have any SSN or identification). It´s a loophole that allows some of these folks to claim a dozen or more dependents and collect large refunds.
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Reply 4 - Posted by:
Mr. Hanky, 1/14/2013 7:55:04 AM (No. 9115209)
Why should we care? I´m surprised the Administration doesn´t allow Mexican nationals to file directly and have they child care credits and deductions sent directly to Mexico.
/s
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Reply 5 - Posted by:
realrep, 1/14/2013 8:28:09 AM (No. 9115249)
I just don´t want anyone to borrow my SSN and file a phoney tax retrun in my name. But then again, I have an Identity Theft service that will take care of it if it should happen.
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Reply 6 - Posted by:
Crosscut, 1/14/2013 8:37:41 AM (No. 9115267)
Baby mamas pack the tax prep offices on Feb. 1st. to cash in on the earned tax scam money. If you don´t pays in, you don´t get. You owe Uncle Sam, no refund. Period.
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Reply 7 - Posted by:
Coy860, 1/14/2013 9:47:44 AM (No. 9115402)
I can´t for the life of me understand the mind set of people who would cheat on their income tax. I have always instructed my CPA to err on the side of the gov´t because I am so afraid of the gov´t.
My spouse had a legitimate home office for 22 years, and we never ever claimed it.
I just don´t want to mess with it.
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Reply 8 - Posted by:
Pythagoras, 1/14/2013 5:46:35 PM (No. 9116419)
Refund threat is a HUGE problem and the IRS has been sending out notices to preparers about this for a while. They may need to make some improvements with how refunds are issued but they will.
Identity theft protection services have no mechanism for preventing this; they´re not affiliated with the IRS. They can keep someone from taking out loans and/or credit cards in your name but not from submitting a tax return in your name.
Guard your anything with your social security number on it and submit your tax return early. Also, it´s safest to do your own return (maybe using a software package) or to use the IRS´s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), which is a free, safe tax return prep service available at many libraries.
Take comfort in the fact that the feds give out LONG prison sentences. Refund theft has their attention and electronic stuff leaves trails that are easy to follow.
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Below, you will find ...
Most Recent Articles posted by "StormCnter"
and
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
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Most Recent Articles posted by "StormCnter"
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Guns Responsible for Global Warming
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American Spectator, by Jed Babbin
Original Article
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Posted By: StormCnter- 4/8/2013 6:14:16 AM
Post Reply
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Frustration is taking its toll in the liberals’ war against guns. President Obama, pushing his broad gun control agenda, said we should be ashamed if we’ve forgotten the Newtown shooting so soon. The New York Times opined that Obama is being shouted down by the “gun lobby,” even though he and Biden had been crisscrossing the country “…making a forceful case for a package of laws that would reduce gun violence.” That, of course, is the media narrative on gun control. For every issue there is a narrative: a set of assumptions and boundaries of thought
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Complex Napoleon Rivalry
Heads for Its Waterloo
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Wall Street Journal, by Max Colchester
Original Article
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Posted By: StormCnter- 4/8/2013 5:52:11 AM
Post Reply
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GOLFE-JUAN, France—Frank Samson has prepared for a long time to meet his Waterloo. The French lawyer impersonates Napoleon Bonaparte at re-enactment battles, but it is no idle hobby. Mr. Samson has found what he says are perfect replicas of the French general´s gray overcoat, he has studied Napoleon´s native Corsican tongue and he has had himself crowned emperor of France, in a cathedral yet. In 2015, he wants to lead thousands of military enthusiasts into the ultimate re-enactment: the 200th anniversary of the battle of Waterloo in Belgium. But an American rival stands in his way. Mark Schneider, an actor in Virginia
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Repeal, Replace, Still
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National Review Online, by Ramesh Ponnuru & Yuval Levin
Original Article
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Posted By: StormCnter- 4/8/2013 5:42:18 AM
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Is it time to give up the fight against Obamacare? That’s a question some conservative health-care experts, pundits, and — more quietly — politicians are asking. In the first years after its passage, opponents had hoped that the Supreme Court would strike down the law or that a new president would sign its repeal before most of it took effect. But the Supreme Court decided to modify a few of its provisions instead of striking it down, and President Obama was reelected. Repeal is almost certainly off the table for four years. Obamacare will continue to be implemented.
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Division among Republicans
on Gang of Eight?
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Washington Examiner, by Byron York
Original Article
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Posted By: StormCnter- 4/8/2013 5:37:13 AM
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As the bipartisan Gang of Eight works to complete a comprehensive immigration reform bill, there has been a growing consensus among Senate Republicans that the bill — so far seen by no one outside the Gang — should be the subject of multiple hearings and extended consideration inside the Senate Judiciary Committee. But on Sunday there were signs that consensus does not extend to the Republicans inside the Gang. Appearing on CBS, longtime immigration reform advocate and Gang member Sen. John McCain suggested the immigration issue is so familiar to lawmakers that multiple hearings will not be necessary.
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Liars! Illegal Immigration
Surging While Obama Administration
Claims it is Declining
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Gateway Pundit, by Mike LaRoche
Original Article
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Posted By: StormCnter- 4/8/2013 5:25:44 AM
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Via Fox Nation, newly released statistics show that illegal immigrant infiltration along the U.S.-Mexico border is increasing markedly despite recent statements to the contrary by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano: “I can tell you having worked that border for 20 years, it is more secure now than it has ever been. Illegal apprehensions are at 40-year lows,” Napolitano told reporters this week in Houston. But figures released Thursday by Customs and Border Protection to Fox News tell a different story. Arrests are actually up 13 percent
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Obama´s Dangerous Nuclear Dance
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Daily Beast, by Leslie H. Gelb
Original Article
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Posted By: StormCnter- 4/8/2013 5:11:33 AM
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The White House press corps should ask President Obama this question: You’ve told Iran’s leaders that if they come close to marrying a nuclear warhead with a missile that can hit the United States or our allies, they should expect a U.S. military attack on their soil. (Snip)Administration officials would never admit it, but the main reason for their being tougher on Iran than North Korea seems tied to American domestic politics as much or more than anything else, specifically the standing of Israel and oil versus Korea and Japan.
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How Texas Became
Texas and Why It Matters
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New York Times, by Bryan Burrough
Original Article
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Posted By: StormCnter- 4/8/2013 5:04:06 AM
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AS a Texas-raised journalist, I can tell you two things with confidence about my native state. One, its economy has been humming nicely for years. Two, this appears to greatly offend a certain breed of Northern writer, several of whom have descended on the state in an attempt to rebut stories of a “Texas miracle.” (Snip) “Texas has a long tradition of looking outside the government for support — and often finding it. That predates the Texas revolution and was reinforced by the rise of the cattle kingdom and the oil booms.”
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Left Celebrates the Death
of Rick Warren’s Son
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PJ Media, by Rick Moran
Original Article
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Posted By: StormCnter- 4/8/2013 4:55:58 AM
Post Reply
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One of the more disturbing aspects of the internet culture — fed largely by the ability to post anonymously — is the rash of mean, hateful comments made following the death of a prominent figure associated with one side or the other. It’s a disease that afflicts both sides. The death of Ted Kennedy a few years ago brought out the haters on the right to an unprecedented degree. The vitriol and foul language as well as carefully composed comments designed to inflict the maximum amount of pain that were the rule on the right
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ATF pulls license of
one particular gun shop
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Hot Air, by Jazz Shaw
Original Article
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Posted By: StormCnter- 4/8/2013 4:53:04 AM
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It took little more than the headline of this article to begin raising eyebrows Gun shop that sold to mother of Newtown shooter loses license (Reuters) – The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said on Friday it had revoked the federal license of a Connecticut gun retailer that sold a weapon to the mother of Adam Lanza, who killed 26 people at an elementary school in December. The agency on December 20 revoked the license of Riverview Gun Sales in East Windsor, Connecticut, ATF spokeswoman Debora Seifert said.
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Swanky Beach Enclave Seeks
Relief From Bird Stench
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Associated Press, by Julie Watson
Original Article
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Posted By: StormCnter- 4/8/2013 4:43:43 AM
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La Jolla´s jagged coastline is strictly protected by environmental laws to ensure the San Diego community remains the kind of seaside jewel that has attracted swanky restaurants, top-flight hotels and some of the nation´s rich and famous, including billionaire businessman Irwin Jacobs and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Tourists flock to the place. So do birds. Lots of birds. And with those birds comes lots of poop. So rather than gasping in amazement at the beautiful views, some are holding their noses from the stench coming from the droppings that cake coastal rocks and outcroppings near its business district.
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America’s Foes Call Obama’s Bluff
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FrontPage Magazine, by Daniel Greenfield
Original Article
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Posted By: StormCnter- 4/8/2013 4:38:19 AM
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Obama, Kerry and Hagel thought that they had a plan for putting North Korea back in the box. North Korea had conducted a nuclear test in February, violating once again the various understandings that had been worked out. But agreements and understandings, written or oral, had never meant much to the repressive regime which had suspended the Armistice Agreement that ended the Korean War numerous times—including last month. So Obama decided to wave a stick. The playbook for North Korea would feature flights by B-2 and B-52 bombers and F-22 fighter jets to remind
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How America Lost
Its Four Great Generals
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Commentary Magazine, by Max Boot
Original Article
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Posted By: StormCnter- 4/7/2013 3:01:19 PM
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The quasi-official ideology of the U.S. armed forces holds that generals are virtually interchangeable, that individual personalities don’t matter much, that ordinary grunts are in any case more important than their leaders, and that what really counts are larger systems that make a complex bureaucracy function. There is some truth to all of this. But for all of the bureaucratic heft of the services and the heroism of ordinary soldiers, it is hard to imagine the Civil War having been won without Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan—or World War II without Marshall, Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Arnold, LeMay, Nimitz, Halsey,
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Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
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McCain: ´I don´t understand´
GOP filibuster on guns
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Politico, by Jennifer Epstein
Original Article
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Posted By: JoniTx- 4/7/2013 12:18:14 PM
Post Reply
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Sen. John McCain says he doesn´t understand the threats from some of his Republican colleagues to filibuster a bill on background checks to buy guns. "I don´t understand it," the Arizona Republican said on Sunday of the threat coming from Sen. Rand Paul,Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Mike Lee and nine other Republicans. "The purpose of the United States Senate is to debate and to vote and to let the people know where we stand.” "What are we afraid of? ... If this issue is as important as we all think it is, why not take ... it up and debate?"
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´My bangs are getting
a little irritating´: Michelle
Obama admits she already regrets
her high-maintenance hairdo
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Daily Mail (UK), by Margot Peppers
Original Article
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Posted By: pineledger- 4/7/2013 7:43:42 AM
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Michelle Obama has admitted that she is already tired of the bangs she first sported in January. The First Lady said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight: ´Bangs are a day-by-day proposition. They´re starting to grow out, get a little irritating.´ Still, she hasn´t let her hairdo woes get her down. ´It´s okay,´ she said after her initial complaint. ´We´ll be good.´ The first indication that her hairstyle was becoming a burden came about last weekend, when Malia, 14, was spotted adjusting her mother´s hair during the White House Easter Egg Roll.
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Christians, here´s why we´re
losing our religion
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Fox News, by Craig Groeschel
Original Article
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Posted By: STLstudent- 4/7/2013 5:13:55 PM
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Recent research indicates that the number of people who do not consider themselves a part of an organized religion is steadily on the rise. Interestingly enough, though the number of those religiously unaffiliated is increasing, there is little to no trend in the number of those who express atheist or agnostic beliefs. People aren’t saying they don’t believe in God. They’re saying they don’t believe in religion. They are not rejecting Christ. They are rejecting the church. This begs the question, “Why are we losing our religion?”
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Broadcasters worry
about ´Zero TV´ homes
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Associated Press, by Ryan Nakashima
Original Article
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Posted By: Ribicon- 4/7/2013 2:43:40 PM
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Los Angeles — Some people have had it with TV. They´ve had enough of the 100-plus channel universe. They don´t like timing their lives around network show schedules. They´re tired of $100-plus monthly bills. A growing number of them have stopped paying for cable and satellite TV service, and don´t even use an antenna to get free signals over the air. (Snip) Last month, the Nielsen Co. started labeling people in this group "Zero TV" households, because they fall outside the traditional definition of a TV home. There are 5 million of these residences in the U.S., up from
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Mother Of Slain Benghazi
Officer To Sean Hannity:
‘They Want Me To Shut Up’
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Mediaite, by A.J. Delgado
Original Article
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Posted By: StormCnter- 4/7/2013 5:00:16 AM
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On Friday, Sean Hannity brought Pat Smith, mother of the late Sean Smith, on his radio program. The 34-year-old information management officer was one of four Americans murdered in the Benghazi embassy attack on September 11, 2012. In the chilling interview, a distraught Ms. Smith, in tears, pleaded for answers and spoke of the efforts to silence her. Ms. Smith first relayed how her son, prior to the attack, requested additional security in advance and warned the State Department: He did tell them, ahead of time, he typed it into his little typewriter over there,
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Vanishing workforce
weighs on growth
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Washington Post, by Jim Tankersley
Original Article
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Posted By: Dreadnought- 4/6/2013 11:28:59 PM
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Put out an all-points bulletin: Millions of Americans have gone missing from the workforce. Every month that those would-be workers are gone raises the odds that they might never come back, dimming the prospects for future economic growth. The vanishing trend is more than a decade old, but it accelerated during the Great Recession. Throughout 2012, economists held out hope that it had stopped. But then came Friday’s jobs report, and hopes were dashed. The Labor Department reported that the U.S. labor force — everyone who has a job or is looking for one — shrank
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Obama critic apologizes for
his ´poorly chosen words´
on gay marriage
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The Hill [Washington DC], by Alexandra Jaffe
Original Article
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Posted By: JoniTx- 4/6/2013 12:18:19 PM
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Neurosurgeon Ben Carson, considered by some to be a potential Republican contender for president, apologized to Johns Hopkins University for the "poorly chosen words" he used in expressing his opposition to gay marriage last month.“I am sorry for any embarrassment this has caused,” Carson said in the letter, reported in New York Magazine.(Snip) "Although I do believe marriage is between a man and a woman, there are much less offensive ways to make that point. I hope all will look at a lifetime of service over some poorly chosen words.” Carson will remain as commencement speaker at Johns Hopkins,
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The Secrets of Princeton
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New York Times, by Ross Douthat
Original Article
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Posted By: Oblio- 4/7/2013 8:08:09 AM
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Susan Patton, the Princeton alumna who became famous for her letter urging Ivy League women to use their college years to find a mate, has been denounced as a traitor to feminism, to coeducation, to the university ideal. But really she’s something much more interesting: a traitor to her class. Her betrayal consists of being gauche enough to acknowledge publicly a truth that everyone who’s come up through Ivy League culture knows intuitively —
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Is going gluten-free
healthier for everybody?
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The Week, by Staff
Original Article
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Posted By: NorthernDog- 4/7/2013 11:28:27 AM
Post Reply
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Gluten-free diets are all the rage, but they can be dangerous if not done right. What is gluten? It´s the spongy complex of proteins, found naturally in wheat, rye, and barley, that gives elasticity to dough and allows it to rise. When flour is moistened and either kneaded or mixed into dough, gluten molecules form an elastic, microscopic latticework that traps the carbon dioxide produced when yeast ferments, causing dough to inflate like a hot air balloon. Baking hardens the gluten, which helps the finished product keep its shape. Wheat — and gluten — is ubiquitous in the American diet.
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Kim Jong-un Wants Phone
Call from Obama - report
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Korea Broadcast Service, by Staff
Original Article
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Posted By: Desert Fox- 4/8/2013 6:56:50 AM
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North Korea’s young leader Kim Jong-un is waiting for United States President Barack Obama to make a phone call to Pyongyang to discuss easing tensions on the Korean peninsula, according to Russia’s news agency Itar-Tass. The report cited United Kingdom diplomats, saying Pyongyang was demanding the U.S. president personally call Kim Jong-un as one of the conditions to relieve the current conflict at hand. Itar-Tass also quoted the U.K.’s Sky News as saying North Korea currently has eight nuclear warheads.
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Adam Lanza´s murder spree at Sandy
Hook may have been´act of revenge´
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New York Daily News, by Matthew Lysiak and Rich Schapiro
Original Article
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Posted By: noproblems- 4/7/2013 9:52:58 AM
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Newtown killer Adam Lanza may have launched his murder spree at Sandy Hook Elementary School as an “act of revenge,” the Daily News has learned. A close friend of Lanza’s mother told The News that the troubled boy was a target of relentless bullying when he attended the Connecticut school years ago. “I think Adam felt betrayed by the school and this was his act of revenge,” said Marvin LaFontaine, a friend of Nancy Lanza’s. “Nancy told me he was being picked on at school. That they were just torturing him.”
Source and text corrected by Staff.
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