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katstianna84

President Obama said he had never been more hopeful after winning a hard-fought election over Mitt Romney. He cobbled together a winning coalition, but it might not be enough to give him a mandate.

By Liz Marlantes,?Correspondent / November 7, 2012

President Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, his wife Jill BIden, and supporters celebrate victory at McCormick Place Thursday in Chicago.

Melanie Stetson Freeman/The Christian Science Monitor

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In 2008, President Obama made history by becoming the first African-American elected to the White House. In 2012, he did it again ? this time, by winning reelection despite a 7.9 percent unemployment rate and a?sluggish economy, in a contest against a former businessman, Mitt Romney, who had made the economy the centerpiece of his campaign.

Skip to next paragraph Liz Marlantes

Correspondent

Liz Marlantes covers politics for the Monitor and is a regular contributor to the Monitor's political blog, DC Decoder.

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According to exit polls, nearly 60 percent of voters cited the economy as the most important issue ? but critically, more voters were inclined to penalize former President George W. Bush than Mr. Obama for the country?s economic woes. And while three-quarters of voters described economic conditions as "not so good" or "poor," they were almost evenly split on which candidate would do a better job handling the economy.

It was a hard-fought win for the president, after a campaign that even to many of his supporters seemed notably less inspirational ? and far more negative ? than his 2008 run. And his margin of victory was, as anticipated, much narrower than four years ago.

"Democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated," Obama said in his victory speech at Chicago?s McCormick Place, where he came onstage with his whole family to the sounds of ?Signed, Sealed, Delivered." "And when we go through tough times, when we make big decisions as a country, it necessarily stirs passions, stirs up controversy. That won't change after tonight. And it shouldn't.... But despite all our differences, most of us share certain hopes for American's future." ?

"We are an American family and we rise or fall together as one nation,? Obama added. ?Whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you, I have learned from you, and you have made me a better president.?

Obama also said he ?has never been more hopeful about America,? and said he looks forward to sitting down with Romney in coming weeks to ?talk about where we can work together to move this country forward.?

For his part, in his concession speech, Mr. Romney described the nation as being "at a critical point," adding: "At a time like this we can't risk partisan bickering and political posturing." Calling it "a time of great challenges for America," he said, "I pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/2dbp0Ev8oc4/In-passionate-speech-Obama-says-You-have-made-me-a-better-president

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katstianna84

Mark Wahlberg and Michael Bay have clearly hit it off working on "Pain and Gain," because they're now going to be working a new film together. Back in October, Michael Bay stated that the new project won't be "Transformers 4," but it turns out that he might have spoken too soon. Since "Transformers 4" will [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/11/07/mark-wahlberg-transformers-4-2/

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katstianna84

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. (AP) ? The medic saw Staff Sgt. Robert Bales covered in blood and knew from the pattern of the staining it wasn't his own. He asked where it came from and where he'd been.

Bales shrugged, the medic, Sgt. 1st Class James Stillwell, testified Tuesday.

"If I tell you, you guys will have to testify against me," Stillwell quoted him as saying.

The statement was one of many attributed to Bales that suggest he knew what he was doing the night he surrendered after a two-village killing spree in southern Afghanistan, prosecutors say.

The remarks, offered by fellow soldiers testifying for the government Monday and Tuesday, could pose a high hurdle for defense lawyers who have indicated that Bales' mental health will be a big part of their case. The testimony is part of a preliminary hearing being held to help determine whether the case goes to a court martial.

Defense lawyers have noted that Bales was serving his fourth deployment, and had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as well as a concussive head injury in Iraq. One witness testified Tuesday that he was quick to anger.

The 39-year-old father of two from Lake Tapps, Wash., faces 16 counts of premeditated murder and six counts of attempted murder in the March 11 attack on the villages of Balandi and Alkozai, which counted nine children among its victims.

One of the worst atrocities of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the attack prompted the U.S. to halt combat operations for days in the face of protests, and military investigators couldn't reach the crime scenes for a month.

A prosecutor's opening statement and witness testimony Monday suggested Bales spent the evening before the massacre at his remote outpost of Camp Belambay with two other soldiers, watching a movie about revenge killings, sharing contraband whiskey from a plastic bottle and discussing an attack that cost one of their comrades his leg.

Within hours, a cape-wearing Bales slipped away from the post and embarked on a killing spree of his own, said the prosecutor, Lt. Col. Jay Morse. He attacked one village then returned to Belambay, where he woke up a colleague and reported what he'd done, Morse said. The colleague testified that he didn't believe Bales and went back to sleep.

Bales headed out again, Morse said, and attacked the second village, bringing his death toll to 16 before returning once again in the predawn darkness, bloody and incredulous that his comrades ordered him to surrender his weapons.

His return to the base was captured on surveillance video, Morse said.

Soldiers testified that after being taken into custody, Bales told them, "I thought I was doing the right thing."

"It's bad, it's really bad," he reportedly added.

And Stillwell, the medic, said Bales told him that the soldiers at Camp Belambay would appreciate his actions once the fighting season ramped up: "You guys are going to thank me come June."

At another point, Bales remarked, "I guess four was too many" ? an apparent reference to the number of family compounds in the attacked villages, Morse said Monday.

Bales was largely calm and compliant when he turned himself in following the massacre, several soldiers testified Tuesday. He followed orders and sometimes sat with his head in his hands, as though the magnitude of what he had done was sinking in, one said.

At one point, Bales made a joke ? pointing his finger, in the shape of a gun, at two soldiers guarding him ? in what they took as a failed effort to ease the tension.

But Bales also deliberately mangled his laptop, said two soldiers assigned to guard him as he gathered his things.

One of them, Sgt. Ross O'Rourke, testified that he removed the laptop from Bales' rucksack after the defendant told him he didn't want to take it with him. O'Rourke said Bales then grabbed the computer and folded the screen back, breaking it.

That didn't damage the hard drive, O'Rourke said, and investigators still could have retrieved information from the computer. O'Rourke didn't testify about what information might have been uncovered.

On Monday, Cpl. David Godwin testified that Bales asked him to bleach his blood-soaked clothes.

Two other soldiers, Pfcs. Derek Guinn and Damian Blodgett, testified Tuesday that they were on a guard shift early March 11 when they heard scattered gunfire coming from Alkozai, the first village attacked. They used thermal imaging and then shot up flares to illuminate the area, but couldn't make out what was going on.

Blodgett said he reported it to the operations center on base, and a specialist told them to monitor it and let him know if it came toward them.

The shooting lasted for 30 to 40 minutes, Blodgett said.

Guinn said he considered Bales to be bipolar: "Sometimes he was in a really good mood, and he seemed really angry sometimes, or easily annoyed."

Two other witnesses said that later, an interpreter arrived with two Afghan National Army soldiers who reported that they had seen an American come and go from the base. Guinn gave a slightly different account when he recalled that the interpreter said the soldiers had seen two Americans arrive on base, and one head back out.

After the shootings, some Afghan villagers questioned whether they could have been carried out by one soldier.

Bales has not entered a plea, and is not expected to testify. His attorneys, who did not give an opening statement, have not discussed the evidence, but say Bales has post-traumatic stress disorder and suffered a concussive head injury during a prior deployment to Iraq.

Bales has not participated in a medical evaluation known as a "sanity board," because his lawyers have objected to having him meet with Army doctors outside their presence.

Bales' lawyers called their first witness Tuesday, a soldier who bagged the blood-soaked clothes Bales had been wearing as evidence. The testimony focused primarily on how the evidence was handled.

___

Johnson can be reached at https://twitter.com/GeneAPseattle

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/prosecutors-sergeant-aware-afghanistan-attack-225441902.html

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katstianna84 · ScienceDaily (Nov. 6, 2012)

ScienceDaily (Nov. 6, 2012) ? 'Social medicines' are beneficial to the health and wellbeing of individuals and the population. By combining social and biological information from UK Longitudinal studies (life-course studies) researchers have identified that the more 'social medicines' you have, the better your physical and mental health. These include a stable family life, stress-free childhood, alcohol-free culture for young people, secure and rewarding employment, positive relationships with friends and neighbours, and a socially active old age.

Researchers from the International Centre for Lifecourse Studies in Society and Health (ICLS) funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) are releasing a plain English guide to their research demonstrating how 'Life gets under your skin' as part of the Economic and Social Research Council Festival of Social Science in November.

A stable family life where children have secure routines, including being read to and taken on outings by their parents, is more likely to result in them being ready to take in what will be offered at school (school-readiness). Getting a flying start at school is one of the most important pathways towards wellbeing later in life.

An environment free of constant bombardment with cigarette and alcohol advertisements helps adolescents avoid the first steps towards addiction. People with more friends have higher levels of health and wellbeing -- and researchers have found this to be almost as important as avoiding smoking over the longer term. A supportive social network can make all the difference as people confront the problems of aging, helping them to maintain a high quality of life for many years.

The booklet demonstrates how social policy related to family life, education, employment and welfare can have beneficial effects for the health of individuals. It also shows how multi disciplinary, longitudinal research can deliver findings valuable to the individual, society and the economy.

Professor Bartley editor of the booklet says: "Unlike most other medicines these 'social medicines' revealed by life course research have no unwanted side effects. They can only benefit both individuals and society."

"Britain is unique and fortunate in having a range of studies on people and society. Wellbeing is increasingly influenced by society and by experiences that stretch right across the lifecourse of a person -- from baby to old age. This booklet is intended to help make the results of lifecourse research as widely available as possible, informing decisions and improving understanding across a broad range of audiences," continues Professor Bartley.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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/mind_brain/child_development/~3/GahuHsPRxvE/121106084859.htm

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katstianna84

More than a year of stump speeches, fundraisers, presidential serenades and policy debates culminate today. All the persuading, nominating, campaign rallies, door knocking and baby kissing end with Americans heading to polls to choose their president, who will represent them on Capitol Hill, and countless other local races.

Refresh here for updates throughout the day and results all night.

Tune in to ABCNews.com for livestreaming coverage of Election 2012. Our Election Day show kicks off at noon, and the Election Night event begins at 7 p.m.

But before it all wraps up, reflect on some of the most memorable moments of the 2012 election here.

10:45 p.m. ET - Poll Watching With the Lawyers (And Preparing for the Legal Battle)

ABC's Ariane de Vogue and Colleen Curry report:

When polls open Tuesday morning, a small army of thousands of lawyers affiliated with both campaigns and state party efforts will be in place in key swing states where legal action can make a difference in the outcome of the election.

In large part the Democrats are worried about what they say are efforts to suppress the vote. Republicans fear instances of voter fraud.

Both sides will be concentrating on issues such as voter registration and eligibility, poll watcher activity, ballot counting, polling hours and machine malfunctioning.

At the national level teams of lawyers will be wired in to nationwide databases, as Republican attorneys use a Smartphone app to communicate about problems and Democrats relay information to a database in Chicago, according to the Associated Press.

Obama officials, speaking on background, say they have recruited thousands of attorney volunteers to help recruit, train, educate and observe at polling locations across the country. They say they are not only concerned with putting legal teams in place, but also having a data base in place of experts on voting systems, registration data bases, ballot design, student voting and provisional ballots.

More here from Ariane and Colleen.

10:32 p.m. ET - Let 2016 Begin - Biden Votes and Subtly Teases Run; But What About Hillary?

ABC's Arlette Saenz watched Joe Biden cast his vote for president early this morning in Delaware. While this is undoubtedly President Obama's last run for office, Biden could conceivably make another go at the top job in 2016.

When reporters asked Biden, who was chummy with other voters, if this was his last time voting for himself, his answer was interesting.

"No, I don't think so," Biden said outside Alexis I. duPont High School in Wilmington, Del. where he voted with his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, son Beau, daughter-in-law Hallie and granddaughter Natalie.

Should he decide to run in 2016, Biden, who ran for president in 1988 and 2008, would be 73 years old with nearly 44 years of politicking under his belt, and he could find himself in a 2016 matchup with another politician currently serving in President Obama's administration - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. More from Arlette here.

Hillary Clinton, who is also set to vote today, has repeatedly said she won't run for president in 2016. More on the chatter around her from ABC's Dana Hughes, who covers the State Department.

10:08 p.m. ET - GMA Rewind - ABC's Entire Powerhouse Political Team

David Muir reported on the Romney campaign and their plans for victory:

Jake Tapper reported on the Obama campaign, which he described as a like a reunion episode on a TV show.

Matthew Dowd handicapped the map and said a slight national vote lead for Romney may have been erased.

Donna Brazile and Nicole Wallace talked about the race according to women for Democrats and Republicans.

8:00 a.m. ET - Time to Vote

The day has come, and for those who didn't vote early or absentee, it's time to head into the voting booth. Wondering what time the polls open and close in your state? ABC News brings you information on the hours voters will cast their ballots in each state.

Find your state here.

1:08 a.m. ET - Closing arguments in Iowa, New Hampshire and on 'Monday Night Football'

ABC News was out with all of the candidates on the final night of campaigning.

Obama Returns to Iowa -

President Obama shed a tear while addressing supporters in Des Moines, Iowa.

ABC's Mary Bruce wrote: President Obama ended his presidential campaign Monday night with an emotional appeal to voters in the state that started it all, asking Iowans to help him finish what he started four years ago.

"We have made real progress over these last four years," the president told an estimated crowd of 20,000 standing outside in the bitter cold. "But Iowa we are here tonight because we have more work to do. We are not done yet on this journey. We have more road to travel."

Just steps away from the campaign office set up for his improbable victory in the 2008 Iowa Caucuses, a nostalgic Obama told Iowans they taught him "to bet on hope."

Read Mary's report here.

Romney - Return to New Hampshire

ABC's Emily Friedman reports from New Hampshire:

Romney's campaign was launched in Stratham, New Hampshire, in June 2011, and Romney has returned more than 23 times this year alone. He essentially camped out in the state in the days and weeks prior to the January primary. Romney, who also owns a home in New Hampshire, spent weeks in the state over the summer too.

"Together we must lead America to a better place," Romney said, his voice growing hoarse at times, the rally his fifth of the day.

Emily's full report is here.

The Monday Night Football Lobby -

Devin Dwyer reports that both candidates were a not quite as emotional when they appeared in separate taped segments on 'Monday Night Football.'

While the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles paused for halftime, and the candidates themselves were still on the road holding final swing state rallies, both men appeared in pre-taped interviews with host Chris Berman during the network's half-time show.

Comparing politics to sports, Berman asked Obama how he planned to "repeat" - one of the most difficult feats for a "championship" team.

"It has to do with not getting distracted, by your own hype, or the critics," Obama said. "It's interesting, political reporters are a lot like sports reporters. And, you lose a game, and you're a bum. You win a game, you're a God.

Berman asked Romney about the most valuable lesson he could apply in the Oval Office he learned from shepherding the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games. He cited a greater appreciation for the human spirit.

"I think most people watch the Olympics not just because of the interest in the sport itself. I mean how many people were avid fans of women's bobsled for instance before the Olympics? But they watch the bobsled event because they get to see the character of human beings if you will? the crucible of sport," he said.

Devin's full report is here.

12:48 a.m. ET - It's a Tie!? In Dixville Notch

The first votes are in!

Ten of them, anyway. And it's an Obama, Romney tie.

The small hamlet of Dixville Notch in New Hampshire distinguishes itself every primary and general election by voting right at midnight.

This year ten voters showed up and they split evenly - five votes apiece - for President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

Obama won the Dixville Notch vote in 2008. But in elections before that, the town had stuck to more conservative candidates, twice selecting a Republican instead of Bill Clinton.

Dixville Notch and its 10 voters may be symbolic, but they're not a bellwether for the state. Obama won in Dixville Notch in 2008, but that was the first time a majority of the town went for a Dem in 40 years.

The other New Hampshire town with midnight voting- the slightly more populous (32 voters) Hart's Location- swung towards Obama tonight- 23 Obama, 9 Romney.

More here from Elizabeth Hartfield along with some video from Dixvilled Notch:

Curated by ABC's Z. Byron Wolf and Sarah Parnass

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Thursday, November 8, 2012

In passionate speech, Obama says 'You have made me a better president'

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Wednesday, November 7, 2012

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