Gun control backers struggle to win some Democrats

FILE - In this Jan. 21, 2013 photo, Emma Clyman, 5, of Manhattan, holds a sign that reads "No More Newtowns" outside city hall park during the One Million Moms for Gun Control Rally in New York. Despite a proposal backed by over 8 in 10 people in polls, gun control supporters are struggling to win over moderate Democrats in their drive to push expanded background checks of firearms purchasers through the Senate next month. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 21, 2013 photo, Emma Clyman, 5, of Manhattan, holds a sign that reads "No More Newtowns" outside city hall park during the One Million Moms for Gun Control Rally in New York. Despite a proposal backed by over 8 in 10 people in polls, gun control supporters are struggling to win over moderate Democrats in their drive to push expanded background checks of firearms purchasers through the Senate next month. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

FILE - In this May 19, 2011 file photo, Chairman Mark Pryor, D-Ark., speaks during a hearing of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance on cell phone privacy on Capitol Hill in Washington. Despite a proposal backed by over 8 in 10 people in polls, gun control supporters are struggling to win over moderate Democrats like Pryor in their drive to push expanded background checks of firearms purchasers through the Senate next month. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2012 file photo, Sen.-elect Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., address her supporters in Bismarck, N.D. Despite a proposal backed by over 8 in 10 people in polls, gun control supporters are struggling to win over moderate Democrats like Heitkamp in their drive to push expanded background checks of firearms purchasers through the Senate next month. (AP Photo/Will Kincaid, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? It would seem a lobbyist's dream: rounding up votes for a proposal backed by more than 8 in 10 people in polls. Yet gun control supporters are struggling to win over moderate Democrats in their drive to push expanded background checks for firearms purchasers through the Senate next month.

Backed by a $12 million TV advertising campaign financed by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, gun control groups scheduled rallies around the country Thursday aimed at pressuring senators to back the effort. President Barack Obama was meeting at the White House with gun violence victims.

Moderate Senate Democrats like Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota are shunning Bloomberg as a meddling outsider while stressing their allegiance to their own voters' views and to gun rights. While saying they are keeping an open mind and that they support keeping guns from criminals and people with mental disorders, some moderates are avoiding specific commitments they might regret later.

"I do not need someone from New York City to tell me how to handle crime in our state. I know that we can go after and prosecute criminals without the need to infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding North Dakotans," Heitkamp said this week, citing the constitutional right to bear arms.

Heitkamp does not face re-election next year, but Pryor and five other Senate Democrats from Republican-leaning or closely divided states do. All six, from Southern and Western states, will face voters whose deep attachment to guns is unshakeable ? not to mention opposition from the still-potent National Rifle Association, should they vote for restrictions the NRA opposes.

"We have a politically savvy and a loyal voting bloc, and the politicians know that," said Andrew Arulanandam, spokesman for the NRA, which claims nearly 5 million paying members.

The heart of the Senate gun bill will be expanded requirements for federal background checks for gun buyers, the remaining primary proposal pushed by Obama and many Democrats since 20 first-graders and six women were shot to death in December at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada has said there aren't enough votes to approve a ban on assault weapons, while prospects are uncertain for a prohibition on large-capacity ammunition magazines.

Today, the background checks apply only to sales by the nation's roughly 55,000 federally licensed gun dealers. Not covered are private transactions like those at gun shows and online. The Senate measure is still evolving as Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., use Congress' two-week recess to negotiate for additional support in both parties.

Expanding background checks to include gun show sales got 84 percent support in an Associated Press-GfK poll earlier this year. Near-universal background checks have received similar or stronger support in other national polls.

Polls in some Southern states have been comparable. March surveys by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute found more than 9 in 10 people in Florida and Virginia backing expanded background checks, the same margin found by an Elon University Poll in North Carolina in February.

Analysts say people support more background checks because they consider it an extension of the existing system. That doesn't translate to unvarnished support from lawmakers, in part because the small but vocal minorities who oppose broader background checks and other gun restrictions tend to be driven voters that politicians are reluctant to alienate.

"It's probably true that intense, single-issue gun voters have been more likely to turn out than folks who want common-sense gun laws," said Mark Glaze, director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the group that Bloomberg helps lead. Glaze, however, said he believes that voters favoring gun restrictions have become more motivated since Newtown and other recent mass shootings.

Several moderate Democrats are holding back as they assess the political landscape. They're also waiting to see exactly what the Senate will consider.

Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, said Wednesday his state's voters tell him, "Don't take away our rights, our individual rights, our guns." Begich said he opposes a strict proposal requiring background checks for nearly all gun sales but will wait to see whether there is a bipartisan compromise he can support.

The problems faced by gun control supporters go beyond the challenge of winning over moderate Democrats. GOP opponents are sure to force Democrats to get 60 of the Senate's 100 votes to win, and there are only 53 Democrats plus two independents who generally support them.

Also targeted by Bloomberg's ads are 10 Republicans, including Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, home of ex-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was severely wounded in a mass shooting; the retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia; and moderate Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.

In another indicator of hurdles facing gun control forces, the Senate voted 50-49 last week to require 60 votes for any legislation narrowing gun rights. The proposal lost because 60 votes in favor were required, but six Democrats voted for the proposal, offered by conservative Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.

"It confirms there's no such thing as an easy gun vote," said Jim Kessler, a senior vice president of the centrist Democratic group Third Way.

Underscoring the uncertainty about moderate Democrats:

?Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., is "still holding conversations with Virginia stakeholders and sorting through issues on background checks" and proposals to ban assault weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines, spokesman Kevin Hall said.

?Pryor said of Bloomberg's ads: "I don't take gun advice from the mayor of New York City. I listen to Arkansans." Spokesman Michael Teague said Pryor opposes universal background checks but could favor expanding the requirement to gun show sales.

?Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., told the Greensboro News & Record she favors expanded background checks, but said her vote would depend on the measure's details. Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., answered, "Yes," when the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette asked whether he supports gun show background checks ? prompting Bloomberg's group to remove Donnelly's name from the ad they are running in Indiana.

The gun bill also increases penalties for illegal gun sales and slightly boosts aid for school safety.

More abrupt changes like an assault weapons ban generally get slight majorities in polls. Democratic leaders decided to omit it from the Senate bill because such a provision lacks enough votes.

Associated Press

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Get moving: Walking benefits physical, mental health

The American Heart Association's National Walking Day is Wednesday, and health experts are using it to raise awareness about the benefits of walking.

"All cardiovascular exercise is great, but walking has the lowest dropout rate of them all," said Nellie Kelly, director of communications for the American Heart Association in Tulsa. "It's the simplest positive change you can make to effectively improve your heart health."

Benefits

According to the American Heart Association, research has shown that walking at least 30 minutes a day can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, breast and colon cancer and Type 2 diabetes.

Sonja Boswell of the St. John Stroke Center said recent studies have also shown that the risk of stroke decreases by 20 percent for people who walk for 30 minutes three to five days a week, and by 27 percent for those who walk for 30 minutes five to seven days a week.

"Those are really dramatic numbers," she said.

Walking 30 minutes a day can help people lose weight and lower their cholesterol. It can also help decrease blood pressure by 5-9 mm/Hg, Boswell said.

"That can be as much as some anti-hypertension medications that we prescribe," she said.

The benefits of walking extend to mental wellness, too

"You're up, you're moving, you're increasing your oxygen flow to your brain," Boswell said. "It increases mental acuity, it has been shown to increase memory, and it also helps decrease stress and anxiety, and stress and anxiety can be tied back into blood pressure problems."

Getting started

Michael Watkins of Fitness Together said his job revolves around getting his clients moving. Fitness Together offers personal fitness training to individuals and small groups. It also works with companies to help with their wellness programs for their employees.

Watkins said he tells clients that they can break up the 30 minutes into smaller pieces.

"Set an alarm at your desk, and get up and walk for 10 minutes," he said.

To get the full benefits, though, Boswell said people should not break up walks into less than 10 minutes. It takes 10 minutes of having your heart rate up to get into what she called a "cardiac zone" where blood vessels widen and blood circulation increases.

Another tip Watkins recommends to beginners is to walk with a friend.

"Going out alone can be daunting," he said. Walking with a buddy will also keep you accountable.

Boswell said there are many ways to incorporate walking into your day.

"You don't necessarily have to have gym clothes on," she said. Park farther away or walk over to talk to a co-worker on another floor or in another building rather than sending an email, she suggests.

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National Walking Day

ONEOK started Walking Wednesdays about six months ago.

Robert Babcock, the senior wellness coordinator for ONEOK, said the program encourages the company's employees to take some time out of their day on Wednesdays to walk.

This Wednesday, on National Walking Day, the company is encouraging downtown workers to join them at 11 a.m. at ONEOK Plaza, 100 W. Fifth St., for a community walking event.

Danny Cahill from "The Biggest Loser" will give a short talk about the importance of walking. A DJ and food vendors will also be at the plaza.

Then, at 11:30 a.m., attendees can join a 30-minute walk around downtown.

Babcock said they have also developed a downtown map showing pre-determined walking routes that they will give out to attendees.

"We're trying to help get individuals out of the office," he said.

Nellie Kelly of the American Heart Association said this is part of the message the association is trying to get out.

"We are trying to get people to think about walking on their lunch breaks or to have walking meetings at work, not just to think about walking as an at-home activity," she said.

Those attending the National Walking Day event at ONEOK Plaza will also have the opportunity to sign up for Heart Walk, scheduled for April 20.

The importance of shoes

Experts say walking has the lowest drop-out rate of all exercise forms. You don't need lessons or a gym membership or special equipment.

But Michael Watkins of Fitness Together said it is important to have a good pair of shoes.

"The more you walk, the more you notice your feet," he said. "If your feet are always hurting from walking you're not going to do it."

Kathy Hoover at Runners-World Tulsa suggests getting your feet fitted.

Knowing your foot structure and biomenchanics - such as whether you have a high arch or flat foot - will help you find the right shoes.

"Each of the companies will have a shoe for each of those foot structures," Hoover said.

Original Print Headline: Get moving

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nour.habib@tulsaworld.com

Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/articlepath.aspx?articleid=20130328_4_D1_CUTLIN348972

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Nintendo video shows off Wii U speed improvement coming in April update

Nintendo's Wii U has faced complains over slow loading and switching between menus since launch, but the company has promised a pair of updates will help the situation. Tonight it posted a video on YouTube (embedded after the break) that shows off the difference before and after the April update side by side. Showing off how quickly it can return to the home menu from a game of New Super Mario Bros. U, the updated console is ready to go in eight seconds, compared to the current software's 20 second delay. There's no mention of the other update to improve the speed of launching software, but hopefully that will be shown off soon as well. More than halving the main menu's load time is nothing to sneeze at, although it's still not exactly a snappy experience. We'll see if these tweaks -- once they arrive -- do anything to improve the console's position while it waits for the improved software lineup President Satoru Iwata is expecting.

Filed under: Gaming, HD, Nintendo

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/26/nintendo-video-shows-off-wii-u-speed-improvement-coming-in-april/

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Report: Pentagon must do more to prevent assaults

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A new report required by Congress recommends that the Department of Defense assess how well commanding officers handle sexual assault and harassment complaints when reviewing their job performance.

The Institute of Medicine said in the report released Tuesday that military sexual assault appears to be an important factor in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder. It cited previous research indicating that female veterans with a reported history of military sexual trauma were nine times more likely to have PTSD compared to other female veterans.

"Increased efforts by DOD are necessary, and a zero-tolerance approach should be implemented," said the Institute of Medicine, which provides advice concerning health and science to policymakers in the federal government and private sector.

The recommendation about sexual assaults was part of a broad look at the health needs of troops and veterans involved in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although most of the returning troops have adjusted well to life after deployment, 44 percent have reported some readjustment problems.

The most common overlapping health problems are PTSD, substance abuse, depression and symptoms attributed to traumatic brain injuries.

But the problems seen today are really just the beginning, the report said.

"Previous wars have demonstrated that veterans' needs peak several decades after their war service," the IOM panel said.

To prepare for those costs, the federal government should undertake long-term cost forecasts like those that Congress requires for Social Security and Medicare. It said those forecasts should be conducted annually and publicly released by the Department of Veterans Affairs and confirmed by an independent expert.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan resulted in the deployment of about 2.2 million troops as of mid-December, it said. Women have played a central role in the efforts. They make up 14 percent of active-duty troops and nearly 18 percent of National Guard and Reserve personnel. The panel's recommendations often focused on the needs of returning female veterans. It said that recent research indicates that female veterans have a higher risk of developing depression than their male counterparts, though they are less likely to commit suicide.

"For more than a decade, female military service members have been subject to repeat deployments, have endured prolonged separation from families, have served side by side with men, and have been exposed to harsh wartime conditions, including witnessing death and destruction," the report said.

The IOM report also said that the support services it provides to military families tends to focus on married, heterosexual couple and their children. The panel said the military needs to ensure its support services also help single parents, same-sex couples and stepfamilies.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/report-pentagon-must-more-prevent-assaults-153030149--politics.html

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US stocks fall on broad concern about Europe

Stocks reversed an early gain on Wall Street Monday as traders returned to worrying about the European economy. Optimism about a deal to prevent financial collapse in Cyprus had briefly pushed the Standard & Poor's 500 index to within a half-point of its record closing high, but the indexes soon turned negative, scuttling a rally in Europe.

The S&P 500 was down 0.4 percent just before 1 p.m. Eastern time. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 0.6 percent, and the Nasdaq composite average slipped 0.5 percent.

Wall Street had opened higher, following markets in Europe and Asia. Traders were relieved that international lenders agreed early Monday to release 10 billion euros ($13 billion) of emergency rescue funds for Cyprus. The European Central Bank will continue to support the nation's foundering banks. In exchange, Cyprus will shrink its banking industry, cut its budget, implement economic reforms and privatize some state assets. The measures will result in heavy losses for its banks' bondholders and people with large deposits in bank accounts.

The deal to save Cyprus' banks erased a source of anxiety for investors, who have traded for more than three years under the cloud of a debt crisis in Europe. The fear is that a heavily indebted country will default on its financial obligations and be forced to exit the shared currency. That could cause the eurozone to unravel, deepening the recession there and roiling international financial markets.

Stocks turned negative about an hour into the trading day as fear about Europe's economic woes returned to the fore. Business activity in nations that use the euro contracted more quickly in March, according to a survey of purchasing executives published Thursday by Markit, a data provider. Markit's Eurozone PMI fell to 46.5 from 47.9 in March, its worst decline in four months.

The Cyprus pact reminded traders that Europe still needs a long-term economic fix, said David Kelly, chief global strategist at J.P. Morgan Funds. Business activity in nations using the euro has declined continually since September 2011, according to the Markit PMI. The region's economy shrank 0.6 percent in 2012, according to Eurostat, the statistics office of Europe's central governing body.

European policy makers have avoided a financial crisis by flooding the market with cash, but they haven't addressed economic hardship on the ground, Kelly said. Lenders are demanding harsh concessions like those imposed on Cyprus in exchange for bailout money. He said that's tough to swallow for people facing high unemployment and government cutbacks in Greece, Italy, Spain and other countries that received bailouts.

"If they're going to end up broke anyway," Kelly said, it will be "harder and harder for people to make the sacrifices that Europe is demanding of them." That could lead voters in bailed-out countries to resist lenders' terms, increasing political and economic instability in Europe and weighing on global markets, he said.

Concern about Cyprus last week pushed U.S. stock indexes to only their second weekly loss this year. Investors watched closely as the small, Mediterranean island scrambled to satisfy its lenders and prevent its banks from collapsing.

The indexes rose Friday, in part because of strong earnings from U.S. companies. The increase also reflected traders' optimism that Cyprus would achieve a bailout deal, said Anthony Conroy, head trader at ConvergEx Group, which provides technology to support big traders like investment advisers and hedge funds. The Dow rose 91 points on Friday, the S&P 500 11 points.

Still, Conroy said, traders expect more turbulence from Europe before the crisis has been resolved. Given the uncertainty, it's not surprising that stocks would veer between positive and negative, he said.

"I think there's more to come," Conroy said. "When you have concern, you have volatility, and you're seeing volatility in here," he said.

European stocks were up when Wall Street opened Monday, but turned lower shortly after Wall Street's gains evaporated. France's CAC-40 was down 0.9 percent, London's FTSE 100 0.1 percent and Germany's DAX lost 0.4 percent.

Earlier, Asian stocks closed mostly higher on optimism about the Cyprus deal.

The S&P 500 fell seven points to 1,550. The loss was offset in part by big jumps for Apollo Group Inc. and McGraw-Hill Cos. Computer maker Dell Inc. also lifted the index as a bidding war broke out among investors who want to take the company private.

The Dow fell 83 points to 14,428. The Nasdaq dropped 15 points to 3,229.

As the final week of trading this quarter kicks off, the indexes are holding onto gains built during the long rally earlier this month. The Dow is up nearly 10 percent, the S&P 500 about 8.5 percent.

Conroy expects stocks to maintain their recent gains as short-term dips draw more traders into the market. Kelly agreed, noting that stocks typically decline in the last week of a strong quarter, as investors seek to lock in their gains.

Among the companies making big moves:

? Apollo Group soared after the for-profit education company said its quarterly net income exceeded Wall Street's expectations. The stock rose $1.77, or 11 percent, to $18.81.

? Dollar General's quarterly net income rose as the operator of discount stores attracted more customers and sold more goods. The stock rose 31 cents, or 0.6 percent, to $50.38.

? Dell rose 43 cents, or 3 percent, to $14.57. The company received competing bids from activist investor Carl Icahn, who offered $15 per share, and buyout firm Blackstone Group, which proposed a deal worth $14.25 per share. Founder Michael Dell had been in talks to take the company private for about $13.65 per share.

? McGraw-Hill Cos. rose strongly after it said it will resume an accelerated share buyback program capped at $500 million. The media company will use cash generated by the recent sale of its education business. Its stock rose $1.47, or 3 percent, to $49.84.

___

Daniel Wagner can be reached at www.twitter.com/wagnerreports.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-stocks-fall-broad-concern-europe-173923435--finance.html

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Japan to talk with EU on free trade negotiations

TOKYO -- Japan and the European Union agreed Monday to start negotiations for a free trade pact encompassing nations that account for nearly a third of the world economy.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso spoke by telephone for 30 minutes late Monday, a Japanese government spokesman said. A Japan-EU summit set to begin Monday in Tokyo was shelved because of the financial crisis in Cyprus.

The leaders agreed to launch the negotiations toward a "deep and comprehensive" free trade deal, with the first meeting set for next month, both sides said in a joint statement. The place for that meeting is not yet decided, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters.

As global momentum builds for regional trade pacts, Japan has been eager to get started on talks with Europe. Earlier this month, Abe announced Tokyo will join talks on a Pacific trade pact, the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership. The U.S and EU announced free trade talks earlier this year aimed at creating the world's largest free trade zone.

In the phone conversation, the three leaders exchanged views on Cyprus and reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing economic growth and ensuring financial stability. Cyprus secured an agreement early Monday that paves the way for a 10 billion euro ($13 billion) bailout.

European Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht met with Japanese government and business officials in Tokyo as scheduled.

Although resistance to lower tariffs is high in some Japanese industries, such as long-protected rice farmers, manufacturers and others are concerned about being left behind by the trade agreements that other countries are negotiating.

Among the likely beneficiaries of free trade are Japan's giant manufacturing exporters such as Toyota Motor Corp., the world's biggest automaker.

Japanese consumers may also have much to gain with access to cheaper imports, including new kinds of services. And boosts in spending may help breathe life into the Japanese economy, the world's third largest.

"It would be not only great for the manufacturers seeking exports. It should also lead to a more efficient domestic economy because of increased competition. And it's the Japanese consumer who will benefit," said Azusa Kato, economist at BNP Paribas.

The push to start talks on joining free trade deals is part of the Japanese prime minister's "Abenomics" strategy that includes super-easy money and generous public works spending.

Abenomics has already driven up the Tokyo stock market and brought down the yen, a boon for Japan's exporters.

Kato believes that industries that could change for the better include pharmaceuticals and medical services.

The EU is Japan's third largest destination for exports, and Japan's second largest source of imports after China. EU exports to Japan reached 49 billion euros in 2011, while EU imports from Japan were 69 billion euros.

A free trade agreement with Japan could boost Europe's economy by 0.6 percent to 0.8 percent, EU exports to Japan could increase by 32 percent and Japanese exports to the EU could increase by 23 percent, according to the EU. The deal could also create 420,000 jobs in Europe, it said.

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/03/24/3305092/japan-to-talk-with-eu-on-free.html

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