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cheap nike shoes storeOh, Internet. You're so predictable. Even before President Obama had made his announcement on Sunday night, the Internet was already swirling with rumors and speculations about the death of Osama bin Laden. And amid the rumors and speculation were, of course, jokes about the death of Osama bin Laden. (More on TIME.com: That MLK quote going around? It's sorta fake) There were of course the obvious jokes about Donald Trump wanting to see the death certificate. There were also the fake Twitter accounts, like @OsamaInHell. cheap hermes birkinThen came the photoshop jobs. And don't even get us started on the late-night jokes. And though these sorts of jokes and memes abound anytime something noteworthy happens in the world, when people make light of a particularly significant event, whether it be a catastrophe or the death of a terrorist, people are bound to be offended. As Brenna Ehrlich over at Mashable points out, some jokes can toe the line between funny and tasteless; others can just blow right past it. She points to Next Media Animation which released video "depicting bin Laden's gruesome death, soldiers urinating on his body, and, finally, his spirit being gang-raped by pigs. That video has since been taken down." So, yes, clearly some people can go too far. replica coach handbagsBut everyone's line of appropriate differs and when it comes to "appropriate" reactions to heavy news, well that's a pretty gray area to begin with. Some people genuinely react to serious or even tragic news by cracking jokes--this was also true before the Internet. (More on TIME.com: Inside bin Laden's hideout) So what to do if you're the sort of person who doesn't find these memes or wisecracks funny but actually find them outright offensive? It's probably best to ignore them--or avoid the Internet all together. Coach New ArrivalsThey're certainly not going away anytime soon. Or you could try to see the humor in things like Hitler's reaction to bin Laden's death.

nike sb shoesYet more evidence that friends and family are the best medicine: a new study finds that the most social seniors had a 70% reduction in the rate of cognitive decline, compared with their least social peers. The study followed 1,138 people for an average of five years. None of the participants, whose average age was 79.6, had dementia at the start of the study. Because the study followed people over time, starting from when they were mentally healthy, the findings shed light on the question of whether it's early signs of dementia that cause social isolation, or whether it's a lack of sociability that causes a greater risk of mental decline. "The problem was what came first, the chicken or the egg," says lead author Bryan James, a postdoctoral fellow at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago. "We followed people for up to 12 to 14 years so we were able to look at not just changes in cognition but changes in social activity. birkin bag That way we were able to see which preceded the other." (More on Time.com: Feeling Alone Together: How Loneliness Spreads) To measure participants' levels of social activity, the researchers used a questionnaire that inquired about things like visits to relatives and friends; participation in activities such as bingo, sporting events, restaurant-going or volunteering; attendance at religious ceremonies; and active membership in groups like the Knights of Columbus. Responses to the questionnaire produced a numerical score of social activity. Each one-point increase on the social activity score was linked to a 47% drop in the rate of decline in cognitive function, the researchers found. An earlier study of the same group of elderly participants by the same researchers also found that each one-point increase in sociability reduced the risk of becoming physically disabled by 43%. "Not only is socializing linked to mental and thinking ability, it's also about how well you live independently," says James. (More on TIME.com: Friends Are Key to Health and Long Life) The researchers controlled for factors like personality and the size of participants' social networks and still found a large effect of actual social activity. Previous studies have found that severe social isolation is at least as deadly as smoking — doubling your risk of early death — and that those with more and higher-quality relationships are at lower risk for a host of illnesses including heart disease and stroke. Coach Outlet In fact, having strong friendships or family connections reduces your risk of early death more than exercising or avoiding obesity does — and as a bonus for most of us, it's more fun and takes less willpower. So why is interaction with friends and family so healing? Our stress response is intimately linked with our social connections — that's why holding Mom's hand, even as an adult, can lower blood pressure for most people, and why infants raised with minimal human contact are at many times the risk of childhood death as those with loving families.Coach Heels&Sandals Lack of social contact is stressful for all social animals, and high chronic stress increases risk of cardiovascular disease, some cancers, obesity, all mental illnesses and addictions. "Socializing relieves stress, and there's a huge connection between stress and problems with the brain as we get older," says James. (More on Time.com: The Soothing Effect of Mom's Voice) The evolution of the human brain seems to have been driven by the complexity of our social world. Our social life is the most complex of any primate and involves greater numbers of relationships. Coach HandbagsIndeed, in primates, the number of members involved in social groups is linked with bigger neocortexes — the region of the brain that is associated with the highest cognitive functions and is, in humans, most highly developed.

Nike outletOsama bin Laden, the glowering mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed thousands of Americans, was killed in an operation led by the United States, President Barack Obama said Sunday. A small team of Americans killed bin Laden in a firefight at a compound in Pakistan, the president said in a dramatic late-night statement at the White House. (See TIME's 2001 cover story on the 9/11 attacks.) A jubilant crowd gathered outside the White House as word spread of bin Laden's death after a global manhunt that lasted nearly a decade. "Justice has been done," the president said. Former President George W. birkin bag Bush, who was in office on the day of the attacks, issued a written statement hailing bin Laden's death as a momentous achievement. "The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done," he said. Few details were immediately available of the operation that resulted in bin Laden's death, although the president said none of the Americans involved was harmed. (See pictures of Osama bin Laden.) The development comes just months before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. Coach Handbags11 attacks on the World Trade Centers and Pentagon, orchestrated by bin Laden's al-Qaida organization, that killed more than 3,000 people. The attacks set off a chain of events that led the United States into wars in Afghanistan, and then Iraq, and America's entire intelligence apparatus was overhauled to counter the threat of more terror attacks at home. Al-Qaida was also blamed for the 1998 bombings of two U.S. Coach Bootsembassies in Africa that killed 231 people and the 2000 attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 American sailors in Yemen, as well as countless other plots, some successful and some foiled.

cheap nike shoes storeSome big news from New Delhi today on one of the world's biggest outstanding defense orders: the $10 billion contract to supply 126 fighter jets to the Indian Air Force. After the news broke that both U.S. bids were out of the running, the U.S. Ambassador to India, Timothy Roemer, resigned. This morning's newspapers revealed that the Indian government has said no to both U.S. companies vying for the order. Boeing's F/A-18 Superhornet and Lockheed Martin's F-16 Superviper were both in the running but were notified yesterday that they didn't make the final cut. The Russian and Swedish bids were also knocked out, leaving France's Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon, from a European consortium. As Pramit Pal Chaudhuri writes in the Hindustan Times: "Defence Minister AK Antony has been signaling privately for weeks that the Indian Air Force and his ministry would go for one of the European fighters." This is not entirely a surprise. The F-16 is the same jet Pakistan has; India would want something that gives it a strategic advantage over its primary rival. The F-18, on the other hand, was at one point considered a front runners. But Boeing's top India executive, Vivek Lall, announced his departure from Boeing at the end of March, reportedly to join Reliance Industries. hermes birkin bagThat's not the move of someone expecting a big win. Indian officials have made no secret of their desire to "diversify" their fleet, a signal that they would no longer rely on Russian aircraft. That left the Europeans, with Eurofighter the most upfront about its willingness to share technology with India. The U.S., on the other hand, is much more restrictive. More surprising was the American reaction. The U.S. Ambassador to India, Timothy Roemer, issued a statement confirming the news, in which his pique is apparent: Ambassador Roemer noted, “We are reviewing the documents received from the Government of India and are respectful of the procurement process. We are, however, deeply disappointed by this news. We look forward to continuing to grow and develop our defense partnership with India and remain convinced that the United States offers our defense partners around the globe the world's most advanced and reliable technology. Coach Outlet I have been personally assured at the highest levels of the Indian government that the procurement process for this aircraft has been and will be transparent and fair. I am extremely confident that the Boeing F/A 18IN and Lockheed-Martin F- 16IN would provide the Indian Air Force an unbeatable platform with proven technologies at a competitive price. A coincidence? Perhaps. Roemer has served for nearly two years, a typical tenure, and hosted an extremely successful visit by Barack Obama to New Delhi in November. He has focused on building commercial ties, and as a political appointee he may want to get back to the States to help with Obama's re-election bid. Coach Wallets I think it's more likely that India's famously prickly foreign ministry was just as piqued in turn by Roemer's remarks, and made its displeasure known. On paper, the new strategic partnership between India and the U.S. remains intact — and the two countries need each other in Afghanistan — but this relationship will take much longer to become a working reality.

nike sb shoesThe conventional wisdom inside the Beltway is that Sarah Palin’s relatively low profile means she’s peaked, she’s over, she’s not running for President. I’m not so sure. In fact, I think all signs point to Palin laying the tracks for a run. Here are five reasons not to count out a Palin candidacy: 1. She just launched a new website yesterday that could significantly boost her grassroots outreach and fundraising. On the site, supporters can ask Palin to appear at events, donate money to her political action committee and follow her latest musings on Facebook and Twitter. No, this isn’t a website for corporations looking to hire a speaker for $100,000 a pop — the kind of speech Palin’s been giving for the last two years. “I guess people could request almost anything but this is more for grassroots political events,” says Tim Crawford, SarahPAC’s treasurer. “Any corporate engagements we’d pass immediately on to the Washington Speaker’s Bureau,” which books Palin’s paid speeches. This is Palin’s first serious foray into online fundraising that harnesses her social network popularity. It will be interesting when her PAC reports its fundraising numbers in July how much dough the new site brings in. Sure, she’s still giving paid speeches and commenting on Fox News (unlike Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum). birkin bagBut this website is the clearest indication yet that she’s turning away from money making to focus on politics. 2. Palin has said repeatedly that she’d only get into the race if there was no other viable candidate. “I would consider it if there is no one else running who represents the common sense principles our country needs to secure our children and grandchildren’s futures,” she told me last November. Now, let’s look at the brouhaha stirred up by Donald Trump; can we seriously say the base isn’t hankering for a candidate with a little more flair? Unlike her more cautious potential rivals – ahem, Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty — she didn’t just praise Paul Ryan for his budget — she actually endorsed the plan itself. As with her midterm endorsements in 2010, she’s making a bold play for the Tea Party vote. Of course, she may have some serious competition from Michele Bachmann, but Palin still has the potential to be queen of the Tea Party. 3. Palin has always set herself up as the anti-Obama.Discount Coach Handbags She told me last November that the only path to victory is by drawing the strongest contrast. But, as Human Events notes, she’s also the anti-McCain: Beloved by the base and at odds with the media. She’s also becoming an outspoken union critic (despite the fact that she used to promote herself as the wife of a union man). This past weekend in Madison, after lavishing praise on Gov. Scott Walker’s battle with the public sector unions, she proudly announced: “The 2012 election begins here!” and “Mr. President, game on!” There weren’t any other potential 2012 contenders in the crowd. 4. Palin has always promised to be an untraditional candidate who refuses to kiss up to the establishment (In Madison, she declared: “I’ll take on the GOP establishment… We didn’t elect you just to rearrange the deck chairs on a sinking Titanic. We didn’t elect you to just stand back and watch Obama redistribute those deck chairs. What we need is for you to stand up, GOP, and fight.”) It may be old news, but there’s no escaping the fact that she has made all the traditional motions of a presidential candidate in waiting: She published two books; she endorsed, campaigned and raised money for midterm candidates in 2010; and she traveled abroad to Israel earlier this year, an essential pilgrimage for any Republican presidential wannabe. 5. Palin has been unusually low-key of late — she’s not putting herself out there as relentlessly as she did in 2010. If absence makes the heart grow fonder, some distance from the spotlight might be exactly what Palin needs to recover from low approval ratings. Coach Boots Her true believers will be all the more thrilled if and when she launches herself back into the fray for 2012.

hermes birkinPotential presidential contender Donald Trump hit back at Robert De Niro on Monday on the heels of the Hollywood A-lister making critical remarks about his presidential ambitions for the next election cycle. "Well he’s not the brightest bulb on the planet," said Trump of De Niro during a phone interview on "Fox & Friends." "I’ve been watching him over the years and I like his acting, but you know in terms of when I watch him doing interviews and various other things, we’re not dealing with Albert Einstein." Over the weekend at the Tribeca Film Festival, De Niro weighed in on the prospect of a Trump 2012 campaign in a live interview with NBC News anchor Brian Williams. "I won't mention names, but there are certain people on the news in the last couple of weeks -- what they're doing is crazy," he said of the potential presidential candidate, according to the Daily Beast. coach outlet"They're making statements about people that they don't even back up. Go get the facts before you start saying things about people." Williams sought clarification from De Niro that his remarks were applicable to Trump. Presumably referring to the billionaire's "Celebrity Apprentice " reality show he asked the Oscar-winning actor, "Any of those people have shows on my network on Sunday night?" De Niro's response: "Yes." He then explained, "It’s like a big hustle. It’s like being a car salesman. Don’t go out there and say things unless you can back them up. How dare you? That’s awful to do. cheap nike shoes storeTo just go out and speak and say these terrible things? Unless you just wanna get over and get the job. It’s crazy.” Trump, who has captured headlines and sparked controversy with his persistence in raising doubt over President Barack Obama's birthplace, said on Monday morning in response to De Niro's remarks, "He can say what he wants, but the fact is that this guy has not revealed his birth certificate and a lot of people agree with me.” Trump also sought to defend himself against scrutiny of his voting record on "Fox & Friends." It was revealed over the weekend that the potential candidate hasn't voted in a primary election since 1989. "In terms of the general election, my record is very good," he said. "Generally-speaking, I like to vote. Coach Heels&Sandals I'm a believer in voting, I will tell you."