They are expecting their first child soon. I have been left out of all the excitement of the baby. She has not invited me to the baby showers or to see the nursery, etc. I know it's not all about me, but I would like to be included.

My side of the family doesn't seem to matter to her or my son. Because he doesn't stand up for me, I fear I will never get to be close to my grandchild. I don't want to upset them, but how do I handle this? -- SAD GRANDMA-TO-BE

DEAR SAD: Talk to your son about your feelings, and ask if there is a reason for his wife's behavior. Then ask if he wants you to be a part of his child's life, because the way things are going, it doesn't appear to be the case. That you haven't been invited to the baby showers is terrible, but nothing will change until you bring your concerns out into the open.

I'm sad to say your problem isn't unusual, and it usually happens in marriages where the husband is afraid or unwilling to talk about uncomfortable subjects and prefers to avoid confrontation.

DEAR ABBY: I have been a widower for 15 years. I had kids at home, so restarting romantic life wasn't a priority after my wife died. Ten years later, I realized I was no longer interested in women, and my love life since then has been with men. While I have never been vocal about it with family and friends, I assume they all probably know.

A couple of months ago, one of my male friends -- much younger than I and from my poker group -- came to my home to take me to lunch. I had always assumed he was gay. I made a pass and ended up seducing him. He was a great sex partner, but he changed his mind about going to lunch afterward. He has never shown up for poker since and no one has heard from him.

I feel bad, but I am not ashamed and I would never say anything that would lead anyone to know what happened. Should I contact my former friend and reassure him? He's a good man and I worry about him. -- MISSING A FRIEND IN MIAMI

DEAR MISSING: The man you seduced may not have been as comfortable with gay sex as you assumed he was. Try to contact him once, but if he wanted to see you again, he wouldn't have disappeared. My advice is to leave it at that because it appears he isn't interested in another round of poker -- or anything else -- with you.

DEAR ABBY: I have discovered that the man I have been seeing for several years has been stealing money from me. There is no question in my mind that it's him. What is the best way to confront him? It breaks my heart, but I need to give him a chance to be honest about this.

I care for him as a person but no longer trust him. I know he's going through a lot right now, but so are a lot of us. Please guide me. I don't do confrontations well. -- USED IN INDIANA

DEAR USED: If you have proof of what he has done, a way to approach it would be to discuss with him in a public place that money has disappeared -- and you would like his "help" in figuring out where it went. Depending upon his response, you may have to take specific action by involving your lawyer, your CPA or the police.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby ator P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

What teens need to know about sex, drugs, AIDS and getting along with peers and parents is in "What Every Teen Should Know." Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $7 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)

While I am obviously disappointed in the ruling, it is always critical that we protect our system of checks and balances, Boehner said Wednesday in a statement. The day before, he didnt respond at all to the courts blow to the Voting Rights Act, even thoughfor years to come.

Boehners cautious positioning reflects the squeeze both court rulings put on a Republican Party torn between its traditional values and a desire to modernize and expand before the 2014 and 2016 elections. Crusading against gay marriage, a timeworn Republican strategy to rally social conservatives, is out of step with polls that show increasing support for gay marriage, particularly among young voters.  The court also put congressional Republicans on the spot by demanding a rewrite of the landmark law protecting minority voting rights, setting up potentially awkward battles with African-American and Hispanic leaders that would reprise the rallying cry in those communities last year over voter ID laws.

The politics on these issues are changing, and its smart to be careful, said Republican consultant John Feehery, a former adviser to House leadership. Years ago, gay marriage was something that you were able to rile the base with and it became part of an electoral strategy, but opinion seems to be evolving pretty quickly. The Voting Rights Act is also a combustible issue, and there are risks for getting involved.

Thats exactly why the Democratic Party is flogging both court rulings. Rep. Steve Israel of New York, who leads the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said Wednesday that the gay marriage ruling shows how extreme and intolerance House Republicans really are. Democratic gubernatorial candidates from Barbara Buono in New Jersey to Terry McAuliffe in Virginia also picked fights with their Republican opponents over the court rulings. Gov. Chris Christie is still blocking marriage equality. He is trying to be more conservative than Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and the rest of the Tea Party, Buonos daughter said in a fundraising appeal. Similar requests from Democratic candidates and groups are coming rapid fire this week, calling for checks to fund historic battles for marriage equality and voting rights.

Coupled with ongoing debates over immigration and abortion, the court rulings markthat could hamstring Republican outreach to women, young voters and minorities in the wake of the 2012 election. Recent skirmishes include a House vote banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, another House vote rejecting President Obamas policy to halt deportations of illegal immigrants brought here as children, and this week, an explosive filibuster of a bill backed by Republican Gov. Rick Perry of Texas to regulate abortion clinics. Democratic attacks portray these efforts to block immigration reform or limit abortion as proof of the GOPs hostility toward minorities and war on women.

Many Republicans are eager for the national debate to return to President Obamas spending and health care law -- which fueled historic GOP gains in 2010 -- and away from issues that pit the party against demographic tides and public opinion.

At some point our party has got to come to grip with fact that the world is moving on and being bound by old theories and traditions is not healthy for the future of the party or their candidates, said Republican strategist Rich Galen, who was among dozens of prominent members of his party who signed a pro-gay marriage legal brief.  If young people see the masters in Washington use the issue to gin up the conservative right, they may just roll their eyes. I think this is a good test for the Republican Party to see how it wants to be seen in the 21st century.

Withstanding pressure from the right wing of the party will be the first trial. Ralph Reed, chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, called Wednesday for federal legislation to reinstate a same-sex marriage ban. He noted that many of the more than 30 state bans have passed with healthy margins.

Republicans shouldnt be trying to disassociate themselves from marriage they should be hugging it tighter, Reed said. It serves to engender greater intensity and enthusiasm at the grassroots level among faith-based activists and voters. I dont think this is a hard call for the Republican Party.

Rep. Tim Huelskamp of Kansas, a staunch conservative and Boehner nemesis, is ready to lead the charge for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. But the message from Boehner and other Republican leaders on Wednesday was clear: leave the issue to the states. The states will now decide this issue through the democratic process, said Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the 2012 vice presidential nominee.

That stance marks a dramatic shift from just six years ago, when former President George W. Bush pushed a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Even Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a potential presidential contender who recently said , urged states to pick up the issue.

I appreciate that many Americans attitude towards same-sex marriage have changed in recent years, he said in a statement. I respect the rights of states to allow same-sex marriages, even though I disagree with them. But I also expect that the decisions made by states like Florida to define marriage as between one man and one woman will also be respected.

The measured reaction from Rubio and other prominent Republicans contrasted with the unabashed outrage expressed by Democrats to the voting rights decision. SCOTUS took a step backward on voting rights, on civil rights, & on justice for all, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi wrote on Twitter. The decision is a cue for Congress to strengthen the law. Democrats could benefit politically from taking on the issue: some of the most closely watched Senate race in 2014 are in Southern states where African-American turnout typically light in mid-term elections -- will be pivotal.

The voter ID laws definitely made Republicans look bad, and if they refuse to do something on the Voting Rights Act, Democrats are going to use that to their advantage, said Lanae Erickson Hatalsky, director of social policy and politics at Third Way, a non-partisan think tank.

In the Virginia governors race, Democratic nominee McAuliffe pounced this week on his opponents positions on voting rights and gay marriage. Ginning up turnout of the Democratic base is key for McAuliffe to beat Republican Ken Cuccinelli in an off-year election. "Unlike my opponent, I believe that, while we have made progress, protections are still necessary to ensure that Virginians are allowed to exercise their right to vote without the risk of disenfranchisement, McAuliffe said in a statement. 

The Voting Rights Act requires several states, mostly in the south, to get federal approval before changing electoral practices. Cuccinelli emphasized that every persons vote counts but added, I do not believe we have the institutional bigotry like we had before. His senior advisor, Chris LaCivita warned that McAuliffe should tread carefully. Any attempt to use it in the context that implies race or that implies not everyone would have right to vote would be viewed as over the top, insulting to Virginians and will backfire, he said.

This week has shown, however, the Democratic impulse to hammer Republicans over minority voting rights and gay marriage, is a powerful one.

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Arthur Newman" made headlines when it debuted last spring, but it wasn't for the film's onscreen coupling of Oscar-winner Colin Firth and rising star Emily Blunt. The media attention instead centered on an innovative marketing campaign driven by an odd couple pairing of a Hollywood studio and BitTorrent.

The film flopped, racking up roughly $200,000 in limited box-office release, but BitTorrent is claiming that its efforts in raising awareness of "Arthur Newman" were a rousing success.

Cinedigm, the indie studio behind the film partnered with the open-source technology maker to offer up the first seven minutes of the film exclusively to BitTorrent users, and BitTorrent reports that they downloaded the content 2.7 million times between April 22, 2013 when the content went live and May 7, 2013.

BitTorrent also reports that the number of downloads it generated is nearly 40 times the number of YouTube views the film's trailer generated.

In addition, it states that 43 percent of the traffic to the "Arthur Newman" website was driven by BitTorrent.

"There is real value here," Matt Mason, BitTorrent's vice president of marketing, told TheWrap. "The people who use BitTorrent are fans and they are willing to pay for content."

Studio executives have pushed back against that contention; many see BitTorrent and its file-sharing technology as being synonymous with online piracy. The promotional deal between BitTorrent and Cinedigm received a hostile reception in certain circles of the movie business.

"It's a deal with the devil," one studio executive told TheWrap at the time. "Cinedigm is being used as their pawn."

BitTorrent has never endorsed copyright infringement, arguing that it is a technology company, not a purveyor of pirated content.

Its technology may have been utilized by sites like Pirate Bay that have run afoul of copyright laws, but the company has been trying to change the movie business' negative perceptions and it thinks the results from its "Arthur Newman" promotion may help in that effort. Mason said that he's noticed attitudes are shifting.

"BitTorrent is an emotionally charged word and we get that, but we're working every day to change that context," Mason said. "What's changed has been that we're having a lot more conversations with studios... it's a cascade thing, there's been too many people contacting us and we're not able to work with everyone."

Both Cinedigm and BitTorrent acknowledge that they would have liked to have seen stronger box office results on "Arthur Newman," but a studio spokeswoman argues that the awareness the file-sharing site generated will help drive home entertainment sales when "Arthur Newman" debuts on iTunes and in stores like Wal-Mart this summer.

"This is going to allow our audience to grow over time across all platforms," Jill Calcaterra, Cinedigm's chief marketing officer, told TheWrap. "This promotion was undertaken to bolster the whole life-cycle of the film, not just one piece, and we'll be reaping the rewards from all these impressions and downloads and exposure for years to come."

Calcaterra said that Cinedigm has agreed to partner with BitTorrent on marketing campaigns around six films. Their next collaboration "Absence," is an alien abduction film that hits theaters in July. The BitTorrent campaign will be timed to its home-entertainment debut a month later and will feature original content in the form of "found footage" of the extraterrestrials.

Cinedigm is also weighing how it will use BitTorrent to promote "Short Term 12," a foster care drama it is releasing in theaters on August 23.

Calcaterra said the goal is to get a better sense of BitTorrent's audience of 170 million users with each promotion - to see what types of content and genres work and what holds less appeal.

"As an industry, we have to try new things and embrace change so we can uncover more opportunities," she said. "We're really happy to have been the first mover on a platform like BitTorrent."

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman told reporters the administration had accepted an industry petition to consider revoking Ecuador's benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences program.

That petition pre-dates current tension between the two countries over former American intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who is seeking asylum in the Latin American country.

(Reporting by Doug Palmer; Editing by Sandra Maler)

VIENNA (Reuters) - Legalizing drugs was no "silver bullet" that would make organized crime disappear, President Barack Obama's drugs policy chief said on Wednesday, as Latin American countries explore relaxing penalties for the personal use of narcotics.

Gil Kerlikowske, a former police chief, told an international meeting in Vienna that arresting more users and building prisons to put them in was also not the answer to the drug problem in the United States.

Instead, this year's U.S. National Drug Control Strategy presented a "third way ... rooted in a science-based approach to drug addiction as a disease of the brain that can be prevented, treated and from which people can recover."

Kerlikowske said he had banished the phrase "war on drugs" after taking office four years ago, and the U.S. federal government now spent more on drug prevention and treatment than domestic law enforcement.

But "the end of the 'war on drugs' does not mean we are giving up on our efforts or making dangerous, addictive drugs more easily available for abuse," Kerlikowske added.

RETHINK IN LATIN AMERICA

Countries in Latin America, the world's top producer of cocaine and marijuana, have begun openly to challenge the 40-year orthodoxy of a U.S.-led "war on drugs" that sought to stamp out the cultivation and distribution of drugs.

Frustrated by ceaseless bloodshed and a perception that the United States had not done enough to curb its own drug consumption, many leaders in the region have debated the possibility of legalizing drugs.

In Mexico, more than 70,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence since former President Felipe Calderon launched a military-led campaign against the drug gangs in 2006.

Ten years ago, the United States might have reacted with alarm to any shift in Latin American drug policies, but Obama's administration has refrained from openly criticizing changes in drug laws partly because U.S. attitudes are also in flux.

But Kerlikowske, Obama's director of national drug control policy, did warn against expecting a quick fix by Legalizing drugs. Earlier this month, Vermont became the 17th U.S. state to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana.

He said legalization was not a "silver bullet that would magically cause transnational organized crime to disappear ... that is a fallacy and a distraction from global efforts to disrupt and dismantle" such criminal gangs.

The United States is "engaged in confronting violent transnational criminal organizations across the globe," he said.

Kerlikowske was speaking after the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, in an annual report published on Wednesday, said use of heroin and cocaine seemed to be declining in some parts of the world.

But the UNODC's 2013 World Drug Report also showed that abuse of prescription drugs and new psychoactive substances - marketed as "designer drugs" and "legal highs" - was increasing.

Use of new psychoactive substances - with names that entice young people into thinking they pose no risk - among youth in the United States appears to be more than twice as widespread as in the 27-nation European Union, the report said.

But cocaine consumption has plunged in the United States - the world's largest market for the drug. UNODC said it fell by 40 percent between 2006 and 2011, partly linked to less production in Colombia and violence between drug cartels.

(Editing by Mike Collett-White)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Stephen King took to Reddit to promote "Under the Dome" and answered questions from fans during the AMA session about anything but the new CBS series.

While fans weren't clamoring to inquire about the television adaptation of his 2009 novel of the same name, they did want to know a number of other things about the series' executive producer.

In case you were wondering, the author's favorite television show is FX's "The Americans," he deeply misses Hostess Sno Balls, is terrified of Alzheimer's disease and spiders, and his favorite piece of his own work is "Lisey's Story."

Here are 7 other things TheWrap learned about the master of horror:

King has been critical of a few of the films based on his novels, most notably Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining," so it makes sense that his favorite film or television project wasn't based on any of his pre-existing material.

"The best thing I wrote for film was the 'Storm of the Century' miniseries. That's one I still feel good about. You never get it all right, but we got most of it."

Although King is open to writing sequels to his novels, and wrote one to "The Shining," he'll never revisit 1987's horror tale "It."

"I don't think I could bear to deal with Pennywise again. Too scary, even for me."

King doesn't try to get his novels adapted for film and television - they just are.

"I never think about movie versions when I write, because that would put a border around my thinking. I just write the stories. If someone wants to make a movie, that's fine."

Speaking of King's many, many film adaptations, ever wonder which actors were able to best portray his particular vision for the characters they played?

"I'd say the four boys who played the kids in 'Stand By Me.' River Phoenix was a standout."

Electronic readers like Amazon's Kindle and Apple's iPad may be continually rising in popularity, but King will never give up on paper. For good reason, too.

"I like stories. The delivery system isn't as important to me as a good story. I will say this: if you drop a book into the toilet, it doesn't short out. And a lot of us read in the bathroom!"

The man loves his classic rock. Just not Led Zeppelin.

"Favorite musical act of all time? Probably Creedence Clearwater Revival. But AC/DC is close...and The Temptations...the Stones...ah, man, don't get me started. Just not Led Zeppelin."

For all the aspiring writers out there, there's only one way to deal with rejection from publishers. And it's certainly not giving up.

"I just went on to the next story - there's no way to deal with rejection other than to continue on, banging on the door."

Yahoo News asked voters to comment on President Barack Obama's climate change plan, which he largely unveiled in a speech on Tuesday. Here's one response.

COMMENTARY l President Obama's declaration from Tuesday is correct, but insufficient. The global warming debate is "obsolete," which was Obama's stand at the previous four UN conferences on climate change. Here was an unprecedented opportunity to elevate and re-frame the dumbed-down global-warming issue. Obama should have educated America fully on relationships between global temperature and chemical emissions. From now on, mankind manages Earth as a system. If our representatives are acting (or voting) on it, let's understand it.

The UN global climate model, the best science available, makes stark, devastating forecasts. From our time forward, policymakers must confront all the consequences of the model. It explains not only the current, long-term temperature trend's correlation with carbon-dioxide emissions, but also Earth's "clima(c)tic" history (mass extinctions!) and future terrestrial consequences of chemical, atmospheric and geological changes.

The president said Tuesday at Georgetown University, "As a president, as a father and as an American, I'm here to say we need to act." This San Francisco father and American agrees. Communities, corporations and humanity must change their behavior. Obama's proposed regulations, incentives and renewables permitting are similarly right, though inadequate. They're feasible examples for future improvement.

First change: Learn these ABC's of species survival. Each person, in every way possible, must make the changes indicated. They are vast, like political will for deferred gratification. (For instance: "We won't build pipelines we can't make clean.") They are immeasurably small -- coffee cups re-used, not thrown away to decay and release CO2. These changes are survival imperatives.

Anti-Social(Media) Product of the Week: A beer glass designed to pin down your annoying drinking companions mobile device, .

Do You Find Talking to Humans a Little Awkward? Maybe you can improve your social skills by spending a lot of time talking to a weird Uncanny Valley figure! ! That should help. Right? More info: Popular Science.

Cancel all meetings: And enjoy some crushingly adorable animated monsters performing painfully pathetic cover versions of familiar songs: . At least submitCreators Project interviews the heroic creator of these six (short) videos, Krist Luyckx, .

Beautifully Drawn Air Brakes? All My Eyes redeems wasted time on eBay by sharing unexpected visual delights, like this unlikely, but impressive, .

Are You Bad At Your Job? Actually, I dont want to know. But , slinging and hurling packages with aggressive disdain for whatever might be in them, will make you feel like a hero no matter how little you care about what youre paid to do. (Voiceover commentary provided by the fellow who shot this video through a plane window, and who occasionally cusses.)