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BOSTON (AP) In the summer of 1996, Mitt Romney received a frantic report from one of his fellow executives at Bain Capital.

Robert Gay's 14-year-old daughter, Melissa, had gone missing after taking a train into New York City, Gay told Romney. Gay said he and his wife, Lynette, had contacted the police and were desperately trying to track down Melissa.

She might have become lost in an underworld rave party scene after attending a party on Randall's Island on the city's East River. Rave parties were typically all-night affairs punctuated by the use of the drug Ecstasy, which can induce euphoria or hallucinations. The Gays feared their daughter might be unable to contact home.

Romney stepped in and committed Bain's resources to help with the search.

"I said let's close the firm, let's close the company we were in Boston and let's all of us fly down to New York and try to find her," Romney recalled recently when ask about the incident at a rally in Ohio this month. "So we closed the business, we went home and packed our things."

The search ultimately led to a home in New Jersey where Melissa was found safe. Soon she was back with her family.

As Romney, now a Republican presidential candidate, explained it, his decision at Bain was what anyone would have done.

His recounting at the campaign event was one of the few times has spoken publicly about the matter.

But his political campaigns and allies have not hesitated to highlight the story at critical times as he has looked to sell himself to voters as a can-do leader and manager who takes charge in a crisis and gets results.

In this, his second presidential race, Romney's campaign has been built around the notion that the nation needs a president with deep experience in the private and public sectors. He has highlighted both his work as a businessman and his efforts turning around the financially troubled Salt Lake City Olympics. He has focused less on his four-year term as Massachusetts governor.

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In 1996, Romney led NYC search for runaway teen

Commander Shepard wakes with a start. You okay? asks his lover, stirring next to him. Got a lot on my mind, he answers gruffly. His lover responds with comforting words, gently laying a hand against his back.

As a scene from an epic role-playing video game, it seems surprisingly tender. Even more surprising, though, is the fact that the commanders companion is a naked black man with a body-builders physique.

The romance between the rugged starship commander and his comrade Cortez is only one of many relationship options available to players of the much anticipated Mass Effect 3, launched last week by Edmonton-based BioWare. But its the one that has sparked a flame war on gamer sites all over the world.

BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka told mega gaming blog Kotaku last fall that the games gay element was in response to compelling feedback from fans requesting more choice in romantic scenarios. While critics have delivered glowing reviews, commenters on the popular review aggregator Metacritic are complaining about the games homosexual content.

What were they thinking? Putting gay scenes into video games? wrote one Metacritic user. The homosexual views of this game are very offensive to my Christian beliefs. I think Bioware should be much more aware of how many of their fans are Christians, wrote another.

Kevin VanOrd, a gay man who writes for one of the Webs top video game sites, Gamespot, said he received homophobic responses from readers after posting his positive review of Mass Effect 3.

BioWare has hardly burdened the unwitting masses with explicit gay subject matter, he notes in a blog on the Huffington Post, theyve simply allowed me to see my in-game character as I see myself.

BioWare regularly delivers some of the most compelling action available in modern role-playing games, but its the Canadian studios penchant for creating rich, multi-dimensional characters that consistently brings their games into the spotlight.

Thats never been truer than in the companys sci-fi-themed Mass Effect series, which allows players to create complex avatars and to build nuanced relationships romantic and sexual with other characters. Commander Shepard can also be played as a woman, with players able to guide her into a romantic relationship with either male or female characters.

The franchise also examines racism, in the form of extraterrestrial discrimination. The theme of ethics in scientific experimentation when do the ends justify the means? runs through the series. It even reflects tensions in the Middle East through a homeland war that has rendered an entire species nomadic.

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Video game's gay characters spark flame war

15-03-2012 10:15 (www.abndigital.com) Jeremy Mansfield and his expert guest take a closer look at cutting financial costs. Joining Jeremy in studio is Joe Cimino, Corporate Solutions Director at Financial Fitness Training, and Jim Millar, MD of Financial Fitness Training.

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Cutting Financial Costs - Part 2 - Video

By Kate Hessling Assistant News Editor

UPPER THUMB When it comes to determining how wind turbines should be taxed, the State Tax Commission showed its hand when it took action last fall that would significantly lower values. Now, local governments in a statewide coalition have shown their hand.

The coalition has obtained a legal opinion and information to support the position that the state commissions ruling does not accurately reflect the true cash value of wind turbines.

Which hand will sway the ultimate decision of how turbines will be valued? Thats up to the local board of reviews and assessors.

The board is governed by the state Constitution, which requires it to work by fact when evaluating the taxable value of a property.

This is something thats been in Michigan law for a very long time, he said. They have to weigh the facts that they have and make a determination of what the value is.

The State Tax Commission is responsible for providing a format to help assessors determine the true cash value to be placed on a property. But, assessors and boards of review can consider other facts when determining true cash values, Schlichting said.

In fact, both assessors and boards of review have the legal authority and obligation to deviate from the use of the State Tax Commissions wind turbine assessment information if it determines the commissions findings do not reflect true cash value for the turbines being assessed, according to the coalitions legal opinion.

In making its changes last fall, the State Tax Commission determined the value of a one- to two-year-old turbine is much lower than previously considered. In determining the value, the commission ignored the income approach to valuating turbines because they are classified as personal property, according to a response to a Freedom of Information Act request that State Tax Commission Chairman Douglas B. Roberts sent the Michigan Township Association. The Michigan Township Association is part of the statewide coalition of local government officials from Huron, Tuscola, Sanilac, Gratiot and Mason counties.

The coalition had been working on obtaining the data the State Tax Commission used last fall when it made the changes that would lower the taxable value of wind turbines. An initial response to a FOIA request seeking a copy of that research that led to the change stated that no documentation exists with the Michigan Department of Treasury. In the response to a subsequent FOIA request, Douglas writes, the basis for change was common sense, because the commission could not find any sales studies for used wind turbines. Therefore, it couldnt use the usual selling price to define the true cash value of used wind turbines.

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Wind turbines: What are theyworth at tax time?

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire -03/16/12)- Thomson Reuters, the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, recently published its Sixth Edition of its corporate report, Brazil Tax, Law and Business Briefing through its WorldTrade Executive (WTE) brand.

The Report provides key legal and tax considerations for investors as they evaluate possible transactions in Brazil, such as acquiring or launching a business or entering into a joint venture or strategic alliance.

"Brazil's regulations on worldwide income taxation, transfer pricing and, more recently, thin capitalization rules provide challenges for businesses operating in the region," said Gary Brown, senior director of WTE, the Tax & Accounting business of Thomson Reuters. "The Report illuminates the nuances of Brazil's tax code based on the insights of advisors who understand them."

Contributors to the Report include senior experts at major accounting and law firms in the region, such as from Ernst & Young; PwC; Pinheiro Neto Advogados; Trench, Rossi e Watanabe Advogados; Sullivan & Cromwell; Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy; McDermott Will & Emery; White & Case; and Dewey & LeBoeuf.

Highlights of the topics include:

For more information on Brazil Tax, Law and Business Briefing, including a full table of contents, go to http://www.wtexecutive.com.

Under the WTE brand, Thomson Reuters also publishes Latin American Law and Business Report, Practical Latin American Tax Strategies, and Venture Equity Latin America as well as other periodicals and reports covering international transactions.

About Thomson Reuters Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, healthcare and science and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 55,000 people and operates in over 100 countries. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges (symbol: TRI - News). For more information, go to http://www.thomsonreuters.com.

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Thomson Reuters Releases New Edition of "Brazil Tax, Law and Business Briefing"