The study entitled “The Early Adopters: Reading the Tea Leaves” found that activists are motivated by feelings of responsibility to future generations and belief in America’s founding principles. It also discovered evidence that they are a diverse group composed of individuals who—often for the first time in their lives—are becoming involved to change the political landscape and hold elected officials more accountable.

"A lot of surveys have focused on the Tea Party movement, but they’ve been about what others think of them," said Sam Adams Alliance chairman Eric O’Keefe.

"We decided to learn what the Tea Party leaders are up to [by asking them]," he added.

When queried about what issues are "very important" to them, a total of 92 percent of respondents said "budget," some 85 percent pointed to "economy," and 80 percent singled out "defense."

The poll’s authors also found that 86 percent oppose the formation of a third-party and that 62 percent identified themselves as Republicans. However, only a minority (36 percent) support Sarah Palin’s potential presidential bid in 2012.

Sam Adams Alliance is a non-profit organization that works to raise awareness of free market principles and policies.

The law was inspired by a government investigation that found widespread allegations that children were being abused through misuses of restraint and seclusion in classrooms.

Prepared by the Government Accountability Office, the report stated that children as young as 3 and 4 were disciplined using ropes, duct tape and chairs with straps and bungee cords to restrain or isolate them. The experience was nearly universal, affecting students with disabilities and without disabilities, and those who attended both public and private schools.

"This critical piece of legislation confronts the unimaginable situation in schools across the country whereby some of our nation’s most vulnerable children are treated in an inhumane and degrading manner," said Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), original sponsor of the bill.

However, the organization American Principles in Action did not agree, saying it will limit freedoms enjoyed by private and religious schools.

Its executive director, Andresen Blom, said that 80 percent of Catholic schools and a large number of independent private schools accept federal government funding. "Americans do not pay their hard-earned money to private schools in order to subject them to burdensome and subjective regulations written by unelected federal and state bureaucrats," he stated.

Brown will serve on the Armed Services, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs committees, pending Senate approval through a resolution.

The choices were inspired by the fact that the senator has served 30 years in the National Guard and holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He also championed veterans’ legislation for many years as a state legislator, according to the Needham Times.

"We are currently involved in two wars, and these committees are critical in keeping our country safe, as well as protecting the men and women who defend us," Brown said.

"It is equally important that the men and women in uniform receive the care and benefits they have earned through their selfless service," he added.

However, a Boston Globe editorial has expressed disappointment with the assignments, saying Brown’s new work "tilts too far" towards defense, and "doesn’t touch on many of the most vital domestic issues facing the country," such as healthcare reform. The latter was famously championed by the late Senator Edward Kennedy, whom Brown replaced in the special election held last January.

Researchers from the University of Naples in Italy analyzed 10 studies that were published between 1966 and 2009 that included nearly 280,000 adults. They discovered that a diet high in potassium was associated with a 19 percent decreased risk of stroke and an 8 percent lower risk of coronary artery disease, according to Health Day News.

The study’s findings were presented on March 3 at the American Heart Association’s Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism conference in San Francisco.

Meanwhile, at the same conference, a study presented by researchers from the Wageningen University in the Netherlands found that a diet high in raw fruits and vegetables may also protect against stroke.

After monitoring more than 20,000 men and women, aged 20 to 65, over a 10-year period, the researchers found that people with a high intake of raw vegetables and fruits were 36 percent less likely to suffer a stroke than those with a low intake of the foods.

Therese Dolecek, a research associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and her colleagues studied 351 women diagnosed with incident epithelial ovarian cancer. The patients were asked to complete a food frequency questionnaire and report their usual dietary intake over the five years prior to their diagnosis.

The researchers found that high total fruit and vegetable consumption was linked to an increased survival advantage. Moreover, participants who had an elevated intake of healthy grains tended to live longer.

However, above average consumption of less-healthy meats and dairy was associated with a survival rate disadvantage.

"The study findings suggest that food patterns three to five years prior to a diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancer have the potential to influence survival time," said Dolecek.

She added that "the pre-diagnosis food patterns observed to afford a survival advantage after an epithelial ovarian cancer diagnosis reflect characteristics commonly found in plant-based or low fat diets."

The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer will be reported this year.

Republicans have long accused the controversial anti-poverty group of widespread corruption and voter registration fraud, and have suggested that the organization has close ties to the current administration.

Shortly after the investigation began, Congress voted by a wide margin to cut off federal funding to ACORN, although that decision is currently being disputed in court.

Meanwhile, several of the organization’s offices have disbanded and resumed operations under new names and with similar staffs, Fox News Reports.

Although the two employees have been cleared, ACORN is still under federal investigation for fraud and corruption.

Kurt Bardella, spokesman for Representative Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), said that the federal inquiry "will expose the criminal nature of ACORN’s deliberate effort to abuse taxpayer dollars to advance a radical political agenda," according to the news source.

Perkins, who is a veteran of the Marine Corps, linked the retraction of the invitation to President Obama’s statement during the State of the Union address on Jan. 27, where he called on Congress to lift restrictions on service in the military by openly homosexual individuals. In the weeks since, the FRC has heavily criticized this proposal and urged Congress to uphold the "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy that excludes gays from military service.

"As one who took the oath to defend and protect our freedoms, I am disappointed that I’ve been denied the opportunity to speak to members of the military solely because I exercised my free speech rights in a different forum," Perkins said.

He also expressed concern that this portends a "serious threat" to religious freedom.

"Such legislation would not merely open the military to homosexuals. It would result in a zero-tolerance policy toward those who disapprove of homosexual conduct," Perkins warned.

Meanwhile, the support to repeal the current policy appears to have gained momentum since the State of the Union speech. In recent weeks it has been endorsed by several top military officers, including General David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East and General Ray Odierno, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. Retired General Colin Powell, who served as President George W. Bush’s secretary of state, also supports this position.

Commentators have attributed Perry’s win to the anti-Washington sentiment among the state’s conservatives, which has been fueled by the activism of Tea Party supporters who are fighting for small government, oppose the federal deficit as well as tax increases.

On announcing his victory, Perry said the message to Washington was simple: "Quit spending all the money," and "stop trying to take over our lives and our businesses," according to media reports.

If he wins reelection in November, it will mark the latest in the string of high-profile losses suffered by Democrats in recent months, including the gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey, and the Massachusetts special Senate election.

Perry’s opponent will be former Houston mayor Bill White who won the Democratic primary. In anticipation of the line Perry may take in the upcoming campaign, White said the governor will try to exploit the popular disillusionment with the Obama administration.

However, he told CNN that it would be for Perry’s "own political career."

"[The election] shouldn’t be about a party or who’s doing what to whom in Washington. I’m just running for the people of Texas," he added, quoted by the news provider.

Researchers from Loyola University’s Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (MNSON) found that the nutrient can help lift mood during the winter months when days are short and access to sunlight is at a premium.

"Vitamin D deficiency continues to be a problem despite the nutrient’s widely reported health benefits," said Sue Penckofer, professor at MNSON. "[Northern] winters compound this issue when more people spend time away from sunlight, which is a natural source of vitamin D."

Loyola researchers plan to take their vitamin D study a step further by assessing whether supplementation with the nutrient can improve blood sugar and mood in women suffering from diabetes. They state that there is evidence to suggest that vitamin D may decrease insulin resistance, which has been linked to depression in previous studies.

It has been proven that women tend to have poorer blood sugar control and greater rates of anxiety than men with diabetes.

Recent studies have also found that vitamin D may provide protection from high blood pressure and several autoimmune diseases.

United States researchers have developed a urine test capable of measuring the extent of a potential carcinogenic process, and found that a decreased risk of cancer development was directly proportionate to an increased intake of garlic.

In the study, researchers from Ohio State University’s Comprehensive Cancer Center set out to measure garlic’s affect on the body’s level of cancer-causing agents known as nitrates. Groups of participants were treated with varying levels of garlic and then had their urine tested for toxins.

The results of the study showed that respondents who consumed garlic on a daily basis had lower concentrations of nitrate markers than did those who were given no garlic. Moreover, though the differences were slight, the highest consumption of the vegetable was associated with the lowest levels of toxins related to cancer development.

"The precise mechanism by which garlic and other compounds affect nitrosation is under extensive investigation, but is not clear at this time," said Earl Harrison, senior author of the study.

"What this research does suggest, however, is that garlic may play some role in inhibiting formation of these nitrogen-based toxic substances," he added.