Last-minute fiscal cliff talks in Senate

President Barack Obama speaks to reporters in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington after meeting with Congressional leaders regarding the fiscal cliff, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama speaks to reporters in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington after meeting with Congressional leaders regarding the fiscal cliff, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. leaves the White House in Washington, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, after a closed-door meeting between President Barack Obama and Congressional leaders to negotiate the framework for a deal on the fiscal cliff. The end game at hand, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders made a final stab at compromise Friday to prevent a toxic blend of middle-class tax increases and spending cuts from taking effect at the turn of the new year. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

President Barack Obama pauses during a statement on the fiscal cliff negotiations with congressional leaders in the briefing room of the White House on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012 in Washington. The negotiations are a last ditch effort to avoid across-the-board first of the year tax increases and deep spending cuts. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev. leaves the White House in Washington, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, after a closed-door meeting between President Barack Obama and Congressional leaders to negotiate the framework for a deal on the fiscal cliff. The end game at hand, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders made a final stab at compromise Friday to prevent a toxic blend of middle-class tax increases and spending cuts from taking effect at the turn of the new year. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., right, accompanied by the committee's ranking Republican, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, to discuss changes in Senate procedural rules. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Senate leaders groped for a last-minute compromise Saturday to avoid middle-class tax increases and possibly prevent deep spending cuts at the dawn of the new year as President Barack Obama warned that failure could mean a "self-inflicted wound to the economy."

Obama chastised lawmakers in his weekly radio and Internet address for waiting until the last minute to try and avoid a "fiscal cliff," yet said there was still time for an agreement. "We cannot let Washington politics get in the way of America's progress," he said as the hurry-up negotiations unfolded.

For all the recent expressions of urgency, bargaining took place by phone, email and paper in a Capitol nearly empty except for tourists. Alone among top lawmakers, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell spent the day in his office.

In the Republicans' weekly address, Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri cited a readiness to compromise. "Divided government is a good time to solve hard problems ? and in the next few days, leaders in Washington have an important responsibility to work together and do just that," he said.

Even so, there was no guarantee of success, and a dispute over the federal tax on large estates emerged as yet another key sticking point alongside personal income tax rates.

In a blunt challenge to Republicans, Obama said that barring a bipartisan agreement, he expected both houses to vote on his own proposal to block tax increases on all but the wealthy and simultaneously preserve expiring unemployment benefits.

Political calculations mattered as much as deep-seated differences over the issues, as divided government struggled with its first big challenge since the November elections.

Speaker John Boehner remained at arms-length, juggling a desire to avoid the fiscal cliff with his goal of winning another term as speaker when a new Congress convenes next Thursday. Any compromise legislation is certain to include higher tax rates on the wealthy, and the House GOP rank and file rejected the idea when he presented it to them as part of a final attempt to strike a more sweeping agreement with Obama.

Lawmakers have until the new Congress convenes to pass any compromise, and even the calendar mattered. Democrats said they had been told House Republicans might reject a deal until after Jan. 1, to avoid a vote to raise taxes before they had technically gone up and then vote to cut taxes after they had risen.

Nor was any taxpayer likely to feel any adverse impact if legislation is signed and passed into law in the first two or three days of 2013 instead of the final hours of 2012.

Gone was the talk of a grand bargain of spending cuts and additional tax revenue in which the two parties would agree to slash deficits by trillions of dollars over a decade.

Now negotiators had a more cramped goal of preventing additional damage to the economy in the form of higher taxes across the board ? with some families facing increases measured in the thousands of dollars ? as well as cuts aimed at the Pentagon and hundreds of domestic programs.

Republicans said they were willing to bow to Obama's call for higher taxes on the wealthy as part of a deal to prevent them from rising on those less well-off.

Democrats said Obama was sticking to his campaign call for tax increases above $250,000 in annual income, even though he said in recent negotiations he said he could accept $400,000. There was no evidence of agreement even at the higher level.

There were indications from Republicans that estate taxes might hold more significance for them than the possibility of higher rates on income.

One senior Republican, Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, said late Friday he was "totally dead set" against Obama's estate tax proposal, and as if to reinforce the point, Blunt mentioned the issue before any other in his broadcast remarks. "Small businesses and farm families don't know how to deal with the unfair death tax_a tax that the president and congressional leaders have threatened to expand to include even more family farms and even more small businesses," he said.

Several officials said Republicans want to leave the tax at 35 percent after exempting the first $5 million in estate value. Officials said the White House wants a 45 percent tax after a $3.5 million exemption. Without any action by Congress, it would climb to a 55 percent tax after a $1 million exemption on Jan. 1.

Democrats stressed their unwillingness to make concessions on both income taxes and the estate tax, and said they hoped Republicans would choose which mattered more to them.

Officials said any compromise was likely to ease the impact of the alternative minimum tax, originally designed to make sure that millionaires did not escape taxation. If left unchanged, it could hit an estimated 28 million households for the first time in 2013, with an average increase of more than $3,000.

Taxes on dividends and capital gains are also involved in the talks, as well as a series of breaks for businesses and others due to expire at the first of the year.

Obama and congressional Democrats are insisting on an extension of long-term unemployment benefits that are expiring for about 2 million jobless individuals.

Leaders in both parties also hope to prevent a 27 percent fee cut from taking effect on Jan. 1 for doctors who treat Medicare patients.

There was also discussion of a short-term extension of expiring farm programs, in part to prevent a spike in milk prices at the first of the year. It wasn't clear if that was a parallel effort to the cliff talks or had become wrapped into them.

Across-the-board spending cuts that comprise part of the cliff were a different matter.

Republicans say Boehner will insist that they will begin to take effect unless negotiators agreed to offset them with specified savings elsewhere.

That would set the stage for the next round of brinkmanship ? a struggle over Republican calls for savings from Medicare, Medicaid and other federal benefit programs.

The Treasury's ability to borrow is expected to expire in late winter or early spring, and without an increase in the $16.4 trillion limit, the government would face its first-ever default. Republicans have said they will use administration requests for an extension as leverage to win cuts in spending.

Ironically, it was just such a maneuver more than a year ago that set the stage for the current crisis talks over the fiscal cliff.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-29-Fiscal%20Cliff/id-372b028fe0ce45dab4e1980ccd066dcd

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Chinese tea farmers are switching to coffee

PU'ER, China ? This remote southwestern city near the borders of Laos and Myanmar is named after one of China's most famous teas, grown on mountain terraces painstakingly carved out of the region's rich red soil.

But in recent years, pu'er tea has surrendered prime real estate for a more lucrative brew: coffee. Chinese farmers have taken to the new crop, which thrives in high-altitude areas of Yunnan province and commands up to three times as much money as tea.

"My sole income depends on coffee now," said Ma Jiaying, a farmer from a dab-sized hamlet in Pu'er called Tea Tree Village.

Behind the change are major foreign producers, including Seattle's Starbucks Corp. and Switzerland's Nestle. Those multinationals are training farmers and buying beans from the region to meet the world's growing thirst for coffee.

More important, Yunnan has the potential to thrive as a production base in a country that is becoming increasingly hooked on the caffeine-loaded beverage. Long dismissed by many Chinese as being too bitter, coffee has enjoyed a surge in popularity among the country's young, urban elite.

Few pairings denote upward mobility more than an iPhone in one hand and a white-and-green Starbucks cup in the other. In central Beijing, the company's smallest cappuccino costs about $4.33, making a Chinese Starbucks habit one of the most expensive in the world.

"Starbucks in China for the young generation is almost like religion," said Liu Minghui, head of Pu'er-based Ai Ni Coffee, China's largest coffee production and exporting company. "They want to be seen drinking their coffee. A lot of these Chinese kids have come back from studying overseas where they've been introduced to this new lifestyle."

Quiz: How much do you know about the Chinese economy?

At 120,000 tons last year, China's coffee consumption was only 6% that of the U.S., the world's top consumer of hot joe. Meanwhile, about 1 million tons of tea was consumed in China last year.

Still, analysts for Barclays expect Chinese coffee demand to grow nearly 40% each year until about 2015.

More stores and shops are stocking instant coffee. Nestle's Nescafe brand has captured more than two-thirds of the Chinese market, thanks in part to blends mixed with powdered milk and sugar to make it more appealing to local palates.

Coffeehouses are percolating too; sales are projected to expand 23.5% annually on average to about $1.6 billion by 2016, according to Euromonitor, a global research group. Much of that growth is expected to come from Starbucks, which plans to more than double its Chinese stores to 1,500 by 2015. That would make China its second-biggest market, following the U.S.

"This is a long-term commitment," said John Culver, president of Starbucks Coffee China and Asia Pacific.

Part of that effort will be raising the profile of Yunnan coffee. Starbucks released a special blend in 2009 for Chinese consumers called South of the Clouds, which includes beans from Baoshan, a city northeast of Pu'er in Yunnan. A year later, the company partnered with Ai Ni Coffee to grow and test four coffee varietals on a plantation in Pu'er. Those beans could reach domestic and global markets in a few years.

Yunnan, considered one of the most bio-diverse regions in the world, is responsible for almost all of the roughly 60,000 tons of coffee grown in China. The provincial government has plans to increase coffee production to 200,000 tons by 2020.

But growers will have to invest heavily to guarantee consistent quality, experts said.

"It's still very messy," said Safi Malik, co-founder of Shangrila Farms, a boutique coffee brand that carries beans from Yunnan. "A lot of farmers don't have training. There's great coffee there, it just needs to be found and worked on."

A big test is whether Chinese farmers will remain committed to the crop through price fluctuations. This year, growers are being offered about $1.20 a pound, half of what they earned two years ago.

"The best I can do this year is break even," said Ma Xinwen, 40, who grows five acres of coffee on a hillside in Tea Tree Village about 4,000 feet above sea level.

Neighbor Ma Jiaying also worries about the lower prices, but he's confident they will bounce back.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-china-coffee-20121229,0,7074339.story?track=rss

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Last-minute fiscal cliff talks in Senate

President Barack Obama arrives to make a statement on the fiscal cliff negotiations with congressional leaders in the briefing room of the White House on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, in Washington. The negotiations are a last ditch effort to avoid across-the-board first of the year tax increases and deep spending cuts. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

President Barack Obama arrives to make a statement on the fiscal cliff negotiations with congressional leaders in the briefing room of the White House on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, in Washington. The negotiations are a last ditch effort to avoid across-the-board first of the year tax increases and deep spending cuts. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

President Barack Obama pauses during a statement on the fiscal cliff negotiations with congressional leaders in the briefing room of the White House on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012 in Washington. The negotiations are a last ditch effort to avoid across-the-board first of the year tax increases and deep spending cuts. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. leaves the White House in Washington, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, after a closed-door meeting between President Barack Obama and Congressional leaders to negotiate the framework for a deal on the fiscal cliff. The end game at hand, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders made a final stab at compromise Friday to prevent a toxic blend of middle-class tax increases and spending cuts from taking effect at the turn of the new year. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev. leaves the White House in Washington, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, after a closed-door meeting between President Barack Obama and Congressional leaders to negotiate the framework for a deal on the fiscal cliff. The end game at hand, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders made a final stab at compromise Friday to prevent a toxic blend of middle-class tax increases and spending cuts from taking effect at the turn of the new year. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., right, accompanied by the committee's ranking Republican, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, to discuss changes in Senate procedural rules. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Senate leaders groped for a last-minute compromise Saturday to avoid middle-class tax increases and possibly prevent deep spending cuts at the dawn of the new year as President Barack Obama warned that failure could mean a "self-inflicted wound to the economy."

Obama chastised lawmakers in his weekly radio and Internet address for waiting until the last minute to try and avoid a "fiscal cliff," yet said there was still time for an agreement. "We cannot let Washington politics get in the way of America's progress," he said as the hurry-up negotiations unfolded.

Senate Republicans said they were ready to compromise. "Divided government is a good time to solve hard problems_and in the next few days, leaders in Washington have an important responsibility to work together and do just that," said Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, delivering his party's weekly address.

Even so, there was no guarantee of success.

In a blunt challenge to Republicans, Obama said that barring a bipartisan agreement, he expected both houses to vote on his own proposal to block tax increases on all but the wealthy and simultaneously preserve expiring unemployment benefits.

Political calculations mattered as much as deep-seated differences over the issues, as divided government struggled with its first big challenge since the November elections.

Speaker John Boehner remained at arms-length, juggling a desire to avoid the fiscal cliff with his goal of winning another new term as speaker when a new Congress convenes next Thursday. Any compromise legislation is certain to include higher tax rates on the wealthy, and the House GOP rank and file rejected the idea when Boehner presented it as part of a final attempt to strike a more sweeping agreement with Obama.

Yet lawmakers have until the new Congress convenes to pass any compromise, and even the calendar mattered. Democrats said they had been told House Republicans might reject a deal until after Jan. 1, to avoid a vote to raise taxes before they had technically gone up and then vote to cut taxes after they had risen.

Nor was any taxpayer likely to feel any adverse impact if legislation is signed and passed into law in the first two or three days of 2013 instead of the final hours of 2012.

Gone was the talk of a grand bargain of spending cuts and additional tax revenue in which the two parties would agree to slash deficits by trillions of dollars over a decade.

Now negotiators had a more cramped goal of preventing additional damage to the economy in the form of higher taxes across the board ? with some families facing increases measured in the thousands of dollars ? as well as cuts aimed at the Pentagon and hundreds of domestic programs.

Republicans said they were willing to bow to Obama's call for higher taxes on the wealthy as part of a deal to prevent them from rising on those less well-off.

Democrats said Obama was sticking to his campaign call for tax increases above $250,000 in annual income, even though he said in recent negotiations he said he could accept $400,000.

There were indications from Republicans that estate taxes might hold more significance for them than the possibility of higher rates on income.

One senior Republican, Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, said late Friday he was "totally dead set" against Obama's estate tax proposal, and as if to reinforce the point, Blunt mentioned the issue before any other in his broadcast remarks. "Small businesses and farm families don't know how to deal with the unfair death tax_a tax that the president and congressional leaders have threatened to expand to include even more family farms and even more small businesses," he said.

Officials said any compromise was likely to ease the impact of the alternative minimum tax, originally designed to make sure that millionaires did not escape taxation. If left unchanged, it could hit an estimated 28 million households for the first time in 2013, with an average increase of more than $3,000.

Taxes on dividends and capital gains are also involved in the talks, as well as a series of breaks for businesses and others due to expire at the first of the year.

Obama and congressional Democrats are insisting on an extension of long-term unemployment benefits that are expiring for about 2 million jobless individuals.

Leaders in both parties also hope to prevent a 27 percent fee cut from taking effect on Jan. 1 for doctors who treat Medicare patients.

There was also discussion of a short-term extension of expiring farm programs, in part to prevent a spike in milk prices at the first of the year. It wasn't clear if that was a parallel effort to the cliff talks or had become wrapped into them.

Across-the-board spending cuts that comprise part of the cliff were a different matter.

Republicans say Boehner will insist that they will begin to take effect unless negotiators agreed to offset them with specified savings elsewhere.

That would set the stage for the next round of brinkmanship ? a struggle over Republican calls for savings from Medicare, Medicaid and other federal benefit programs.

The Treasury's ability to borrow is expected to expire in late winter or early spring, and without an increase in the $16.4 trillion limit, the government would face its first-ever default. Republicans have said they will use administration requests for an extension as leverage to win cuts in spending.

Ironically, it was just such a maneuver more than a year ago that set the stage for the current crisis talks over the fiscal cliff.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-29-Fiscal%20Cliff/id-2ca2ea5db66742f48b665b0fc3d9d318

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Senate approves $60.4 billion Sandy aid bill

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Senate on Friday approved a $60.4 billion emergency spending aid package for victims of Hurricane Sandy that had been backed by Senate Democrats.

Democrats had to turn back Republican efforts to cut programs such as $150 million in fisheries aid that Republican lawmakers said was unrelated to the storm that hammered the East Coast late in October. The measure cleared the Senate on a 62-32 vote, with 12 Republicans supporting the bill. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., was the only Democrat to vote against the bill, but he later switched his vote to support the measure.

The bill faces uncertain prospects in the House, where GOP leaders appear reluctant to move quickly on a big spending bill in the final days of a lame duck session. Congress' attention is focused on talks over the so-called fiscal cliff of tax hikes and automatic spending cuts.

Sandy was blamed for at least 120 deaths and battered coastline areas from North Carolina to Maine. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were the hardest hit states and suffered high winds, flooding and storm surges. Sandy damaged or destroyed more than 72,000 homes and businesses in New Jersey. In New York, 305,000 housing units were damaged or destroyed and more than 265,000 businesses were affected.

Senate Republicans failed on an amendment for a smaller package of about $24 billion in aid for Sandy, which was the most costly natural disaster since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and one of the worst storms ever in the Northeast.

House GOP leaders have not said how they plan to proceed. But House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers of Kentucky has said Congress should probably begin with a smaller aid package for immediate recovery needs and wait until more data can be collected about storm damage before approving additional money next year.

Rep. Paul Ryan, the 2012 GOP vice presidential nominee and a leading House fiscal conservative, has criticized the Democratic bill as "packed with funding for unrelated items, such as commercial fisheries in American Samoa and roof repair of museums in Washington, D.C."

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., urged House leaders to "put this bill on the floor quickly and allow a vote." If the House balks, Schumer said, the Senate bill provides "very good groundwork" for seeking Sandy aid next year.

The measure includes $11.5 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's chief disaster relief fund and $17 billion for community development block grants, much of which would help homeowners repair or replace their homes. Another $11.7 billion would help repair New York City's subways and other mass transit damage and protect them from future storms. Some $9.7 billion would go toward the government's flood insurance program. The Army Corps of Engineers would receive $5.3 billion to mitigate flood future risks and rebuild damaged projects.

Senate Republicans said much of the spending in the Democratic bill was for projects unrelated to Sandy, such as $150 million for fisheries disasters that could go to Alaska as well as Gulf Coast and New England states. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., sought to strip the fisheries funding, but his amendment failed.

To court votes, Democrats last week broadened some of their bill's provisions to cover damage from Hurricane Isaac, which struck the Gulf Coast earlier this year. A provision was added to the $2.9 billion allotted to Army Corps of Engineers projects to reduce future flooding risks; the coverage area for that program will now include areas hit by Isaac in addition to Sandy. Democrats also shifted $400 million into a community development program for regions suffering disasters, beyond areas struck by Sandy.

A Coburn amendment to reduce the federal share of costs for the Army Corps of Engineer projects to reduce future flooding risks also failed.

Most of the money in the $60.4 billion bill ? $47.4 billion ? is for immediate help for victims and other recovery and rebuilding efforts. The aid is intended to help states rebuild public infrastructure like roads and tunnels, and help thousands of people displaced from their homes.

"It will actually put people to work in their own communities, rebuilding their own communities," said Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee.

GOP Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Coburn, two frequent critics of government spending, targeted what they called "questionable" spending in the Democratic bill, including $2 million for roof repairs at Smithsonian Institution museums and $58 million in subsidies for tree planting on private properties. A McCain amendment to strip the tree subsidies failed.

Republicans also criticized $13 billion in the Democratic bill for projects to protect against future storms, including fortifying mass transit systems in the Northeast. Republicans said however worthy such projects may be, they are not urgently needed and should be considered by Congress in the usual appropriations process next year.

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that only about $9 billion of the $60.4 billion proposed by Democrats would be spent over the next nine months. The Democratic bill included many large infrastructure projects that often require years to complete, but Republicans said the CBO estimate of such drawn-out spending undercuts the urgency of the Democrats' aid package.

More than $2 billion in federal funds has been spent so far on relief efforts for 11 states and the District of Columbia. FEMA's disaster relief fund still has about $4.3 billion, and officials have said that is enough to pay for recovery efforts into early spring.

New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, District of Columbia, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, New Hampshire, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts are receiving federal aid.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-approves-60-4-billion-sandy-aid-bill-000348278.html

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Hillary Clinton to return to work next week

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A homeless woman was in critical condition in a Los Angeles hospital after a man doused her with liquid accelerant and set her on fire as she slept on a bus bench, police said on Thursday. Officers arrested Dennis Petillo, 24, in connection with the early morning attack, and he has been booked in jail on suspicion of attempted murder, police said. The woman, whose name has not been released, was being treated at a local hospital with burns all over her body, said Los Angeles police Lieutenant Damian Gutierrez. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hillary-rodham-clinton-return-next-week-234724412.html

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Pilgrims mark Christmas in Bethlehem

At midnight mass in the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, the cradle of Christianity, the message was of peace, love and goodwill to all mankind. NBC's Martin Fletcher reports.

By The Associated Press

Pilgrims and locals celebrated Christmas Day on Tuesday in the ancient Bethlehem church where tradition holds Jesus was born, candles illuminating the sacred site and the joyous sound of prayer filling its overflowing halls.

Overcast skies and a cold wind didn't dampen the spirits of worshippers who came dressed in holiday finery and the traditional attire of foreign lands to mark the holy day in this biblical West Bank town. Bells pealed and long lines formed inside the fourth-century Church of the Nativity complex as Christian faithful waited eagerly to see the grotto that is Jesus' traditional birthplace.

Duncan Hardock, 24, a writer from MacLean, Va., traveled to Bethlehem from the republic of Georgia, where he had been teaching English. After passing through the separation barrier Israel built to ward off West Bank attackers, he walked to Bethlehem's Manger Square where the church stands.

"I feel we got to see both sides of Bethlehem in a really short period of time," Hardock said. "On our walk from the wall, we got to see the lonesome, closed side of Bethlehem ... But the moment we got into town, we're suddenly in the middle of the party."

Bethlehem lies 6 miles south of Jerusalem. Entry to the city is controlled by Israel, which occupied the West Bank in 1967.

Hardock's girlfriend, 22-year-old Jennifer Gemmell of Longmont, Colorado, compared the festive spirit in Manger Square on Christmas Eve, saying "it's like being at Times Square at New Year's."

Boy's Christmas wish: Adoption of little brother caught in US-Russia spat

The cavernous church was unable to hold all the worshippers who had hoped to celebrate Christmas Day Mass inside. A loudspeaker outside the church broadcast the service to the hundreds in the square who could not pack inside.

Paul J. Richards / AFP - Getty Images

In churches and bus stations, on water skis and bicycles, people from the Middle East to middle America celebrate Christmas.

Pope's prayer for peace
Tourists in the square posed for pictures as vendors hawked olive wood rosaries, nativity scenes, corn on the cob, roasted nuts, tea and coffee.

An official from the Palestinian tourism ministry predicted 10,000 foreigners would visit Bethlehem on Christmas Day and said 15,000 visited on Christmas Eve ? up 20 percent from a year earlier. The official, Rula Maia'a, attributed the rise in part to the Church of the Nativity's classification earlier this year as a U.N. World Heritage Site.

Christians from Israel ? Arab citizens and others ? also boosted the number of visitors.

Germany's latest big export: Christmas markets

On Christmas Eve, thousands of Christians from all over the world packed the square, which was awash in light, resplendent with decorations and adorned by a lavishly decorated, 55-foot fir tree. Their Palestinian hosts, who welcome this holiday as the high point of their city's year, were especially joyous this season, proud of the United Nations' recognition of an independent state of Palestine just last month.

On Monday evening, Pope Benedict XVI prayed that Israelis and Palestinians live in peace and freedom, and asked the faithful to pray for strife-torn Syria as well as Lebanon and Iraq.

He urged people to reflect upon what they find time for in their busy, technology-driven lives.

A family's Christmas wish: Healthy heart for girl

"The great moral question of our attitude toward the homeless, toward refugees and migrants takes on a deeper dimension: Do we really have room for God when he seeks to enter under our roof? Do we have time and space for him?" the pope said.

"The faster we can move, the more efficient our time-saving appliances become, the less time we have. And God? The question of God never seems urgent," Benedict lamented.

Later Tuesday, the world's Christmas focus will shift to Vatican City, where the pope will deliver his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" speech ? Latin for "to the city and the world" ? from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica to thousands of pilgrims, tourists and Romans gathered in the piazza below.

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/25/16141352-like-times-square-at-new-years-pilgrims-mark-christmas-in-bethlehem?lite

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Russian parliament endorses anti-US adoption bill

MOSCOW (AP) ? Defying a storm of domestic and international criticism, Russia moved toward finalizing a ban on Americans adopting Russian children, as Parliament's upper house voted unanimously Wednesday in favor of a measure that President Vladimir Putin has indicated he will sign into law.

The bill is widely seen as the Kremlin's retaliation against an American law that calls for sanctions against Russians deemed to be human rights violators. It comes as Putin takes an increasingly confrontational attitude toward the West, brushing aside concerns about a crackdown on dissent and democratic freedoms.

Dozens of Russian children close to being adopted by American families now will almost certainly be blocked from leaving the country. The law also cuts off the main international adoption route for Russian children stuck in often dismal orphanages: Tens of thousands of Russian youngsters have been adopted in the U.S. in the past 20 years. There are about 740,000 children without parental care in Russia, according to UNICEF.

All 143 members of the Federation Council present voted to support the bill, which has sparked criticism from both the U.S. and Russian officials, activists and artists, who say it victimizes children by depriving them of the chance to escape the squalor of orphanage life. The vote comes days after Parliament's lower house overwhelmingly approved the ban.

The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it regretted the Russian parliament's decision.

"Since 1992, American families have welcomed more than 60,000 Russian children into their homes, providing them with an opportunity to grow up in a family environment," spokesman Patrick Ventrell said in a statement from Washington. "The bill passed by Russia's parliament would prevent many children from enjoying this opportunity ...

"It is misguided to link the fate of children to unrelated political considerations," he said.

Seven people with posters protesting the bill were detained outside the Council before Wednesday's vote. "Children get frozen in the Cold War," one poster read. Some 60 people rallied in St. Petersburg, Russia's second largest city.

The bill is part of larger legislation by Putin-allied lawmakers retaliating against a recently signed U.S. law that calls for sanctions against Russians deemed to be human rights violators. Although Putin has not explicitly committed to signing the bill, he strongly defended it in a press conference last week as "a sufficient response" to the new U.S. law.

Originally Russia's lawmakers cobbled together a more or less a tit-for-tat response to the U.S. law, providing for travel sanctions and the seizure of financial assets in Russia of Americans determined to have violated the rights of Russians.

But it was expanded to include the adoption measure and call for a ban on any organizations that are engaged in political activities if they receive funding from U.S. citizens or are determined to be a threat to Russia's interests.

Russian children's rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov told the Interfax news agency that 46 children who were on the verge of being adopted by Americans would stay in Russia if the bill is approved ? despite court rulings in some of these cases authorizing the adoptions.

The ombudsman supported the bill, saying that foreign adoptions discourage Russians from adopting children. "A foreigner who has paid for an adoption always gets a priority compared to potential Russian adoptive parents," Astakhov was quoted as saying. "A great country like Russia cannot sell its children."

Russian law allows foreigners to adopt only if a Russian family has not expressed interest in a child being considered for adoption.

Some top government officials, including the foreign minister, have spoken flatly against the adoption law, arguing that the measure would be in violation of Russia's constitution and international obligations.

But Senator Mikhail Margelov, chairman of the Council's foreign affairs committee, referred to the bill as "a natural and a long overdue response" to the U.S. legislation. "Children must be placed in Russian families, and this is a cornerstone issue for us," he said.

Margelov said that a bilateral Russian-U.S. agreement binds Russia to give notice of a halt to adoptions 12 months in advance. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies that the president would consider the bill within the next two weeks.

The measure has become one of the most debated topics in Russia.

By Tuesday, more than 100,000 Russians had signed an online petition urging the Kremlin to scrap the bill.

Over the weekend, dozens of Muscovites placed toys and lit candles in front of the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament after it approved the bill on Friday, but security guards promptly removed them. Opposition groups said they will rally against the bill on Jan. 13, and several popular artists publicly voiced their concern about the legislation.

While receiving a state award from Putin on Wednesday, film actor Konstantin Khabensky wore a badge saying "Children Are Beyond Politics." Veteran rock musician Andrey Makarevich called on Putin Monday to stop "killing children."

During a marathon Putin press conference Thursday, eight of the 60 questions the president answered focused on the bill. Responding angrily, Putin claimed that Americans routinely mistreat children from Russia.

The bill is named in honor of Dima Yakovlev, a Russian toddler who was adopted by Americans and then died in 2008 after his father left him in a car in broiling heat for hours. The father was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter. A Russian television report showed Yakovlev's blind grandmother who claimed that the U.S. family that adopted her grandson forged her signature on documents allowing them to take the boy outside Russia.

Russian lawmakers argue that by banning adoptions to the U.S. they would be protecting children and encouraging adoptions inside Russia.

In a measure of the virulent anti-U.S. sentiment that has gripped parts of Russian society, a few lawmakers went even further, claiming that some Russian children were adopted by Americans only to be used for organ transplants and become sex toys or cannon fodder for the U.S. Army.

Americans involved in adoption of Russian children find the new legislation upsetting.

Bill Blacquiere, president of New York City-based Bethany Christian Services, one of the largest adoption agencies in the U.S., said he hopes Putin won't sign the bill.

"It would be very sad for kids to grow up in orphanages," Blacquiere said. "And would hurt them socially, psychologically and mentally. We all know that caring for children in institutions is just not a very good thing."

Joyce Sterkel, who runs a Montana ranch for troubled children adopted abroad and has adopted three Russian children herself, said she is concerned for the estimated 700,000 children who live in state-run institutions in Russia.

"I would prefer that the Russians take care of their own children. I would prefer that people in the United States take care of their own children," Sterkel said Wednesday. "But if a suitable home cannot be found in that country, it seems reasonable that a child should be able to find a home outside."

___

Associated Press writers Matt Volz in Helena, Montana, and Libby Quaid in Washington, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russian-parliament-endorses-anti-us-adoption-bill-110523337.html

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Top Five (5) Best Smartphones and Cell Phones (OEMs) Makers of ...

According to the latest hardware research conducted by iSuppli regarding the Top Five (5) Best and Leading Smartphones and Cell Phones (OEMs) Makers of 2012 it has been concluded that South Korean Mobile Manufacture company Samsung holds the top position as compare to its competitors list which includes Apple, Nokia, HTC, LG, RIM (BlackBerry) and ZTE. Yes, Samsung is the Best and Leading Smartphones and Cell Phones (OEMs) Maker of 2012 and it has beaten all the big mobile phone manufacturers. iSuppli wireless communication research has posted an Infographic which compares the market and shipment ratio of smartphones and cell phones manufacturers through-out the world in the Year 2011 and Year 2012. According to Wayne Lam, a senior analyst for iSuppli?s says that Cell Phone market in 2012 has goes down and beaten by Smartphone market and he summarize the Cell Phone Market in Year 2012 by giving it a short titled "live by the smartphone, die by the smartphone" and Wayne Lam further said that;

Smartphones represent the fastest-growing segment of the cellphone market ? and will account for nearly half of all wireless handset shipments for all of 2012.
Samsung?s successes and Nokia?s struggles in the cellphone market this year were determined entirely by the two companies? divergent fortunes in the smartphone sector.

Let's find out the Detailed Comparison Chart of Top Five (5) Best and Leading Smartphones and Cell Phones (OEMs) Makers of 2012 below which determines that Samsung holds 29% market ratio and its topping and leading the chart of both Cell Phones and Smartphones Maker Company of 2012 while on the other side Nokia holds 24% with second position, Apple holds 10% with third position, ZTE holds 6% with fourth position and LG holds 4% market and shipment ratio in Cell Phones OEMs Manufacturing but in Smartphones OEMs Manufacturing chart Apple holds 20%, Nokia holds 5%, HTC holds 5% and RIM (BlackBerry) holds 5% market and shipment ratio in Year 2012.

Source: http://techglobex.blogspot.com/2012/12/Top-Five-Smartphones-and-Cell-Phones-Manufacturers-of-2012.html

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Consider The Best Web Design Quote To Market You Website ...

by SYA on December 25, 2012

By Jeff Samuel

It?s quite common for an entrepreneur to find means about how is he going to develop his company and achieve brand new heights. Growing your enterprise means a more substantial market which in turn signifies even more earnings. If you?re an individual who?s looking for a path to flourish your company, the subsequent reasonable move to make is to bring your enterprise on the internet. As time goes by, the earth as we understand it is becoming increasingly incorporated with the internet. If you wish not to be left behind, don?t hesitate when it comes to establishing your company on the internet. You must consider the most appropriate web design quote from reliable companies.

You will find so many advantages in running the business online that you simply cannot disregard and it will truly draw out the business? potential. However, you can?t simply take your enterprise on the internet and assume it to achieve success immediately. First of all, you?ll need a site that it?s not merely operational but well-designed too. Keep reading and discover how a superior web design can indicate good results for your internet business.

Probably the most essential cause why an excellent web design must be utilized is due to initial impressions. After a potential customer goes to your site, you will want them to remain since as they take in additional content material from the website, the more probable that they?ll think about obtaining your merchandise and services. Just for this situation, you need a skillfully developed site. A badly designed site is a surefire way for prospective customers to leave your web page.

The very first few seconds is extremely crucial with regards to web-based enterprises. The initial few moments make a difference since it could decide if you?ll be able to generate a sale or otherwise. You won?t make any money if a visitor leaves your site straight away. However with ideal website design, your site can engage your visitors throughout the very first few moments. With an engaged website visitor, it may easily become a purchasing client.

But obviously, bringing in your clients at the outset isn?t sufficient to ensure a buying deal because you should also provide the feeling that you?re a reliable business organization. Which takes us to the following benefit of using the services of website designers? For just about any business, displaying a professional image means everything. If you?re incapable of achieving this, hardly any individuals will have business dealings with you because you are not somebody that looks reliable. So it is vital that the site appears professional which could only be accomplished with expertly employed web designers.

The author writes for a company which specializes in web design quote to establish and improve the online presence of a wide variety of clients. Visit http://www.marketease.com.au/ to find out how we can improve your website strategy and marketing campaigns online.

Tagged as: web design quote, web designers in Adelaide

Do You Want To Rock Your Online World? At VA-Live We Show You How...

Source: http://theboardmagazine.com/2012/12/consider-the-best-web-design-quote-to-market-you-website-successfully/

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Web.com Small Business Toolkit: HealthPocket (Health Plan Finder ...

HealthPocket

Here?s a holiday gift you weren?t expecting: a new small business health plan finder that provides?accurate, unbiased and free information?to employers who are looking for information on health insurance coverage for employees. HealthPocket provides a picture of what health insurance exchanges could look like under the Affordable Care Act, and promises to be constantly updated as new aspects of health care reform are implemented. The site enables employers to assess all plans available in their region, select plan features and likely prices, and find the best way to apply for coverage. Users do not need to register on the site or even provide their name or contact information.

Google+

The views expressed here are the author's alone and not those of Network Solutions or its partners.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 24th, 2012 at 12:01 pm and is filed under Resources, Small Business, small business, Workforce. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://www.networksolutions.com/smallbusiness/2012/12/web-com-small-business-toolkit-healthpocket-health-plan-finder/

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Guilt-free iPad apps for kids give parents a holiday break

13 hrs.

Wilson Rothman , NBC News

I love playing with?my kids, but you know?that week when everybody's stuck in the house, when the?weather's at its worst? Or when you're en route to Grandma's, but stuck?on the tarmac with a 4-hour delay??Well, let's say the iPad comes in handy quite a lot. Trouble is, you don't want your kids just sitting there dulling their minds, and?hunting for good stuff in Apple's App Store is a pain. Here are apps we've tested, that have already met with the?approval of?me ? and my youngins.

Disney Deluxe?Storybooks?-?$6.99 -?I gotta say, these started out pretty?well and have come a long way. When you turn the pages, the faux painted scenes move and zoom, almost like they're?coming to life. Every so often there are diversions ? coloring pages, puzzles and story-specific games. In "Brave," there's an archery challenge; in the brand?new "Monsters, Inc." book, there's a?scarer training module. Some of the Disney books are on sale for $2.99?now: "Tangled,""Brave,""Cars 2" and "Finding Nemo."?iTunes link

Super Why ABC Adventures: Alphabet for iPad - $2.99 -?The PBS Kids sensation has a few iOS titles out.?This latest focuses on letters and basic spelling. What's good about it is that, with five activities tied to the five main characters, a kid can keep playing without risk of getting bored or stuck in a track he or she doesn't like. iTunes link

Scholastic?First Discovery -?The Forest?for iPad?- $1.99 -?Scholastic's simple but aesthetically pleasing walk through the woods is a good example of tricking kids into learning by getting their hands moving. Budding flowers, blowing leaves,?precocious?bunnies and?falling snow ? these?interactive elements combine to teach kids about seasons, plant and animal varieties and environmental concerns.?iTunes link

Little Fox Music Box?- Kids songs?- $2.99 -?Aimed at a toddler audience, this sing-a-long app from Germany?is totally?zany. It features much of the herky-jerky papercraft animation featured in the beloved "Nighty Night" (now in a "Winter Special" edition), and creates three very distinct worlds to accompany "London Bridge," "Old MacDonald" and "Evening Song." There's also a free play mode ? "Fox Studio" ??for making chaotically joyful noises of your own. iTunes link

Toca Band - $0.99 - Underneath its interface, Toca Band is a primitive audio?sequencer, with loops and beats that let you create unique jams. But on its surface, it's a goofy cartoon stage that kids can immerse themselves in before they realize they're making music. My only wish was that there was a record mode to preserve the best tracks. But hey, it's 99 cents ? actually, FREE right now, possibly as a limited-time offer ? so?I am not really complaining. iTunes link

The Great?Cookie Thief - A Sesame Street App - $2.99 - This classic Cookie Monster story comes to life with animated backgrounds and opportunities for drawing and other interaction. Made by Callaway Digital Arts, which also does the "Thomas the Tank Engine" and "Miss Spider" apps, it's a great marriage of a classic franchise with a creative developer.?iTunes link

Where Do?Balloons Go? An Uplifting Mystery - $1.99 -?A fun animated storybook by everyone's favorite kids' app developer ... Jamie Lee Curtis? What? No, it's really great.?The?drawings have the anarchical scribbling style you see in New Yorker cartoons, and there are lots of unique activities. While my daughter and I still need to master the balloon animal maker, the Balloon Theatre movie?recorder is enough to keep us coming back again and again. iTunes link

Kindergarten Reading HD - $1.99 -?Phonics, reading and spelling are the fundamentals that kids focus on in this fun interactive workbook from one of my all-time favorite kid-app makers, Duck Duck Moose.?Kindergarten Reading stars a new character, Milo the Meerkat, and rewards kids with virtual?stickers so that they can create fun?scenes while taking a break from learning.?(Other slightly less educational?titles I'd also recommend are?Superhero Comic Book Maker?HD, or its girly counterpart,?Princess Fairy Tale Maker.)?iTunes link

Rounds: Parker Penguin - $4.99 -?The latest pre-school learning app from Nosy Crow, this adventure follows Parker Penguin as he slides across the snow, dives into the water, finds a mate, guards an egg and raises a chick. When you get to the end, the circle of life continues with Parker's next of kin. (Don't worry, Parker doesn't die or anything.) Parker Penguin follows a previous?Rounds title featuring a frog named Franklin. iTunes link

Wilson Rothman is the Technology & Science?editor at NBC News Digital. Catch up with him on Twitter at @wjrothman, and join our conversation on Facebook.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/guilt-free-ipad-apps-kids-give-parents-holiday-break-1C7662772

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Why To Use Golf Headcovers?

The most important thing that one needs to carry while going golfing is the golf headcovers. The main purpose of using these head covers is to safeguard the club heads. During the earlier days, when head covers were first introduced, they were regarded as functional equipment and were mostly available in black color. During that time, most of the head covers were of manmade materials. Although they served the purpose of protecting the club heads, they lacked at a certain point.

With the progress of time, the manufacturers started making different kinds of golf headcovers. Among the various head covers, ones made of iron became the most popular. Earlier, by keeping in mind the functionality of the head covers, the manufacturers designed these with longer socks in order to make them graphite friendly. With time, there were few changes noted in the design of the head cover.

It included Velcro, magnets and zips. The manufacturers included these things in a head cover so that a person could remove them easily when not in use. Nowadays, apart from functionality, the gold head covers are also known for their fashion statements. If you are not happy with a wide range of traditional head covers in the market and prefer personalizing it with your bag, there are various options for it. Some of them are:

1. Animal head covers: As the name suggests, this head cover includes animals like Labradors, lions, cats, foxes and bears. These types of head covers are available within a range of $7 to $20.

2. Character head covers: Several television programs and cinema characters have encouraged manufacturers to make character golf head covers. These head covers are designed with pictures of popular characters like Hulk, Homer Simpson, Mickey Mouse, Spiderman, Goofy and many more. Recently, you will even find images of some famous personalities on golf head covers and bags. These head covers are sold within a range of $15 to $20.

3. Traditional head covers: Until now, there are many who prefer the traditional golf head cover. Some of them have been modified with flags of different nations like Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales. If you are a huge fan of football, you can have head covers enhancing club crests including Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal. For purchasing a basic cover you have to spend nearly $5whereas a boxed set is available at a range of $35 or more.

About the Author:
You can add a fun element to your golf bag with wide range of golf headcovers available in the market.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Why-To-Use-Golf-Headcovers-/4341020

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Personal Trainers in Raleigh near South Ridge Apartments | South ...

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Home / Health & Fitness / Personal Trainers in Raleigh near South Ridge Apartments

The right personal trainer can help you reach your fitness goals

Our South Ridge Apartments in the Triangle are close to all of the best that this amazing part of North Carolina has to offer. Whatever you are looking for, you will find it within close proximity. If you are interested in not only taking advantage of a nearby fitness center to get good exercise, but also utilizing a personal trainer to develop and guide you through a proper program for you, then there are several good options in the area.

• The trainers at CORE are adept at creating individualized programs that very enough to keep things interesting while helping you achieve and maintain your ideal level of fitness.
• Raleigh CrossFit welcomes exercisers of all ages and fitness levels for their effective ?strength and endurance? approach to training. Workouts are available at their ample facility, as well as individualized programs for individuals, teams, and kids/teens.
• Personally Fit Individualized Training Inc. offers a comfortable, neighborhood feel which combines highly customized personal training programs with state of the art facilities.

Which one of these personal training programs looks like it would fit your needs best?

Photo source: Rock Valley College

Source: http://blog.southridge-raleigh.myaptportal.com/health-fitness/personal-trainers-in-raleigh-near-south-ridge-apartments/

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1 On 1 Tutoring | Shopping and Product Reviews - subsistence ...

ZetaClear critiques are all over the web. I have made a critical investigation about ZetaClear as it is so common to treat nail fungus infections. I have located a number of ZetaClear assessment blogs with distinctive opinions. As most of the blogs mentioned about Zetaclear reviews, that it really is the newest and greatest solution to treat that infection with no any hassle! This really is the purpose I?ve decided to make my personal review to show you a unique viewpoint about this ZetaClear wonder item.

I am going to let you know the truth now, I do agree with all the blogs which say that it is a fantastic excellent of a supplement to treat nail fungi, I under no circumstances doubted that. ZetaClear it really is a well branded item on the subject of treat nail fungus. But here is definitely the query; will it operate on each and every single fungus sufferer? Will it possess the same effect on everybody? I?ll say that it will assist for most individuals. But I won?t say that it?s going to perform for everyone and make your fungus disappear, due to the fact that will be a lie.

All of us understand that distinctive forms of medication, pills, potions and lotions will perform differently on diverse persons. We are special and so are our method of healing and acquiring far better. We?ll react in a different way towards the treatments. These sorts of ZetaClear reviews with lots of websites which claim that it will perform for everybody, it is a little bit farfetched for my liking.

ZetaClear?s group provides everybody a likelihood to attempt it without having the danger of losing the dollars out from the pocket. If you?re not content with all the item, they?re going to provide you with complete 100% funds back and that?s guaranteed. In case you got any query with regards to ZetaClear, there?s a fantastic support group who?re offered 24/7 to answer it.

Let me explain how ZetaClear performs. To begin with, it?s going to take the inflammation off the nail to assist the immune program to respond speedily. It?ll perform from inside your body and outside. ZetaClear is usually a organic remedy and it involves two methods of utilizing it. It really is a good product that will kill the fungus without any hesitation and will not give any issues or irritation.

ZetaClear been created to perform from inside because the fungus infection starts from within. It will assist to get rid on the fungus and it is going to quit you using other sub standard merchandise. ZetaClear is a completely 100% organic item as the ingredients of it is actually only discovered in the nature. It has no unwanted side effects as other prescribed drugs.

These of you that are reading this article and suffer from that nasty and horrible smelling fungus infection must understand that looking to remove it it is not fun and games. To treat it and make sure it?ll disappear; you require time and have the correct product to treat it with.

Now the nail fungus infection is called onychomycosis. It?s a parasite that will contaminate the nail and nail bed and starts eating the nail away. It in fact spreads with the spores once they are released by the parasite similar to a mushroom. ZetaClear will aim in the infection and starts to operate on the nail to remove the fungus.

Most prescribed drugs to treat fungus infections will only treat the symptoms in the infection. It won?t destroy the root with the fungus and it will come back once again as soon as the therapy stopped. This may be extremely annoying and later they?re going to quit fighting against the fungus. ZetaClear makes certain the fungus is fought within the appropriate way leaving you with healthful nails with no any side effects.

Source: http://1on1tutoring.net/shopping-and-product-reviews/12/06/42/

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Source: http://subsistence-upchuck.blogspot.com/2012/12/1-on-1-tutoring-shopping-and-product.html

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Amid climate change, a need to define and promote energy innovation

Today?s energy technologies won?t be able to propel the world to deep reductions in global carbon emissions, Stepp writes, but improving energy innovation and developing new designs can.

By Matthew Stepp,?Guest blogger / December 17, 2012

An employee carries a solar panel as he works at a production line at a solar company workshop in Yongkang, Zhejiang province in this February 2012 file photo. Global climate change adds an economic, moral, and social element to why governments must aggressively act on energy innovation.

Stringer/Reuters/File

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Innovation is Central to Making Clean Energy Cheap

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Our mission is to provide clear, objective information about the important energy issues facing the world, address and correct misconceptions, and to actively engage readers and exchange ideas.?For more great energy coverage, visit?Consumer Energy Report.

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The United States and the world face an urgent imperative to transform its energy system by developing and deploying low or zero-carbon technologies on a dramatic scale. And while developed regions like the United States and Europe might be willing to change their consumption patterns ?and businesses to incorporate clean energy (though not significantly), developing nations can?t afford to pay the necessary premium for this access. And they shouldn?t have to, as they try to gain access to energy of any kind. As such, the only way the?entireglobal energy system can transition to clean energy is if its cost is lower and its performance is equal to or greater than cheap fossil fuels like natural gas, coal, and oil.

Unfortunately, today?s clean energy technologies like wind, solar, electric vehicles, smart grids, and energy storage are more expensive and oftentimes performance-limited compared to their fossil competitors. Solar and wind power are intermittent without energy storage and still require significant advances in energy conversion efficiency. Electric vehicles are up to double the cost of comparable gasoline powered cars, and significant infrastructure build-out like smart grids, charging infrastructure, and transmission lines are barriers to rapid deployment as well.?(Read More:?An Introduction to Fueling Innovation)

Without a doubt today?s clean energy technologies have made dramatic progress and innovations have propelled a doubling of renewable energy in less than 5 years, but much more is needed. Today?s technologies won?t be able to propel the world to deep reductions in global carbon emissions, but improving on today?s technologies and developing new designs can.?

Russell Wilson soars as Seahawks rout Bills 50-17

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) passes against the Buffalo Bills during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) passes against the Buffalo Bills during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) is tackled by Buffalo Bills strong safety George Wilson (37) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) runs the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the first the half of an NFL football game in Toronto, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)

Buffalo Bills linebacker Kelvin Sheppard (55) sacks Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during the first the half of an NFL football game in Toronto, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)

Seattle Seahawks tight end Zach Miller (86) celebrates his touchdown reception ahead of Buffalo Bills defensive back Ron Brooks during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in Toronto. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

TORONTO (AP) ? Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks are not only surging toward a playoff berth. They showed they can pile up the points on either side of the border.

A week after a 58-0 win at home against Arizona, Wilson ran for three touchdowns and threw for another in a 50-17 rout of the Bills in Buffalo's annual game in Toronto on Sunday. Wilson's scores all came in the first half.

The Seahawks' opportunistic defense then took over by forcing three consecutive turnovers to start the second half, including safety Earl Thomas scoring on 57-yard interception return.

The 108 combined points over two weeks matched the NFL's third-highest total. The New England Patriots also scored 108 points in consecutive games last month, according to STATS. And the Seahawks became the NFL's third team to score 50 points in consecutive weeks, joining the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants, who both did it in 1950, according to STATS.

In winning for the fifth time in six games, the Seahawks (9-5) inched closer to clinching a playoff berth and still aren't out of the running to win the NFC West. They return home to host division-leading San Francisco in what's become a key showdown.

Wilson, the rookie third-round draft pick, scored on 14-, 25- and 13-yard runs to become the NFL's first quarterback to run for three scores in one half since Daunte Culpepper did it against Chicago on Sept. 3, according to STATS. And Wilson's 4-yard touchdown pass to Zach Miller was his 21st of the season, moving into a tie for second with Cam Newton among NFL rookies. Only Peyton Manning, with 26 in 1998, has more.

Wilson had 92 yards rushing to give him 402 on the season, setting a Seahawks record by passing Rick Mirer, who had 343 yards rushing in 1993. He also went 14 of 23 for 205 yards before giving way to backup Matt Flynn with 5 minutes left.

Wilson ran circles around the Bills (5-9), who were entirely outclassed in being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention for a 13th season. That's the NFL's longest active drought. And their performance further raises questions about coach Chan Gailey's job security.

C.J. Spiller scored on a 14-yard run, while Stevie Johnson scored on a 20-yard catch from Ryan Fitzpatrick.

This was an utter meltdown by a Bills defense that had allowed an average of 16.75 points and 254.25 yards offense over its past four games. Buffalo's now allowed 45 or more points three times this season.

The Seahawks scored 31 points on their first five possessions, and 40 points on their first eight, a stretch in which Canadian-born Jon Ryan punted just once.

The Bills rallied by scoring 10 unanswered points in the final 1:10 of the first half to cut the Seahawks' lead to 31-17. But any chances of a comeback ended on Buffalo's first possession of the second half, when Fitzpatrick forced a pass over the middle and was intercepted by linebacker K.J. Wright, who returned it to the Bills 20.

Two plays later, Marshawn Lynch scored on a 13-yard run.

On the next possession, Fitzpatrick had the ball stripped from his hand by defensive end Chris Clemons and the fumble recovered by teammate Bruce Irvin. That led to Steven Hauschka hitting a 33-yard field goal to make it 40-17.

And then it got ugly.

Fitzpatrick turned the ball over a third straight time, when he was intercepted by Thomas. The touchdown was reviewed, and the crowd cheered loudly when referee Scott Green announced that Thomas had caught the ball before it hit the turf.

The announced crowd of 40,770 was well below the downtown domed Rogers Centre's capacity of 54,000.

The Bills dropped to 1-4 in regular-season games at Toronto since the series began in 2008, with their lone win coming last year when they beat Washington 23-0.

The Bills and Toronto-based Rogers Communications are closing in on a deal to extend the series, which expired after this game.

Torontonians might want to reconsider after this. With 5:20 left, fans in one end zone began chanting "Let's Go Blue Jays!"

At least they were entertained by both the Seahawks and at halftime by Korean pop star PSY performed his hit "Gangnam Style" at midfield. Many fans stuck around and stood during the performance, with some doing the dance the song has inspired.

Bills in Toronto series organizers hired PSY to perform in a bid to boost ticket sales for a game that has had difficulty selling out over the previous four years. PSY was greeted by loud cheers and performed in front of a group of cheerleaders and youngsters dressed in blue shirts who all wore PSY-styled sunglasses.

The crowd was slow-arriving and featured a wide diversity of NFL fans. While there were numerous fans dressed in Bills and Seahawks colors, fans were spotted wearing a Steelers' Troy Polamalu jersey, and another wearing a Tom Brady No. 12 Patriots jersey.

The Seahawks wore their third uniforms ? "wolf grey" jerseys and pants with green numbers and names ? for the first time since introducing them this offseason.

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Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-12-16-Seahawks-Bills/id-6ebff2ca73a14a43afd45ad4986a3a46

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Tory 'hardworking family' used to promote 'Christian home schooling ...

Conservative chairman Grant Shapps ? a purveyor of online get-rich-quick schemes who bragged about the number of planes he owned?? is using populist internet marketing techniques to attack the unemployed. A new advert to be run in marginal constituencies contrasts ?people who don?t work? with ?hardworking families?.

But the Tories? ?hardworking family? is actually posed by models who are thought to be either Danish or Australian. Along with adverts for?building firms, insurance?and?dentists, the stock image?has also been used to promote?home schooling by fundamentalist Christians.

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The book Full Time Parenting?contains chapters entitled ?How I taught my children to sit still and be quiet? and ?Hospitality: it?s not just about women anymore!?.

Update: It looks like the family have been working especially hard this morning ? they?ve now got their very own hard-working Tory family tumblr.

Scrapbook wonders what this incarnation of Shapps? idealised family unit would think about Cameron?s gay marriage plans?

Source: http://politicalscrapbook.net/2012/12/tory-hardworking-family-used-to-promote-christian-home-schooling/

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Comments - The Source For NAR Commercial Real Estate

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Next month, the US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in commercial property case?Koontz vs. St. Johns River Water Management District. Koontz is an interesting and lengthy case, begun 18 years ago in 1994 when Florida landowner Coy Koontz applied for a permit to develop land he had bought years earlier in 1972.

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At the time of the 17.9 acre vacant lot?s purchase, according to court filings, Koontz?s property, located at the intersection of two state highways, was unencumbered by state and local regulations, and land-use law permitted him full use of his property. ?By 1994, that had changed significantly.

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In 1985, Florida enacted an environmental statute implementing regulations to control the use of private property containing wetlands and uplands suitable for fish and wildlife habitat. By 1994, all but 1.4 acres of Koontz?s property was included in a Habitat Protection Zone overseen by the St. Johns River Water Management District.

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Mr Koontz submitted applications for development in 1994,?including?mitigations for the disturbance to the habitat, as per district regulations. ?He offered to place eleven acres of his property into a conservation easement.

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According to court filings, the district?s response was that they would recommend to deny the permit unless Mr. Koontz, in addition to the surrender of 11 acres of his property, financed the restoration and enhancement of at least 50 acres of welands on District-owned property miles away, by replacing culverts, digging ditches and building a road.

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In 1994, Mr Koontz filed an action against the District which was only heard eventually in 2002 on the question ?wether the off-site mitigation required by the District was an unreasonable exercise of police power?. ?The court found for the landowner, causing the District to approve the permit without the work it had required to be done on land located miles away. ?Damages were also awarded to Mr. Koontz.

However, the District appealed the case, and this is where the road to the Supreme Court really begins.

In the appeal, the District did not challenge any factual findings in the lower court case, but instead attacked the applicability of cases Mr. Koontz?s attorneys had argued were applicable to the exaction the District sought from Mr. Koontz, cases named Nollan vs. California Costal Commission and Dolan vs. City of Tigard. ?The technical legal argument about the specifics of takings by the state ? which Koontz?s legal team hard argued applied ? was now back on the table.

The Florida Appellate court found for Mr. Koontz, then the Florida Supreme court found against him.

The Supreme Court is up to hear the case and settle it once and for all on January 15th.

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Related articles

Source: http://blog.commercialsource.com/soctus-set-to-hear-koontz/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=soctus-set-to-hear-koontz

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