Monday, December 31, 2012

Myanmar to fete 2013 with first public countdown

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) ? Myanmar will ring in 2013 with its first public New Year's Eve countdown and a grand fireworks display in a celebration unprecedented in the former military-ruled country.

Monday night's outdoor party marks the latest, and perhaps most exuberant, example of the country's emergence from decades of isolation.

Thousands were expected to attend the celebration at a large field in Yangon against the backdrop of the city's famed Shwedagon Pagoda, where the Myanmar public will get its chance to do what much of the world does every Dec. 31.

A large digital screen will show a live stream of New Year's Eve countdowns in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand leading up to a 60-second countdown to 2013 in Myanmar.

Singers, celebrities, light shows and other festivities were planned for the public party, which would have been unthinkable under the former military regime that banned public gatherings.

Until this year, New Year's Eve was celebrated privately or inside hotels, but there was no open celebration. Under the military regime the only grand fireworks display was traditionally in honor of Armed Forces Day, an annual celebration of military might.

The reformist government that took office last year urged the public to go out and have fun.

"This event is a very good outlet, particularly for young people," said presidential adviser Ko Ko Hlaing, adding that celebrations like this can "help build mutual understanding between the people and the government."

President Thein Sein has freed hundreds of political prisoners, abolished direct media censorship and allowed public protests as part of a democratic transition that has surprised the outside world.

Many in Myanmar, however, remain skeptical. While people in big cities say they live more freely they also say they the reforms have not improved their livelihoods. People in rural areas of grinding poverty cite continuing human rights issues, abuse of power and abysmal health care.

"People are feeling insecure psychologically, but a public celebration will make people feel light and happy and ease the tension," Ko Ko Hlaing said.

Organizers billed the event as "the first time Myanmar celebrates with the world."

The celebration was arranged by local Forever Media group and Index Creative Village, a Thai event organizer.

"We are planning this public new year's event because we want residents of Yangon to enjoy the public countdown like in other countries," said Win Thura Hlaing, a spokesman for Forever Media group.

Ahead of the countdown, revelers said they had seen parties like this only on TV.

"I've seen the ball drop at Times Square in New York but I never expected that we would celebrate like this," said Sai Toe Makha, a 31-year-old singer, who planned to attend the celebration with 10 friends.

Male model Ye Min Thu, 21, called it "an unforgettable moment, where people can feel the first experience of celebrating the new year in public."

___

Associated Press writer Yadana Htun contributed to this story.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/myanmar-fete-2013-first-public-countdown-080334719.html

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Yemen: Al-Qaida offers bounty for US ambassador

(AP) ? Al-Qaida's branch in Yemen has offered to pay tens of thousands of dollars to anyone who kills the U.S. ambassador in Sanaa or an American soldier in the country.

An audio produced by the group's media arm, the al-Malahem Foundation, and posted on militant websites Saturday said it offered three kilograms of gold worth $160,000 for killing the ambassador, Gerald Feierstein.

The group said it will pay 5 million Yemeni riyals ($23,000) to anyone who kills an American soldier inside Yemen.

It said the offer is valid for six months.

The bounties were set to "inspire and encourage our Muslim nation for jihad," the statement said.

The U.S. Embassy in Sanaa did not respond to an Associated Press phone call asking for comment.

Washington considers al-Qaida in Yemen to be the group's most dangerous branch.

The group overran entire towns and villages last year by taking advantage of a security lapse during nationwide protests that eventually ousted the country's longtime ruler. Backed by the U.S. military experts based at a southern air base, Yemen's army was able to regain control of the southern region, but al-Qaida militants continue to launch deadly attacks on security forces that have killed hundreds.

In the capital, Sanaa, security officials said two gunmen on a motorbike shot and killed two intelligence officers early Sunday as they were leaving a downtown security facility. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity according to regulations, said all intelligence and security officers have been instructed to take precautionary measures outside working hours.

The government blames al-Qaida for the killing of several senior military and intelligence officials this year mainly by gunmen on motorbikes.

The officials said security authorities in Sanaa have launched a campaign against motorcyclists suspected of involvement in these attacks or other crimes, arresting about 200 for questioning for violations, including driving motorcycles without license plates.

___

Associated Press writer Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-30-Yemen/id-34106b9e64064813a57be7ecd587642c

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Fitch Affirms Turin Capital Leasing FIDC Ratings ? World Leasing ...

Fitch Affirms Turin Capital Leasing FIDC Ratings

The transaction is backed by a static pool of finance leases originated by Banco CNH Capital S.A. (Banco CNH) to companies and individuals throughout Brazil for heavy equipment. The FIDC consists of a sequential-pay structure of Senior Cotas and unrated Junior Cotas with the legal final maturity in January 2014.

The assets of the fund consist of a pool of 359 highly seasoned equipment leases and liens on the leased equipment. The financings are primarily monthly pay construction equipment leases with a small percentage of mining, forestry and agricultural equipment leases with semi-annual or annual payments. There is no residual exposure.

Credit enhancement is provided to the senior cotas through subordination of the junior cotas and a liquidity reserve. The subordination amount increased from an initial level of 15% to 40% at the end of November, given the sequential-pay amortization structure. The trust also receives enhancement through a limited performance guaranty provided by Banco CNH of up to 15% of the initial collateral balance; however, Fitch gives no credit to this arrangement. Repurchases under this agreement totaled 1.78% of the initial collateral balance through November 2012.

Total credit enhancement is more than sufficient to support loss coverage multiples in excess of the 6,0x base case losses. In addition, the senior class can withstand the default of greater than the top 20 obligors. These stresses are consistent with ratings of ?AAAsf(bra)? and ?A-sf?. The gross loss expectation on the collateral is approximately 2.5% with no credit to recoveries.

Information was provided to Fitch by Banco CNH, BEM DTVM Ltda. and Banco Credit Agricole Brasil.

Additional information is available at ?www.fitchratings.com?. The ratings above were solicited by, or on behalf of, the issuer, and therefore, Fitch has been compensated for the provision of the ratings.

Applicable Criteria and Related Research:

??Global Structured Finance Rating Criteria? dated June 6, 2012;

??Criteria for Rating U.S. Equipment Lease and Loan ABS? dated Jan. 11, 2012;

??Criteria for Existing Asset Securitisation in Emerging Markets: Sovereign Constraints? dated June 28, 2012.

Applicable Criteria and Related Research:

Global Structured Finance Rating Criteria

http://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=679923

Criteria for Rating U.S. Equipment Lease and Loan ABS

http://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=663732

Criteria for Existing Asset Securitisation in Emerging Markets: Sovereign Constraints

http://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=669810

ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK:HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY?S PUBLIC WEBSITE ?WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM?. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH?S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE ?CODE OF CONDUCT? SECTION OF THIS SITE.

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/12/28/4509740/fitch-affirms-turin-capital-leasing.html#storylink=cpy

Source: http://www.worldleasingnews.com/news/fitch-affirms-turin-capital-leasing-fidc-ratings/

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Sunday, December 30, 2012

Obama: Congressional leaders may avoid cliff dive

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is urging Congress to reach a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff, saying the nation "can't afford a politically self-inflicted wound to our economy."

Obama says in Saturday's radio and Internet address that he believes leaders in Congress may be able to reach an agreement that can pass both houses before taxes rise and spending cuts take effect at the end of the year.

He urges "Washington politics" to not get in the way of "America's progress."

In the Republican address, Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt says "inaction shouldn't be an option" and the nation can avoid going over the fiscal cliff if Obama and the Democratic-controlled Senate work with Republicans to solve the problem.

___

Online:

Obama address: www.whitehouse.gov

GOP address: www.youtube.com/gopweeklyaddress

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-congressional-leaders-may-avoid-cliff-dive-182633728--politics.html

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Sony Xperia Go, lo hemos probado Este 2012 que se acaba ha sido importante para...

Sony Xperia Go, lo hemos probado

Este 2012 que se acaba ha sido importante para Sony con su gama de nuevos tel?fonos avanzados. El Sony Xperia Go fue el ?ltimo en ver la luz, pero no quer?amos dejar pasar m?s d?as para mostraros su an?lisis a fondo ?

Source: http://www.facebook.com/Xataka/posts/10151196237827636

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CNOOC oil fields in operation in South China Sea

  • Chinas central bank to keep monetary policy stable

    Macau News.Net - Friday 28th December, 2012

    China's central bank has said it will continue to implement a prudent monetary policy next year and pay close attention to potential financial risks. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) said in a ...

  • China appoints new security chief

    Macau News.Net - Friday 28th December, 2012

    China's top legislature Friday appointed Guo Shengkun as minister of public security, replacing Meng Jianzhu. Guo's previous post was party chief of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, ...

  • Chinese rare earth firm to form megacompany

    Macau News.Net - Friday 28th December, 2012

    China's top rare earth producer announced Friday it will gain control of 12 other firms in the sector, making its first move to form a megacompany. Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Rare-Earth (Group) ...

  • Turkey`s Besiktas signs Portuguese Winger Simao

    Turkish Press - Friday 28th December, 2012

    Turkey`s Besiktas has sealed a deal with Atletico Madrid`s Portuguese winger Simao Sabrosa, the soccer club said in a statement on Thursday. Besiktas said that club officials agreed on a ...

  • China sends ship to South China Sea to back claim

    Gadsden Times - Friday 28th December, 2012

    The official Xinhua News Agency says patrol vessel Haixun 21, equipped with a helipad, departed the southern city of Haikou for the South China Sea on Thursday.China believes most of the South China ...

  • First ETF launched on Portuguese market

    European Pensions - Friday 28th December, 2012

    Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) provider SPA ETF has signed an agreement with NYSE Euronext and Portuguese bank Caixa ? Banco de Investimento (CaixaBI) to list and distribute the first ever ETF ...

  • Hong Kong stocks open up 0.26 percent

    Inquirer Business - Friday 28th December, 2012

    Hong Kong?Hong Kong shares rose 0.26 percent in early trade on Friday morning despite a lack of progress in Washington talks aimed at averting the fiscal cliff. The benchmark Hang Seng Index ...

  • Hong Kong June CPI climbs to 5.6 pct on rising rents and pork prices

    People's Daily - Thursday 27th December, 2012

    Hong Kong's Consumer Price Index (CPI) in June climbed to 5.6 percent from a year ago, higher than the 5.2 percent rise in May, mainly due to the enlarged increases in private housing rentals, ...

  • Hong Kongs liquefied petroleum gas prices to fall in August

    People's Daily - Thursday 27th December, 2012

    Hong Kong's liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) ceiling prices at LPG stations will range from 4.44 HK dollars (0.57 U.S. dollars) to 4.86 HK dollars per liter in August, down 25 to 26 cents per ...

  • Source: http://www.macaunews.net/index.php/sid/211649711/scat/8d8fbf819e12707b

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    Saturday, December 29, 2012

    Silicon Valley entrepreneur Krikorian quits Amazon board

    SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor Blake Krikorian has quit the board of Amazon.com Inc about a year and a half after joining to take up an unspecified role at the buyer of a company he owned.

    Krikorian, known for co-founding Sling Media in 2004, informed the rest of the board on Wednesday of his intention to resign, Amazon said in a Friday filing.

    Spokesman Ty Rogers added that the serial entrepreneur, whose latest endeavor is home-automation startup id8 Group R2 Studios Inc, has sold a company and quit in order to take up a position at the acquirer. He did not name the company involved or the buyer.

    The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Krikorian's year-old startup was in acquisition discussions with Amazon rivals Apple Inc, Google Inc and Microsoft Corp. It cited sources as saying the trio of tech powerhouses coveted R2 Studios' home-oriented technology as they expanded their own forays into living-room media entertainment.

    R2 Studios recently launched a Google Android application to allow users to control home heating and lighting systems from their smartphone. Krikorian's Sling Media -- which was sold to EchoStar Communications in 2007 -- made the "Slingbox" for watching TV on computers.

    Krikorian, known also for doing double duty as an angel investor, joined Amazon's board in September of last year, a move hailed as helping propel Amazon's own substantial efforts in online media. (Reporting By Edwin Chan; Editing by Gary Hill and Bob Burgdorfer)

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/amazons-board-loses-silicon-valley-entrepreneur-krikorian-222510256--sector.html

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    What sports did they play during the renaissance in England? | The ...

    Issue:

    What sports did they play during the renaissance in England from 14-1600s?

    Question :

    What sports did they play during the renaissance in England?

    Best Solver (Answer):

    Answer by Verity
    Tennis was very popular among the upper classes.

    Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger... Rating: 5? 99% like it? Reviewed by Master on

    Source: http://www.thebestsolver.com/what-sports-did-they-play-during-the-renaissance-in-england.html

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    US sailors sue Japan's TEPCO for post-quake radiation exposure ...

    Nicholas A. Groesch / Reuters file

    Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan wash down the flight deck to remove potential radiation contamination while operating off the coast of Japan providing humanitarian assistance in support of Operation Tomodachi on March 22, 2011.

    By Kari Huus, NBC News

    A group of U.S. Navy personnel involved in the humanitarian effort after Japan's March 2011 earthquake and tsunami have filed a lawsuit against the Tokyo Electric Power Co. for more than $200 million?in compensation, punitive damages and future medical costs for exposure to radiation that leaked from the damaged Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant at the time.

    The plaintiffs include eight troops serving on the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier ? one of whom was pregnant at the time of the alleged exposure ??and her?daughter.

    They charge that the utility, known as TEPCO, "knowingly and negligently caused, permitted and allowed misleading information concerning the true condition of the (plant) to be disseminated to the public, including the U.S. Navy Department," according to the complaint filed on Dec. 21 in a U.S. federal court in San Diego.


    ?The plaintiffs are suffering a variety of symptoms that attorney Paul Garner says were caused by the exposure, including rectal bleeding, thyroid problems and?persistent migraine headaches, and all face an increased chance of developing cancer and requiring expensive medical procedures.

    The U.S. carrier was positioned just offshore from the damaged Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, which and suffered a meltdown which triggered?the release of high levels of radiation into the air and water.

    "The carrier was less than two football fields away from the Fukushima Daiichi when it released a cloud of radiation," said Garner, speaking to NBC News on Thursday.

    He said the crew was unknowingly exposed to high levels of radiation in numerous ways, including when they cleared the carrier's decks of snow that was contaminated, and washed down the helicopters with sea water that was contaminated.

    Archival video: Of all the aftershocks that could hit Japan, nothing frightens the world more than the possibility of a devastating nuclear disaster. NBC's Anne Thompson.

    The complaint said that by relying on misrepresentations about the situation by TEPCO, the U.S. Navy was "lulled into a false sense of security," believing it was "safe to operate with the waters adjacent to the FNPP, without doing research and testing that would have revealed the problems."

    It goes on to charge that through its conduct, TEPCO "rendered the Plaintiffs infirm and poisoned their bodies. The Plaintiffs must now endure a lifetime of radiation poisoning and suffering which could have and should have been avoided."

    Archival video: Damon Moglen of Friends of the Earth discusses the potential dangers that still loom in Japan following an explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility.

    The suit is seeking $10 million in damages for each plaintiff, plus?$30 million in punitive damages and a judgment requiring TEPCO to create $100 million fund to pay for their medical costs, including monitoring and treatments.

    TEPCO could not immediately be reached for comment by NBC News.

    A TEPCO spokesman reached by?The Japan Times?said the company had not yet received the complaint.

    "We will consider a response after examining the claim," said Yusuke Kunikage, according to the Times.

    Since the disaster, TEPCO has operated a fund to compensate victims in Japan.

    Garner said that he didn't believe his clients would get justice through the Japanese system, which is why the suit was filed in a U.S. court. The complaint was served to TEPCO's office in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, he said.

    "We need the U.S. justice system to make this right," Garner said.

    ?More world stories from NBC News:

    Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

    Follow Kari Huus on Facebook

    Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/27/16197507-us-sailors-sue-japans-tepco-for-post-quake-radiation-exposure?lite

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    Friday, December 28, 2012

    White House meeting a last stab at a fiscal deal

    President Barack Obama waves to reporters as he steps off the Marine One helicopter and walks on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, as he returns early from his Hawaii vacation for meetings on the fiscal cliff. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

    President Barack Obama waves to reporters as he steps off the Marine One helicopter and walks on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, as he returns early from his Hawaii vacation for meetings on the fiscal cliff. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

    House Minority Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer of Md., pauses during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, where he urged House Republicans to end the pro forma session and call the House back into legislative session to negotiate a solution to the fiscal cliff. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

    Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. walks to the Senate floor on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

    (AP) ? President Barack Obama was preparing to present a limited fiscal proposal to congressional leaders at a White House meeting Friday, a make-or-break moment for negotiations to avoid across-the-board tax increases and deep spending cuts at the first of the year.

    Lawmakers and White House officials held out a slim hope for a deal before the new year, but it remained unclear whether congressional passage of legislation palatable to both sides was even possible.

    The Friday afternoon meeting among congressional leaders and the president ? their first since Nov. 16 ? was likely to center on which income thresholds would face higher tax rates, extending unemployment insurance, and preventing a cut in Medicare payments to doctors, among other issues.

    For Obama, the eleventh-hour scramble represented a test of how he would balance strength derived from his re-election against an avowed commitment to compromise in the face of divided government. Despite early talk of a grand bargain between Obama and House Speaker John Boehner that would reduce deficits by more than $2 trillion, the expectations were now far less ambitious.

    Although there were no guarantees of a deal, Republicans and Democrats said privately that any agreement would likely include an extension of middle-class tax cuts with increased rates at upper incomes, an Obama priority that was central to his re-election campaign.

    A key question was whether Obama would agree to abandon his insistence during the campaign on raising taxes on households earning more than $250,000 a year and instead accept a $400,000 threshold like the one he offered in negotiations with Boehner. Another was whether Republicans would seek a higher income threshold.

    The deal would also likely put off the scheduled spending cuts. Such a year-end bill could also include an extension of expiring unemployment benefits, a reprieve for doctors who face a cut in Medicare payments and possibly a short-term measure to prevent dairy prices from soaring, officials said.

    If a deal was not possible, it would become evident at Friday's White House meeting, and Obama and the leaders would leave a resolution for the next Congress to address in January.

    Such a delay could unnerve the stock market, which edged lower for a fifth day Friday amid worries that lawmakers would fail to reach a budget deal. Economists say that if the tax increases are allowed to hit most Americans and if the spending cuts aren't scaled back, the recovering but fragile economy could sustain a traumatizing shock.

    Obama called for the meeting as top lawmakers on Thursday alternately cast blame on each other while portraying themselves as open to a reasonable last-minute bargain.

    Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid all but conceded that any effort at this late date was a long shot. "I don't know timewise how it can happen now," he said.

    The No. 2 Senate GOP leader, Jon Kyl of Arizona, said it is "pretty unlikely" that Senate Republicans would agree to legislation averting the fiscal cliff if it wouldn't pass muster in the House.

    "If you know the House isn't going to do something, why go through the charade?" he told reporters. "That becomes political gamesmanship."

    Obama and Reid, D-Nev., would have to propose a package that Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell would agree not to block with procedural steps that require 60 votes to overcome.

    Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said he still thinks a deal could be struck.

    The Democrat told NBC's "Today" show Friday that he believes the "odds are better than people think."

    Schumer said he based his optimism on indications that McConnell has gotten "actively engaged" in the talks.

    Appearing on the same show, Republican Sen. John Thune noted the meeting scheduled later Friday at the White House, saying "it's encouraging that people are talking."

    But Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., predicted that "the worst-case scenario" could emerge from Friday's talks.

    "We will kick the can down the road," he said on "CBS This Morning."

    "We'll do some small deal and we'll create another fiscal cliff to deal with the fiscal cliff," he said. Corker complained that there has been "a total lack of courage, lack of leadership," in Washington.

    If a deal were to pass the Senate, Boehner would have to agree to take it to the floor in the Republican-controlled House.

    Boehner discussed the fiscal cliff with Republican members in a conference call Thursday and advised them that the House would convene Sunday evening. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., an ally of the speaker, said Boehner told the lawmakers that "he didn't really intend to put on the floor something that would pass with all the Democratic votes and few of the Republican votes."

    But Cole did not rule out Republican support for some increase in tax rates, noting that Boehner had amassed about 200 Republican votes for a plan last week to raise rates on Americans earning $1 million or more. Boehner ultimately did not put the plan to a House floor vote in the face of opposition from Republican conservatives and a unified Democratic caucus.

    "The ultimate question is whether the Republican leaders in the House and Senate are going to push us over the cliff by blocking plans to extend tax cuts for the middle class," White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer said. "Ironically, in order to protect tax breaks for millionaires, they will be responsible for the largest tax increase in history."

    Boehner, McConnell, Reid and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi are all scheduled to attend Friday's White House meeting with Obama. Vice President Joe Biden will also participate in the meeting, the White House said.

    ___

    Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Charles Babington and David Espo contributed to this report.

    ___

    Follow Jim Kuhnhenn on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jkuhnhenn

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-12-28-Fiscal%20Cliff/id-95703bbcc26e4b5b8dfd9213cbe127ad

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    Krauthammer: Obama Has Ruthlessly Shattered the GOP, Created Internal Civil War (Little green footballs)

    Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

    Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/273648096?client_source=feed&format=rss

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    Thursday, December 27, 2012

    Ned Rocknroll: Who Is The New Mr. Winslet?

    In light of Kate Winslet's surprise wedding, we dig up all we can find on the man with a rockstar name.
    By Emily Blake


    Ned Rocknroll
    Photo: Getty Images

    Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1699424/ned-rocknroll-kate-winslet-husband.jhtml

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    Video: S&P 500 Set for 12 Percent Gain: Stoltzfus

    Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

    Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50298058/

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    Online Dating Traffic Surges Between Boxing Day And New Year's ...

    Onlinedating key on keyboardHUFFINGTON POST - Dec 26 - Mark Brooks, a dating analyst and consultant to the Internet dating industry, said it was the endless stream of awkward questions from family members that prompted many to search for love online this time of year. ?The effect becomes more pronounced over the Xmas vacations and party season," he said. ?Questions such as 'have you been dating anyone recently' and 'do you think you?ll ever marry? become 'On your own, are you?'." Kate Taylor, a relationship expert at Match.com, said people look back at their achievements over the past twelve months, and think about their New Year's resolutions. On Match.com ~4M unique connections are expected to be made; with 3M email messages written; 2.5M 'winks' sent; and 500K IM conversations taking place. Brett Harding, managing director for Lovestruck, said registrations increase by 48% during this period. For eHarmony, the number of registrations was 3.5 times higher than the week immediately before Christmas. Cupid.com's Sean Wood also suggested that the pressure on couples in the Christmas period could also lead to more break ups ? resulting in more singles on the scene by Boxing Day. AshleyMadison.com biggest spike came immediately after New Year's Eve. The first working day after New Year's there was a 413% increase in member sign-ups with a total of 9,857 new members. What's really interesting is that for many sites, the traffic then falls again drastically in the spring. ?Internet daters tend to stick around for about three months," said analyst Brooks. "Then they bail, then they come back, or go to another site, or multiple internet dating sites."

    by Charlie Thomas
    See full article at Huffington Post

    See all posts on Match.com?????? See all posts on Lovestruck
    See all posts on eHarmony????? ? See all posts on Cupid
    See all posts on Ashley Madison

    Source: http://www.onlinepersonalswatch.com/news/2012/12/online-dating-traffic-surges-between-boxing-day-and-new-years-eve-.html

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    Bumblebees do best where there is less pavement and more floral diversity

    Dec. 24, 2012 ? Landscapes with large amounts of paved roads and impervious construction have lower numbers of ground-nesting bumblebees, which are important native pollinators, a study from The University of Texas at Austin and the University of California, Berkeley shows.

    The study suggests that management strategies that reduce the local use of pavement and increase natural habitat within the landscape could improve nesting opportunities for wild bees and help protect food supplies around the word.

    The study also suggests that increasing the number of species-rich flowering patches in suburban and urban gardens, farms and restored habitats could provide pathways for bees to forage and improve pollination services over larger areas.

    The findings have major implications for global pollinator conservation on a rapidly urbanizing planet.

    "We are potentially in a pollinator crisis," said Shalene Jha, lead author and assistant professor of biology at The University of Texas at Austin. "Honey bees are declining precipitously, and wild bees have also been exhibiting population declines across the globe. Native bees provide critical pollination services for fruit, nut, fiber and forage crops. Understanding how bees move around the landscape can help us both preserve biodiversity and improve crop yields."

    Animal pollination is estimated to be worth over $200 billion in global crop yields.

    For the research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Jha and senior author Claire Kremen, a professor at UC Berkeley's Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, studied a native California bumblebee, Bombus vosnesenskii, in habitats across exurban areas, farms and nature reserves.

    In addition to finding that pavement negatively affects the bees, the scientists discovered that:

    • Bees will move longer distances to find patches of flowers that are rich in species; it's not floral density that determines how far a bumblebee will fly, but floral diversity.
    • Bees will also forage further away from their home nest if the surrounding landscape is less heterogeneous. "In some ways, it's a bet-hedging strategy," said Jha. "If the landscape is composed of consistently dense flowering patches, bees take a risk and forage farther afield to find species-rich patches."

    "In combination with earlier work showing that bumblebees have become rare in agricultural landscapes, our study suggests that farmers could promote these valuable pollinators by diversifying crop types and by planting cover crops and flowering hedgerows to enhance floral diversity," said Kremen.

    Though it may seem obvious that pavement and ground nesting don't mix, Jha said that our understanding of the effects of pavement and urban growth on native bees has been largely anecdotal.

    "Using genetic tools, we can now estimate the number of colonies in an area," said Jha, who began this work as a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley. "This is helping us better understand how wild pollinators live and move across large, diverse landscapes."

    Bumblebees nest in the ground, and each colony contains a queen and a force of workers. As with honeybees, all of the bumblebee workers are sisters who spend some of their time flying around searching for flowers from which to collect pollen and nectar to feed the larvae back in the hive.

    Unlike honeybees, which are not native, bumblebees do not make harvestable honey. They do, however, provide important pollination services to plants.

    "Bumblebees are among the most effective native pollinators," said Jha. "They are large and can carry a lot of pollen. They also vibrate or 'buzz' flowers with their bodies and thus are excellent at extracting pollen and moving it from plant to plant."

    To study the bumblebees, Jha did not scour the landscape for nests in the ground, which has proved in the past to be very difficult, especially over large areas. Instead, she analyzed the genetic relatedness of bees foraging in the landscape.

    If bees collected in an area were genetically identified as sisters, they came from the same colony. Unrelated bees came from different colonies. Jha used this information, plus the bees' locations, to estimate the number of bee colonies in an area and determine how far afield the individual bees were foraging.

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    Story Source:

    The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Texas at Austin.

    Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


    Journal Reference:

    1. S. Jha, C. Kremen. Resource diversity and landscape-level homogeneity drive native bee foraging. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1208682110

    Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

    Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

    Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/sMBqHKgy3yI/121226080902.htm

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    Wednesday, December 26, 2012

    The King of Snowtopia | Writelink Creative Writing Challenges

    The King of Snowtopia

    White. Everything was white.
    The children collected what they needed from their mothers? kitchens. Up they trooped to the top of the road that overlooked the valley. Here, beneath the shelter of the Hanging Tree, they got to work. It was here, the previous Christmas, the father of one of the children had been found dead.
    They compacted the soft snow into three parts. With these they formed his legs, his torso and his head. Two black olives they inserted as his eyes, for his mouth a half-moon of coffee beans, and for his nose, a carrot. His arms they fashioned from long twigs, on whose ends they put a pair of mittens. And lastly, upon his head they placed a ring of holly with red berries ? the youngest boy?s idea. An undersized kid named Joshua, Josh to his little pals, the boy whose father?s dead body had been found in that very spot last Christmas.
    Bluster Blizzard, the name they always gave him, was complete.
    Around their creation they danced and laughed until creeping darkness scared them and they ran home. All except, Josh, who stayed with Bluster Blizzard so the snowman wouldn?t be alone in the scary darkness. Besides, Josh?s mom was still in work, and he didn?t like being by himself since his daddy left them. He moved in close to the tree for shelter.
    Daylight, pure and bright, slunk off at the approach of her shadowy stalker the Night. The realization that the kingdom of Snowtopia would soon awake came to Bluster Blizzard as a fuzzy feeling. The previous year, Snowtopia, like Bluster Blizzard, had lain dormant.
    The snowman, the king of Snowtopia, trembled at the consequences of his absence. Without their yearly period of respite in Snowtopia, the world of mortals would have forgotten its humanity. And the birds and animals, too, would have been corrupted. Perhaps he was already too late.
    Silence, no sound save for the far-off whispering of a million tiny voices told the snowman king his loyal army was on its way.
    From the skies they fell, a myriad of snowflakes. Into his ears they whispered confirmation of his fears. Mortal mothers and fathers, they told him, had neglected their parental duties. Instead of bonding with their children last Christmas, they?d abandoned them, left them with nannies and child-minders so that they were free to make merry in public houses.
    The king lowered his head, his dark-eyed gaze locked to his own blue shadow. But he looked up quickly when a robin landed on his outstretched arm.
    ?Ah, my little friend. Good to see you?re still thriving.?
    The robin hopped onto the king?s shoulder. ?Sire. For eight seasons I have awaited your return. I have much to report.?
    ?So. How fares the birds and beasts??
    The robin broke into a sweet melody that told Bluster Blizzard of the changes his absence had wrought upon the animal kingdom. The bird sang of how Winter, the goodly white giant, confused when the snow-king failed to greet his arrival the year before, departed hurriedly. The little bird sang too of how the goddess Spring came early. And following her the buzzing of a billion wing-beats. The bees pollinated the flowers that had bloomed too soon. And so formed seed and berries that swelled beneath Spring?s tender touch.
    In their thousands they came, the Scandinavian winter visitors, ravenous flocks of redwings and fieldfares. But they were too late. Stripped of winter food supplies, the land offered no sustenance. A deadly change came over these winter migrants. Those that rejected the change in diet from fruits and seeds to flesh and blood succumbed to Mac Tire, a wolf known to all the birds and mammals as the Black Beast. Death.
    As he listened to the robin?s tale, the red berries in Bluster Blizzard?s holly crown began to melt. He wept crimson tears.
    A voice, unknown to the snowman king, speaking from within the tree, refocused his attention.
    ?My son Josh. You?ve got to help him. The cold has put him to sleep. He?s freezing to death.?
    As familiar with and fearless of the dead as he was the not-yet-dead, Bluster Blizzard summoned his second in command, the North wind. A feisty old fellow, he appeared from nowhere.
    ?Quick,? Bluster Blizzard said. ?Carry to the boy?s mother his father?s words.?
    The North Wind sucked in his cheeks and with them the plea from the silhouetted figure dangling from a rope above. And with that the old man sprinted off down the hill, and off to the factory where the boy?s mother was working late.
    Another surprise awaited the snowman king. Talk of death had lured from the shadows a creature with amber eyes: Mac Tire. The dark wolf skulked forward towards the tree to where lay the boy called Josh.
    ?No,? the king said. ?It?s not his time.?
    The great wolf turned his pointy muzzle to the king, his jaws open in a canine smile. His tongue he drew across his lips. First Mac Tire licked the boy?s neck, and then his face, until Josh made audible breathing sounds.
    ?You are a noble creature,? the snowman king said. ?Sometimes all of us, immortal or immortal, are as blinded by mythology as we are in a whiteout.
    Another voice, a woman?s, calling out turned the heads of snow, feather and fur alike. That old lank grey hair, the North Wind. Back already. From his toothless and gaping mouth came the boy?s mother?s voice.
    At the far end of the whitened street came the voice?s real owner.
    ?Sylvia,? a strangled voice called from the branches overhead.
    The snowman king craned his neck as the voice called again his wife?s name, his words sounding as though a pair of huge hands were wrapped about his neck, her name choking in his throat. The silhouette of the hanging man than grew faint and disappeared.
    ?Help her,? Bluster Blizzard commanded the North Wind.
    In a huge leap, the old man was next to her. He took her by the hand and helped her climb the icy incline. The birds and beasts melded into the shadows on her arrival.
    ?Josh,? she said, with outstretched arms. ?My baby. Josh.?
    The boy awoke as though from a dream-filled slumber. He smiled at her a smile so bright and filled with the greatest love that exists: the love that bonds a mother and a child.
    From the surrounding bushes and shadows there began a chorus of chirrups, whistles, hoots, grunts, clucks and cackles. A sound so wondrous, so sublime, parents and children, from the warmth of their homes in the valley below, pulled back curtains and opened blinds. And they watched through lighted windows the swirling snowflakes dancing and spiralling from the sky. Perfect. Christmas as it should be; Christmas, a time for families to be together, to stay indoors, to share stories, to play games, to reconnect through laughter, fun, and magic.
    The snowman king, from the top of the hill that overlooked his kingdom, Snowtopia, closed his eyes, exhausted yet elated that his arrival hadn?t, after all, been too late. And he dreamt. For even snowmen find time to dream.

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    US Treasury to take steps to avoid debt ceiling

    7 hrs.

    WASHINGTON --?The U.S. Treasury on Wednesday announced the first of a series of measures to delay hitting the government's $16.4 trillion borrowing limit. Without those steps, the debt ceiling?would be hit on Dec. 31.?

    The government is facing a crunch on the debt ceiling because the issue has become ensnarled in talks to avoid some $600 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts due to begin in early January. Failing to raise the debt ceiling could cause the government to default on its debt.

    To cut government spending and delay bumping up against the debt ceiling, the Treasury will suspend issuance of state and local government series securities -- known as "slugs" -- beginning on Dec.?28.

    Investments in a government employee pension fund will also be suspended, along with some other measures, although Treasury did not give dates for when these other measures will begin.

    "These extraordinary measures ... can create approximately $200 billion in headroom under the debt limit," Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner wrote in a letter to congressional leaders.

    Normally, these measures would buy the Treasury about two months time before hitting the debt ceiling, Geithner said in the letter. But a series of planned tax hikes and spending cuts due to take effect in early January could give Treasury further time if they take effect as scheduled, he said.

    "Treasury will provide more guidance regarding the expected duration of these measures when the policy outlook becomes clearer," he said.

    The instruments known as slugs are special low-interest Treasury securities offered to state and local governments to temporarily invest proceeds from municipal bond sales. They have been suspended several times over the last 20 years to avoid hitting the debt ceiling.

    Many analysts believe the measures available to the Treasury can stave that date off into late February.

    The U.S. Congress typically authorizes government borrowing in a two-stage process, first drafting plans to spend more than it raises in tax revenues. Every few years, it raises a limit on government borrowing to accommodate annual deficits, a process that this year has become ensnared by the contentious budget talks in Washington.?

    Information from the Associated Press and Reuters was included in this report.

    Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/us-treasury-take-steps-avoid-hitting-debt-ceiling-monday-1C7662780

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    Home & Decor Indonesia - November 2012

    Home & Decor Indonesia - November 2012
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