Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3041440/vp/50016973#50016973
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Friday, November 30, 2012
Can life emerge on planets around cooling stars?
ScienceDaily (Nov. 29, 2012) ? Astronomers find planets in strange places and wonder if they might support life. One such place would be in orbit around a white or brown dwarf. While neither is a star like the sun, both glow and so could be orbited by planets with the right ingredients for life.
No terrestrial, or Earth-like planets have yet been confirmed orbiting white or brown dwarfs, but there is no reason to assume they don't exist. However, new research by Rory Barnes of the University of Washington and Ren? Heller of Germany's Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam hints that planets orbiting white or brown dwarfs will prove poor candidates for life.
White dwarfs are the hot cores of dead stars and brown dwarfs are failed stars, objects not massive enough to start nuclear burning as the sun does. In theory, both can be bright enough to theoretically support a habitable zone -- that swath of space just right for an orbiting planet's surface water to be in liquid form, thus giving life a chance.
The inner edge of that just-right zone is where a planet starts to become a runaway greenhouse, such as Venus. That heating phenomenon removes the planet's surface water and all chance of life -- of habitability -- is forever lost.
White and brown dwarfs share a common characteristic that sets them apart from normal stars like the sun: They slowly cool and become less luminous over time. And as they cool, their habitable zones gradually shrink inward. Thus, a planet that is found in the center of the habitable zone today must previously have spent time near the zone's deadly inner edge.
Because of their past, such planet would "face a difficult path to habitability," Barnes said, even if they're discovered right in that habitable zone. Call it a sort of cosmic background check, revealing that the worlds probably lost the means to host life long before they became habitable zone residents.
"These planets, if we find them today in a current habitable zone, previously had to have gone through a phase which sterilized them forever," Barnes said. Heller added, "So, even if they are located in the habitable zone today, they are dead."
Barnes is the lead author of a paper published in November in the journal Astrobiology; and Heller is co-author.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Washington. The original article was written by Peter Kelley.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Barnes, Rory; Heller, Rene. Habitable Planets Around White and Brown Dwarfs: The Perils of a Cooling Primary. Astrobiology, November 2012 [link]
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.
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Thursday, November 29, 2012
Britney Spears House: Singer Buys Multi-Million Dollar Home In Thousand Oaks, Calif. (PHOTOS)
Life is good for Britney Spears. The award-winning global superstar and judge on "The X Factor" has just bought a multi-million dollar home in Thousand Oaks, Calif. -- and it's gorgeous.
Located in the exclusive Sherwood Country Club gated community, the Mediterranean-style property was built in 2010 and spans 8,456 square feet of living space. The home has five bedroom and seven bathrooms (plenty of space for fiance Jason Trawick and her two young sons) and features an infinity pool, library, home theater and a walk-in wine room.
Thousand Oaks, located about 40 miles from the heart of Los Angeles, is a popular enclave for celebrities seeking privacy and luxury. The area has attracted actors like Sylvester Stallone, Jamie Foxx and Tom Selleck, notes the Times. Athletes like hockey star Wayne Gretzky and Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Julianne McNamara also bought homes there.
In the past week since "The X Factor" wrapped, Spears looks like she's enjoying life as a normal person in Thousand Oaks. She has been spotted out and about her new neighborhood coming out of a PETCO with her sons and a new puppy. She was also snapped running errands with her sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, and her sons outside a Target.
While Spears' final purchase price is unknown, the property was listed at $8.5 million in August and then withdrawn in less than a month, notes the Los Angeles Times -- a common tactic for realtors trying to hide a celebrity purchase.
The sale was first reported by TMZ in mid-October, but The Huffington Post has confirmed that Spears' name didn't appear in public records of the sale until now.
Photos courtesy of Realtor.com.
Also on HuffPost:
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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/27/britney-spears-house-sing_n_2201689.html
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annesharma48: Gay/Lesbian relationships | new beginnings
Gay/Lesbian relationships | new beginnings
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Wednesday, November 28, 2012
US and Israel Look to Limit Impact of UN Vote on Palestinian Authority - New York Times
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Yasir Arafat?s Body Is Exhumed for Poison Tests
Uriel Sinai/Getty Images
A Palestinian policeman patrols outside the mausoleum of Yasir Arafat in Ramallah, West Bank.
RAMALLAH, West Bank ? When Yasir Arafat, the longtime Palestinian leader, was buried eight years ago, people crowded the streets and the rooftops in a tumultuous outpouring of passion; the air here was thick and acrid as militiamen fired off their weapons for hours.
On Tuesday, as part of an inquiry into whether he was poisoned, Mr. Arafat?s remains were exhumed in a subdued, reflective atmosphere, with his people more fractured and less certain of their future than when he was alive.
Mr. Arafat died in a Paris hospital in 2004 at the age of 75, an event that was swiftly surrounded by contention and mystery. Israeli officials have categorically denied Palestinian accusations of involvement. And though lab test results are expected in about three months, according to experts, they may leave open more questions than they resolve about the Palestinian suspicions.
?Our people are convinced that Israel committed this act,? Tawfiq Tirawi, a Palestinian official who leads the Palestinian investigating committee, told reporters here in a news conference. ?We are seeking evidence.?
But many Palestinians here noted that even if traces of poison were found, it would be impossible for forensics experts to identify any culprits. Others have noted that only Palestinians had direct access to Mr. Arafat before his death, broadening the focus of blame for any possible poisoning.
The area around the tomb had been cordoned off for two weeks as laborers carefully removed layers of stone and concrete, and the mausoleum was shielded from view with huge blue tarpaulin sheets. Officials said that the final steps began at dawn and that a Palestinian doctor took samples from the remains on the spot, handing them to assisting French, Swiss and Russian forensic teams.
The tomb was then reclosed with a modest military ceremony, and fresh wreaths were laid.
The minister of health of the Palestinian Authority, Dr. Hani Abdeen, offered few details, saying that the remains were ?exactly in the state you would expect to find in a body that has been buried for eight years.?
Mr. Arafat became ill in October 2004 after being confined under an Israeli Army siege and virtual house arrest for more than two years in his Ramallah compound, as the violence of the second Palestinian intifada and the Israeli clampdown seethed. He was flown by helicopter out of his headquarters and transferred to a military hospital in Paris. When he died about two weeks later, no cause was announced.
Records eventually emerged showing that he had died of a stroke that resulted from a bleeding disorder caused by an underlying infection. The infection was never identified. The hospital found no traces of poisons it had tested for.
But in July, Mr. Arafat?s widow, Suha, called for an exhumation in an interview with Al Jazeera, the Arabic television channel based in Qatar, after it reported that Mr. Arafat might have been poisoned with polonium, a radioactive element associated with K.G.B.-style assassination intrigue. The report was based on what the news channel said was an in-depth investigation using some of Mr. Arafat?s personal effects, provided by Mrs. Arafat, including clothing he had worn just before falling ill, his toothbrush and his trademark black-and-white checkered headdress.
Doctors at the Institute of Radiation Physics at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland found what they said were unusually high levels of the highly toxic radioactive isotope polonium 210 on certain items but said his remains would have to be tested to determine whether he had been poisoned.
Mrs. Arafat followed the interview with Al Jazeera with a request that the French authorities open a murder inquiry. Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president and Mr. Arafat?s successor, called on Russian experts to help.
For decades, Mr. Arafat, popularly known as Abu Ammar, relied on both diplomacy and often bloody resistance. Many Israelis considered him an arch terrorist, even as many Palestinians saw him as a symbol of their unity and the embodiment of their cause.
On Tuesday, the Palestinians here struck nostalgic notes. Now bitterly divided, they are a people whose choices have become starker: In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority says it is committed to a peaceful path of negotiations with Israel ? though after nearly two decades of intermittent talks, a state remains elusive. In Gaza, the rival Islamic militant group Hamas has been spearheading the path of violent resistance, including driving eight days of fierce fighting with Israel and then negotiating a cease-fire.
?Confronting the Israeli occupation is more important than digging up the grave of Arafat,? said Salim Bast, 60, a retired librarian in Ramallah. ?Our problem is still alive.?
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Ex-Miami Marlins Face Tax Tsunami in Canada
By Teresa Ambord
Multimillion-dollar contracts are nothing unusual in major league baseball, and neither is trading, especially for the Miami Marlins. Now that MLB Commissioner Bud Selig has approved the deal, five Marlins are soon to become Toronto Blue Jays. The problem for the players is that their remaining contracts will be paid out subject to much higher taxes.?
?
The Toronto-bound players are All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes, pitchers Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson, catcher John Buck, and outfielder Emilio Bonifacio. Combined, they have nearly $167 million remaining on their contracts, most of which is attributable to Reyes.?
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Sports & Entertainment Group Manager Robert Raiola (at the New Jersey accounting and advisory firm of Fazio, Mannuzza, Roche, Tankel, LaPilusa, LLC) ran the numbers and concluded that Reyes alone will pay millions extra in tax. Reyes' remaining contract is $96 million. In Miami, where there are no state taxes, he would net about $58.8 million over the life of the contract. But in Toronto, with higher Canadian rates plus a hefty new Ontario tax slated to kick in soon, his net would be $54 million. Still not a bad salary, but it's a loss of $4.8 million. That's got to hurt.??
Years ago, while negotiating a Marlins contract for Carlos Delgado, his agent, David Sloane, saw the writing on the wall. In an effort to protect Delgado from the fate that Reyes and the other four players are now facing, Sloane negotiated a unique provision for his client.?
"When the Marlins refused to include a no-trade clause, that raised a red flag for me," he told reporters. "I set out to try to find a way to give my client a bit of security in a deal that lacked it."
?
The result: Sloane got the Marlins owner to agree that if Delgado was traded to a state that had income tax, "he would be made whole and net out the same amount that he would have if he had remained in Florida."?
?
Eleven months after signing, Delgado was traded to the New York Mets. Sloane estimates his fancy footwork at the negotiating table saved his client $2,269,500 in taxes over the life of the contract.
?
The five players altogether will pay $8.4 million in additional taxes. To come up with these estimates, Raiola used the following assumptions:?
- Current residency in Florida by all five players while playing for the Marlins.
- Payment of 5 percent agent fees.
- The fact that 43 percent of the players' salaries would be subject to Canadian taxes, subtracting for away games and spring training.
- Application of a combined tax rate for Canada and Ontario of 49.53 percent on income earned in Canada.
- Application of 40.5 percent US tax on income earned in the United States.
Also factored in were the availability of a partial foreign tax credit that the players can claim on their US returns and the "jock taxes" sports figures must pay when they play in certain states.
?
The combined total of salaries that the Marlins are taking off their books with this trade is $166.75 million (through 2018), but the net relief is more like $154 million. This doesn't take into account the additional cash the Marlins paid to Toronto as part of the deal. In the trade, Miami gained infielders Yunel Escobar and Adeiny Hechavarria; pitchers Henderson Alvarez, Anthony DeSclafani, and Justin Nicolino; catcher Jeff Mathis; and outfielder Jake Marisnick.?
?
Public Opinion in Miami
Miami residents aren't focused on the tax dilemma the individual traders face, especially since the Marlins-turned-Blue Jays are still multimillionaires. But the public isn't happy with the owners of the Marlins, who have taken a lot of criticism for trading away their veteran players, close on the heels of moving into a new ballpark that was mostly funded with taxpayer dollars.
?
Ysbel Medina, a local business owner who moved his business after learning about the new stadium, told Fox News Latino that he feels he was misled. "If I would have known that the owner was going to do what he did, I probably wouldn't have opened up the business," he said, adding that the team would be better off with an owner who cared more about the team and winning than about using the team to get rich.
?
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Accountingwebcom-Tax/~3/lkEkrFPl8s4/220329
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Virtual Business Management Winner | New Jersey Future Business ...
Mission and Statement
The FBLA-PBL Mission is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs.
New Jersey Future Business Leaders of America (NJ FBLA) is a state level chapter.
US Mail Address
Mercer County Community College
PO Box B
Trenton, NJ 08690
Fedex and UPS Address
1200 Old Trenton Road
West Windsor, NJ 08505
Telephone
Office - 609.570.3766
Fax - 609.570.3887
Text or Call - 909.NJFBLA.1
Office Hours
Monday-Friday, 8:00 am - 4:45 pm
fbla @ mccc.edu
Social Media
Copyright ? 2012 NJFBLA. All rights reserved.
Source: http://www.njfbla.org/2012/virtual-business-management-winner/
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Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Video: Hillary Clinton: Mandela the most unforgettable person I ever met
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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/49984966/
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Nintendo sells 400,000 Wii U consoles during launch week in the ...
Nintendo has announced that it has sold 4,00,000 units of its latest console, the Wii U in the first week of launch in the US. Many retailers in the country reported that the console was sold out in a matter of hours after going on sale on November 18.
Nintendo has sold more consoles in a week than Microsoft sold in October 2012. Microsoft sold 2,70,000 Xbox 360 units in October 2012.
But the Wii U isn?t the only piece of hardware from Nintendo that's selling like hot cakes. Nintendo America said that in addition to selling 4,00,000 Wii U consoles, the company also sold 3,00,000 Wii consoles, 2,50,000 3DS handheld gaming consoles, 2,75,000 DS handheld consoles, bringing the total to 1.2 million devices sold.
Nintendo is selling two variants of its Wii U console to consumers priced at $300 (Rs. 16,700 approx.) and $350 (Rs. 19,500 approx.). The Basic Set that costs $300 will contain the Wii U console, one GamePad, sensor bar, 8GB built-in storage and HDMI cable.
The $350 Premium Set will contain the Wii U console, one GamePad, sensor bar, HDMI cable, charging stand, console stand, 32GB SSD and NintendoLand game disc. The Premium Set also comes with a Nintendo Network Premium Subscription, that lets gamers avail discounts on content purchased online.
Nintendo also said that in order to make a profit on the sale of the Wii U it needs to sell one Wii U game, which isn?t very much.
But all isn?t well for the Japanese gaming giant. Nintendo has confirmed that the Wii U?s software patch that is required to access its online features will take more than an hour to download.
A console is only as good as the games it offers and if you were wondering what the launch line-up for the Wii U looks like, take a look at the list of games below. These games will be launched from November 18 to March 2013. The list is as follows:
- New Super Mario Bros. U
- Lego City: Undercover
- NintendoLand
- Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge
- Game &Wario
- Sing Party
- Pikmin 3
- Wii Fit U
- The Wonderful 101 (formerly Project P-100)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
- NBA 2K13
- Warriors Orochi 3: Hyper
- Tank! Tank! Tank!
- Tekken Tag Tournament 2
- Zombi U
- Rabbids Land
- Just Dance 4
- Marvel Avengers: Battle For Earth
- You Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013
- Sports Connection
- Assassin's Creed III
- Rayman Legends
- Darksiders II
- Jeopardy!
- Wheel of Fortune
- Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien
- Nano Assault Neo
- Aliens: Colonial Marines
- Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
- Skylanders Giants
- Rapala Pro Bass Fishing
- Transformers Prime
- Scribblenauts Unlimited
- Game Party Champions
- Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition
- Zumba Fitness Core
- Wipeout 3
- 007 Legends
- Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013
- Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
- Trine 2: Director's Cut
- Toki Tori 2
- Funky Barn
- Ben 10: Omniverse
- Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game
- Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade
- Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
- Mass Effect 3
- FIFA Soccer 13
- Madden NFL 13
- Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien
- Jett Tailfin
?
Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Gaming/Nintendo-sells-400000-Wii-U-consoles-during_11516.html
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Do-It-Yourself Pinterest Project Contest with the WNC Home, Lawn ...
Asheville, NC (PRWEB) November 22, 2012
The WNC Home Lawn & Garden Show is offering a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Project Contest, giving consumers a chance to win free tickets to the home show in March and a chance for a featured DIY class during the event.
Enter to win the DIY Contest on the WNC Home Lawn & Garden Show Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/wnchomeshow/app_184474614987082. The show is looking for Western North Carolina?s favorite Pinterest DIY and home improvement projects. Upload a completed project photo along with instructions or a link on the how-to through the Facebook Page and automatically be entered to win tickets to the show. The grand prize winner?s project will be featured in a class at the Home Show.
All DIY projects entered must be something for the home, lawn or garden. Everything from interior design and kitchen recipes, to home exterior and yard decor will be considered.
Visit the WNC Home Lawn & Garden website or Facebook Page for a link to enter the contest.
About WNC Home, Lawn & Garden Show
The 38th Annual WNC Home, Lawn & Garden Show will be held at the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Asheville March 15-17, 2013, featuring products and services for the home, along with an entire level dedicated to lawn and garden products and ideas.
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Source: http://agricultural-equipment.info/?p=770
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Monday, November 26, 2012
ICC picks Kenyan lawyer, Wilfred Nderitu to represent victims of PEV ...
Judges at the International Criminal?Court have picked a Kenyan lawyer?to represent victims of Post-Election?Violence in one of the two Kenyan cases?at The Hague.
The Trial Chamber picked former?Lead Counsel for United Nations?International Criminal Tribunal for
Rwanda, Wilfred Nderitu as the new?common representatives for victims.
The new Kenyan lawyer replaces?Sureta Chana in the case facing Eldoret?North MP William Ruto and radio?journalist Joshua arap Sang. In their?decision, the judges said Nderitu has?relevant experience for the ?position.?
?The Chamber notes that Mr Nderitu?has direct relevant experience for?the position, including familiarity with?international criminal law practice,?knowledge of Kenya, familiarity with?the case and experience in interacting?with victims, including in the context?of the post-election violence in Kenya,??reported the bench.
The judges noted that the court?had sent a request for expression of?interest in the position that was sent?to all lawyers on the Registry list of?counsel and also to the Law Society of?Kenya.
Alumnus of UoN?Nderitu is a former Chair of the?Governing Council of the Kenyan Section?of the International Commission?of Jurists (ICJ).
The alumnus of University of Nairobi?Law School has also served as?Duty Counsel with the International?Criminal Court tasked with ensuring?the observance of the rights of a potential?witness during investigations.?As a Duty Counsel at the ICC,?Nderitu served in the case of the prosecutor?against Ugandan warlord Joseph?Kony.
Chana who represented the victims?during the pre-trial stage had emerged?the best in the interviews that were?conducted by the registry of the ICC.
She was unwilling to relocate to?Kenya, a mandatory requirement that?had been set by the trial judges, which?led to the termination of her appointment.?However, one of the three Judges,?Eboe-Osuji, a Nigerian dissented?in the ruling, but the majority view?prevailed.
Important role?
?The Chamber reiterates that it?considers this requirement (to be?based in Kenya) to be very important?to the overall functionality of the role?envisaged for the common legal representative?in the new system established?by the Chamber in its Decision,??ICC noted.
The court insisted that representation?in the best interest of the victims?would in many cases require that the?common legal representative be in the?field attending to the interests of victims,?while court proceedings are in?progress.
In an earlier application to the?judges, Chana had rejected the idea?of having a common legal representative?practising in Kenya arguing that?external pressure would undermine?their duties.
She told the judges that external?pressures would be more easily?brought to bear on a lawyer who is a?practitioner in Kenya and whose practice?in the country would potentially?be threatened by those with ?nfluence.
However, the judges in their decision?noted that Nderitu fulfils all the?criteria set out in the decision and is?willing to maintain an on-going presence?in Kenya as was required.?They said that a victim should benefit?from the highest quality representation?possible, generally or in the?courtroom.
They said that when the common?legal representative is out of court?meeting the victims, he would be represented?by members of the Office of?Public Counsel for victims.
However, they insisted that the?common legal representative should?be able to appear in person upon request?and at critical junctures involving?victims? interests.
The court is now finalising everything?in readiness for trial proceedings?that kicks off in April next year.?The case against Ruto and Sang?begins on April 10, while the trial of?Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta?and former head of Public Service?Francis Muthaura begins on April 11
Source: http://kenyapolitical.blogspot.com/2012/11/icc-picks-kenyan-lawyer-wilfred-nderitu.html
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Paul Ryan facing hard choice on budget talks
Fresh from the campaign trail and mulling his options for the future, former vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan will play a pivotal role in negotiations over the fiscal cliff and faces a choice of two paths.
The Wisconsin congressman, known for his zeal for budget cutting, could opt for ideological purity and emerge as a leading voice urging his fellow Republicans to resist tax increases and demand steep cuts in entitlement spending.
Or he could use his role as House Budget Committee chairman to push for the best deal possible for Republicans but then demonstrate bipartisanship by getting behind a compromise.
Either path holds perils for the Republican lawmaker, who became an instant focus of speculation as a potential 2016 White House contender following his failed vice presidential bid. If he insists on too hard a line in the budget talks, he could potentially open a rift with other leaders in his party and get blamed for scuttling a deal. On the other hand, any compromise could leave Ryan open to criticism from the Republican base and vulnerable to a challenger from the right in 2016.
Republican strategist Steve Schmidt said Ryan has an incentive to work toward an agreement.
?The ability to show you've been practical, the ability to show that you've compromised, the ability to show that you have bent the negotiations in your direction and got the best deal that you can, all of those things position you better than pure ideology in the context of a presidential campaign,? said Schmidt, a top adviser to John McCain?s 2008 presidential campaign. ?He has the ability to provide leadership in a situation like this and perhaps this will be his greatest test.?
But Ryan?s own history suggests that he would not cut any deal unless it went far enough toward his top priority: curbing spending on Medicare and other entitlements. When he served on the Simpson-Bowles deficit-reduction commission in 2010, he was one of seven on the 18-member panel who voted against the final proposal because he felt it didn?t do enough to restructure Medicare and thought the proposed increase in tax revenue was too high. The proposal fell three votes short of the ?supermajority? of 14 it would have needed to be sent to Congress for a vote.
In 2011, Ryan asked to be left off the supercommittee that was tasked with identifying further savings in the wake of a debt-ceiling agreement. He cited his own budget work and voiced doubts about how much the group could achieve. It did indeed fail, which is why lawmakers and the White House must now use the current lame-duck session of Congress to try to avert the $1.2 trillion in automatic budget cuts known as the sequester set to kick in at the start of next year.
This time, Ryan has more skin in the game. As a member of House leadership, he does not have the option of sitting out the fiscal cliff negotiations. In a change from the debt-ceiling talks, he has joined the daily Republican leadership meetings, alongside Ways and Means chairman Dave Camp, Committee on Energy and Commerce chairman Fred Upton. ?Chairman Ryan is back here because he wants to solve these problems,? said Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck.
House GOP staff, including Austin Smythe, the Budget Committee?s staff director, huddled with White House aides on the Hill last week to begin talking about the broad concepts that will guide negotiations, though no dollar amounts have been set yet. After Thanksgiving, once concepts are nailed down, the principals can begin negotiating.
Ryan has publicly echoed House Speaker John Boehner in signaling openness to revenue increases but not higher tax rates, meaning he might support the closing of tax loopholes or other revenue-raising steps. He was privy to the wording that Boehner used in the public remarks on the fiscal cliff he delivered the day after the election.
?He opposes raising tax rates because doing so would stifle economic growth and cost jobs,? said Conor Sweeney, a Ryan spokesman. He added that Ryan wants to see what the White House?s opening argument will be and whether President Obama will ?offer responsible solutions, identify specific spending cuts, and demonstrate leadership to tackle this pressing challenge.?
Ryan will press ?very, very hard? on long-term entitlement reform, said Bill Hoagland, a former aide to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who has been in touch with Ryan?s staff.
If Ryan can wring concessions from Democrats on entitlements, it could help his presidential ambitions. ?If he's running in two or four years from now he'll be able to say [the deficit was reduced] because of my insistence on entitlement reform,? said Hoagland, who is now a senior vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
Republicans feel confident in pressing for long-term entitlement reform as part of ?grand bargain? negotiations because polling on Medicare during the campaign suggested the issue was not a major liability for Ryan and Republican White House nominee Mitt Romney, despite a barrage of Democratic attacks zeroing in on the Wisconsin congressman?s Medicare plan.
Eric Ueland, Frist?s former chief of staff, said Republicans recognize that Ryan might have to cede some ground in the budget talks because Democrats hold a significant amount of leverage, given that they still control the Senate and that President Obama won his re-election bid. ?What he does and what he?s able to do is judged against the baseline,? said Ueland, now a vice president at the Duberstein Group.
But Ryan?s critics doubt Democrats will be able to negotiate with him. ?Nothing we?ve seen so far under Chairman Ryan suggests that he?s willing and or capable of negotiating bipartisan legislation. Hope springs eternal but I don?t have a lot of it,? said Jim Manley, a former aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid who is now at QGA Public Affiars.
Instead of seeing his national stature enhanced, Manley said he hopes Ryan will become an ?afterthought? in the negotiations if he refuses to make any concessions. Alternatively, he could complicate Boehner?s ability to negotiate a deal by presenting a challenge from the right.
But Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former Congressional Budget Office director, predicted Republican House lawmakers would present a united front. ?This is not a case where the administration?s going to divide and conquer,? said Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum.
Anti-tax activist Grover Norquist disagreed with the notion that the congressman would feel pressure to water down his own principles in order to portray himself as a pragmatic dealmaker. ?He will be both a man who can sell a plan to the rank and file and can sell a no vote to Boehner,? said Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.
Steven Smith, a political science professor at Washington University in St. Louis, wrote in an email that Ryan might emulate former Democratic Sen. Sam Nunn, a powerful voice on national security issues. In Ryan?s case, he could take a hard line during negotiations and only offer his support for a Boehner-backed deal at the last minute. For Nunn, this offered the appearance that he was careful and principled. But, Smith warned, ?This is not an easy path for a prospective presidential candidate.?
?First, endorsing a moderate solution risks alienating the core of the party,? he wrote, noting that it was unlikely Nunn could have won his party's nomination for president. ?Second, a long-term deal may take budget issues off the agenda and reduce the advantage that Ryan has over the field of candidates. Unfortunately, the alternative path, playing to the right and standing in the way of a Boehner deal with Obama, is not likely to be popular with the general electorate.?
For now, Ryan is keeping his cards close to the vest. Bill Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard and a leader in the effort to get Ryan into presidential politics, professed no knowledge of Ryan?s intentions.
?My strategy is to acknowledge Obama won, cut the best deal you can, and live to fight another day for big tax and entitlement reform,? he wrote in an e-mail.
As for Ryan?s, people will have to wait and see.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cliff-ryan-faces-choice-two-paths-060010498--politics.html
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Black Friday sales online top $1 billion for 1st time: comScore
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Black Friday retail sales online this year topped $1 billion for the first time ever as more consumers used the Internet do their early holiday shopping, comScore Inc said on Sunday.
Online sales jumped 26 percent on Black Friday to $1.04 billion from sales of $816 million on the corresponding day last year, according to comScore data.
Amazon.com was the most-visited retail website on Black Friday, and it also posted the highest year-over-year visitor growth rate among the top five retailers. Wal-Mart Stores Inc's website was second, followed by sites run by Best Buy Co., Target Corp. and Apple Inc, comScore noted.
Digital content and subscriptions, including e-books, digital music and video, was the fastest-growing retail category online, with sales up 29 percent versus Black Friday last year, according to comScore data.
E-commerce accounts for less than 10 percent of consumer spending in the United States. However, it is growing much faster than bricks-and-mortar retail as shoppers are lured by low prices, convenience, faster shipping and wide selection.
ShopperTrak, which counts foot traffic in physical retail stores, estimated Black Friday sales at $11.2 billion, down 1.8 percent from the same day last year.
"Online has been around 9 percent of total holiday sales, but it could breach 10 percent for the first time this season," said Scot Wingo, chief executive of ChannelAdvisor, which helps merchants sell more on websites, including Amazon.com and eBay.com.
ComScore expects online retail spending to rise 17 percent to $43.4 billion through the whole holiday season. That is above the 15 percent increase last season and ahead of the retail industry's expectation for a 4.1 percent increase in overall spending this holiday.
CYBER MONDAY OUTLOOK
It's not clear yet whether strong Black Friday sales online will weaken growth on Cyber Monday, which has been the biggest e-commerce day in the United States in recent years.
"Cyber Monday will be a big day, but not as much of a big day as it has been in the past," said Mia Shernoff, executive vice president for Chase Paymentech, a payment-processing unit of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.. "Faster broadband Internet connections in the office used to drive this. But now many consumers have faster connections at home and smart phones and tablets - they don't have to wait."
ComScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni said Cyber Monday online sales may reach $1.5 billion this year. That would be up 20 percent from the corresponding day last year - slower year-over-year growth than Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
More than 129 million Americans plan to shop online on Cyber Monday, up from almost 123 million on the same day last year, according to a survey conducted in recent days for the National Retail Federation.
The group also expects 85 percent of retailers to have a special promotion for Cyber Monday.
Amazon, the world's largest Internet retailer, will launch Cyber Monday deals at midnight on Sunday. The company is planning a limited time Cyber Monday promotion for its 7 inch Kindle Fire tablet, offering it at $129 instead of the regular $159, a spokesman said on Sunday.
MOBILE SHOPPING GROWTH
A big source of online shopping growth this holiday season has come from increased use of smart phones, which let people buy online even when they are in physical stores, and by tablet computers, which have spurred more online shopping in the evenings, Wingo and others said.
Mobile devices accounted for 26 percent of visits to retail websites and 16 percent of purchases on Black Friday. That was up from 18.1 percent and 10.3 percent, respectively, on the same day last year, according to International Business Machines, which analyzes online traffic and transactions from 500 U.S. retailers.
More than 20 million shoppers plan to use mobile devices on Cyber Monday, up from 17.8 million a year ago, the NRF said.
AMAZON AND eBAY
Amazon and eBay benefit from increased use of mobile devices for shopping because they are consistently the top two online retail destinations for mobile users, ChannelAdvisor's Wingo said.
Amazon.com was the most visited retail website on Black Friday, with more than 28 million visits, according to Hitwise.
Worth noting: eBay runs one of the largest online marketplaces, rather than being a retailer, so its online traffic was not reported by Hitwise. However, eBay said the volume of mobile transactions on its marketplace jumped 153 percent on Black Friday from a year earlier.
ChannelAdvisor clients' same-store sales on Amazon.com shot up 43 percent on Saturday, compared with a year earlier. Last year's year-over-year growth was 49 percent on the Saturday following Black Friday.
Client same-store sales on eBay's marketplace rose 36 percent on Saturday, compared with a year earlier. Last year's year-over-year growth was 12 percent, according to ChannelAdvisor.
PRICE PRESSURE
While mobile devices may be good for sales, they may not be so good for retail profit margins. Smart phones give shoppers real-time access to product prices online, potentially exacerbating the usual holiday discounting and price wars.
Black Friday online transactions jumped almost 30 percent, but the average ticket price was down more than 11 percent, according to Chase Paymentech, which reports data from its 50 largest e-commerce merchant clients.
"It's driving prices down," Shernoff said. "Consumers are checking prices in stores and showing the retailer, and the retailer will succumb to the lowest price online so they don't lose the consumer."
(Reporting By Alistair Barr; Editing by Theodore d'Afflisio and Jan Paschal)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/black-friday-sales-online-top-1-billion-first-165326723--sector.html
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Sunday, November 25, 2012
Nigeria: 11 dead in suicide bombs at army church
KADUNA, Nigeria (AP) ? At least 11 people were killed and about 30 injured when twin car bombs hit a Protestant church in a major military establishment in northcentral Nigeria, officials said Sunday, a month after a deadly church bombing in the same state.
A bus laden with explosives first rammed into St. Andrew Military Protestant Church in the military barracks in Jaji in Kaduna state at about 12 noon, said the director of army public relations Brig. Gen. Bola Koleoso. Then a Toyota Camry car parked just outside the church exploded 10 minutes later, as people fled the first blast, he said.
Jaji is a symbolic target as it is home to the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, one of the country's most important military colleges, training Nigerian and foreign navy, air force and army officers.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Sunday's attack, but a radical Islamist sect known as Boko Haram has previously targeted Nigerian military institutions in the past.
The attack comes two days after a special military taskforce announced that it would be giving a total of $1.8 million in rewards for information that could lead to the arrest of top Boko Haram members.
The twin blasts also came a month after another church was attacked in the city of Kaduna, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) away from Jaji.
In that attack, a suicide bomber rammed an SUV loaded with explosives into St. Rita's Catholic church holding Mass on Oct. 28 in Kaduna, killing at least seven people and wounding more than 100 others, authorities said.
The killings sparked instant reprisals in a city with a history of religious violence, leaving at least two more people dead.
Churches have been increasingly targeted by violence in Nigeria. In Kaduna state, there were church attacks on three weekends in a row in June. These attacks and the ensuing reprisals left at least 50 people dead.
Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the June attacks, but nobody has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks ? last month and Sunday ? which have again rocked the volatile state.
Kaduna state sits on Nigeria's dividing line between its largely Christian south and Muslim north.
----
Associated Press writer Yinka Ibukun contributed to this report from Lagos, Nigeria.
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sapiens siana: mutrasubi: smoothy proposal: Phobia Expert ? View ...
Friday, November 23, 2012
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