Stocks struggle for direction as 'cliff' nears

NEW YORK (AP) ? The stock market struggled for direction Monday morning after five days of losses, with the "fiscal cliff" just hours away and lawmakers yet to reach a solution.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down slightly, 24 points, to 12,914 after the first half-hour of trading. The Standard & Poor's 500 was up two points at 1,405. The Nasdaq composite index was up five to 2,965.

Many investors are unsure of what to do with their money as long as the "fiscal cliff" remains unsolved. That refers to higher taxes and government spending cuts that will kick in Tuesday if Republicans and Democrats can't hammer out a budget compromise by midnight Monday. Both sides had been hoping for a deal over the weekend, but negotiations were stop and go. Both the House and Senate were scheduled to meet again Monday, unusual for New Year's Eve.

It's difficult to discern how a deal, or lack of a deal, might affect the stock market. From mid-November through roughly mid-December, the stock market rose more or less steadily, despite the "fiscal cliff" looming on the horizon. It wasn't until shortly before Christmas that the "cliff" finally scared investors enough to send the market down.

Some of the reason that the "fiscal cliff" has been able to yank the market around is logistical. There's been little other news to trade on in the last couple weeks of the year, which are traditionally quiet. No major companies are scheduled to report earnings this week, and the major economic indicator this week, the government's monthly jobs report, won't be released until Friday.

Trading volume has also been light, with many investors still on vacation. With fewer shares trading hands, the market can be moved by relatively small trades. Last week, about 2.2 billion shares traded hands each day on average. Throughout the year, the average has been closer to 3.6 billion.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.73 percent from 1.70 percent late Friday.

In Europe, markets closed mixed after a half-day of trading. Trading was closed in Germany and Italy. U.S. and other markets will be closed Tuesday for New Year's Day.

There are reasons to be calm as the "cliff" approaches. Even with the deadline fast approaching, many analysts still expect a deal to get done. It's not unusual for high-profile budget negotiations to go down to the wire as both sides seize the opportunity for political theatrics.

And even if Republicans and Democrats can't reach a deal, and the tax hikes and spending cuts go into effect Tuesday, many analysts think the effect would be more like the anti-climactic Y2K scare than a true Armageddon. The impact of the higher taxes and lower government spending would be felt only gradually ? for example, workers might get more taxes withheld from their first couple of paychecks in the new year ? but then Congress could always retroactively repeal those higher taxes.

But there are also reasons to worry. The higher taxes and lower government spending could send the economy into a recession. Politically, the U.S. would send a message that its lawmakers are bickering, something that's unpalatable to many investors.

Without a deal, that also means that investors don't have a good read on the government's long-term budget policy. It's likely that lawmakers could pass a stop-gap bill to fend off the cliff. That would probably keep current taxes and government spending in place for the short term, and require lawmakers to reconvene in the new year to hammer out a more permanent deal. But that wouldn't solve lingering disputes over how much the U.S. government should tax and spend.

Elsewhere, there were reminders that the "fiscal cliff" is not the only problem facing the markets and the economy. German Chancellor Angela Merkel used her New Year's speech to warn that Europe's economic turmoil "isn't overcome by a long stretch."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stocks-struggle-direction-cliff-nears-150527466--finance.html

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Roleplayer Needed (It's A Romance)

A role player is needed for the RP Lucifer, My Love (http://www.roleplaygateway.com/roleplay/lucifer-my-love/) I need a male or female character to play the love interest for Lucifer (yes, the devil) It can a mortal human or an immortal of any species. This is going to be a very long RP, so you have to be comitted to it.

It has come to my attention that almost everybody is only as intelligent as the media, who are unintelligent, judgmental and only see as far as the camera or story. Only a select few are graced with intelligence, common sense, determination, creativity, originality and imagination. Most of these things are actually given to you, believe it or not, at birth. Only a few are obtained.
Are you as smart as the media, or have you the intelligence to do great things one day?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/_CxXU9Z79SA/viewtopic.php

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List: No love for 'fiscal cliff,' 'spoiler alert'

DETROIT (AP) ? Spoiler alert: This story contains words and phrases that some people want to ban from the English language. "Spoiler alert" is among them. So are "kick the can down the road," ''trending" and "bucket list."

A dirty dozen have landed on the 38th annual List of Words to be Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness. The nonbinding, tongue-in-cheek decree released Monday by northern Michigan's Lake Superior State University is based on nominations submitted from the United States, Canada and beyond.

"Spoiler alert," the seemingly thoughtful way to warn readers or viewers about looming references to a key plot point in a film or TV show, nevertheless passed its use-by date for many, including Joseph Foly, of Fremont, Calif. He argued in his submission the phrase is "used as an obnoxious way to show one has trivial information and is about to use it, no matter what."

At the risk of further offense, here's another spoiler alert: The phrase receiving the most nominations this year is "fiscal cliff," banished because of its overuse by media outlets when describing across-the-board federal tax increases and spending cuts that economists say could harm the economy in the new year without congressional action.

"You can't turn on the news without hearing this," said Christopher Loiselle, of Midland, Mich., in his submission. "I'm equally worried about the River of Debt and Mountain of Despair."

Other terms coming in for a literary lashing are "superfood," ''guru," ''job creators" and "double down."

University spokesman Tom Pink said that in nearly four decades, the Sault Ste. Marie school has "banished" around 900 words or phrases, and somehow the whole idea has survived rapidly advancing technology and diminishing attention spans.

Nominations used to come by mail, then fax and via the school's website, he said. Now most come through the university's Facebook page. That's fitting, since social media has helped accelerate the life cycle of certain words and phrases, such as this year's entry "YOLO" ? "you only live once."

"The list surprises me in one way or another every year, and the same way every year: I'm always surprised how people still like it, love it," he said.

Rounding out the list are "job creators/creation," ''boneless wings" and "passion/passionate." Those who nominated the last one say they are tired of hearing about a company's "passion" as a substitute for providing a service or product for money.

Andrew Foyle, of Bristol, England, said it's reached the point where "passion" is the only ingredient that keeps a chef from preparing "seared tuna" that tastes "like dust swept from a station platform."

"Apparently, it's insufficient to do it ably, with skill, commitment or finesse," Foyle said. "Passionate, begone!"

As usual, the etymological exercise ? or exorcise ? only goes so far. Past lists haven't eradicated "viral," "amazing," ''LOL" or "man cave" from everyday use.

___

Follow Jeff Karoub on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffkaroub

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/list-no-love-fiscal-cliff-spoiler-alert-092339244.html

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Phone discussions underway between NHL and union

The NHL and its player union have begun what is expected to be a series of Saturday phone calls looking for clarification of points in a new offer that could end the 105-day lockout, multiple sources say.

These talks will, it?s reported, lead to a Sunday face-to-face meeting in New York between the two sides as they work toward what seems to be a Jan. 11 final deadline for solving an impasse that threatens to shut down the National Hockey League completely for the second time in eight years.

A deal between league commissioner Gary Bettman and union head Donald Fehr would see a 48-game season begin on Jan. 19 after one week of training camp and no exhibition games.

CBC Sports and Hockey Night in Canada sources say the new proposal totalled more than 300 pages and included a summary of key points, a ?Memorandum of Understanding? that goes into more detail, and a purely legal document detailing the offer in a step-by-step format.

It is not known at this point if the union will negotiate off the new proposal ? in effect accepting the premise while working on the details ? or submit a full proposal of its own, something that could take a few days to put together.

Under the league's new offer, term limits of the deal would still be 10 years with mutual opt-out at eight, there would be a raise of the maximum length of contract from five years to six (seven if re-signing your own player), and a $300-million US ?make-whole? provision for existing contracts that would be affected by the new CBA (collective bargaining agreement).

There would also be a compliance buyout for each team, allowing them to take one contract, buy it out and not count it against the proposed $60-million cap (that would begin with the 2013-2014 season). It would, however, count against the player?s share of hockey-related revenue.

Escrow would continue as each player would have a portion of his salary held back until the end of a season and the profits counted up. If the players have earned less than a 50-50 split of revenues, they receive monies from escrow to bring it back up. If they have earned more, the escrow goes to the league.

So far, more than 50 per cent of the schedule has been lost to the lockout, totalling 625 games.

Many reports say if the league does begin play, each team would compete only within its conference.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/story/2012/12/29/sp-nhl-lockout-day-105.html?cmp=rss

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KC Small Businesses React To Looming 'Fiscal Cliff' - Fox 4

Posted on: 9:19 pm, December 29, 2012, by Barrett Tryon

KANSAS CITY, Mo. ? People right here in the metro are bracing for what the ?fiscal cliff? could mean to them.

FOX 4?s Sharita Hutton talked to small business owners in Brookside to get their reaction.

Source: http://fox4kc.com/2012/12/29/kc-small-businesses-react-to-looming-fiscal-cliff/

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Learn More About Commerical Real Estate By Reading These Tips ...

Dealing with the commercial real estate business can be overwhelming and stressful for beginners as well as those who have already been through it before. This article gives details about how you can lower the overall stress level associated with investing in commercial properties.

For a commercial property you plan to rent out, make sure it is a solid construction with a simple design. Because it is apparent that these types of structures have been kept in good condition, it greatly increases the chances that tenants will be quick to rent the space. Buildings like these are also easier to maintain, for both owners and tenants, since repairs are going to be required less frequently.

Use of a digital camera is a simple and effective strategy. Make sure your pictures clearly show any damage or defects, including carpet stains, holes in the walls or discoloration of plumbing and counter tops.

One of the biggest differences between a residential loan and a commercial one is the size of the down payment you?re required to make. You can increase your chances of qualifying for a commercial loan by researching and comparing lenders and loan products and trying to find investors.

Real Estate Broker

In order to determine whether or not the real estate broker you?re working with is right for you, discuss their definitions of successes and failures. Find out their criteria for deciding whether a result is good or not. Be certain you have a clear understandings of the strategies the broker uses. Make sure you agree with the values, principles, and strategies of the real estate broker you choose.

Websites with abundant real estate investment information are worthwhile references for novices and experienced investors. You can never learn too much about commercial real estate, so make it your aim to always keep adding to your store of knowledge about the subject.

Take note of the environmental condition of a property you are looking at. If there are problems with environmental waste, remember that you will be responsible for any necessary cleanup. Is the property you?re looking into in an area that?s prone to floods? That may not be the wisest choice. If you are thinking about purchasing a property, be sure to contact an environmental assessment agency to get important information.

When considering a piece of property, you must pay close attention to the surrounding area. Affluent neighborhoods tend to have residents with larger budgets, making a commercial real estate property in such an area is a great choice. However, if your services are more frequently utilized by people of lower socioeconomic brackets, be sure to find a neighborhood that suits it.

Buy property with more units. More units equals more money in your pocket. A lot of investors are unwilling to even bother with properties with few units, and most experts also suggest that more units generally means more money.

When considering commercial real estate, you should think about the importance of honing relationships with private investors. Some commercial property is never listed, but can still be sold. A tight relationship will give you inside information and knowledge about how to access more property.

You have to purchase a real estate appraisal yourself before you can qualify for a commercial loan. It is not unusual for the bank financing your investment to refuse to accept any other appraisal. Cover yourself and your interests by ordering it yourself.

Determine the negotiation methods of real estate brokers you are considering. Inquire about their background, such as how much experience they have and what type of training. Also be sure to ask about their style of work to ensure that they follow ethical procedures while looking for that optimal deal. Ask them to tell you about their past work, including their successes and mistakes.

One of the biggest threats to investors of commercial real estate is fluctuating interest rates. Current conditions, with their unpredictable rises and falls, leave investors room to make a great profit or to suffer an incredible loss. Keep this in mind when shopping for property, and consider the long-term options.

Real Estate

When financing your commercial real estate endeavors, you must make sure you have financial statements for your business or yourself. If you don?t have these, banks won?t know how you manage your money, which might cause them not to lend the amount of money that you need.

You should concentrate your efforts on one real estate endeavor at a time. Regardless of whether your real estate investment is a office, apartment complex, or undeveloped commercial land, it is important to concentrate your efforts on only one investment. Every type of property has its quirks and pitfalls, so you need to give each type all of your attention. It is always more advantageous to be great at one thing than sub-par with many.

Think big when you think about commercial real estate investments. If you are considering investing in a building that only has about five units, you need to realize that it will require the same amount of time and resources to manage fifty units as it does to manage five. Both sizes require substantial financial investments, but the larger unit will ultimately have a lower cost per unit.

Make sure you?ll be able to access power, water and other utilities for your commercial property. Your business may have unique utility needs, but at the very least, you probably require hookups for electric, sewer, water and most likely, gas.

Ask for the credentials of any professional you?re planning to hire as an inspector, and ensure they are experienced in commercial real estate. Always check the credentials of workers in insect and pest control as many of them aren?t licensed. This can help you avoid headaches after the sale.

If you are renting out your property, be sure that they are always occupied. You?re the one who has to pay to keep the building maintained, and if no one?s renting them, you?re wasting your money. If you have multiple vacant properties, figure out why this is, so you can understand why your tenants are leaving.

If there is more then one property you are considering, acquire the house survey checklist for each one during your site tour. Allow yourself to consider the initial proposal responses, but avoid carrying it any further without informing the current owners. There is nothing wrong with hinting that you have other properties in mind. It can also get you a great deal on the property you?re touring!

Local Buyers

One counterintuitive fact about the apartment market is that many experts recommend avoiding properties with fewer than ten units, as they are actually more of a pain to deal with than large complexes. However, each opportunity and property is unique, and you should allow your investigation of a specific property to influence your decision.

Make sure that you explicitly welcome both local and non-local buyers when you sell a piece of commercial property. Many people make the mistake of assuming that only local buyers will be interested in buying their property. If your property is well-priced, advertising outside of your direct area will enable you to tap into a large pool of private investors that would be interested in your property.

You should try to understand the NOI metric. To maximize your success, keep your numbers in the positive values.

Location, location, location is important to consider. Think about the neighborhood your property is located in. Compare its growth to similar areas. If you make an investment in real estate, it is in your best interest to ensure that your property is in an area that will still be growing in five to ten years.

Start posting on a blog to give yourself an expert reputation. Doing so can assist you in finding buyers and renters for your properties.

Real Estate

When thinking about financing for properties of a commercial nature, it is important to go over paperwork with a reputable real estate attorney. If something goes wrong with your real estate endeavors, you want to have the best person working on your behalf, to clear your name of any threat.

Commercial properties can be difficult to find, regardless of how experienced you are. This article will help you find and buy commercial property with the least amount of stress possible.

If you are looking for a space to house your business on a permanent basis, remember that you will need room to grow. Unless you plan to move a few years later, look for a property that is large enough for your business to grow.

You should keep arming yourself with new knowledge about Overseas Property Investment. The information presented in this article will help you get started, but keep in mind there is a lot more to learn. You should keep learning what you can so you will be more at ease when putting it to use.

Source: http://www.davidstanleyredfern.com/general-news/learn-more-about-commerical-real-estate-by-reading-these-tips

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Boehner: Senate must act on House bill to avoid fiscal cliff

When Mommy is away, Dad and son will play. And if your dad works in the video production business, that playtime gets filmed, turned into a time-lapse video and instantly goes viral. Emio Tomeoni, 30, of Kansas City, Mo., works odd hours and often finds...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/boehner-senate-must-act-house-bill-avoid-fiscal-223706532--business.html

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NOPD books man on child molestation, sexual battery charges ...

NOPD Child Abuse detectives arrested a man Monday accused of molesting a young girl who was left in his care, according to an arrest warrant. Damon Thomas, 25, was booked into the Orleans Parish jail on charges of sexual battery and molestation of a juvenile, records show.

The victim, a young girl, was left in Thomas' care at a house in the 2200 block of Piety Street about 11 a.m. on Monday. Thomas was the only adult in the house, according to the warrant.

The victim said she was watching TV in a bedroom with Thomas when he began to rub her arms, hands and "private parts," according to the warrant. The victim told police Thomas was "massaging her private part like a person massage a back," the warrant states.

Thomas was arrested in 2009 for molestation of a juvenile and carnal knowledge of a juvenile. He pled guilty to the latter charge, records show.

Thomas was being held Thursday in lieu of $52,500 bond, records show.

Source: http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/12/nopd_books_man_on_child_molest.html

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China tightens Internet controls, legalizes post deletion

4 hrs.

Reuters

China unveiled tighter Internet controls on Friday, legalizing the deletion of posts or pages which are deemed to contain "illegal" information and requiring service providers to hand over such information to the authorities for punishment.

The rules signal that the new leadership headed by Communist Party chief Xi Jinping will continue muzzling the often scathing, raucous online chatter in a country where the Internet offers a rare opportunity for debate.

The new regulations, announced by the official Xinhua news agency, also require Internet users to register with their real names when signing up with network providers, though, in reality, this already happens.

Chinese authorities and Internet companies such as Sina Corp have long since closely monitored and censored what people say online, but the government has now put measures such as deleting posts into law.

"Service providers are required to instantly stop the transmission of illegal information once it is spotted and take relevant measures, including removing the information and saving records, before reporting to supervisory authorities," the rules state.

The restrictions follow a series of corruption scandals amongst lower-level officials exposed by Internet users, something the government has said it is trying to encourage.

Li Fei, deputy head of parliament's legislative affairs committee, said the new rules did not mean people needed to worry about being unable to report corruption online. But he added a warning too.

"When people exercise their rights, including the right to use the Internet, they must do so in accordance with the law and constitution, and not harm the legal rights of the state, society ... or other citizens," he told a news conference.

Chinese Internet users already cope with extensive censorship measures, especially over politically sensitive topics like human rights and elite politics, and popular foreign sites Facebook, Twitter and Google-owned YouTube are blocked.

Earlier this year, the government began forcing users of Sina's wildly successful Weibo microblogging platform to register their real names.

The new rules were quickly condemned by some Weibo users.

"So now they are getting Weibo to help in keeping records and reporting it to authorities. Is this the freedom of expression we are promised in the constitution?" complained one user.

"We should resolutely oppose such a covert means to interfere with Internet freedom," wrote another.

The government says tighter monitoring of the Internet is needed to prevent people making malicious and anonymous accusations online, disseminating pornography and spreading panic with unfounded rumors, pointing out that many other countries already have such rules.

Despite periodic calls for political reform, the party has shown no sign of loosening its grip on power and brooks no dissent to its authority.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Sally Huang; Editing by Nick Macfie)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/china-tightens-internet-controls-legalizes-post-deletion-1C7755876

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kathyvabuk: maria's kitchen: the foodprint of my life | crafts ...

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Source: http://kathyvabuk.blogspot.com/2012/12/maria-kitchen-foodprint-of-my-life.html

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Photography exhibits at the Asia Society challenge self-perception ...

Tell us about yourself!

That's the invitation for those who make it into the current exhibition at the Asia Society Texas Center, and hundreds of visitors have taken the offer to heart. You can view their self-impressions along with their photos at the Grand Hall of the Texas?Center's new home in the Museum District. Even more responses can be found on the Center's website?and social media platforms.?

The actual question is "What Are You?" and, since it's tied to a photo exhibition by the gifted photographer and filmmaker Kip Fulbeck and built on the concept of the book by the same name,?part?asian, 100% hapa (HOP-ah, a Hawaiian word meaning of mixed racial heritage with partial roots in?Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry), one might think it's drawing those Americans who are part Asian. But it welcomes and has attracted all "kinds" of Houstonians who might answer the question with "German-English," "Bankruptcy Attorney" or "Mother," or something entirely different, sentimental or funny.

?"It has been a great interactive project and very educational in teaching about diversity."?

"It has been a great interactive project and very educational in teaching about diversity," says Jordan Dupuis, development coordinator at the Center. He took the show for a preview outing in October at an interactive booth at the Texas Contemporary Art Fair ? and it was a hit. "People were very engaged by the project. It draws people in and gets them thinking about how they define themselves."

You can't tell how people will respond based on age or looks, Dupuis says ? sometimes you get very thoughtful responses and sometimes more whimsical ones. "Some were very intense and very interesting in their answers; some were comical."

A few of our favorites among the current shots at the Center include the rather proper-looking lady who writes, no surprise: "British." The happy-looking man who writes: "I am making cancer history!" with a line drawn through "cancer." The young woman who wrote: "I'm 25% Chinese, 75% Viet. 100% Sunshine!" And the dapper gentleman who wrote: "I am 100% Chinese born living the American dream to the fullest with the most beautiful Mexican American woman by my side."

"The interactive component of the exhibition provides a forum for the exploration of Houston's cultural landscape, and truly reinforces the diversity and multiculturalism that have made Houston a microcosm of the entire country," says Patsy Brown, the Center's communication director. "Perhaps someone's statement will spark something of commonality elsewhere."?

Kip Fulbeck?will be at the Center on Jan. 12 at 3 p.m. for an artist talk?and to take photographs of Houstonians himself. For a glimpse of what you can expect to experience, you can view him?on YouTube delivering a commentary both witty and serious on race and identity.

Additional programs complementing the exhibition will also be presented at the Asia Society Texas Center in 2013. To name a few: The screening of experimental shorts from the Dallas Film Festival Experimental on Jan. 25; a Family Day with storytelling and portraiture activities on Feb. 24; and a talk with Yul Kwon, PBS host and winner of Survivor: Cook Islands, on April 4. ?

The Fulbeck portrait exhibition is free, as is visitor participation.?Those who wish to see a second exhibition also tied to the concept should see the groundbreaking exhibition Portraiture Now: Asian American Portraits of Encounter, which originated as the first Asian in America exhibition by the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. It includes the work of seven artists and an invigorating collection of paintings, drawings, videos and more that give a preview into the not-so-demure direction of modern Asian artists.

Both shows will run through April 14, 2013. Visit the Asia Society Texas Center Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (closed Mondays and all major holidays). Admission to the building is free, with a $5 exhibition entry fee for all non-members.

Source: http://houston.culturemap.com/newsdetail/12-27-12-photography-exhibits-at-the-asia-society-challenge-self-perception-upset-stereotypes/

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New home sales hit highest rate since April 2010

1 day

Reuters

New single-family home sales accelerated in November to the fastest pace in 2 1/2 years and median sales price jumped from the same month in 2011, signs that the U.S. housing recovery is gaining some steam.

The Commerce Department said on Thursday sales climbed 4.4 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted 377,000-unit annual rate. That was in line with analysts' forecasts of a 378,000-unit annual pace.

Government data for new home sales are subject to substantial revisions. Indeed, the Commerce Department cut its estimate for sales in October by 7,000 to a 361,000-unit rate.

The annual sales pace for November was the quickest since April 2010.

This year, the housing sector has been point of strength in an economy beset by flagging business confidence and cooling demand abroad. The median home price of a new home rose to $246,200, up 14.9 percent from the same month in 2011.

New home building is expected to add to economic growth this year for the first time since 2005. The housing sector, however, remains a shadow of its former self.

The pace of new home sales is roughly a quarter of the all-time high clocked in July 2005 when a housing bubble was still inflating. Shortly thereafter, the bubble began to deflate, helping trigger the 2007-09 recession, which was the deepest downturn since the Great Depression.?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/new-home-sales-hit-highest-rate-april-2010-1C7660252

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Americans blame Republicans more than Democrats for "fiscal cliff": Reuters/Ipsos poll

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans blame Republicans in Congress more than congressional Democrats or President Barack Obama for the current "fiscal cliff" crisis, as the deadline approaches for action to avert big tax increases and spending cuts, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Thursday.

When asked who they believed to be more responsible for the "fiscal cliff" situation, 27 percent blamed Republicans in Congress, 16 percent blamed Obama and 6 percent pointed to Democrats in Congress. The largest percentage - 31 percent - blamed "all of the above."

A similar breakdown was found in response to questions about the economy. Asked who was responsible for the national unemployment rate, the poll found 23 percent chose Republicans in Congress, 16 percent said Obama and 7 percent said Democrats in Congress, while 32 percent picked "all of the above."

The U.S. unemployment rate stood at 7.7 percent in November, according to Labor Department figures.

"Fiscal cliff" refers to the tax increases on nearly all Americans and the deep, automatic government spending cuts due to begin in January - possibly pushing the United States back into recession - if lawmakers do not take action.

Sixty-seven percent of Americans polled in the online survey said the impending "fiscal cliff" was not affecting their holiday spending.

The survey of 1,477 Americans, interviewed online, was conducted December 23-27. The precision of the Reuters/Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

(Reporting by Tabassum Zakaria; Editing by Alistair Bell and Will Dunham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/americans-blame-republicans-more-democrats-fiscal-cliff-poll-200241662--business.html

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Turning The Tables With Kids And Fitness | Your Health Journal

From Your Health Journal?..?Childhood obesity has been a major topic on this blog for years, and we know there is a serious problem facing the youth of the world. A local NBC station in Portland wrote an excellent story about one company making a difference where they combine fitness and technology. As you know, technology is one of the major components to the increase of obesity. So, integrating both fitness and technology seems like a great idea. I encourage you all to visit this NBC site to view the video on this topic, as well as some of their other great stories.?

From the article?..

From video games, to computer time to time in front of the television, technology has been blamed for our increasingly sedentary lifestyle.

Now a small North Carolina company is changing that by turning technology into an impetus for active play in children.

Sqord is a combination computer game, social network and real world exercise.

Coleman Greene is a co-founder.

?Our idea is not to say that technology is the problem, but rather embrace it, and say that it can be part of the solution,? he says.

Kids wear a practically indestructible power band that contains a 3-axis accelerometer.

It tracks their physical activity throughout the day, capturing a range of motion, duration and intensity.

?Then you swipe it over a little bay station, which plugs into the side of a computer, then wirelessly uploads to our website,? Greene explains.

On the website kids see which of their friends ?Sqord? the most exercise in a day.

Although bragging rights are involved, kids can only communicate with their friends by selecting a pre-determined list of positive phrases and virtual high fives.

Sqord targets the 8- to 13-year old crowd.

Childhood obesity experts say it?s during this time period that physical activity plummets.

To read the full article and see video?..Click here

Source: http://www.lensaunders.com/wp/?p=10954

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Ticket rush: Film fans hand Hollywood record cash

FILE - In this publicity film image released by Disney, Chris Hemsworth portrays Thor, left, and and Chris Evans portrays Captain America, in a scene from "The Avengers," expected to be released on May 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Disney, Zade Rosenthal, File)

FILE - In this publicity film image released by Disney, Chris Hemsworth portrays Thor, left, and and Chris Evans portrays Captain America, in a scene from "The Avengers," expected to be released on May 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Disney, Zade Rosenthal, File)

In this publicity photo provided by Warner Bros. Pictures, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake, is shown in a scene in Warner Bros. Pictures? and Legendary Pictures? action thriller ?The Dark Knight Rises," a Warner Bros. Pictures release. TM & ? DC Comics. (AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Ron Phillips)

FILE - In this file photo of a publicity film image released by Disney, Iron Man, portrayed by Robert Downey Jr., left, and Captain America, portrayed by Chris Evans, are shown in a scene from "The Avengers." (AP Photo/Disney, File)

In this publicity photo provided by Warner Bros. Pictures, Tom Hardy, center, as Bane, is shown in a scene in Warner Bros. Pictures? and Legendary Pictures? action thriller ?The Dark Knight Rises," a Warner Bros. Pictures release. TM & ? DC Comics. (AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Ron Phillips)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The big deal for Hollywood is not the record $10.8 billion that studios took in domestically in 2012. It's the fact that the number of tickets sold went up for the first time in three years.

Thanks to inflation, revenue generally rises in Hollywood as admission prices climb each year. The real story is told in tickets, whose sales have been on a general decline for a decade, bottoming out in 2011 at 1.29 billion, their lowest level since 1995.

The industry rebounded this year, with ticket sales projected to rise 5.6 percent to 1.36 billion by Dec. 31, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com. That's still well below the modern peak of 1.6 billion tickets sold in 2002, but in an age of cozy home theater setups and endless entertainment gadgets, studio executives consider it a triumph that they were able to put more butts in cinema seats this year than last.

"It is a victory, ultimately," said Don Harris, head of distribution at Paramount Pictures. "If we deliver the product as an industry that people want, they will want to get out there. Even though you can sit at home and watch something on your large screen in high-def, people want to get out."

Domestic revenue should finish up nearly 6 percent from 2011's $10.2 billion and top Hollywood's previous high of $10.6 billion set in 2009.

The year was led by a pair of superhero sagas, Disney's "The Avengers" with $623 million domestically and $1.5 billion worldwide and the Warner Bros. Batman finale "The Dark Knight Rises" with $448 million domestically and $1.1 billion worldwide. Sony's James Bond adventure "Skyfall" is closing in on the $1 billion mark globally, and the list of action and family-film blockbusters includes "The Hunger Games," ''The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn ? Part Two," ''Ice Age: Continental Drift," ''Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted," ''The Amazing Spider-Man" and "Brave."

Before television, movies were the biggest thing going, with ticket sales estimated as high as 4 billion a year domestically in the 1930s and '40s.

Movie-going eroded steadily through the 1970s as people stayed home with their small screens. The rise of videotape in the 1980s further cut into business, followed by DVDs in the '90s and big, cheap flat-screen TVs in recent years. Today's video games, mobile phones and other portable devices also offer easy options to tramping out to a movie theater.

It's all been a continual drain on cinema business, and cynics repeatedly predict the eventual demise of movie theaters. Yet Hollywood fights back with new technology of its own, from digital 3-D to booming surround-sound to the clarity of images projected at high-frame rates, which is being tested now with "The Lord of the Rings" prelude "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," shown in select theaters at 48 frames a second, double the standard speed.

For all of the annoyances of theaters ? parking, pricy concessions, sitting next to strangers texting on their iPhones ? cinemas still offer the biggest and best way to see a movie.

"Every home has a kitchen, but you can't get into a good restaurant on Saturday night," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros. "People want to escape. That's the nature of society. The adult population just is not going to sit home seven days a week, even though they have technology in their home that's certainly an improvement over what it was 10 years ago. People want to get out of the house, and no matter what they throw in the face of theatrical exhibition, it continues to perform at a strong level."

Even real-life violence at the movie theater didn't turn audiences away. Some moviegoers thought twice about heading to the cinema after a gunman killed 12 people and injured 58 at a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Colorado last summer, but if there was any lull in attendance, it was slight and temporary. Ticket sales went on a tear for most of the fall.

While domestic revenues inch upward most years largely because of inflation, the real growth areas have been overseas, where more and more fans are eager for the next Hollywood blockbuster.

International business generally used to account for less than half of a studio film's overall receipts. Films now often do two or even three times as much business overseas as they do domestically. Some movies that were duds with U.S. audiences, such as "Battleship" and "John Carter," can wind up being $200 million hits with overseas crowds.

Whether finishing a good year or a bad one, Hollywood executives always look ahead to better days, insisting that the next crop of blockbusters will be bigger than ever. The same goes this time as studio bosses hype their 2013 lineup, which includes the latest "Iron Man," ''Star Trek," ''Hunger Games" and "Thor" installments, the Superman tale "Man of Steel" and the second chapter in "The Hobbit" trilogy.

Twelve months from now, they hope to be talking about another revenue record topping this year's $10.8 billion.

"I've been saying we're going to hit that $11 billion level for about three years now," said Paul Dergarabedian, a box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "Next year I think is the year we actually do it."

___

Online:

http://www.hollywood.com

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-26-Film-Hollywood's%20Year/id-df6a82e44d8d4e57bc551c529ad706c1

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Europe's new antenna picks up a Mars pic

Europe's newest deep-space tracking station has received its first interplanetary message: a photo of a half-lit Mars as seen by an orbiting spacecraft.

The new Mars photo was snapped by the European Space Agency's Mars Express probe and beamed to Earth on Dec. 18, where it was received by the agency's brand-new space tracking station in Malarg?e, Argentina. Argentina's President Cristina Fern?ndez de Kirchner activated the huge antenna dish via a remote link from the country's Casa Rosada presidential palace to commemorate the event, ESA officials said.

In the Mars photo, the Red Planet appears to lie on its side with its daytime side facing down. Three huge volcano domes can be easily seen in the view, as well as several canyons etched into the Martian landscape. The Mars Express spacecraft used its low-resolution Visual Monitoring Camera to capture the image from a distance of 6,065 miles (9,761 kilometers).

The photo was sent to the Malarg?e station during the site's official inauguration last week by ESA officials. It took about 18 minutes to cross the 203 million miles (327 million kilometers) between Earth and Mars, ESA officials said.

The Malarg?e antenna is one of three deep-space tracking installations that make up ESA's Estrack system. Construction of the 600-ton antenna began in 2010 and was completed this year. The site's nearly 115-foot (35-meter) dish is designed to serve as both a ground station for satellites in Earth orbit and spacecraft exploring other destinations in the solar system. The two other installations of the Estrack system are located in New Norcia, Australia, and Cebreros, Spain.

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"With the Malarg?e station, ESA becomes only the second space agency in the world to provide all-sky coverage for deep-space missions," ESA Director-General Jean-Jacques Dordain said in a statement. The other space agency with the capability is NASA, which operates its own Deep Space Network of ground stations.

ESA's Mars Express spacecraft has been orbiting the Red Planet since December 2003. It is currently in the midst of an extended mission that runs through 2014.

Follow Space.com on Twitter@Spacedotcom. We're also onFacebook and Google+.

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50300430/ns/technology_and_science-space/

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Holiday travelers stranded as storm heads east

As tornadoes ripped through the South, more than a foot of snow was dumped over parts of the Midwest, making for a post-Christmas travel nightmare. NBC's Mike Seidel reports.

By Tracy Connor, NBC News

A wicked winter storm was sweeping east across the United States Wednesday, creating a post-holiday travel nightmare with more than a foot of snow in some places and thousands of flights canceled or delayed.

"Blizzard warnings stretch for?730 continuous miles?due to Winter Storm Euclid,"?The Weather Channel?s?Tom Niziol reported.

The white-out came a day after a Christmas storm unleashed heavy snow, deadly winds and even some tornadoes on the nation?s midsection, killing at least three people.

As millions of Americans braced for snow, rain, ice or more twisters, nearly 2,000 flights had been canceled and 10,000 were delayed, many at Dallas/Fort Worth, Philadelphia International, and Cleveland's Hopkins International, according to the travel website FllightStats.com. American Airlines had to cancel 500 flights, while Delta scrapped 200.?

Read more at The Weather Channel

The forecast called for heavy snow from Indiana to New York and by mid-afternoon it was piling up: The National Weather Service reported 14.5 inches in Marion, Ill.; 11.8 inches in Bloomfield, Ind.; 9 inches in Brookville, Ohio; 7 inches in Bardwell, Ky.; and Frostburg, Md. Up to 3 inches of rain had fallen in North and South Carolina.

---

After the storm socked little Albion, Ill., with 18 inches of snow, city worker Renee Galen?s SUV got stuck and she got to her office the only way she could.

On one of the busiest travel days of the year, bad weather has forced airlines to cancel or delay flights. NBC's Katy Tur reports.

"One of the city guys came by with a snowplow and I flagged him down and rode to work with him," Galen told NBC News.

"I had to get to work because today was the last day to file for city elections. Believe it or not, I?ve had three people come in to file."

In Indianapolis, seven inches of snow fell in three hours Wednesday morning, bringing post-Christmas shopping to a halt, the Indianapolis Star reported.?

Stephen Canter, 44, ventured out before 8 a.m., and the roads were thick with snow when he headed back 30 minutes later.

"By the time I got home, the street was covered," he told the newspaper. "I don't remember snow like this since Valentine's Day of 2007."

Indiana State Police received 100 calls of crashes or cars sliding off roads before noon and warned motorists that if they got into trouble it could take a while to get them help, NBC affiliate WTHR.com reported.?

Cars and several 18-wheelers were stuck in the ice along 1-70, and the snow fell faster than crews could clear the roads.

"The biggest problem is the blowing. We got some high winds and the roads are really beginning to drift bad," Ron Sharp with Wayne County Emergency Management told the station.

Parts of New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania are also forecast to get hit with more than a foot of snow, and New England could get up to a foot.

The blizzard warning in Ohio prompted United Airlines to cancel at least 60 percent of their flights at?Cleveland?Hopkins Airport beginning at noon on Wednesday, according to?NBC affiliate WKYC.com. About 1,000 people spent the night on cots at Dallas/Fort Worth after their Tuesday night and Wednesday morning flights were scrapped.

Hundreds of flights delayed, canceled as holiday storms travel across country

With Rochester, N.Y., slated to get up to a foot of snow, hordes of worried residents descended on the hardware stores.

?Un-freaking-believable! We?ve sold 225 shovels since 9 o?clock this morning,? said Tom Green, owner of Mayer Paint and Hardware. ?Rock salt ? I couldn?t tell you how many thousands of pounds I?ve sold today. People are very concerned.?

Green noted that snowstorms are hardly rare in Rochester.

?But this is the first big one,? he said. ?And it?s happening at Christmas.?

The weather system, which started over the weekend, wreaked havoc on Christmas. It knocked out power to tens of thousands of people and was blamed for at least five deaths.

In Enola, Ark., two toddlers were killed when a car lost control on an ice-slicked highway and spun into oncoming traffic, state police said.

Wind-toppled trees killed a pickup truck driver near Houston, Texas, and a 53-year-old man in north Louisiana. NBC affiliate KJRH reported?that?a 28-year-old woman was killed in a crash on a snowy highway near Fairview, Okla.

Christmas Day tornadoes ?- the preliminary count was at least 21, according to the Weather Channel -- battered Southern states.?And Little Rock, Ark., didn?t just have a rare white Christmas ?- it had its snowiest day ever, with nine inches on the ground.

The storms contributed to a 21-vehicle pile-up Tuesday that shut down a major highway in Oklahoma City, as well as tens of thousands of power outages. Emergency service provider MedStar told?NBCDFW.com?it responded to 71?crashes in the Fort Worth area between 5 p.m. and 9:50 p.m. Tuesday evening.

As it tracked east, authorities were taking the storm seriously.

In Indianapolis, Mayor Greg Ballard ordered "non-essential" workers to stay home and off roads. Cleveland asked businesses to send workers home by 1:30 p.m., NBC affiliate WKYC.com reported.?Homeowners in coastal Long Island, ravaged by Superstorm Sandy in October, were told to take precautions to prevent flooding with seas expected to peak at 15 feet, NBCNewYork.com reported.

By the time it leaves the New England coast Friday, the storm will have left snow from coast to coast ?- and there could be another wallop coming soon.

Weather Channel meteorologist Guy Walton said a weather pattern with the potential to become Winter Storm Freyr is poised to enter the West Coast on Wednesday and move through the Rockies on Thursday. It could then head for the lower Mississippi Valley, then the Southeast and hit the Northeast on Sunday.

Read more at weather.com

The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/26/16162773-holiday-travelers-stranded-as-snow-and-wild-weather-heads-east?lite

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Large, powerful storm heads east; at least 6 dead

Shoppers buy groceries at the Kroger's in West State Plaza on W. State Blvd during a snow storm in Fort Wayne, Ind., Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/The Journal Gazette, Cathie Rowand)

Shoppers buy groceries at the Kroger's in West State Plaza on W. State Blvd during a snow storm in Fort Wayne, Ind., Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/The Journal Gazette, Cathie Rowand)

A street sign is bent at a severe angle from a Christmas Day tornado as residents clean up and assess the damage Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012 in Mobile, Ala. With only a handful of injuries and no deaths reported statewide from the storms, the head of the state's emergency response said it was difficult to fathom how the toll wasn't worse. (AP Photo/G.M. Andrews)

Murphy High School teacher Leland Howard tries to salvage items where his algebra classroom once stood in a temporary building at Murphy High School as residents clean up and assess the damage from a Christmas Day tornado Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012 in Mobile, Ala. With only a handful of injuries and no deaths reported statewide from the storms, the head of the state's emergency response said it was difficult to fathom how the toll wasn't worse. (AP Photo/G.M. Andrews)

Residents and clean-up crews clear damaged trees and other debris left behind by a Christmas Day tornado Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012 in Mobile, Ala. With only a handful of injuries and no deaths reported statewide from the storms, the head of the state's emergency response said it was difficult to fathom how the toll wasn't worse. (AP Photo/G.M. Andrews)

Cars navigate a slushy S. East Street near Yowell Meadow park in the town of Culpeper, Va. An overnight storm brought rain, snow and ice to the Culpeper area on Wednesday, Dec. 26 2012. (AP Photo/The Free Lance-Star, Reza A. Marvashti)

A powerful winter storm system pounded the nation's midsection Wednesday and headed toward the Northeast, where people braced for the high winds and heavy snow that disrupted holiday travel, knocked out power to thousands of homes and were blamed in at least six deaths.

Hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed, scores of motorists got stuck on icy roads or slid into drifts, and blizzard warnings were issued amid snowy gusts of 30 mph that blanketed roads and windshields, at times causing whiteout conditions.

"The way I've been describing it is as a low-end blizzard, but that's sort of like saying a small Tyrannosaurus rex," said John Kwiatkowski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Indianapolis.

The system, which spawned Gulf Coast region tornadoes on Christmas Day and a historic amount of snow in Arkansas, pushed through the Upper Ohio Valley and headed toward the Northeast. Forecasts called for 12 to 18 inches of snow inland from western New York to Maine starting late Wednesday and into Thursday and tapering off into a mix of rain and snow closer to the coast, where little accumulation was expected in such cities as New York and Boston.

The storm left freezing temperatures in its aftermath, and forecasters also said parts of the Southeast from Virginia to Florida would see severe thunderstorms.

Schools on break and workers taking holiday vacations meant that many people could avoid messy commutes, but those who had to travel were implored to avoid it. Snow was blamed for scores of vehicle accidents as far east as Maryland, and about two dozen counties in Indiana and Ohio issued snow emergency travel alerts, urging people to go out on the roads only if necessary.

Some 40 vehicles got bogged down trying to make it up a slick hill in central Indiana, and four state snowplows slid off roads as snow fell at the rate of 3 inches an hour in some places.

Two passengers in a car on a sleet-slickened Arkansas highway were killed Wednesday in a head-on collision, and two people, including a 76-year-old Milwaukee woman, were killed Tuesday on Oklahoma highways. Deaths from wind-toppled trees were reported in Texas and Louisiana.

The day after a holiday wasn't expected to be particularly busy for AAA, but its Cincinnati-area branch had its busiest Wednesday of the year. By mid-afternoon, nearly 400 members had been helped with tows, jump starts and other aid, with calls still coming in, spokesman Mike Mills said.

Jennifer Miller, 58, was taking a bus Wednesday from Cincinnati to visit family in Columbus.

"I wish this had come yesterday and was gone today," she said, struggling with a rolling suitcase and three smaller bags on a slushy sidewalk near the station. "I'm glad I don't have to drive in this."

Traffic crawled at 25 mph on Interstate 81 in Maryland, where authorities reported scores of accidents.

"We're going to try to go down south and get below" the storm, said Richard Power, traveling from home in Levittown, N.Y., to Kentucky with his wife, two children and their beagle, Lucky. He said they were well on their way until they hit snow in Pennsylvania, then 15-mph traffic on I-81 at Hagerstown, Md. "We're going to go as far as we can go. ... If it doesn't get better, we're going to just get a hotel."

More than 1,200 flights were canceled by midday, according to FlightAware.com, and some airlines said they would waive change fees. Delays of more than an hour were reported Wednesday at the three New York City-area airports, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

In Arkansas, some of the nearly 200,000 people who lost power could be without it for as long as a week because of snapped poles and wires after ice and 10 inches of snow coated power lines, said the state's largest utility, Entergy Arkansas. Gov. Mike Beebe sent out National Guard teams, and Humvees transported medical workers and patients. Snow hadn't fallen in Little Rock on Christmas since 1926, but the capital ended Tuesday with 10.3 inches of it.

Other states also had scattered outages. Duke Energy said it had nearly 300 outages in Indiana, with few left in Ohio by early afternoon after scores were reported in the morning.

As the storm moved east, New England state highway departments were treating roads and getting ready to mobilize with snowfall forecasts of a foot or more that was expected to start falling late Wednesday and through Thursday.

"People are picking up salt and a lot of shovels today," said Andy Greenwood, an assistant manager at Aubuchon Hardware in Keene, N.H.

As usual, winter-sports enthusiasts welcomed the snow. At Smiling Hill Farm in Maine, Warren Knight was hoping for enough snow to allow the opening of trails.

"We watch the weather more carefully for cross-country skiing than we do for farming. And we're pretty diligent about farming. We're glued to the weather radio," said Knight, who described the weather at the 500-acre farm in Westbrook as being akin to the prizes in "Cracker Jacks ? we don't know what we're going to get."

Behind the storm, Mississippi's governor declared states of emergency in eight counties with more than 25 people reported injured and 70 homes left damaged.

Cindy Williams, 56, stood near a home in McNeill, Miss., where its front had collapsed into a pile of wood and brick, a balcony and the porch ripped apart. Large oak trees were uprooted and winds sheared off treetops in a nearby grove. But she focused instead on the fact that all her family members had escaped harm.

"We are so thankful," she said. "God took care of us."

___

Associated Press writers Rick Callahan and Charles Wilson in Indianapolis, Kelly P. Kissel in Little Rock, Ark.; Jim Van Anglen in Mobile, Ala.; Holbrook Mohr in Jackson, Miss.; Julie Carr Smyth and Mitch Stacy in Columbus, Ohio; Amanda Lee Myers in Cincinnati; David Dishneau in Hagerstown, Md.; Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H.; and David Sharp in Portland, Maine, contributed to this report.

___

Contact Dan Sewell at http://www.twitter.com/dansewell

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-12-26-Christmas%20Weather/id-1c11e19ddf904f048a4d853f94c20248

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INFINITE KIGALI GIBBERISH FROM CREATIVE SOURCE ...

It is awfully disgusting, disheartening and apathetic to reading a series of articles entitled ?The Road to Kigali? from a Professor of creative writing. With such rich syntax professed to heave significance contribution to Ghana's infantile democracy is crammed with abhorrence discourse with recourse to tribal bigotry. I do not covet the position of the author for the belabor on the EC to dispel the discomfort of flagrant electoral lost of the NPP. However, the presence of his family and opulent influence could have added more numbers to the NPP than the long range academic missiles thrown from the US to cause mayhem in our lone legal mother-land.

?The Road to Kigali? simply means, ethnic cleansing by the majority Akan group over the other minority groups according to the cogent tribal and sectarian squabbles by this writer. Needless to say, the owner of the aforementioned article is an Akyem, who hides behind the umbrella body of Akan to dilate his sordid chauvinism for the other minority groups in Ghana. Ashanti, the predominant tribe of the Akan with a widely honored King is highly affable and obliging, unlike the hostile Akyem who see everything good through their own transparent sight.

The author of the foresaid piece is attainably contradicting his position on the yet to storm Supreme Court by the NPP and the Chief Justice. In one breath, the author casted doubt on the integrity of the head of the Judiciary but upon a whisper from a parrot on the ethnicity of the Justice and realizing she was an appointee of the erstwhile NPP government, this bigot changed a stance on Mrs. Wood. This indeed is a revelation worth noting on the ailing motive article with the title ?The Road to Kigali?.

Suddenly, the Nassau Community College lecturer, so they say quickly with much uppity turns the vile on the NDC as though the latter authored ?The Road to Kigali?. The assertion that, the NDC will resort to violence should the Supreme Court overturn the EC declaration in part 6 of the series is frivolous and outlandish but a defeat on the principle and intent of the article ?The Road to Kigali? I petrified over the double standard and amoral stance taken by the writer to avert the actual drive of the damn write up.

The EC boss who performed his constitutional mandate of declaring President Mahama the winner of the 2012 polls but received infinite salvo from both academic maharishis and the plebeians of the opposition New Patriotic Party is an Akan. Why would Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan as part of the Akan group whose birth right it is to become President declares an ?Otani? the President elect at the expense of Nana Akufo-Addo? Why does the author of twaddle Kigali article think the EC head is not an Akan and does not recognize the pre-destined aphorism? It is very pathetic for an academic bulldozer to stoop so low to the gutter to incite vulnerable Ghanaians with his long study and hard earned knowledge with the sole aim of placing Ghanaians on savage of insurgency. How insensitive?

The arguments and salient features of ?The Road to Kigali? is an affront on academic elucidation. The frantic effort to curb racism in all spheres of human life including games, sports, religion, academic and others are enough reminder of the writer of this article to appreciate human existence. How does it feel when a white child throws a banana at a Negro with reference to monkey in the United States? Tribalism is the trivial of racism and both need the same magnitude of denunciation.

Democracy is what to be questioned in developing countries with less than 50% of the people as amateurish in formal education yet seeks the Whiteman's system of choosing leaders to govern. We must make a concerted effort to educate our people to understand and demystify the intricacies of modern democracy and move forward as a Nation, than the constant reminders of our past brutalities of military juntas. After all, the Nation Ghana had experienced two decades of rule by the ballot and is a signatory to many international conventions. America with her centuries of experience in democracy once went through trying times.

As alluded in one of the series by the author of The Road to Kigali ?For those of us who have lived, experienced and actively participated in an advanced democratic culture such as that of the United States?. It will be extremely outrageous for any true Ghanaian to sit somewhere with no contribution, active participation and experience of our ?injustice? kind of democracy so to speak, to propel and fan genocidal comments as a form of participating in Ghana's politics. The impetus at which this fake Ghanaian who believes, lived and contributed to the development of democracy in the United States writes, exposed the heinous purpose of his articles for Mother-Ghana penchant to the ?All die- be die mantra of the NPP.

I want to promise to disappoint this professor of creative writing by scrounging the words of the late President JEA Mills of blessed memory that, ?Ghana will not die, Ghana will live to give thanks and glory to our maker? The intercessory prayers from a cross section of religious groups over the months are much more powerful to neutralize the ill motive of ?The Road to Kigali? The evil forces unleashed from any part of the world to work on innocent Ghanaians to rise against each other shall bounce back to the sender. We are sick and tired of the scoffs travesty in the name of freedom of speech.

Not withstanding, it is more ludicrous and appalling to read the directorate to ?Kigali? from the article when the warmonger himself is seeking sanctuary or academic prowess elsewhere in New York. How does one take part in a dance by producing the throbbing sound of the drums far away from the dancers? Kigali is the capital of Rwanda, which perpetuated genocide in the 1998 among the Hutus and Tutsis. The Hutus who felt more superior to their Tutsi brothers had to massacre the Tutsi minority from the land of Rwanda. That is what the author of ?The Road to Kigali? wants the Akans to do to the other minority ethnic groups in Ghana. What a shameful display of pedagogic aptitude!!

Needles to mention, the writer had a restricted practical appreciation of many ethnic persuasions in Ghana. The petite information about non Akan ethnic groups in Ghana by this columnist is gathered from our history text books which do not offer readers much practical knowledge of the aborigines but failed and resided on the scanty ideas to spew acerbic invective to extol the most rural sect of Akyem among the Akans.

Ashanti region where one can find the largest Zongo slums chiefly occupied by non Akans share boundary with the Palace of the Ashanti King. This by a large extent phantom the perception by the author of Kigali that, the Ashantis as the majority and most powerful and influential of the Akan who without them cannot flex muscle in terms of politics do not envisage any ethnic purification of other minority groups. In fact, the mutual intelligible nature of some other minority ethnic group dialect with the Ashanti parlance makes the whole Kigali message a fiasco. The idea will never be endorsed by the most powerful KING, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

Further, Both NDC and NPP have members of diverse ethnicities and as such will make nonsense of the assertion to wipe out minority ethnic groups from Ghanaian politics. The odium by Kigali author for non Akans is unimaginably colossal to be conceived by a true Ghanaian. Such Characters have divided loyalty for their nation, considering the venom and potency of their vile to put Ghana on the mutiny attest to it. I believe at the end, marauder of that kind shall be put in the dustbin of history.

If this doom writer who has no respect for state institutions but thinks violence is the key must first descend to the battle field from his hide out for Ghanaians to take him serious. The chants and ethnocentric detestation by this educationist in his writings are sickening and choking. Is about time this writer put an end to the gibberish and saves Ghanaians a briefing space. If not, I have one more thing to say to the author that, the anger of the powerless is a waste.

Ghana has a President, be it ?Kwashiorkor, Trokosi or Otani? President, nothing is going to stop the investiture on the 7th of January, 2013. You either manage with the situation or you shut your stinky cursed mouth up and live with the anguish. The Supreme Court is wide open for any ?idiot? as opined by Asiedu Nkatia to present a case. Ghana will continue to be the beacon of hope for Africa and lead the way in democratic dispensation.

God bless the good people of this country and God bless our homeland Ghana.

Kashaa Nuhu
babnuh11@yahoo.com

Source: http://www.modernghana.com/news/437178/1/infinite-kigali-gibberish-from-creative-source.html

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A partial list of taxes and fees to finance Obama health care overhaul law (Star Tribune)

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Internet Marketing Rules Blog: Traffic Generation - Radio Ads And ...

Most internet marketing experts are excellent at generating traffic. And one reason that they are excellent is that they pay ALOT for the traffic that they do get. Now I?m not talking about a $100 advertising budget.

I?m talking about a $10,000 advertising budget, and MORE.

You can generate lots of traffic to your website also if you know that right ways to do it. Getting traffic is essential to your online business, and it?s a very important part of your online business success. If you can?t get traffic, you won?t get alot of sales. And without alot of sales, your business will fail very quickly.

In today?s lesson, I want to share some insights on how you can get traffic to your website the smart way. You have paid advertising and free marketing that you can choose from. Both can be extremely profitable for you. In fact, here?s the first way to get traffic to your website:

1) Run radio ads

If you?re an expert at you do, and you have identified a niche that has a pressing problem that needs to be solved, you should do any and everything that you can to go after this market. You will want to expand your marketing reach dramatically. And even though your business is online, you can still run radio ads and lead people back to your site.

Make sure you clearly state your website address. If there are any ?dashes? in your domain name, make sure to mention also. In fact, you will even want to spell it out for them just so they get it and understand it.

This way people can understand how to spell it when they type your domain name into their internet browser. Here?s another way that you can drive traffic to your website:

2) Podcasts

Podcasts are easy to make, and are free. With radio ads, you have to pay for a segment and you only have a minute or two to state your message. With a podcast, you can make it as long as you want, and have people download it from iTunes or your blog automatically. You will want to get set up with a service called ?Feedburner? if you?re going to pursue podcasting.

And the same thing applies with radio ads. When it comes time for you to state your website address, make sure you clearly state what it is, how to spell it, and to mention it at the beginning of the podcast and at the end. Podcasting is very popular and people will visit iTunes all the time just to hear your podcast.

These 2 traffic generation tips are things that are very simple and easy to do. Running radio ads will cost money, but you can reach so many people with a simple ad, and in return, get hundreds or even thousands of visitors to your website within a short period of time. I personally think that you should use both in your marketing arsenal today.

Good luck with using these 2 strategies to get more traffic to your website.

For more internet marketing secrets, simply visit the website below:
http://www.internetmarketing-rules.com/internetmarketing.html

Source: http://blog.internetmarketing-rules.com/2012/12/traffic-generation-radio-ads-and.html

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