Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/181102505?client_source=feed&format=rss
ucla usc sean taylor usc football cybermonday coach outlet apostasy canon powershot elph 300 hs
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Economists: Obama's policies 'fair' or 'poor' (AP)
WASHINGTON ? President Barack Obama gets mediocre marks for his handling of the economy and Mitt Romney easily outpolls his Republican rivals in an Associated Press survey of economists.
The economy ? and who bears responsibility for it ? is likely to be a decisive issue when voters to go the polls next November.
The economy is still struggling to recover from the Great Recession of 2007-2009. The housing market remains weak and a debt crisis in Europe threatens growth in 2012. The unemployment rate is at a recession-level 8.6 percent, up from 7.8 percent when Obama took office in January 2009. That month, the recession was already more than a year old.
Half of the 36 economists who responded to the Dec. 14-20 AP survey rated Obama's economic policies "fair." And 13 called them "poor." Just five of the economists gave the president "good" marks. None rated him as "excellent."
The economists' criticisms vary. Some say Obama was distracted by his health care overhaul. Others say his $862 billion stimulus program was poorly designed. Still others fault him for not pushing for an even bigger stimulus when the economy proved weaker than expected.
The AP economists expect economic growth to pick up to 2.4 percent next year. That would be an improvement from the under-2 percent growth expected for 2011. But the economists foresee little improvement ? a dip to 8.4 percent ? in the unemployment rate by Election Day.
Asked which of the Republican presidential candidates would do the best job managing the economy, two thirds of the economists named Romney, one chose former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. The rest didn't pick anyone at all.
Allen Sinai, president of Decision Economics, says Romney, who ran a private equity firm before turning to politics, is the "hands down" choice among Republican presidential contenders squaring off in the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses.
"Romney's a technocrat," Sinai says. "He's not an ideologue. He has a history in the real world of business."
The Iowa presidential caucuses, which kick the GOP nominating process into high gear, begin Tuesday and polls show Romney in a strong position. Romney has based his campaign on the notion that he has the best chance of beating Obama on the economy because of his private sector experience.
Here's more about what the economists, mostly from banks and other financial firms, independent consultancies and academia, had to say about:
_Obama.
Some economists say the Obama administration didn't push hard enough for more government spending or tax cuts to stimulate growth. "They've generally tried to take the right kinds of measures but have often failed to lead with enough vigor to overcome political obstacles," says William Cheney, chief economist at John Hancock Financial Services.
Others say the president tried to do too much, especially by pushing early for legislation to overhaul the nation's health care system instead of focusing on policies to promote growth and create jobs.
"Health care reform wasn't necessarily the most important thing to be dealing with when you're in the midst of the worst recession since the Great Depression," says Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economics.
Some critics say Obama's 2009 stimulus program relied too much on public works projects that were slow to get going. Decision Economics' Sinai says the president should have favored more tax cuts that put money in Americans' pockets immediately.
Sinai notes that public works projects failed to pull Japan out of a long economic slump that began in the 1990s and continues today. After the money is spent, "you're left with deficits and debt. And someday if you need new government stimulus, you can't afford it. And that's where we are now," Sinai says.
Republican strategist Rich Galen says the GOP has successfully painted Obama as a reckless steward of taxpayer money: "In a Tea Party era where Big Government is the enemy, throwing money at problems is the enemy," he says.
An Associated Press-GfK poll of American adults earlier this month found that 60 percent of American adults disapprove of Obama's performance on economic issues.
Jamal Simmons, an adviser to the Obama campaign in 2008, said the president must remind voters how bad things were when he took office. The economy lost more than 820,000 jobs the month Obama was sworn in, the biggest drop since October 1949.
Since the job market hit bottom in February 2010, it has produced nearly 2.5 million jobs ? 117,000 a month. "Is it enough? Absolutely not, but it certainly ain't what it used to be," Simmons says. Perhaps Obama can take heart from President Ronald Reagan's experience. The unemployment rate was 8.5 percent ? a tick away from where it was last month ? a year before Reagan was re-elected in a 1984 landslide.
"You have to look at where you would have been if he hadn't gotten the stimulus package through," says Maury Harris, chief economist at UBS Securities. "We might be a lot worse off."
_Romney.
Many of those who chose Romney couldn't cite any of the former Massachusetts governor's economic proposals. Nevertheless, his background won over the economists. Romney graduated from Harvard Business School and served as CEO of Bain & Company, a management consulting business in Boston, and Bain Capital, a spinoff investment firm, in the 1980s and 90s."He has the experience that the other candidates lack," says Harris of UBS Securities.
Some of his Republican rivals have taken unconventional positions. Texas Rep. Ron Paul advocates abolishing the Federal Reserve and returning to the gold standard. Texas Gov. Rick Perry has said it would be "almost treasonous" for Bernanke to try a third round of bond purchases to jolt the economy before November's election.
Among Romney's chief economic plans: repealing the Obama administration's health-care law; cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent; and making permanent tax cuts on dividends, interest and capital gains from President George W. Bush's administration.
"He thinks about the economy in a more global way" than his GOP rivals, Naroff says. "He's not a rigid ideologue."
But Romney's business experience is also vulnerable to criticism. His Republican rivals have blasted him for profiting from putting companies through bankruptcy and laying off workers.
"At a time when the American public is suspicious of corporate wealth and power, that could do real harm to Romney," Simmons says. The economists were not asked to evaluate Obama's economic policies against Romney's or any other Republican candidate.
The economists gave good marks to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke: 13 rated Bernanke as excellent, 14 as good and nine as fair. He was praised for taking extraordinary steps to calm financial markets after the collapse of Lehman Bros. in 2008 and to jolt the weakest economy in 70 years.
"He's been dealt a tough hand, but played it as well as anybody could," says Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James & Associates.
The economists praise Bernanke for his aggressive response to the financial crisis in the fall of 2008. He slashed short-term interest rates to zero, made loans to cash-strapped banks and bought Treasury and mortgage bonds to push down interest rates and calm financial markets.
"The Fed's response (to) the financial crisis and recession was dramatic and swift," says Sean Snaith, an economist at the University of Central Florida.
When the economy stalled in the second half of 2010, Bernanke launched another round of bond purchases to push long-term rates lower.
He has sometimes had to overcome dissent from others on the Fed's rate-setting board. And Bernanke's Fed has had to take the lead in economic policymaking because Congress and the White House are so often ensnarled in partisan bickering.
Still, some economists say Bernanke's Fed has gone too far, that zero interest rates are hurting retirees and savers without delivering many economic benefits.
"Perhaps the greatest criticism might be that the Federal Reserve has tried to do too much ? trying to offset the impact of necessary budget cuts, European debt problems and other factors out of its control," says Lynn Reaser, chief economist at Point Loma Nazarene University.
___
AP Business Writer Daniel Wagner contributed to this report.
flat tax flat tax divine bettie page harry caray northern lights maksim chmerkovskiy
Key dates in the life of North Korea's Kim Jong Il (AP)
Key dates in the history of North Korea and its late leader Kim Jong Il:
? April 15, 1912: North Korean founder Kim Il Sung is born in Pyongyang.
? Feb. 16, 1942: Kim Jong Il is born in a guerrilla fighters' camp on Mount Paektu, the highest peak on the Korean peninsula, according to official North Korean history. Some sources say he was born in a Siberian village, and that the year of his birth was 1941.
? Sept. 9, 1948: Kim Il Sung establishes the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the northern half of the Korean peninsula.
? June 25, 1950: North Korea invades South Korea.
? July 27, 1953: The Korean War ends in a truce, not a peace treaty.
? September 1973: Kim Jong Il assumes the Workers Party's No. 2 post ? the secretary for the party's organization, guidance and propaganda affairs.
? February 1974: Kim Jong Il is elected to the Political Bureau of the Workers Party's Central Committee and formally becomes North Korea's future leader.
? Oct. 10, 1980: Kim Jong Il's status as the country's future leader is made public at the Workers' Party congress, where he takes up other top positions.
? Jan. 8, 1983: Kim Jong Il's third and youngest son Jong Un is believed to have been born.
? Dec. 24, 1991: Kim Jong Il is named Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army.
? April 1993: Kim Jong Il is named Chairman of the National Defense Commission.
? July 8, 1994: Kim Il Sung dies of a heart attack and Kim Jong Il inherits power.
? Oct. 8, 1997: Kim Jong Il is named General Secretary of the Workers' Party.
? August 2008: Kim Jong Il reportedly suffers a stroke.
? July 21, 2010: The U.S. imposes new sanctions on North Korea in a bid to stem Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.
? Sept. 28, 2010: Kim Jong Un is promoted to four-star general and given leadership roles in the ruling Workers' Party ? moves seen as confirmation that he is likely to be the country's next leader. The announcement is North Korean state media's first mention of Kim Jong Un.
? Oct. 10, 2010: Kim Jong Un debuts to public at what is believed to be the largest military parade the communist state has ever staged. The celebration in Pyongyang marks the 65th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party but also serves as a coming-out party for the younger Kim.
? Oct. 11, 2010: Kim Jong Nam, the casino-loving eldest son of Kim Jong Il, says he opposes a hereditary transfer of power to his youngest half-brother. Analysts say Kim Jong Nam spends so much time outside his native land that his opinion carries little weight. He spoke to Japan's TV Asahi in an interview from Beijing.
? Jan. 28, 2011: Kim Jong Nam says his father opposed continuing the family dynasty into a third generation but named his youngest son as heir to keep the country stable, according to TV Asahi.
? Feb. 16, 2011: Kim Jong Il celebrates his 69th birthday.
? April 15, 2011: North Koreans honor the country's founder, Kim Il Sung, on the 99th anniversary of his birth. It is the nation's most important holiday and known as "The Day of the Sun."
? Dec. 19, 2011: State media announce that Kim Jong Il died Dec. 17.
? Dec. 28, 2011: Tens of thousands wail and stamp their feet in grief as a hearse carries Kim Jong Il's body through Pyongyang streets.
two fat ladies dennys kindle fire glen davis kobe bryant war of the worlds a christmas story
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Lindsay Lohan on New Year's Eve Hosting Gigs: Pass!
Lindsay Lohan is adamant that she is proud of the progress she's made with the judge in her probation case and as a result, she's planning a low key New Year's.
She's even passing up six-figure paydays as a result.
The 25-year-old resurgent train wreck has gotten a bunch of offers to host some ragers on December 31, but has stunningly turned down each and every one.
According to reports, Lindsay is desperately trying to change her party girl image and feels that staying away from NYE madness is a step in the right direction.
Seriously, this is true!
LiLo's decision will cost her big bucks, as she's been offered upwards of $100K to ring in New Year's Eve at various venues. But long term, it's not worth it to her.
The nearly seven-figure check she just got for her Playboy photos should ease the pain somewhat, as well. Imagine, nearly $1M for some Lindsay Lohan pics!
Saturday night, Lindsanity plans to ring in 2012 with a few close friends at her home, though she may go out to dinner beforehand. Girl, we hardly know ye!
[Photo: WENN.com]
Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/12/lindsay-lohan-on-new-years-eve-hosting-gigs-pass/
kourtney kardashian pregnant wormwood bcs bowl games jose reyes capital one bowl college football bowl schedule college football bowl schedule
Thedodgeretort: Google's top 10 fastest rising searches in 2011 http://t.co/UPGiqCBd #Google #search
- Passer la navigation
- Twitter sur votre mobile ? Cliquez ici m.twitter.com!
- Passer cette ?tape
- Connexion
Google's top 10 fastest rising searches in 2011 ow.ly/86RH9 #Google #search 
Thedodgeretort John Dodge
Pied de page
Source: http://twitter.com/Thedodgeretort/statuses/151744178240499712
drake take care tracklist drake take care tracklist dr murray trial take care drake cain accuser aesop rock take care track list
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Maternal Dietary Counseling Reduces Consumption of Energy-Dense Foods among Infants: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Source
Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the impact of a dietary counseling in reducing the intake of energy-dense foods by infants.
DESIGN:
A randomized controlled trial.
SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS:
S?o Leopoldo, Brazil. Mothers and infants of a low-income-group population were randomized into intervention (n = 163) and received dietary counseling during 10 home visits, or control (n = 234) groups.
MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES:
Child consumption of sugar-dense (SD) and lipid-dense (LD) foods at 12 to 16 months.
ANALYSIS:
The effect of the intervention was expressed by relative risks and 95% confidence intervals. Poisson regression analysis was used to determine the association between exclusive breastfeeding and the energy-dense foods intake.
RESULTS:
A smaller proportion of infants from the intervention group consumed candy, soft drinks, honey, cookies, chocolate, and salty snacks. In the intervention group, there was a reduction of 40% and 50% in the proportion of infants who consumed LD and SD foods, respectively. Being breastfed up to 6 months reduced the risk for consumption of LD and SD foods by 58% and 67%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS:
Dietary counseling to mothers may be effective in reducing the consumption of energy-dense foods among infants, and it is helpful in improving early dietary habits.
Copyright ? 2011 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
gifts for mom pepper spray storage auctions storage auctions les miles les miles beyonce dance for you video
Minister: Spain to fall back into recession (AP)
MADRID ? Spain will slide back into recession early next year with the current quarter and the first of 2012 both registering negative growth, new Economy Minister Luis de Guindos said Monday.
De Guindos said he expects the economy ? the eurozone's fourth largest ? to contract by between 0.2 percent and 0.3 percent in the final three months of this year and again in the first quarter of next year. He said the outlook for next year was poor.
"Let nobody be fooled, the next two quarters are not going to be easy either in terms of growth or employment," de Guindos said.
Spain began to emerge from a near two-year recession last year. It had two successive quarters of growth in 2011 before posting zero growth in the third period.
De Guindos took office last week as part of the new conservative Popular Party government. He said then he was confident the country would emerge from its severe economic crisis and return to prosperity and its former status as a job creator.
Spain has the highest unemployment rate of the 17 countries that use the euro, with 21.5 percent joblessness, and is running a swollen budget deficit following the recession that started with the collapse of a real estate bubble.
The Popular Party won a landslide victory in Nov. 20 elections on a promise to get the economy moving again.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has pledged austerity cuts totaling euro16.5 billion ($21.6 billion) and promised labor reforms.
His government is to begin approving urgent measures Friday, including a freeze on filling new civil service vacancies. except in key areas such as the security forces.
Spain has already made sharp cuts to its national spending and introduced several reforms under the former Socialist government, but the economy has failed to respond.
terrapin manny pacquiao vs marquez manny pacquiao vs marquez dish network cbs news manny pacquiao fight pacquiao marquez
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
AUDI A4 1.8 BLACK PRIVATE PLATE C12 RSW 595 ono : London : £595
07508050349
-
Make
Audi
-
Model
A4 1.8
-
Body type
4 Door Saloon
-
Fuel type
Petrol
-
Year
1998
-
Transmission
Manual
-
Colour
Black
-
Engine size
1,781 cc
-
Mileage
120,000 miles
-
Seller type
Private
I months tax and 1 months MOT
Petrol, manual
Power steering, electrics windows & mirrors
Air con
Cd radio,
Private plate C12 RSW worth a few hundred
Great and reliable car for it's age, little dent on wing a few minor scratches.
Good engine, gearbox and clutch.
Just bought a new car and need rid as there's no parking space.
Quick sale 595 ono
Call 07508 050 349 anytime
http://gumtreecouk.widget.criteo.com/pgi/
sendEvent
wi=7711396&pt1=2&i=93643543
west virginia football west virginia football black friday violence black friday violence il postino il postino online black friday deals
After military service, younger veterans are trained, tested and JOBLESS
Natesha Lovell left for Iraq in 2004, the sole woman in her U.S. Army Reserve deployment. She returned safely, but life sincethen hasn't been easy.
The former supply sergeant has been unemployed since 2008, and now finds herself without a home. She crashes at a friend's place in Clifton Park.
Lovell is one of many returning service members who have struggled to find work since returning from overseas. In fact, the unemployment rate among younger veterans is far higher than for their counterparts who didn't serve in the military.
And with a million troops, according to a White House estimate, expected to return home from Iraq and Afghanistan by 2016, veteran unemployment is a problem that is threatening to become a crisis ? especially in an economy that is still failing to create work for the millions of Americans who are already jobless.
"A lot of younger soldiers have never held civilian employment," said retired Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Van Pelt of the New York National Guard. "They've never gone out and had to find a job."
According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate among veterans overall ? 7.4 percent in November ? is actually below the 8.2 percent rate of overall joblessness, a testament, in part, to veterans' ability to keep work once they have it.
But for veterans from ages 18 to 24, usually looking for a toehold in the labor market, the unemployment rate is a staggering 37.9 percent ? more than double the rate for non-veterans in the age group, according to data compiled by the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University.
Of course, some young people entered the military because they were already struggling to find work. And some are in demographic categories that have been hit particularly hard by the recession.
They are more likely than non-veterans, for example, to be black or Hispanic, two groups with higher rates of unemployment. And some younger veterans lack college degrees in an economy that has shed lower-skill jobs in fields such as manufacturing, transportation and retail.
The unemployment rate among people with a high school diploma, but no college, is 8.4 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while it is just 4.2 percent for Americans with at least a bachelor's degree.
But advocates for unemployed veterans note that many returning troops have college-level computer or other advanced skills, even if they've never entered a higher-ed classroom.
The trick is getting those skills represented on a resume ? in language a civilian employer can understand.
The veterans have to turn off the military jargon, said Van Pelt, a leader in a newly created National Guard program that's trying to match veterans with employers.
The National Guard program, and similar help available at Stratton Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Albany, are part of a growing effort to help returning veterans find work, highlighted by President Barack Obama's recent signing of a law providing tax breaks for companies that hire jobless veterans.
Advocates for veterans say employers who seek out returning military members will be rewarded with workers who are especially disciplined.
"Their experience is a real positive from an employer's point of view," said David Bobrek, president of Blasch Precision Ceramics in Menands, which has hired 20 or so veterans in recent years.
"We get a better understanding (from veterans) of what it takes to get the job done," Bobrek added.
Still, some employers resist hiring those who are newly exiting the military. Veterans advocates say they suspect fear of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a significant reason.
Van Pelt said he senses an "undercurrent" of belief among employers that PTSD makes veterans unreliable workers, but he believes the disorder is not nearly as common as many employers seem to believe.
Lovell, who remained in the Army Reserve and, later, the National Guard after returning from Iraq in 2005, believes her employment difficulties have stemmed from fears she'll be returned to military service.
The University at Albany graduate said she struggles to understand why she can't find work.
"I've always suspected that they were afraid to invest their money in people who could possibly leave," Lovell said. "That's the only reason I can come up with."
Reach Churchill at 454-5442 or cchurchill@timesunion.com.
Source: http://www.timesunion.com/business/article/After-military-service-younger-veterans-are-2423390.php
once upon a time sharia law sharia law demarco murray ed reed teresa giudice red ribbon week
Monday, December 26, 2011
Tips How To Make A Contract With Your Wedding Photographer
Accessibility
- View text version
Tags
More...Upload Details
Uploaded via SlideShare as Microsoft PowerPoint
Usage Rights
? All Rights Reserved
Flagged as inappropriate Flag as inappropriate File a copyright complaintSource: http://www.slideshare.net/mikechip/tips-how-to-make-a-contract-with-your-wedding-photographer
senate bill 5 joe paterno press conference joe paterno scandal joe paterno scandal election day 2011 mississippi personhood
hdkzii: nice stats - Flurry: Largest Addressable Markets For Mobile Developers In 2012 Include India, China, Japan http://t.co/Ohio9ntG
- Passer la navigation
- Twitter sur votre mobile ? Cliquez ici m.twitter.com!
- Passer cette ?tape
- Connexion
nice stats - Flurry: Largest Addressable Markets For Mobile Developers In 2012 Include India, China, Japan techcrunch.com/2011/12/23/flu? 
hdkzii Hidekazu Ii ?
Pied de page
Source: http://twitter.com/hdkzii/statuses/150339037176139777
burzynski pete seeger gazelle gazelle pumpkin carving patterns pumpkin carving patterns lizzie borden
Sunday, December 25, 2011
edgunther: RT @SusquehannaBank: Use #Twitter to feed the hungry! RT this post & we'll give 5 meals to local food banks. Follow us & we'll give 10 m ...
Use to feed the hungry! RT this post & we'll give 5 meals to local food banks. Follow us & we'll give 10 more. Source: http://twitter.com/edgunther/statuses/150066159465660416
pacquiao vs marquez junior dos santos junior dos santos evelyn lauder devin hester devin hester shayne lamas
tecca: Get a little more life out of your Android following these tips, make your battery sing! http://t.co/Ntog14NA
- Passer la navigation
- Twitter sur votre mobile ? Cliquez ici m.twitter.com!
- Passer cette ?tape
- Connexion
Get a little more life out of your Android following these tips, make your battery sing! ow.ly/88hul 
tecca Tecca
Pied de page
Source: http://twitter.com/tecca/statuses/149995192668262400
baylor art basel 2011 art basel 2011 straight no chaser straight no chaser bcs standings bcs standings
Saturday, December 24, 2011
In Memoriam: Nate Dogg, Heavy D Among Stars We Lost In 2011
MTV News remembers 'Jackass' daredevil Ryan Dunn, Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr and Cali Swag District's M-Bone, among others.
By Tami Katzoff
Nate Dogg
Photo: Mark Sullivan/ WireImage
This year we lost some of our brightest stars: artists that spanned the genres of rock, hip-hop and pop, as well as TV and film. They were at different stages in their careers — some just starting to rise, others already legends — but all left a distinct mark on pop culture, and their deaths affected us deeply.
Beloved hip-hop icons Nate Dogg and Heavy D influenced the generations of artists who followed them. Nate (born Nathaniel Hale) died at age 41 after suffering several health setbacks related to a stroke. One of the key players in the birth of the West Coast G-Funk sound, the crooner's silky smooth vocals touched classic tracks from Snoop Dogg and Warren G to 50 Cent and Ludacris. Fun-loving Heavy D, a major force in the New Jack Swing era, had hits with songs like "We Found Love" and "Nuttin' But Love," but he had also branched out into film and theater. He was 44 when he died this past fall.
Photos: The celebrities gone too soon in 2011.
We lost Mike Starr, former bassist for the groundbreaking Seattle grunge band Alice in Chains. Like Amy Winehouse, who also died this year at the age of 27, Starr's talent was often overshadowed by dependency on alcohol and drugs.
Gun violence claimed the life of 22-year-old Montae Talbert, the Cali Swag District dancer otherwise known as M-Bone. And Australian actor Andy Whitfield, who got his big break when he was cast as the lead in the Starz TV series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," was 39 when he succumbed to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Finally, the MTV family mourned the death of "Jackass" daredevil and "Viva La Bam" star Ryan Dunn. The 34-year-old died on a rural Pennsylvania road along with his 30-year-old passenger, Zachary Hartwell, when their car slammed into a guardrail and caught fire.
Share your memories of those we lost this year in the comments below.
MTV continues our Best of 2011 coverage by looking back at the biggest pop-culture stories of the year. As we count down the newsmakers that mattered to you most, also check out our Best Artists, Best Songs, Best MTV Live Performances and Best EDM Artists of 2011.
Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676441/dead-celebrities-2011-nate-dogg-heavy-d-amy-winehouse.jhtml
kelly slater palindrome palindrome asana als disease brittany norwood lindsay lohan
Friday, December 23, 2011
Rejoice! MAME Arcade Game Emulator Now Available for iPad and iPhone [Ipad]
sandusky interview with bob costas sandusky interview with bob costas live oak mark kelly mark kelly jeff goldblum uc berkeley
Monday, December 19, 2011
Jodie Foster?s Father Sentenced To Prison
Jodie Foster’s father has been delivered a five year jail sentence. Get the full details behind Lucius Foster’s crimes below. Actress Jodie Foster?s estranged father, Lucius Foster, has been sentenced to five years in prison after swindling $130,000 from the elderly and the less fortunate. The sentence was handed down on December 2nd by Judge Dokey in a court house located close to Van Nuys. Foster’s father was found guilty on 21 counts of grand theft, and nine counts for working without a license, according to AceShowbiz. He was said to have told clients that he would be building affordable homes that are made from cargo containers. The actress? eighty-nine year old father was reportedly taking money as a down payment to build the homes that never actually existed. One of Lucius?s victim?s, a woman by the name of Karen Unsell spoke out about being swindled out of the money. ?He’s either the liar of the century, or he’s delusional. Either way he’s dangerous, it does not matter that he’s 89 years old. We all know what he’s capable of.? Don Cocek, who is the deputy city attorney, also revealed that Lucius Foster used his daughter’s celebrity status to establish [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/1wFV14UwGEw/
great pumpkin charlie brown the strangers all hallows eve all saints day all saints day bernard madoff ct news
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Iraqis celebrate US exit, but worry for future (AP)
BAGHDAD ? Even as Iraqis celebrated the departure of the last American troops Sunday, the dangers left behind after nearly nine years of war were on full display. Politicians feuded along the country's potentially explosive sectarian lines and the drumbeat of deadly violence went on.
The last U.S. convoy rumbled out of Iraq across the border into Kuwait around sunrise under a shroud of secrecy to prevent attacks on the departing troops. When news reached a waking Iraqi public, there was joy at the end of a presence that many Iraqis resented as a foreign occupation.
In the northern city of Mosul, pastry shop owner Muhannad Adnan said he had a swell of orders for cakes ? up to 110 from the usual 70 or so a day ? as families threw parties at home. Some asked him to ice the cakes with inscriptions of "congratulations for the end of occupation," he said.
But the happiness was shot through with worries over the future.
"Nobody here wants occupation. This withdrawal marks a new stage in Iraq's history," said Karim al-Rubaie, a Shiite shopowner in the southern city of Basra. But, he said, "the politicians who are running this country are just a group of thieves."
"These politicians will lead the country into sedition and civil war. Iraq now is like a weak prey among neighboring beasts."
In the morning, a bomb hidden under a pile of trash exploded on a street of spare car parts stores in a mainly Shiite district of eastern Baghdad, killing two people and wounding four others. It was the latest in the near daily shootings and bombings ? low-level but still deadly ? that continue to bleed the country and that many fear will increase with the Americans gone.
Violence is far lower than it was at the worst of the Iraq War, in 2006 and 2007, when Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias preyed on Iraqis around the country in a vicious sectarian conflict that nearly turned into complete civil war. But those armed groups still remain, and there are deep concerns whether Iraqi security forces are capable of keeping them in check without the help of U.S. troops.
Iraq's military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Babaker Zebari said Sunday that his troops were up to the task of uprooting militant groups.
"There are only scattered terrorists hiding here and there and we are seeking intelligence information to eliminate them," Zebari said. "We are confident that there will be no danger."
Equally worrying, the resentments and bitterness between the Shiite majority and Sunni minority in this country of nearly 30 million remain unhealed. The fear is that without the hand of American forces, the fragile attempts to get the two sides to work together could collapse and even turn to greater violence.
In an escalation of the rivalry, the main Sunni-backed political bloc on Sunday announced it was boycotting parliament to protest what they called Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's attempts to monopolize government positions ? particularly those overseeing the powerful security forces. The bloc has complained of security forces' recent arrests of Sunnis that it says are "unjustified."
The Iraqiya bloc warned that it could take the further step of pulling its seven ministers out of al-Maliki's coalition government.
"We are against the concentration of security powers in the hands of one person, that is the prime minister," said Sunni lawmaker Hamid al-Mutlaq, a member of the bloc.
Sunnis have long feared domination by the country's Shiites, who vaulted to power after the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein at the hands of the Americans. The rivalry was exacerbated by the years of sectarian killing.
The Iraqiya bloc narrowly won the most seats in last year's parliamentary election. But its leader Ayad Allawi was unable to become prime minister, outmaneuvered by al-Maliki, who kept the premier's post after cobbling together key support from Shiite parties.
That has left al-Maliki beholden to Shiite factions, including those led by radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose militiamen were blamed for sectarian killings during the worst of Iraq's violence. Since forming his new government, al-Maliki has effectively controlled the Interior and Defense Ministries, which oversee the police and military, while conflicts between Sunni and Shiite politicians have delayed the appointment of permanent ministers.
Many on both sides of the sectarian divide also worry that neighboring Shiite-led powerhouse Iran will now increase its influence in their country. Al-Maliki's party and other Shiite blocs have close ties to Tehran. But even some in the Shiite public resent the idea of Iranian domination.
"I am afraid that this occupation will be replaced by indirect occupation by some neighboring countries," said Ali Rahim, a 40-year-old Shiite who works for the Electricity Ministry.
Omar Waadalla Younis, a senior at Mosul University, said at first he was happy to hear the last Americans were gone and thought the city government should hold celebrations in the streets. Then he thought of the possible threat from Iran.
"Now that the Americans have left, Iraq is more vulnerable than before."
mike stoops end of the world end of the world jerome harrison ryan leaf ryan leaf carlos santana
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Alzheimer's drug candidate may be first to prevent disease progression
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
carlos mencia green bay packers giants packers aaron rodgers patsy cline packers stock sale
The Exploration of Mobile Communications Business Model in the ...
home > Economics papers > The Exploration of Mobile Communications Business Model in the 3G and B3G Period
http://www.economics-papers.com/?p=77855?Abstract? Spectrum is the basic of mobile communications industry and the carrier of the mobile communications service. Be similar to land and oil, spectrum is rare and important strategic resource. With mobile communications industry rapid development and the ?mobile, broadband and multi-media? trends in the evolution of mobile communications ,and applications expansion to radio, television, aviation, transportation and other areas, the demand for spectrum resources grows rapidly, spectrum resource is becoming increasingly scarce. Therefore, the mobile communications business model should have good spectrum economic character. That is, spectrum resource should be rational and effective used, in order to obtain the largest revenue from each Hz of frequency.In recent years mobile communications industry grows rapidly and technology upgrade is fast, the applications become increasingly wide and the demands become increasingly strong. The mobile communications market and operators? revenue keeps steady and rapid growth every year. In the past 1G and 2G period, operators adopt public-oriented and personal consumer applications business model, and this business model success with the industry?s rapid growth.In the coming 3G and B3G period, developing data services and promoting the value of ARPU is operators? primary strategy. With the broadband service scale promotion and the average bandwidth for per user substantial growth, the frequency resource scarcity and the system bandwidth limited problem will be highlighted. At the same time, compared with the narrowband service, broadband service occupied much more bandwidth and spectrum economic dropped significantly. This may leads to operators? revenue stop growing or even decrease. After using new technologies, system capacity increased, broadband services can be supported, but the benefits are less. It violates the original intention that is through the using new technologies to increase revenue, and pose a serious constraint on industry?s healthy, stable and sustainable development.This situation?s primarily source is about public users. As consumers, they care prices and can?t accept high price that matches broadband services? bandwidth. Therefore in the new period, it is necessary take appropriate innovation on the existing business model to maintain operators? revenue steady and rapid growth.This paper presents new business model which takes industry informationization as one of the industry?s future development direction. It will enhance the mobile communications? spectrum economy, increase operators? revenue. What?s more important, it can help to transform traditional industries and integrate information technology and industry production, optimize industry operating processes and improve production efficiency, and ultimately gain more revenue. Mobile communications? function in the country?s economic development will be expand to the entire industry, and then increase industry?s growth rate and enhance industry?s growth quality. In addition, it helps to transform the traditional growth model that mainly depends on the labor and capital to rely on technological upgrading, boosting economic growth transformation and core competitiveness improvement.At the same time, the thesis put forward the following recommendations for mobile communication?s future development: low price for narrowband services to encourage the public users use more such services; high price for broadband services to encourage the industry users use more such services. The public market, industry market forms the pattern that contains public information and industry information. Public network and private network support the public information and industry information of common development. Eventually mobile communication is enabled to promote industrial progress and service the public, achieving economic revenue and social benefit?s both improvements.
http://www.economics-papers.com/?p=77855Category: Economics papers economics
Filename: The Exploration of Mobile Communications Business Model in the 3G and B3G Period.pdf
Pages: 155
Price: US$50.00
Buy This Paper: Download: FAVORITE: ADD TO FAVORITE
How to get this paper's electronic documents?
1, Click the "Buy Now" button to complete the online payment
2, Download the paper's electronic document from the successful payment return page/Or the system will send this paper's electronic document to your E-Mail within 24 hours
Contact: E-Mail:bizdg@126.com
??????????????TEL:1-888-774-999A
Version:zh-cn
Source: http://www.economics-papers.com/?p=77855
trisomy 13 veterans barbados resorts the call helen mirren surrogates surrogates
Friday, December 16, 2011
Several airlines add up to $10 to round-trip fares
DALLAS?? Several leading U.S. airlines are raising fares by up to $10 per round trip, but it's unclear whether the increase will stick because of resistance from some low-fare carriers.
-
Don't miss these Travel stories
-
Need gift ideas? Saddle them with baggage
Unless you?re a member of the 1 percent, you?re probably not buying that special someone a trip to Tahiti or round-the-world cruise. Luggage and other travel accessories, however, are useful and affordable.
- Airplane geek? Buy a piece of the plane
- Tired of theme parks? Try a trip for a young reader
- And the world's most social airport is...
- Frequent flier miles: to buy or not to buy
-
Need gift ideas? Saddle them with baggage
Delta Air Lines Inc. confirmed Wednesday that it started the fare hikes on Monday night with increases of $4 to $10 per round trip. Representatives for United Continental Holdings Inc., AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, US Airways Group Inc. and JetBlue Airways Corp. said Wednesday that their airlines matched the Delta increase.
Southwest Airlines Co. and its AirTran Airways subsidiary had not raised prices by Wednesday afternoon, a spokesman said.
J.P. Morgan analyst Jamie Baker said that Southwest appeared to be blocking the fare increase. He said if Southwest held out until Thursday, he would expect competitors to roll back their increases within a day or so.
Southwest carries more U.S. passengers than any airline and has enormous influence over prices on the routes it flies.
U.S. airlines have passed about 10 broad price increases ? usually just a few dollars at a time ? on to consumers this year. But even more often, proposed fare increases have failed to stick, including four tries since late October.
Even while boosting prices, however, airlines have regularly run fare sales to pump up travel demand at a time when consumers are pinched by the weak economy.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45676320/ns/travel-news/
kim zolciak kim zolciak jerry sandusky interview white house shooting internet censorship sveum benetton ads
Job market brightens as unemployment claims sink
In this Dec. 12, 2011 photo, people wait to talk with potential employers at a job fair sponsored by National Career Fairs, in New York. The number of people seeking unemployment aid dropped to its lowest level since May 2008 last week, a hopeful sign that layoffs are declining and hiring may pick up. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
In this Dec. 12, 2011 photo, people wait to talk with potential employers at a job fair sponsored by National Career Fairs, in New York. The number of people seeking unemployment aid dropped to its lowest level since May 2008 last week, a hopeful sign that layoffs are declining and hiring may pick up. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
In this Dec. 12, 2011 photo, Stephen Rutkowski, a chiropractor from Greenwich, Conn., waits in line to attend a job fair sponsored by National Career Fairs, in New York. The number of people seeking unemployment aid dropped to its lowest level since May 2008 last week, a hopeful sign that layoffs are declining and hiring may pick up. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The outlook for the job market is looking brighter.
Far fewer people are seeking unemployment benefits than just three months ago ? a sign that layoffs are falling sharply.
The number of people applying for benefits fell last week to 366,000, the fewest since May 2008. If the number stayed that low consistently, it would likely signal that hiring is strong enough to lower unemployment.
The unemployment rate is now 8.6 percent. The last time applications were this low, the rate was 5.4 percent.
The big question is whether fewer layoffs will translate into robust hiring. It hasn't happened yet, even though job growth has increased in recent months.
The four-week average of weekly unemployment applications, which smooths out fluctuations, dropped last week to 387,750. That's the lowest four-week since July 2008. The four-week average has declined in 10 of the past 12 weeks.
"Labor market conditions have taken a turn for the better in recent weeks," Michael Gapen, an economist at Barclays Capital, said in a note to clients. "Payroll growth should improve in the coming months."
Separately, the prices companies pay for factory and farm goods rose 0.3 percent last month. The figure was pushed up by higher food and pharmaceutical prices. But energy prices barely rose, keeping inflation in check.
In the 12 months ending in November, wholesale prices have increased 5.7 percent, the Labor Department said Thursday. It's the smallest year-over-year increase since March.
The department's producer price index measures price changes before they reach consumers.
A mixed picture of manufacturing emerged from other reports Thursday. Factory output fell in November for the first time in seven months, according to the Federal Reserve. Manufacturers made fewer cars, electronics and appliances.
But some economists noted that auto sales rose in November, suggesting that production will rebound.
And the Federal Reserve Banks of Philadelphia and New York said manufacturing expanded in their regions. Manufacturing has been a key source of growth this year.
Still, the U.S. manufacturing sector could weaken in 2012. Growth is slowing in Asia. Europe is likely already in recession. And U.S. companies are reducing their investment in machinery and other large equipment.
The downward trend in applications suggests that companies are cutting fewer workers as the economy picks up. It also comes as Congress is wrangling over whether to extend emergency unemployment benefits, which are set to expire at the end of this year.
Growth may top 3 percent in the final three months of this year, according to many economists. That would be up from 2 percent in the July-September quarter.
Other recent reports suggest the job market is improving a bit. In the past three months, net job gains have averaged 143,000 a month. That compares with an average of 84,000 in the previous three months.
In November, employers added 120,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate fell to 8.6 percent from 9 percent. That was the lowest unemployment rate in 2? years. But about half that decline occurred because many of the unemployed gave up looking for work. When people stop looking for a job, they're no longer counted as unemployed.
Employers posted fewer jobs in October than in the previous month, the government said Tuesday, though the decline was modest.
Job openings have risen by about 35 percent since the recession officially ended in June 2009. But they're still about 25 percent below pre-recession levels.
More than 7.4 million people are receiving unemployment benefits, according to Thursday's report. About 2 million will lose their benefits by mid-February if the emergency program expires.
Lawmakers differ over how long benefits should last. The House passed a Republican bill Tuesday that would renew emergency aid but reduce the maximum duration to 59 weeks from the current 99 weeks.
Democrats want to keep the full 99 weeks. The measure is part of broader legislation in the Democratic-led Senate that would also extend a Social Security tax cut.
Associated Pressminnesota vikings packers vs vikings packers vs vikings randall cobb packers score google x lisfranc injury
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Round-Up: Insightful Ideas From Our 'Gaming For Good' Salon ...
PSFK hosted a very exciting event last Friday. Our Gaming For Good salon focused on how game mechanics can encourage constructive actions to tackle difficult or challenging problem ? in this case Climate Change ? to make them fun. Alongside The Climate Reality Project, an events-based organization that targets people denying the reality of climate change, we collected and evaluated strategic concepts from creative agencies all over the world, based on concepts from our Future Of Gaming report that leverage games as a cultural force of change. In a statement by President and CEO of The Climate Reality Project, Maggie L. Fox said:
Gaming presents us with new and innovative ways to engage more people in the climate fight?interesting, fun and empowering ways to make change. Many of the submissions we offered today will help more people focus on solutions in creative and original ways.
Our panelist judges included CEO of FearLess? Alex Bogusky, Undercurrent?s Aaron Dignan, and former Vice President, Al Gore. For 40 years, Al Gore, who is a firm believer in gaming, has been working to establish methods to engage people and align their behavior with the urgent mission to reverse climate change. He highlighted several concepts: Climate Trail, RealiTree, and GreenSquare as particularly effective ideas. To learn more about the winning ideas, read our post on the finalists.
Insights & Highlights from Al Gore?s Talk
- Paralysis in Policy: People, not governments, are the ones showing conviction to address climate change. Since mainstream media caters to companies and not people, Al Gore called for the preservation of ?the public square,? especially as the Internet develops more ?gatekeepers who charge tolls.? Additionally, people must also continue to ask about environmental policy at the schools they attend, the companies they do business with, and the places they work, in order to make sustainable practices the norm. Everyone has heard a story about how a single individual changed the entire course on a particular issue.?We must pressure markets and political leaders to respond to this desire and address this crisis.
- Becoming More Sustainable Means Overhauling Underlying Systems: Changes in policy is a must from the bottom up. The solution must be put in place not only through new technology, but new financing systems and new social models for encouraging efficiency.
- On Brands: While companies are not shifting their environmental practices fast enough, their missions are still rising. Brands cannot get consumers to adopt political frameworks directly. Greenwashing exists, but increasingly there is a shift that is consequential.
- Leveraging Exponential Growth: Computational power has been increasing exponentially; imagine such an innovation curve that produces successive generations of renewable energy technology that will be cheaper than electricity and coal.
- Why Gaming Matters: Gaming concepts help us solve for connecting people and getting them to think deeply through new ways of engagement. The immense crisis presents an immense opportunity for positive change.
- On Power: Too much power in one place is never a good thing; no matter the character, virtue, nature, politics, or ideology of the individuals involved. It?s a basic thermo-dynamic equation.
- How Were We Impacted by Climate Change This Year: Within the last half-decade, many communities have been getting once-in-a-thousand-year-rainfall: Pakistan, Nashville Tennessee, New Zealand, Salvador, and Thailand. The east coast got hurricane Irene this year too. Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe are experiencing the worst drought in decades leading to fluctuations in food prices that can lead to massive political backlash. He asserted the idea that Tunisia?s Arab Spring was sparked by a food vendor in response to rising crop prices.
Insights & Highlights from Our Presenters:
The game concepts submitted were highly focused on providing rewards for daily activities and injecting a social experience into their platform. All avoided creating a ?self-monitoring? approach, where a player would compete with him or herself to improve the impact of their consumption, instead focused on strategies to leverage community action, building awareness, information sharing, solving the unsolvable and/or teaching new skills, all of which are intentions we point out in the Future of Gaming trends report.
Serious Games: Empowered Activism Through Daily Habits
These games are focused on a real world skill set or initiative. Esterni?s Climate Heroes, Parlor?s Climate Reality Patrol, and LG2?s Mission Green integrate commenting, activism, and online monitoring into an ecosystem where users are environmental watchdogs that are expected to report on climate abuse and sources of misinformation, thereby ?separating fact from fiction? as creator Alex Poole commented. People are rewarded for organizing their communities to stop negative practices in the public space and to engage with brands via their business practices.
A Roadblock Strategy
Wieden + Kennedy?s Climate Reality execution is something that could occur on Earth Day. The initiative would build relationships with makers of popular games (such as Call of Duty, Angry Birds, World of War Craft) and have climate change related virtual incidents disrupt gameplay in their incredibly popular games in a surprising way that would reach a massive audience.
Playing to Expand Knowledge
While they have different purposes, Zemoga?s Climate Trail, Awkward Hug?s Greensquare, and Arnold?s Destination Reality: Farmville all draw inspiration from established games (i.e. Oregon Trail, Foursquare). While Climate Trail is a text-based concept focusing on getting users to bolster their climate-related knowledge through the gaming narrative, Greensquare rewards users for checking-in to locations that observe eco-friendly business practices. Both tactics successfully add to the knowledge of the participants in different ways. Destination Reality puts weather pattern algorithms in Zynga?s Farmville game play. Aaron Dignan pointed out that Arnold?s idea adds an educational layer the original Farmville concept.
Measuring And Visualizing Collective Action
These concepts are about taking something abstract and visualizing it. Cynergy?s Sprout and Stark Design?s RealiTree measure collective swarms of activity to generate awareness, inspire playful and beneficial behavior to transform careless habits into informed decisions. Sprout augments in-store experiences and shopping behavior; the ultimate goal is to pressure companies to develop better ecological practices. RealiTree measures local activity by aggregating tweets, Foursquare check-ins, links, and all kinds of ecological statements. The visual spectacle reflects the climate reality and health of the surrounding community. Cities may compete as the platform scales.
As Alex Bogusky said, climate change is not anyone?s fault, but something that is shared. By tackling this fundamental challenge through gaming, a new energy is brought into environmentalism.
Click through the thumbnails below to see more photos from the event:
?
Images via Louis Caldarola.
To check out all the concepts, click the banner below to access our Gaming For Good report.
Source: http://www.psfk.com/2011/12/round-up-insightful-ideas-from-our-gaming-for-good-salon.html
world series mvp rocky horror picture show rutgers risky business weather nj weather nj nyc weather
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)