Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/274092462?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Monday, December 31, 2012
Budget Talks Stall As Reid Calls Latest GOP Move A ?Poison Pill?
English: President Obama talks alone with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in the Oval Office a few days after the inauguration. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
We were expecting a vote today on the budget. What we got was more fighting.
With the House and the Senate back to work for a change today (I guess a raise will put some pep in your step), many were hopeful that Congress might reach a deal on the budget. But that all changed when Democratic leaders accused Republicans of stalling the talks by offering a new plan as a part of the deal.
Specifically, the Republican plan would change the way that Social Security benefits are paid out which would result in less money over time to recipients, a move that Democrats are calling a nonstarter. Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) was said to be ?shocked and disappointed? by the move, calling it a ?poison pill.?
The Republican proposal would change the way that the government measures inflation for a number of benefits like Social Security. It?s an alternative version of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) referred to as the ?chained? CPI. The idea behind the ?chained? CPI is that it is a more accurate measurement by taking into account consumer responses to higher prices, rather than simply measuring the higher prices. Here?s a quick example:
Let?s say that last year, coffee was $10/pound and tea was $10/pound. And because I tend to drink more coffee, I bought 10 pounds of coffee and 2 pounds of tea. But this year, coffee jumped to $15/pound and tea went up to a mere $11/pound. Even though I love coffee, let?s say I switched to tea because it was cheaper (again, this is just a hypothetical ? I am not, I repeat, not changing my coffee consumption) and bought 5 pounds of coffee and 7 pounds of tea.
Here?s how the ?normal? CPI calculations would look:
(10 x 15) + (2 x 11)/(10 x 10) + (2 x 10) = 1.4333
But the ?chained? CPI calculations would reflect the change in behavior and those calculations would look like this:
(5 x 15) + (7 x 11)/ (10 x 10) + (2 x 10) = 1.267
You can see that using the ?chained? CPI results in a lower number for inflation since inflation is really supposed to be a measure of buying power. Using the ?chained? CPI, however, also results in a lower payout for benefits ? like Social Security ? tied to the CPI over time. You can see why, then, that the the AARP and similar organizations would oppose it.
It?s a big change and has a significant political and economic impact. It?s a bit confusing, then, why it would end up on the table as a bargaining chip in the 11th hour ? unless the plan was to rush it through and hope that extending the tax cuts garnered enough press to bury it.
How does the President feel about it? President Obama had previously indicated that he was willing to consider the ?chained? CPI even in the face of Democratic ? and popular ? opposition in order to move to a vote to extend tax cuts for most Americans. That was, however, in exchange for a bigger deal with Republicans for extending tax cuts for all but those at the top and continuing unemployment benefits, moves that, taken together, the Republicans have not publicly signaled they support. So far, nobody is blinking.
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Chiefs fire Crennel, make no move on GM Pioli
Denver Broncos head coach John Fox, left, greets Kansas City Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel at the end of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Denver. Denver won 38-3. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
Denver Broncos head coach John Fox, left, greets Kansas City Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel at the end of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Denver. Denver won 38-3. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) ? The Kansas City Chiefs fired coach Romeo Crennel on Monday, but made no move on embattled general manager Scott Pioli despite a 2-14 season marked by blowout losses, fan rebellion and a murder-suicide involving one of their players.
Crennel was fired after one full season as coach, and one day after Kansas City matched the fewest wins in franchise history with an embarrassing 38-3 loss to the Denver Broncos.
"I am embarrassed by the poor product we gave our fans this season, and I believe we have no choice but to move the franchise in a different direction," Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "I will immediately begin the search for the next head coach of the Chiefs. The entire football operation will remain under review and there may be additional changes to come."
Hunt said that "no final determination has been made" about Pioli's future.
The Chiefs' only victories this season came against New Orleans and Carolina, the latter coming one day after linebacker Jovan Belcher shot his girlfriend to death and then drove to the team's practice facility and turned the gun on himself as Crennel and Pioli looked on.
Crennel seemed to know the end was coming Sunday night when he was asked to defend his job and said, "If your criteria is wins and losses, there's not much defense."
Kansas City will have the No. 1 pick in the draft after the most disappointing season in its 53-year history. The only other time the Chiefs finished 2-14 was 2008, the year before Pioli was hired. They were 2-12 in 1977, the only other time they've failed to win at least three games.
"Words can't describe it, to be honest with you," cornerback Brandon Flowers said. "We have to do the best we can to block this out and start from scratch next year."
With five players voted to the Pro Bowl last week, there are certainly pieces in place for the Chiefs to make rapid improvement. But four of them were inherited by Pioli's regime, and that haul of Pro Bowl players may have been Crennel's biggest indictment.
The only other teams with at least five players voted to the all-star game made the playoffs.
The Chiefs' inept offense managed 18 touchdowns in 16 games, finished minus-24 in turnover ratio and lost nine times by two touchdowns or more. Along the way, they broke an 83-year-old NFL record by not holding a lead in regulation until their ninth game.
Crennel, whose career record as a head coach is 28-55, was hired in 2010 to be the Chiefs' defensive coordinator. Respected by his players, he was appointed interim coach last December when Pioli fired Todd Haley with three games left in the season.
Crennel immediately brought a sense of stability to a floundering franchise, defeating the previously unbeaten Green Bay Packers and winning at Denver in the season finale ? after which, players spontaneously started chanting his name in the visiting locker room.
"That's my guy. Everybody knows that," defensive tackle Shaun Smith said. "That's not only my coach, that's my role model. My father figure. We don't just talk football, we talk life."
With the support of the players, Pioli made Crennel the permanent coach a few weeks later, giving him another opportunity as a head coach after going 24-40 in four seasons with the Browns.
The season wound up being a disappointment from the start.
The Chiefs were blown out by the Falcons in their opener, trounced on the road by the Bills and needed an 18-point comeback to force overtime in their win over the Saints.
Then a stretch of eight consecutive defeats.
Empty seats began to multiply at Arrowhead Stadium, once one of the most intimidating venues in the NFL. An organized fan rebellion paid for banners to be towed behind airplanes asking for Pioli to be fired, and the majority of fans dressed in black for a home game against Cincinnati.
Nothing Crennel did seemed to work, either.
He began the season as the defensive coordinator, but fired himself and turned those duties over to linebackers coach Gary Gibbs. He benched Matt Cassel, in the fourth year of a $63 million contract, and went with Brady Quinn, who played just as poorly the rest of the season.
Injuries were numerous, turnovers plentiful, penalties crippling and blown assignments became the hallmark of a team that was rarely in games into the fourth quarter.
Then came the morning of Dec. 1, when tragedy struck.
Belcher, a part-time starter, shot the mother of his 3-month-old daughter, Kasandra Perkins, multiple times at a home not far from Arrowhead Stadium. The linebacker then sped to the team's practice facility and was confronted by Pioli, who tried to talk him out of more violence.
After thanking Pioli and Crennel for his chance in the NFL, Belcher shot himself in the head.
The Chiefs played the following day against Carolina, and Crennel was praised for the way he stoically led a team in turmoil. Kansas City put together its best performance in a 27-21 victory.
It wound up being their last win, though.
The Chiefs were blown out by Cleveland, shut out by Oakland and beaten by the Colts before an embarrassing season finale against the Broncos.
It was enough to finish Crennel, and enough to put Pioli's future in jeopardy.
"I want our fans to know that I will do everything I can to provide them a dramatically better team," Hunt said, "both next season and in the seasons to come."
___
Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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Sunday, December 30, 2012
Blog Writer - Only Natives to work on This Week Ends | Academic ...
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Source: http://www.freelancer.com/projects/Copywriting-Technical-Writing/Blog-Writer-Only-Natives-work.html
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Jesco von Puttkamer, Von Braun Rocket Team Member, Dies at 79
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Tiny fragments said to be from the manger that held the infant Jesus, the veil of his mother, Mary, and a thread from the cloak of St. Joseph will be displayed by a Roman Catholic church in Chicago when it celebrates its 155th anniversary on Sunday. The fragments, released by the Vatican in 1972, were a gift to the Holy Family Church from the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii, also in Chicago. Displaying them now has particular significance because of their association with Christmas, which marks the birth of Jesus. The Rev. Jeremiah J. ...
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jesco-von-puttkamer-von-braun-rocket-team-member-145554379.html
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Armed Forces Bowl 2012: Rice Defeats Air Force, 33-14 (VIDEO)
FORT WORTH, Texas -- When Rice freshman quarterback Driphus Jackson was suddenly thrust into action in the Armed Forces Bowl, he drove the Owls within 2 yards of a tying touchdown before his errant pitch.
Jackson more than made up for that miscue that ended the first half.
After starter Taylor McHargue was knocked out the game because of a concussion, Jackson threw for 264 yards with two second-half touchdowns to Jordan Taylor, and Rice beat Air Force 33-14 on Saturday.
"I couldn't get down (after the fumble). The guys had all the confidence in the world in me," Jackson said. "Things slowed down for me in the second half."
Rice (7-6), which had to win four in a row just to get bowl eligible, has won both of its bowl games under sixth-year coach David Bailiff. Before their 2008 Texas Bowl victory, the Owls had lost their only four bowl games since winning the 1954 Cotton Bowl.
"This football team has overcome a lot of adversity and really played well down the stretch," Bailiff said. "We had a very motivational talk with our team just before the winning streak, and our coaching staff and players worked hard and kept improving every game."
And this is a Rice team with only seven seniors, three of them tight ends.
The Owls were 1-5 after a loss at Memphis on Oct. 6, and their only loss was 28-24 to Conference USA champion Tulsa.
"We had our ups and downs. To cap it after the start we had, it means the world," said running back Turner Petersen (nine carries for 81 yards).
Air Force (6-7) scored on consecutive drives in the second quarter with backup quarterback Kale Pearson in the game. But the Falcons had a season-low 214 total yards.
Jackson's first series ended with a bad pitch near the goal line only 2 seconds before halftime, when the Owls trailed 14-7. It was the third lost fumble by Rice in the second quarter.
"We didn't make a lot of adjustments at halftime," said Taylor, who had nine catches for 153 yards and three TDs, including a 16-yarder from McHargue in the first quarter. "The coaches just told us to execute and protect the football better than we did in the first half."
Jackson had consecutive completions of 25 and 22 yards before a 2-yard keeper and then a 22-yard TD to Taylor on Rice's opening drive of the second half.
The Owls went ahead to stay, 21-14, when Jackson hit six passes in a row to set up Charles Ross' 2-yard TD run.
"As soon as the starter went out, we knew there were adjustments we had to make," Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. "We put an enormous amount of strain on our defense. Any time you make only 12 first downs, you're going to tax your defense."
Jackson, who started against Houston when McHargue had a shoulder problem, completed 15 of 21 passes and rushed for 32 yards.
"After having one start under my belt, I knew what to expect," Jackson said. "I had an idea of how to manage the game. They gave me the keys and told me to go."
McHargue never returned after a helmet-to-helmet collision on a 5-yard run with about 5 minutes left in the first half.
He put his head down and ran into defensive back Steffon Batts, and fumbled. McHargue was noticeably wobbly while being helped to the sideline.
The Falcons then went 35 yards in nine plays for a 14-7 lead. Mike DeWitt converted fourth-and-1 with a 2-yard run, and Wes Cobb scored on a 1-yard run.
Jackson then came in for the Owls and had keepers of 5 and 14 yards before a 23-yard pass to Taylor. After another 10-yard pass for first-and-goal from the 2 before Jackson's bad pitch.
McHargue hit 6 of 8 passes for 31 yards. He stood on the sideline after halftime wearing a warmup suit and a cap.
Since the Falcons' last game, senior quarterback Connor Dietz has graduated from the academy and been commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force.
Dietz ran six times for 11 yards and completed only 1 of 3 passes.
Pearson wasn't must better, 2-of-8 passing for 44 yards with six carries for 11 yards. But he was on the field for both of Air Force's scoring drives with a 9-yard TD run
The Falcons have made a school-record six consecutive bowl appearances under Calhoun, but are 2-4 in those games (1-3 in the Armed Forces Bowl). Air Force lost four of its last five games to finish this season.
Chris Boswell made field goals of 24 and 25 yards in the fourth quarter, before Jackson hit Taylor for a 34-yard TD with 1:38 left.
Boswell, who made six field goals of at least 50 yards during the regular season, had apparently made a 52-yarder early in the second quarter before officials blew the whistle for an Air Force timeout. Boswell got another try, but pushed it wide right with about 9 minutes left in the first half.
That's when Pearson took over for Air Force, leading them 66 yards in 10 plays. He had a 15-yard pass and ended the drive with a wide sweeping run to get into the front corner of the end zone to tie the game at 7.
"We really struggled. We had a good second quarter," Calhoun said. "But there's no way you win this game playing well in one quarter."
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More buzz on Syracuse Football's Pinstripe Bowl win over West Virginia
Read?more: SU Football Team, Orange Football, Syracuse Football, Pinstripe Bowl, Yankee Stadium, College
The Syracuse Orange football team are basking in the glory of their second New Era Pinstripe Bowl victory in three seasons,a 38-14 win over West Virginia at a very snowy Yankee Stadium. What makes the title even more sweet for the Orange is the fact that they beat the Mountaineers, their old Big East rivals, for the third straight time.
Prince-Tyson Gulley was the MVP, scoring three touchdowns, while the SU running game was a good as they've been all season long, finishing with a season-high 369 yards.
The New York Times describes Syracuse's win?as "a parting shot" shot to the rivalry. The Mountaineers just completed their first season in the Big 12, while the Orange now head to the Atlantic Coast Conference.
SU Quarterback?Ryan Nassib told Fox Sports?that?Saturday's win?was a first for his football career.? "This is huge because I've never won my final game," said Nassib. "High school, JV, you know, never won it so I was a little nervous coming into this one. This was a great one to take."
ProFootballTalk.com saw the Pinstripe Bowl as?a vehicle offering plenty of 2013 NFL draft implications. It's post game article said to "Expect to hear plenty more about draft-eligibles Smith, Bailey, Austin, and?(Syracuse's Ryan)?Nassib in the coming months."?
Source: http://www.cnycentral.com/sports/story.aspx?id=842096
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Saturday, December 29, 2012
Ex-Times editor Rees-Mogg, who supported Mick Jagger, dies
LONDON (Reuters) - William Rees-Mogg, a former editor of Britain's Times newspaper who famously backed Mick Jagger when the Rolling Stones singer was jailed for a drug offence, has died at the age of 84.
On its website, the Times said Rees-Mogg, a former chairman of the Arts Council and vice-chairman of the BBC, had been suffering from oesophageal cancer.
Rees-Mogg became editor of the paper in 1967 and, despite establishment credentials built up at independent school and Balliol College, Oxford, soon showed a rebellious streak.
In July of that year, he published a celebrated leading article criticizing the jailing of Jagger for a minor drugs offence, headlined: "Who Breaks a Butterfly on a Wheel?"
Later Rees-Mogg, in an article in the Times after he had stepped down as editor, described John Major, Conservative prime minister for most of the 1990s as "over-promoted, unfit to govern and lacking self-confidence".
"His ideal level of political competence would be deputy chief whip or something of that standing," he added, in a contemptuous reference to Britain's behind-the-scenes political party managers.
However Rees-Mogg stubbornly defended former U.S. President Richard Nixon against all the Watergate evidence filed by the Times' Washington staff as the scandal that led to Nixon's resignation in 1974 unfolded.
The Times was bought by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp in January 1981, at which point Rees-Mogg, who had backed the Murdoch purchase, resigned to make way for one of Britain's most celebrated editors, Harold Evans, who became Reuters editor-at-large in 2011.
The paper's website carried a tribute from Murdoch on Saturday.
"William Rees Mogg was a distinguished editor of the Times for 14 years, during which time he modernized the paper, reaching out to a younger readership with expanded coverage of news, sport and features," Murdoch wrote.
"It is to his great credit that he retained the intellectual integrity of the paper while attracting a broader based and markedly more female readership for the paper.
"He gave me invaluable support when I acquired Times Newspapers in 1981, and remained someone on whom I could always count for impartial counsel."
(Reporting by Stephen Addison; Editing by Alison Williams)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ex-times-editor-rees-mogg-supported-mick-jagger-143310991--finance.html
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U.S. shuts embassy in Central African Republic
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The State Department has closed its embassy in the Central African Republic and ordered the ambassador and his diplomatic team to leave the country as rebels there continue to advance and violence escalates, U.S. officials said Thursday.
A Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, said that at the State Department's request, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta had directed U.S. Africa Command to evacuate U.S. citizens and designated foreign nationals from the U.S. Embassy in Bangui "to safe havens in the region."
State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said the U.S. Embassy had temporarily suspended operations, but not diplomatic relations with the country.
"This decision is solely due to concerns about the security of our personnel and has no relation to our continuing and long-standing diplomatic relations" with the Central African Republic, Ventrell said in a statement.
Shortly after announcing the evacuation Thursday, the State Department warned U.S. citizens against travel to the Central African Republic, saying it could not "provide protection or routine consular services to U.S. citizens" and urging Americans who have decided to stay to "review their personal security situation and seriously consider departing" on commercial flights. Four days earlier, the State Department had issued a warning recommending against travel to the country and authorizing its non-emergency personnel in Bangui to leave.
U.S. officials said about 40 people were evacuated on an U.S. Air Force plane bound for Kenya. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the details of the operation.
The departure of Ambassador Laurence Wohlers and his staff comes as the president of the Central African Republic on Thursday urgently called on France and other foreign powers to help his government fend off rebels who are quickly seizing territory and approaching this capital city, but French officials declined to offer any military assistance.
Rebels have seized at least 10 towns across the sparsely populated north, and residents in the capital of 600,000 people fear insurgents could attack at any time.
The developments suggest the Central African Republic could be on the brink of another violent change in government, something not new to the impoverished country. The current president, Francois Bozize, himself came to power nearly a decade ago in the wake of a rebellion.
Speaking to crowds in Bangui, Bozize pleaded with foreign powers to do what they could. He pointed in particular to France, Central African Republic's former colonial ruler.
About 200 French soldiers are already in the country, providing technical support and helping to train the local army, according to the French defense ministry.
French President Francois Hollande said Thursday that France wants to protect its interests in Central African Republic and not Bozize's government. Paris is encouraging peace talks between the government and the rebels.
President Barack Obama late last year sent about 100 U.S. special operations forces to the region ? including Central African Republic ? to assist in the hunt for Joseph Kony, the fugitive rebel leader of the notorious Lord's Resistance Army. Forces have been hunting the elusive warlord in Central African Republic, South Sudan and Congo.
___
Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
___
Online:
http://bangui.usembassy.gov/service.html
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-shuts-embassy-central-african-republic-023509212--politics.html
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AP Exclusive: Photos show NKorea nuclear readiness
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? North Korea has repaired flood damage at its nuclear test facility and could conduct a quick atomic explosion if it chose, though water streaming out of a test tunnel may cause problems, analysis of recent satellite photos indicates.
Washington and others are bracing for the possibility that if punished for a successful long-range rocket launch on Dec. 12 that the U.N. considers a cover for a banned ballistic missile test, North Korea's next step might be its third nuclear test.
Rocket and nuclear tests unnerve Washington and its allies because each new success puts North Korean scientists another step closer to perfecting a nuclear warhead small enough to put on a missile that could hit the mainland United States.
Another nuclear test, which North Korea's Foreign Ministry hinted at on the day of the rocket launch, would fit a pattern. Pyongyang conducted its first and second atomic explosions, in 2006 and 2009, weeks after receiving U.N. Security Council condemnation and sanctions for similar long-range rocket launches.
North Korea is thought to have enough plutonium for a handful of crude atomic bombs, and unveiled a uranium enrichment facility in 2010, but it must continue to conduct tests to master the miniaturization technology crucial for a true nuclear weapons program.
"With an additional nuclear test, North Korea could advance their ability to eventually deploy a nuclear weapon on a long-range missile," said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the nongovernment Arms Control Association.
Analysts caution that only so much can be determined from satellite imagery, and it's very difficult to fully discern North Korea's plans. This is especially true for nuclear test preparations, which are often done deep within a mountain. North Korea, for instance, took many by surprise when it launched its rocket this month only several days after announcing technical problems.
Although there's no sign of an imminent nuclear test, U.S. and South Korean officials worry that Pyongyang could conduct one at any time.
Analysis of GeoEye and Digital Globe satellite photos from Dec. 13 and earlier, provided to The Associated Press by 38 North, the website for the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, said scientists are "determined to maintain a state of readiness" at the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility after repairing flood damage.
The nuclear speculation comes as South Korea's conservative president-elect, Park Geun-hye, prepares to take office in February, and as young North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marks his one-year anniversary as supreme commander.
Kim has consolidated power since taking over after his father, Kim Jong Il, died Dec. 17, 2011, and the rocket launch is seen as a major internal political and popular boost for the 20-something leader.
Some analysts, however, question whether Kim will risk international, and especially Chinese, wrath and sure sanctions by quickly conducting a nuclear test.
The election of Park in South Korea and Barack Obama's re-election to a second term as U.S. president could "prompt North Korea to try more diplomacy than military options," said Chang Yong-seok, an analyst at the Institute for Peace Affairs, a private think tank in Seoul. "I think we'll see North Korea more focused on economic revival than on nuclear testing next year."
The 38 North analysis said the North "may be able to trigger a detonation in as little as two weeks, once a political decision is made to move forward." But the report by Jack Liu, Nick Hansen and Jeffrey Lewis also said it was unclear whether water seepage from a tunnel entrance at the site was under control. Water could hurt a nuclear device and the sensors needed to monitor a test.
The analysis also identified what it called a previously unidentified structure that could be meant to protect sensitive equipment from bad weather.
"We don't have a crystal ball that will tell us when the North will conduct its third nuclear test," said Joel Wit, a former U.S. State Department official and now editor of 38 North. "But events over the next few months, such as the U.N. reaction to Pyongyang's missile test and the North's unfolding policy toward the new South Korean government, may at least provide us with some clues."
Another unknown is how China, the North's only major ally, would respond to calls for tighter sanctions. Washington views more pressure from Beijing as pivotal if diplomatic pressure is going to force change in Pyongyang.
Even if Beijing signs on to U.N. punishment if the North conducts a test, there may be less hurt for Pyongyang than Washington wants.
The impact of tougher sanctions would be "a drop in the bucket compared with the tidal wave of China-North Korean trade" that has risen sharply since 2008, even as inter-Korean trade has remained flat, said John Park, a Korea expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Trade figures show North Korea's deepening dependence on China. Pyongyang's trade with Beijing surged more than 60 percent last year, reaching $5.63 billion, according to South Korea's Statistics Korea. China accounted for 70 percent of North Korea's annual trade in 2011, up from 57 percent in 2010.
North Korea's 2006 nuclear test had an estimated explosive yield of 1 kiloton. The Los Alamos National Laboratory estimated in 2011 that the North's test on May 25, 2009, which followed U.N. condemnation of an April long-range rocket launch, had a minimum yield of 5.7 kilotons. The atomic bomb that hit Nagasaki at the end of World War II was about 21 kilotons.
Both North Korean tests used plutonium for fissile material. Without at least one more successful plutonium test, it's unlikely that Pyongyang could have confidence in a miniaturized plutonium design, according to an August paper by Frank Pabian of Los Alamos and Siegfried Hecker of Stanford University.
North Korea's small plutonium stockpile is sufficient for four to eight bombs, they wrote, but it may be willing to sacrifice some if it can augment information from the previous tests. Pabian and Hecker predicted that Pyongyang may simultaneously test both plutonium and highly enriched uranium devices.
A uranium test would worry the international community even more, as it would confirm that North Korea, which would need months to restart its shuttered plutonium reactor, has an alternative source of fissile material based on uranium enrichment. North Korea unveiled a previously secret uranium enrichment plant in November 2010.
"Whether and when North Korea conducts another nuclear test will depend on how high a political cost Pyongyang is willing to bear," Pabian and Hecker wrote.
Another test would also undermine Pyongyang's assertion that its long-range rocket launches are for a peaceful space program and not what outsiders see as the development of ballistic missiles that could eventually deliver nuclear weapons.
On the same day as this month's rocket launch, an unidentified North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman told state media that a hostile U.S. response to a failed launch in April of this year had forced Pyongyang "to re-examine the nuclear issue as a whole."
The statement was a clear threat to detonate a nuclear device ahead of any U.N. Security Council action, said Baek Seung-joo, an analyst at the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in Seoul.
___
Pennington reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Hyung-jin Kim and Sam Kim contributed from Seoul.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-exclusive-photos-show-nkorea-nuclear-readiness-031616287.html
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Friday, December 28, 2012
Press Conference Held To Save West Point Lake Water Level
Courtesy of lagrangecitizen.com
(Lagrange, GA) ? Troup County Commission Chairman Ricky Wolfe and LaGrange Mayor Jeff Lukken recently hosted a press conference at West Point Lake.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has proposed a change that would allow the lake to be full (at a recreational use level of 635 feet) only from June 1st through September 1st, for a maximum of three months out of the year. Previously, the lake has been full for five months out of the year, from June 1st through November 1st. If the proposed USACE change is put into place, it would amount to a 40 percent reduction in time that the lake could be used for recreational purposes.
Such a change would have a significant impact on the local economy. Depending on how the lake is managed, it could have an annual local economic impact ranging from $153 million to $710 million.
For example, Lukken said, organizers of the BASSmaster fishing tournament (which was held at West Point Lake last year and televised by ESPN2) would like to hold the tournament at the lake again in May 2013, but nobody knows if there will be enough water for such an event.
Wolfe and Lukken asked local citizens to sign a letter that will be sent to USACE as well as the governor, U.S. senators, and state senators and representatives. The letter will be available for signature at LaGrange City Hall (200 Ridley Ave.), Troup County Board of Commissioners Office (100 Ridley Ave.), and LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce (111 Bull St.).?Sign the petition online by clicking here.
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Watch video of the full press conference below:
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Full text of the letter regarding West Point Lake:
TO: Colonel Donald E. Jackson, Jr., Division Commander
USACE, South Atlantic DivisionColonel Eric Conrad, Deputy Division Commander
USACE, South Atlantic DivisionColonel Steven Roemhildt, District Commander
USACE, Mobile DistrictFROM: Undersigned Citizen
DATE: December 2012
RE: Guide Curve Change at West Point Lake
West Point Lake is a 25,684 acre mainstream Chattahoochee River impoundment that was identified by the US Congress as a recreational demonstration project and has been in existence since 1974. The Lake was authorized by Congress for five uses: 1) flood control, 2) hydroelectric power, 3) navigation, 4) sport fishing and wildlife development and 5) general recreation.
In regards to the latter two purposes, West Point Lake offers an abundance of wildlife and numerous ways to enjoy it. When the Lake was created, a forested valley was flooded; trees and other structures were left standing to provide an excellent fish habitat. Man-made fish attractors also improve fishing at the lake. Short, mild winters and long, warm summers plus gradual transitions between seasons characterize the climate?making the project conducive to year-round recreational and sport fishing use. The Lake?s impact on the local economy ranges from $153 million to $710 million, depending upon how the lake level is managed.
However, in recent years, the USACE has dropped water levels at West Point Lake for extended periods of time. Large expanses of exposed mud shoreline, bank erosion and smaller lake surfaces have become the norm, rather than the exception. Of course, I recognize that water is a limited resource throughout the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Basin and that droughts are becoming more frequent and longer in duration.
Historically, there is some seasonal variation in rainfall with the heaviest rains occurring in the winter and the lightest during the fall. This information, coupled with the fact that the USACE acknowledges that drawdowns are detrimental to recreational use, the fishery and soil erosion, makes the USACE?s decision to propose changing the guide curve for the Lake in the late summer/early fall perplexing.
Changing the guide curve and, in essence, reducing the potential for the Lake to be used for its intended Congressional authorizations during high recreational and sport fishing season by 40% is not acceptable. This decision, on an already beleaguered lake, would have detrimental effects not only on our community?s quality of life but especially to those businesses that depend upon tourism and recreation.
I strongly encourage you to reevaluate your decision and re-establish a guide curve for West Point Lake that matches the Congressionally authorized use of the Lake.
cc:
U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss
U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson
U.S. Congressman Lynn Westmoreland
Governor Nathan Deal
Pete Taylor, USACE, Mobile District
Pat Robbins, USACE, Mobile District
Randall B. Harvey, USACE, Mobile District
Senator Josh McKoon
Senator Mike Crane
Rep. Carl Epps
Rep. Randy Nix
Rep. John Pezold
Source: http://www.heardcitizen.com/press-conference-held-to-save-west-point-lake-water-level
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Social Security can be fixed;?many skeptical it will be
By Allison Linn, TODAY
A Life Inc. post this week on ways to fix Social Security?s longer term funding issues prompted an intense debate over whether the system can be fixed, how to do it ? and when.
Social Security could start to face funding shortfalls in about two decades if nothing is done. Experts say now would be a good time to think about how to fix the potential shortfalls, because it would give lawmakers years to ease in the changes gradually.
Many also note that there are some relatively simple, if not very popular, ways to amend the current system. They include raising taxes on some or all Americans, reducing benefits and extending the age at which people can start collecting benefits.
Many readers agreed that now is the time for action.
?Fixing it before it goes broke is easier and less painful than waiting. Get it done. Now,? one reader urged.
But others ? perhaps watching how little progress politicians have made on the fiscal cliff negotiations - were more skeptical about whether the current roster of lawmakers would take any meaningful action.
?Our collective first mistake is to trust politicians,? one reader lamented.
Readers also were starkly divided on whether Social Security benefits will be available to them when they retire,
?I'm paying all of this money into SS that will likely not be paying back what I put in. I'm tired of supporting everyone when I need to (save),? one reader wrote.
Others noted that?confidence about receiving benefits is probably?tied to age.
?This is an age sensitive question. I'm 59, so I suspect my answer is quite different than my youngest child's would be at 27,? another wrote.
Still, some also pointed out that people have been worrying about Social Security for decades, and yet it?s still around.
?I'm 72 and all of my life it's been said Social Security was going to run out of money. Yet 2 years ago I began withdrawing my deposits,? one reader wrote.
?
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Scott Gallagher - Marketing Local Business Online ... - Wow! eBook
Scott Gallagher ? Marketing Local Business Online
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This six week coaching course gives you the most robust training package focused on local online marketing ever created. Through professional video instruction Scott Gallagher will show you how to market a local business through the Internet plus how to manage and acquire those local clients.
Filled with step-by-step instruction you will quickly learn the core elements needed to build an agency with several monthly paying clients. This course includes practical worksheets and templates that you can apply directly to your business. Combine all this with weekly live Q&A calls with Scott Gallagher and the LMS Faculty and your business is headed for profitable success.
Learn the execution of local Internet marketing:
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- How to manage your Internet marketing campaign properly.
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Learn the management of a local Internet marketing agency:
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Includes the Marketing Local Business Online eBook
By Scott Gallagher ? This 187 page eBook is your guide to learn how to market local business online and build a profitable local internet marketing agency.
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Source: http://wowebook.net/2012/12/scott-gallagher-marketing-local-business-online-training.html
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Thursday, December 27, 2012
Retailers face ho-hum holiday sales
(Reuters) - The 2012 holiday season may have been the worst for retailers since the financial crisis, with sales growth far below expectations, forcing many to offer massive post-Christmas discounts in hopes of shedding excess inventory.
While chains like Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Gap Inc are thought to have done well, analysts expect much less from the likes of book seller Barnes & Noble Inc and department store chain J. C. Penney Co.
Growth was always expected to slow this season, though an improving employment picture and rising home values had helped mitigate the worst fears. But then Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast in late October, mild weather blunted sales of winter clothing and rising concern about the "fiscal cliff" became more of a reality, dragging down already pessimistic forecasts.
"The broad brush was Christmas wasn't all that merry for retailers, and you have to ask what those margins look like if the top line didn't meet their expectations," said Kim Forrest, senior equity research analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group.
The latest sign of trouble came from MasterCard Advisors Spending Pulse, which reported holiday-related sales rose 0.7 percent from October 28 through December 24, compared with a 2 percent increase last year.
The preliminary estimate from SpendingPulse was in line with other estimates showing weak growth during the holiday season, when retailers can book about 30 percent of annual sales -- and in many cases, half of their profits.
"It has been a very uneven industry performance, probably at least for the last year, and that certainly continued into the holiday season," said Michael Niemira, chief economist at the International Council of Shopping Centers, in an interview with Reuters Insider.
The latest holiday season could end up the weakest since 2008, during the last recession, when sales actually declined. The National Retail Federation had previously predicted 4.l percent sales growth this year, versus a 5.6 percent increase a year earlier.
Markets reacted sharply to the gloomy outlook.
The S&P retail index fell 1.8 percent in midday trading Wednesday, and 16 of the top 20 decliners in the broader S&P 500 were retailers or consumer brands.
INVENTORY CRUSH
To be sure, the actual percentage change in holiday sales can differ substantially, depending on which group is composing the figure. SpendingPulse and the National Retail Federation, for example, look at different categories, which can cause some variation in their forecasts.
Regardless of how bad the figure is, one concern for retailers is that soft sales will mean an excess of inventory that will force some to slash prices.
Among other brands, Barnes & Noble offered 50 percent discounts in stores via email promotions on Wednesday, while Ann Inc had half-off at its Loft stores, and Bloomingdale's promoted discounts of up to 75 percent in some cases.
Even in a good year, retailers would have offered discounts to lure customers, but some suggest a weak year has now forced their hands.
"Retailers are no longer chasing sales, they are chasing inventory management. That means the discounts that they would have liked to be at 50-60 (percent) off have climbed to 75 to even 80 (percent) off," said Marshall Cohen, chief industry analyst at The NPD Group.
Erica Ayala, 31, a mother of four who lives in New York's Harlem neighborhood, waited until the day after Christmas to shop for that very reason, saving more than $150 on kids' clothes alone at Gap's Old Navy chain.
"You can't go wrong with that," she said.
SANDY AND CLIFF
A variety of factors were thought to be at fault for the weak season, starting with Superstorm Sandy, which depressed sales in the Northeast in late October and early November.
Sales recovered in the second part of November, with early hours and promotions helping drive traffic during the "Black Friday" weekend after Thanksgiving, analysts said.
But there was a deep lull in early December as a winter storm in parts of the United States may have limited sales, said Michael McNamara, vice president of research and analysis at MasterCard SpendingPulse.
On top of that, there were fears that taxes will rise in the new year if Washington cannot negotiate a solution to the end-of-year "fiscal cliff" dilemma.
A recent Ipsos poll for Reuters found that only 17 percent of shoppers were spending less due to cliff fears, though analysts said the damage was still done.
"The government usually does not have a role in holidays but this year they did. They got right in the midst of it, the timing couldn't have been any worse," NPD's Cohen said.
BRIGHT SPOTS
One bright spot has been online sales, which continue to grow at a faster pace.
On Christmas Day, online sales jumped 22.4 percent, outpacing the 16.4 percent increase in 2011, according to IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark, which tracks more than 1 million e-commerce transactions a day from 500 U.S. retailers.
Whether online or off, some of the winning retailers were expected to be Wal-Mart, which attracted shoppers with early deals on the night of Thanksgiving and kept its focus on value, and apparel chains like Gap Inc, whose bright sweaters were successful, according to analysts.
Toys sold well, and hot items that were harder to find later in the season included certain Mattel Inc Barbie dolls and LeapFrog Enterprises Inc's LeapPad2 tablet computer, according to B. Riley Caris analyst Linda Bolton Weiser.
For retailers who have struggled, analysts said all hope was not lost. Many have fiscal quarters that end in January, so they still have time to benefit from a post-Christmas rebound. Because Christmas fell on a Tuesday, some said they could even see a boost this week from people who have extra time off.
"There's still a little bit more time to go until the holiday season is officially over," Morningstar analyst Peter Wahlstrom said.
(Reporting by Brad Dorfman, Nivedita Bhattacharjee and Jessica Wohl in Chicago, Additional reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak and Dhanya Skariachan in New York; Writing by Ben Berkowitz; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/retail-sales-creep-higher-weak-holiday-season-early-143749277--finance.html
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Choosing Between Computer Science and Information Technology ...
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Most of the professionals in this field obtain jobs that deal with designing software, developing websites, designing computers or providing maintenance to computing systems and hardware. Information technology is a branch ...
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Ford Fiesta Van ? facelift goes the cargo route
Ford has announced that the new Fiesta Van will enter the European market in January next year. It?s definitely not the first ? Fiesta vans have been around for a bit, and this one is a continuation of the type, except that it?s underpinned by the facelifted Fiesta in its three-door form.
Features include 1.0 cubic metre of load space as well as a gross payload capability of 485-508 kg, making the vehicle perfect as a mobile workshop for ferrying light duty tools and equipment.
Engine choices for the Fiesta Van are a 75 PS 1.5 litre Duratorq TDCi diesel and 82 PS 1.25 litre Duratec petrol units, as well as an ECOnetic Van version wearing a 95 PS 1.6 litre Duratorq TDCi diesel with standard Auto-Start-Stop, along with lowered suspension, aerodynamic rear under-tray and wheel trims, and low rolling resistance tyres.
Just because it?s a van it doesn?t mean that mod cons aren?t there ? Active City Stop, alongside Hill Launch Assist, Easy Fuel and Rear View Camera are to be found, and there?s even some bling available, in the form of optional 17-inch alloy wheels.
?
Source: http://paultan.org/2012/12/26/ford-fiesta-van-facelift-goes-the-cargo-route/
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Video: Top Trades for 2013
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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50300795/
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Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Movie Reviews: 'Django Unchained' Scores Big with Critics ...
?
"Django Unchained" contains the snappy dialogue, the laconic humor, the choreographed violence and the first rate acting we've come to expect from Quentin Tarantino. The movie was released on Christmas Day.
It tells the story of a bounty hunter named King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) and the soon-to-be-freed slave turned bounty hunter Django (Jamie Foxx), who travel the South, meeting the local color as they team up to haul in or eliminate bad guys and to find Django's wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). If there were one theme for this movie, it would be revenge, writ large.
It's gotten a 97 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Here's what the critics are saying:
?Django Unchained? is Quentin Tarantino?s greatest exploration of the human condition, from its?idea of what is right to its heinous moments of evil. Continuing with the theme of revenge explored in "Inglorious Basterds," Tarantino blends the Spaghetti western genre with 70s Blaxploitation, creating an insane concoction of vengeance and thoughtfulness, tossing between the disgustingly funny and the most primal notion of violence. ?Django? is a shocking and bold film with a huge heart and soul. Justin Craig, Fox News
The trail Django and Schultz follow -- at one point juxtaposed against the hilarious accompaniment of Jim Croce's "I've Got a Name" -- leads to gory, choreographed shootouts, an encounter with a slick but dangerous plantation owner (Don Johnson, delivering one of his most successful performances), right up to the main prize: the Candyland plantation, run by evil dandy Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) -- a sicko who, for sport, holds bloody "Mandingo" fights in his swanky parlor.
Playing against those boyish good looks, DiCaprio makes Calvin a charismatic monster; it's a pleasure to see him branch out from low-hanging-fruit roles of leading men. Here, he demonstrates just how well he can pull off portraying a loathsome cur. However, the scene-stealer is Tarantino go-to guy Samuel L. Jackson as Candie's right-hand man, Stephen, a slave who's adverse to any change in the master-slave dynamic. With his stooped posture, baffled expression and weirdly righteous outrage, Jackson makes Stephen the film's most fascinating character. Randy Myers, Contra Costa Times
The story is familiar, like a Gothic German fairy tale about a noble prince who sets out to rescue his beloved princess from the clutches of a despicable monster. Here, though, the prince is an ex-slave-turned bounty hunter (Jamie Foxx), the princess is his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) and the monster is a playboy owner of a joint plantation and brothel, who goes by the name of Calvin Candie (Leo DiCaprio, who is clearly having a blast playing a slimy villain?who smokes like a chimney).Tarantino has populated this particular universe with his customary assortment of outrageous characters, such as Django?s oddball German partner (Basterds? Christoph Waltz), a?Colonel Sanders lookalike (Don Johnson), and an elder house slave who is the real brains behind Candie?s operations (Samuel L. Jackson). It?s a twisted yet funny fairy tale about a dark period in American history, as only Tarantino would think (or dare) to tell. Sandy Schaefer Screen Rant
"Django Unchained" runs 165 minutes. It's rated R for extreme violence and offensive language, including racial epithets. It's coming to the Beechwood Cinemas 12 in Athens, according to the company's website.
?
You might also be interested in reading:
Movie Reviews: 'This is 40' is Likeable
Movie Reviews: 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'
'Playing For Keeps' Reviews: Movie Lacks Key Elements
'Rise of the Guardians' Movie Reviews: Complex at Times for Younger Kids
Source: http://oconee.patch.com/articles/movie-reviews-django-unchained-scores-big-with-critics
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Merry Christmas 2012 | World of Psychology
I?d like to take this moment to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!
May the joy and peace of the season be with your family, your friends, and most of all, with you. Whether you spend it with others or on your own, remember that the holiday lasts for only a very short time each year ? so savor it. (And if you?re not a great lover of this holiday, well, it?ll be over before you know it now.)
And from one of my favorite classics, White Christmas:
If you?re worried and you can?t sleep,
Just count your blessings instead of sheep,
And you?ll fall asleep? counting your blessings.
From our entire Psych Central family ? the staff, writers, bloggers, editors, community volunteers, moderators and administrators ? we wish you a wonderful and joyous Christmas. Peace.
Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.Like this author?
Catch up on other posts by John M. Grohol, PsyD (or subscribe to their feed).
????Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 24 Dec 2012
????Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.
APA Reference
Grohol, J. (2012). Merry Christmas 2012. Psych Central. Retrieved on December 26, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/12/25/merry-christmas-2012/
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Source: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/12/25/merry-christmas-2012/
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Egypt constitution passes with 63.8 percent
CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's disputed Islamist-backed constitution passed with a 63.8 percent "yes" in a referendum, the election commission announced Tuesday, rejecting opposition allegations of significant vote fraud.
Turnout of 32.9 percent of Egypt's nearly 52 million registered voters was quite a bit lower than most other elections since the uprising nearly two years ago that ousted authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak.
Mohammed Badie, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, offered congratulations on the passing of the constitution and said Egyptians continue to "teach" the world.
"Let's all begin to build the renaissance of our country with free will, good intentions and strong determination, men, women, Muslims and Christians," Badie said on his Twitter account. The Brotherhood was the main group that backed the charter.
This is the first constitution since Mubarak's ouster. The opposition had campaigned against it with massive street protests that sometimes turned deadly, arguing that it will usher in Islamic rule in Egypt and restrict freedoms. It has vowed to challenge the referendum results and fight for a share of power in the upcoming parliamentary vote expected within two months.
Judge Samir Abou el-Maati, the head of the electoral commission, denied allegations that judicial supervision was lacking in the vote. He said the total number of people who voted against the constitution was 6.06 million out of 16.7 million valid votes, or about 36.2 percent.
Opposition spokesman Khaled Dawoud said the judge didn't address complaints about overcrowding of polling stations. The opposition says the overcrowding was due to a boycott by some judges who traditionally oversee elections and that was a major factor in the low turnout.
He also said Abou el-Maati did not address violations such as backers of the constitution instructing voters to cast a "yes" ballot within the polling stations.
"We still believe because of the low turnout, this is not the constitution the Egyptians people had aspired for," Dawoud said. "This is not a constitution that will last for a long time."
Dawoud said the National Salvation Front, the main opposition group that brings together liberal, leftists parties and groups, will continue to fight the constitution through preparing for the parliamentary elections. In the parliament, the group will work to amend the constitution, which he said restricts freedoms and undermines social and economic rights of Egyptians.
Abou el-Maati said results were thrown out from polling stations where violations, such as closing early or improper supervision.
He also denied that Christians were preventing from casting their ballots at some stations, a claim widely reported during the two stages of voting on Dec. 15 and Dec. 22.
The official results closely mirror unofficial results announced by the Muslim Brotherhood, which said 64 percent voted "yes."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-constitution-passes-63-8-percent-181120349--finance.html
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Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Thousands sign US petition to deport Piers Morgan
FILE - In this Dec. 20, 2011 file photo, Piers Morgan, host of CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight," leaves the CNN building in Los Angeles. More than 31,400 people have signed a petition calling for British CNN host Piers Morgan to be deported from the U.S. over his gun-control views. Morgan has taken an aggressive stand for tighter U.S. gun laws in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting. Last week, he called a gun advocate appearing on his "Piers Morgan Tonight" show an "unbelievably stupid man." Now, gun-rights activists are fighting back. A petition created Dec. 21 on the White House e-petition website by a user in Texas accuses Morgan of engaging in a "hostile attack against the U.S. Constitution" by targeting the Second Amendment and demands he be deported immediately. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE - In this Dec. 20, 2011 file photo, Piers Morgan, host of CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight," leaves the CNN building in Los Angeles. More than 31,400 people have signed a petition calling for British CNN host Piers Morgan to be deported from the U.S. over his gun-control views. Morgan has taken an aggressive stand for tighter U.S. gun laws in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting. Last week, he called a gun advocate appearing on his "Piers Morgan Tonight" show an "unbelievably stupid man." Now, gun-rights activists are fighting back. A petition created Dec. 21 on the White House e-petition website by a user in Texas accuses Morgan of engaging in a "hostile attack against the U.S. Constitution" by targeting the Second Amendment and demands he be deported immediately. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
LONDON (AP) ? Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition calling for British CNN host Piers Morgan to be deported from the U.S. over his gun control views.
Morgan has taken an aggressive stand for tighter U.S. gun laws in the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting. Last week, he called a gun advocate appearing on his "Piers Morgan Tonight" show an "unbelievably stupid man."
Now, gun rights activists are fighting back. A petition created Dec. 21 on the White House e-petition website by a user in Texas accuses Morgan of engaging in a "hostile attack against the U.S. Constitution" by targeting the Second Amendment. It demands he be deported immediately for "exploiting his position as a national network television host to stage attacks against the rights of American citizens."
The petition has already hit the 25,000 signature threshold to get a White House response. By Monday, it had 31,813 signatures.
Morgan seemed unfazed ? and even amused ? by the movement.
In a series of Twitter messages, he alternately urged his followers to sign the petition and in response to one article about the petition said "bring it on" as he appeared to track the petition's progress.
"If I do get deported from America for wanting fewer gun murders, are there any other countries that will have me?" he wrote.
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Movie Review: "This is 40" - EntertainmentTell
Across the four films Judd Apatow has written and directed, one sees a slow progression from a big group of guys hanging out and other such funny froth (?The 40 Year Old Virgin?) to such serious issues as pregnancy (?Knocked Up?) and life and death (?Funny People.?) Now, with his new ?This is 40,? Apatow concentrates on the ups and downs of modern marriage and leaves out the bro talk almost completely- not to mention the laughs.
Which isn?t to say ?This is 40? doesn?t have a whole lot of good to it. It?s well-acted and well-made, making use of a large supporting cast, and has some actual, valuable insights about modern marriage, even if the stars are much richer and much, much better looking than most 40-year-olds. But its 134-minute running time is too long at least a half hour and, once again, it?s a comedy that?s not particularly funny.
?This is 40? is a spinoff of Apatow?s 2007 ?Knocked Up,? focusing on the long-married characters of Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Apatow?s wife Leslie Mann), the latter of whom was the sister of Katherine Heigl?s character in the previous film. Facing their 40th birthdays, the two face struggles with finances, their careers and raising their two daughters (played by Apatow?s own daughters, Maude and Iris.)
For the film?s running time, Rudd and Mann alternately bicker and make up, bicker and make up, fighting about the sorts of things that married couples fight about. Does it get tiresome? A bit. But never particularly grating. Also, Mann?s character isn?t nearly as loathsome as she was in the earlier film.
That Mann and the two Apatow girls are a big part of their third Apatow film in a row should say a whole lot about what?s on the director?s mind these days. But I didn?t mind so much, because this stuff was clearly coming from such a personal place. Also, Maude Apatow, as the older daughter, is kind of great.
The supporting cast, as usual with Apatow, is a strength, led by Albert Brooks and John Lithgow. The two are playing two very different kinds of bad fathers, Brooks the inveterate Jewish moocher, Lithgow the distant, long-estranged WASP. There?s also a virtual all-star team of Apatow veterans showing up in small roles, including Jason Segel, Chris O?Dowd, Melissa McCarthy and even Lena Dunham. (Rogen and Heigl don?t appear, nor are their characters even mentioned.)
It?s not hard to see though, how that running time got so bloated. We didn?t need to see Rudd and Mann?s confrontation with a rival mother (McCarthy) at school, nor so much of Rudd?s attempt to revive the career of ?70s rocker Graham Parker. The movie also could?ve excised an entire subplot about Mann?s boutique, and the question of which of her employees (Megan Fox or Charlyne Yi) is stealing from her.
Fox has reached the point in her career in which she?s not going to be a movie star, but rather a bit player in comedies in which her being hot is the primary joke. The plot also brings us a scene- in which Woman A complements Woman B?s breasts, after which Women B invites Woman A to feel her up- that I feel like I?ve seen in about ten movies and sitcom episodes previously.
Meanwhile, Apatow really needs to stop trying to make Charlyne Yi happen, because she?s not going to happen.
Also, the Apple product placement is ubiquitous to just an absurd degree, to the point in which characters run through the names of the entire Apple product line numerous times. And there are many references to Lost; the characters in this movie are seemingly the only people who reacted to that show?s finale with anything besides crushing disappointment.
Like ?Funny People?- which was a legitimately great movie until its disjointed mess of a third act- ?This is 40? is entertaining but very flawed. Still, one wishes Apatow would diversify a bit with his next effort, and get away from themes that are pretty well-trodden by now.
Source: http://www.technologytell.com/entertainment/10169/movie-review-this-is-40/
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