Exclusive: Israeli finance chief expects cuts to defense spending

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, fresh from a record-setting sale of Israeli bonds to investors in Florida, said on Monday that balancing the government budget will require "moderate but still significant" cuts to the defense sector.

In an exclusive interview with Reuters, Steinitz, a leading member of the weakened Likud party of hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also said there are no plans to further raise taxes in order to hit a deficit target of 3 percent of economic output.

Parliamentary elections last week returned Likud to the top spot in the 120-member assembly, albeit with 11 fewer seats.

One area "that we will have to make some moderate but still significant cuts is the defense budget, I assume. It is not easy but we did it in the past," Steinitz said during a stopover in New York before flying home.

Israel spends roughly 20 percent of its budget on defense. It has to find a way to close a 14-billion-shekel deficit.

Steinitz stuck with the 3.5 percent gross domestic product growth target this year, rising from 3.3 percent in 2012. He added that it would not be a surprise if economic growth touches 4 percent in 2014.

The debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to decline to somewhere in the 73-percent range, down from 74.1 percent in 2011, he said.

One main reason for expecting an economic rebound is the return of cheaper natural gas to power Israel's industry as the Tamar natural gas field off the Mediterranean coast comes online in April. Egypt stopped supplying cheap gas in early 2012.

Steinitz took the positive economic message to Boca Raton, Florida, on Sunday where he spoke at a fundraising dinner for Israel Bonds. The event pulled in a single-evening record $230 million in sales to retail investors and Israel supporters, he said.

Separately, Israel's government sold $2 billion worth of 10-year and 30-year U.S. dollar-denominated debt on Monday, albeit at moderate discounts.

ELECTION COALITION CALCULUS

Steinitz, a former philosophy professor, was upbeat about attracting potential coalition partners and said he expects to play a role in the next government.

"It is quite probable that I will maintain the current position. But it is also possible that I will have another capacity," he said.

Netanyahu's alliance with ultra-nationalists led by former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman won 31 seats in the elections.

However Yair Lapid, a former talk show host who is left-of-center, led the Yesh Atid (There is a Future) party to second place with 19 seats.

Lapid's appeal reflects frustration among secular middle-class taxpayers resentful of shouldering what they see as the burden of welfare-dependent ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, Jews exempt from military conscription.

Asked if helping trim the budget deficit will include cuts to Haredi welfare, Steinitz said: "We will consider this as well but as I said, I don't want to get into details."

He added that the Haredi recognize they can no longer avoid sharing in the defense and security burden that is a right-of-passage for every other Israeli who serve in the military before heading off to higher education.

Steinitz, who has been finance minister since April 2009, said Lapid and Naftali Bennett, leader of the far-right Jewish Home Party, have similar views on the economy.

These parties, Steinitz said, hold rational positions on how to deal with the economy and promote economic growth. "They understand you have to bake the cake before you can eat it," he said.

It is not clear if these parties would become members of a coalition government as Netanyahu, an obvious choice for prime minister, has not yet been asked to form a government by Israeli President Shimon Peres.

"It is difficult to say," Steinitz said of the Lapid and Bennett parties' participation. "It depends on their ability to compromise."

A new government is possible by late February or early March.

As for any Haredi participation, whose long-standing role as kingmakers in coalition negotiations has been downgraded, Steinitz said he did not know if they would participate.

"It depends mainly on their ability to compromise on things that are very dear to them. I assume that if they are ready to compromise they will be in. If not they will stay out."

(Reporting by Daniel Bases; Editing by Xavier Briand)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-israeli-finance-chief-expects-cuts-defense-spending-003627181--business.html

Sports Authority Hollister old navy walmart black friday walmart black friday Target Black Friday PacSun

Social Ads Upstart Unified Acquires YC-Backed Facebook Analytics Guru PageLever

Businesses won't spend money on social if they don't understand how it helps them. That's why Unified's social ads buying platform could get a?big boost from its acquisition of PageLever, which gives marketers deep insight into the impact of their social strategies. PageLever's detailed analysis can show brands what and how often to post on Facebook, and which of those posts to turn into ads. PageLever was founded in late 2010 by Jeff Widman (a former TechCrunch intern) and David Turner, and it?received funding from Y Combinator. I can attest to the quality of its data. The company has long provided me with statistics to help me understand the impact of Facebook's myriad changes to the news feed. For example, PageLever's data showed that by making it easier for users to to flag Facebook Page posts as spam, many Pages received many for flags than before. That caused some of them to lose organic reach in the news feed -- which sparked a huge debate.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/juGjuRvl-c8/

george clooney rutgers dharun ravi george clooney arrested ravi leigh espn

Atlanta PR Job Fair Needs Dose of Reality

About 200 job-seeking students are paying up to $80 each to attend an all-day ?Real World? career fair Feb. 22 in Atlanta at which national PRSA chair Mickey Nall will speak.

Another 100 regular chapter members and guests will be at the lunch when Nall speaks on ?Navigating the Multi-generational workplace.? Veterans, Boomers, Xers and Nexters are all working side-by-side and have different values and needs that must be tended to for maximum client service, he says.

This is a laudable effort on the part of the Society?s Georgia chapter but we find a lot of gaps in the program and wonder how much real job-getting information and tips the students will get.

One session will consider ?PR Niches,? meaning specialties such as ?food & beverage? and ?healthcare.? That just scratches the surface of the PR specialties which have skyrocketed in size and breadth over the past two decades.

The O?Dwyer Co. has tracked the growth of 12 PR specialties since 1992, publishing more than 500 such rankings in 2012.

While corporate and institutional PR departments have been shrinking for decades, often focusing mainly on internal communications, the agencies have been racking up double-digit gains in revenues and staff sizes for many years.

The world?s biggest PR firm, Edelman, had net fees of $660 million in 2012, 4,600 employees, and leads in 11 of the 12 categories.

The defensive nature of much corporate PR was captured last year by New York Times columnist David Carr who wrote that what he typically encounters at companies is ?a wall of communications operatives? who block access to the CEO. He said they deliver ?slop? meant to ?obscure rather than reveal.?

Corporate PR vet Tim Cost has said that ?Corporate PR experiences a press call as a drive-by shooting.?

Unacknowledged and unreturned phone calls and e-mails are epidemic in PR, journalism, business and even among average citizens.

A Jan. 28 New Yorker humor piece by Colin Jost titled ?Automatic Reply? tells of one person pretending not to have access to e-mails and phone calls when actually he is downloading his e-mails every few minutes and endlessly checking his voice mails.

Literature Table NeededChapter president Alicia Thompson of fried chicken chain Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen said there are no plans at the moment for a literature table but she and others will think about this. We hope that decision will be changed because not having one will be an injustice to the students who will attend.

We would donate ten O?Dwyer?s Directory of PR Firms that has 1,600+ firms including 43 in Georgia; subscriptions to the O?Dwyer website and newsletter, and subscriptions to the monthly magazine. We would send several sets of 12 magazine issues, each one focusing on a PR specialty. One of the magazines will be the January O?Dwyer?s PR Buyer?s Guide with data on more than 100 firms offering nearly 1,000 PR products and services. There are lots of jobs in the PR services industry.

Products of the other PR trade publishers should also be on display including Contact of PR Week/U.S., which has information on corporate departments as well as PR firms, and the products of PR News including PRnewsonline. Ragan?s also has products of use to jobseekers including webinars, seminars and the Ragan website.

Students, many of whom will graduate owing tens of thousands of dollars, need all the information they can get without limit or politics.

Book Describes Reality of Agency Life
Since ?real? is the theme of the conference, the literature table should display copies of "Army of Entrepeneurs" by Jennifer Prosek, who heads the $12.5 million Prosek Partners of New York, a gem of a book that captures the go-go atmosphere of a PR firm.

Agency PR is wildly different from corporate/institutional PR as students will learn from this book.

The more than 50 Prosek staffers have been taught for years to prospect for new clients wherever they are including the person next to them on a plane or a bus, fellow exercisers at a gym, friends at a barbecue, former classmates and girlfriends, boyfriends, ex-roommates, relatives, etc.

Counselors should always fly First Class since that is where business prospects might be, she and others advise.

Prosek herself snagged a major client by contacting her former high school boyfriend who had landed a big PR job at Mercedez-Benz Credit Corp. She called him ten years later.

Prosek Partners pays 5% of client fees to whomever brings in an account for the life of the account. Employees are also told to constantly look for new services that can be provided to clients. Those also generate finder?s fees.

Staffer new biz activities and contracts signed are constantly reviewed. Workshops in such activities are also held.

New biz experts are not born but are trained, says Prosek.

Lots of Personal Service in PR

Textbooks don?t often cover it but helping clients with personal issues and problems is a major part of PR.

Another book that should be on the literature table is "Always Live Better than Your Clients" by New York Times reporter Isadore Barmash. It?s a 1983 book but far from outated.

Ben Sonnenberg became perhaps the richest PR counselor in New York by zeroing in on what is in clients? ?heart of hearts.? He found that making more money was not their problem but rather dealing with a wayward offspring, or a son or daughter who needed a career or a job, or is trying to get into college, or a bored wife who wanted to get into the right clubs.

He helped them with such problems 24/7. An anxious client once called him at 3 a.m. and demanded he come to his apartment. Sonnenberg did so and found a father who was distraught because his son wanted to go into the theater.
Don?t worry, Sonnenberg advised, breaking in is so tough your son will soon give up. He was right.

The PR counselor owned a 12-story townhouse on Gramercy Park and was famous for the elaborate parties he threw for clients, celebrities and media figures.

Join Local Social, Business Groups

A job tip we would give (in case this fair asks us to speak) is for students and recent grads to volunteer for local charitable and civic groups. Business leaders and their spouses can be found there. Local PR groups are apt to be loaded with other jobseekers.

PR newcomers must accept that a PR job is not apt to be served to them on a silver platter. Recruiters tell us that the way for a PR person to get a job with a PR firm is to bring in an account.

Having an outgoing, pleasing personality is one of the skills that is necessary for PR success.

Doing PR for a restaurant on a barter basis is one way to start a PR firm. Handle PR in return for meals, which cost the restaurant almost nothing.

Plenty of things can be bartered including possibly cars, apartments, clothes, etc. Knock on doors, is our advice.

Barter is a big but largely untold factor in the business world. Students who take unpaid internships are engaging in barter?exchanging their time and effort in return for a learning experience and a blurb on their resumes.

Politics Is Royal Road to Jobs

Working or volunteering for a political office-holder at the local, state or national levels has become the royal road for PR careers in recent years.

Companies have found that public opinion may go one way or another but what really counts is what laws are passed and whether and if they are enforced and how they are enforced.

The National Capital Chapter has nearly 1,500 members or double the size of the New York chapter. Those proportions were once reversed.

In the South, which is overwhelmingly Republican based on the voting results of the 2012 elections, being associated with a Republican candidate or office-holder would be the logical course for a PR jobseeker who intends to remain in the South.

Millions of businesses that can?t afford advertising can benefit from the cornucopia of services that PR firms and individuals have at their command.

Source: http://www.odwyerpr.com/blog/index.php?/archives/5723-Atlanta-PR-Job-Fair-Needs-Dose-of-Reality.html

mike jones just friends chronicle george lopez bedtime stories micron susan g komen

Anonymous Attacks Department Of Justice Website and Threatens Worse Over Aaron Swartz's Suicide

Since Aaron Swartz's suicide two weeks ago—an incident largely blamed on the charges being levied against him—the 'net has been grieving. And Anonymous has been doing that in its own special way: tearing shit up. In the latest of several attacks, they took down the U.S. Justice Department's Sentencing Commission site and left behind a video threatening more cyber-carnage. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/szesD9AJttk/anonymous-attacks-department-of-justice-website-over-aaron-swartzs-suicide

mayan calendar end of the world end of the world december 21 2012 norad 12/21/12 bruno mars

Caught On Tape: Puppy Kidnapped From Local Pet Adoption Center ...

WOODLAND HILLS (CBSLA.com) ? Pet adoption agencies work to team pets with forever homes.

But the people who run a pet adoption agency in Woodland Hills were shocked Saturday by someone stealing one of their puppies ? a Yorkie who was thrown from a car about a week ago.

The alleged theft was caught on tape.

Brittney Hopper, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9, spoke to Debbie Sutz, the woman who runs the adoption program.

Sutz says, ?For years a pet adoption has been going on here but this is the first time someone has stolen a dog.?

Surveillance video shows a woman inside a caged area taking off with one of the dogs while a male accomplice is on the lookout. Sutz says, ?You hear about a lot of horrible things that goes on in the world but a dog? To come in and steal a dog in a public place is just shocking.?

The theft happened when a volunteer went to use the restroom and Sutz went to get more dogs from her car.

Sutz and Whitney Ellis ? who owns an ice skating rink in Woodland Hills ?? have pet adoptions here once a week.

Ellis says, ?Yorkies are known to be an expensive dog so they?re more sought after.?

The couple came by earlier in the day, says Ellis. They returned around 5:30 p.m. and within minutes the dog was gone.

Pet adoptions here usually cost around $300 dollars ? or they ask for a donation. The money helps to rescue other dogs and pay vet bills.

Sutz and Ellis told Hopper all they?re asking for is the dog to be returned.

Source: http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/01/26/caught-on-tape-puppy-kidnapped-from-local-pet-adoption-center/

Paul Ryan Speech chris cooley chris cooley condoleezza rice Perry Hall High School bill cosby us open

Azarenka beats Li, defends Australian Open title

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus hugs her trophy after winning the women's final against China's Li Na at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus hugs her trophy after winning the women's final against China's Li Na at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus reacts as she celebrates her win over China's Li Na in the women's final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

China's Li Na falls for a second time during her match against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the women's final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

China's Li Na receives treatment to her ankle during her match against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the women's final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013.(AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus reaches for a backhand return to China's Li Na during the women's final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) ? Victoria Azarenka had the bulk of the crowd against her. The fireworks were fizzling out, and when she looked over the net she saw Li Na crashing to the court and almost knocking herself out.

Considering the cascading criticism she'd encountered after her previous win, Azarenka didn't need the focus of the Australian Open final to be on another medical timeout.

So after defending her title with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over the sixth-seeded Li in one of the most unusual finals ever at Melbourne Park, Azarenka understandably dropped her racket and cried tears of relief late Saturday night.

She heaved as she sobbed into a towel beside the court, before regaining her composure to collect the trophy.

"It isn't easy, that's for sure, but I knew what I had to do," the 23-year-old Belarusian said. "I had to stay calm. I had to stay positive. I just had to deal with the things that came onto me."

There were a lot of those things squeezed into the 2-hour, 40-minute match. Li, who was playing her second Australian Open final in three years, twisted her ankle and tumbled to the court in the second and third sets.

The second time was on the point immediately after a 10-minute delay for the Australia Day fireworks ? a familiar fixture in downtown Melbourne on Jan. 26, but not usually coinciding with a final.

Li had been sitting in her chair during the break, while Azarenka jogged and swung her racket around before leaving the court to rub some liniment into her legs to keep warm.

The 30-year-old Chinese player had tumbled to the court after twisting her left ankle and had it taped after falling in the fifth game of the second set. Immediately after the fireworks ceased, and with smoke still in the air, she twisted the ankle again, fell and hit the back of her head on the hard court.

The 2011 French Open champion was treated immediately by a tournament doctor and assessed for a concussion in another medical timeout before resuming the match.

"I think I was a little bit worried when I was falling," Li said, in her humorous, self-deprecating fashion. "Because two seconds I couldn't really see anything. It was totally black.

"So when the physio come, she was like, 'Focus on my finger.' I was laughing. I was thinking, 'This is tennis court, not like hospital.'"

Li's injury was obvious and attracted even more support for her from the 15,000-strong crowd.

Azarenka had generated some bad PR by taking a medical timeout after wasting five match points on her own serve in her semifinal win over American teenager Sloane Stephens on Thursday. She came back after the break and finished off Stephens in the next game, later telling an on-court interviewer that she "almost did the choke of the year."

She was accused of gamesmanship and manipulating the rules to get time to regain her composure against Stephens, but defended herself by saying she actually was having difficulty breathing because of a rib injury that needed to be fixed.

That explanation didn't convince everybody. So when she walked onto Rod Laver Arena on Saturday, there were some people who booed, and others who heckled her or mimicked the distinctive hooting sound she makes when she hits the ball.

"Unfortunately, you have to go through some rough patches to achieve great things," she said. "That's what makes it so special for me. I went through that, and I'm still able to kiss that beautiful trophy."

She didn't hold a grudge.

"I was expecting way worse, to be honest. What can you do? You just have to go out there and try to play tennis in the end of the day," she said. "It's a tennis match, tennis battle, final of the Australian Open. I was there to play that.

"The things what happened in the past, I did the best thing I could to explain, and it was left behind me already."

The match contained plenty of nervy moments and tension, and 16 service breaks ? nine for Li. But it also produced plenty of winners and bravery on big points.

Azarenka will retain the No. 1 ranking she's mostly held since her first Grand Slam win in Melbourne last year.

Li moved into the top five and is heartened by a recent trend of Australian runner-ups winning the French Open. She accomplished that in 2011, as did Ana Ivanovic (2008) and Maria Sharapova (2012).

"I wish I can do the same this year, as well," Li said.

Later Saturday, Bob and Mike Bryan won their record 13th Grand Slam men's doubles title, defeating the Dutch team of Robin Haase and Igor Sijsling 6-3, 6-4.

Sunday's men's final features two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic and U.S. Open winner Andy Murray. Djokovic is seeking to become the first man in the Open era to win three titles in a row in Australia.

Azarenka was planning a night of partying to celebrate her second major title, with her friend Redfoo and the Party Rock crew, and was hopeful of scoring some tickets to the men's final.

She said she needed to let her hair down after a draining two weeks and hoped that by being more open and frank in recent times she was clearing up any misconceptions the public had of her.

"When I came first on the tour I kind of was lost a little bit," he said. "I didn't know how to open up my personality. It's very difficult when you're alone. I was independent since I was, you know, 10 years old. It was a little bit scary and I wouldn't show my personality.

"So the (last) couple of years I learned how to open up to people and to share the moments. I wasn't really good before. I hope I got better. It's your judgment."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-26-Australian%20Open/id-f48beaa7dd8f4ab68978ea7e5fd4dcfd

4 20 george zimmerman sheree whitfield weather dallas pat summitt real housewives of atlanta colton

Court overturns another Guantanamo conviction

MIAMI (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday overturned the Guantanamo war crimes conviction of an al Qaeda videographer, a ruling likely to lead to dismissal of conspiracy charges in the pending trial of five men accused of plotting the September 11 attacks.

The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia threw out the conviction of Yemeni prisoner Ali Hamza al Bahlul, ruling that the charges of which he was convicted - conspiracy, providing material support for terrorism and soliciting murder - were not internationally recognized as war crimes when the acts were committed.

Bahlul is serving a life sentence in the detention center at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba.

He acted as a publicist for Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda organization, making recruiting videos and taping the wills of some of the hijackers who slammed commercial jetliners into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field on September 11, 2001.

The same appeals court threw out the Guantanamo conviction of one of bin Laden's drivers, Salim Hamdan, in October, on similar grounds.

Prosecutors had expected the decision and have asked that conspiracy charges be dropped against the alleged mastermind of the September 11 plot, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and four other men facing trial at Guantanamo.

Defense attorneys said the judge in that case was expected to grant the request at a pretrial hearing next week. The defendants in that case could still face the death penalty if convicted on other charges that include 2,976 counts of murder.

The widely criticized Guantanamo court was established after the 2001 attacks to try foreign captives on terrorism-related charges outside the regular U.S. civilian and military courts. It has completed only seven cases, and defense attorneys said the appeals court rulings had essentially nullified five of them.

(Editing by Peter Cooney)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/court-overturns-another-guantanamo-conviction-212358235.html

2012 oscar predictions jim jones tony stewart kurt busch kurt busch nba dunk contest 2012 act of valor

YouTube Capture now supports 1080p uploads, Google Currents goes 2.0 on iOS

Updates to both YouTube Capture and Google Currents on iOS have just hit Cupertino's App Store, bringing with them a handful of functionality and UI updates. Mountain View bumped YouTube Capture to version 1.1, adding support for 1080p uploads, improved audio syncing, detailed upload feedback and a grab bag of bug fixes and stability enhancements. If you're feeling particularly chatty after hamming it up for the camera, the refreshed app now allows for sharing to social networks. As for Google Currents, the latest update brings it to the two-dot-oh milestone with a number of UI upgrades. A new sidebar sorts editions by category for easy access and fresh controls let users swipe vertically to scan an edition or horizontally to skip to the next one. A brand-new catalog design, breaking stories from Google News and the ability to save articles by labeling them with stars round out the overhaul. Hit the source links below to give the revamped experiences a spin.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Google

Comments

Source: iTunes (1), (2)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/25/youtube-capture-1080p-uploads-google-currents-update/

travis pastrana quinton coples a.j. jenkins riley reiff david decastro aj jenkins shea mcclellin

White House, senators starting push on immigration

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The White House and a bipartisan group of senators will launch an effort next week to jump-start negotiations to overhaul the immigration system, an issue that has languished in Washington for years.

Obama will begin his second-term immigration push during a trip Tuesday to Las Vegas. The Senate working group is also aiming to outline its proposals at about the same time, according to a Senate aide.

Even before those plans are formally unveiled, there is emerging consensus on several components, most notably the need for some kind of pathway to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants already in the United States.

The proposals will commence what is sure to be a contentious and emotional debate following 2012 election results that saw Latino voters turn out in large numbers to re-elect Obama ? a signal to many Republican leaders that the party needs to change its posture on immigration.

The aim of the Senate group is to draft an immigration bill by March and pass legislation in the Senate by August, said the aide, who was not authorized to discuss private deliberations and requested anonymity. The Republican-controlled House would also need to pass the legislation before it went to the White House for the president's signature.

For Obama, a successful push on immigration reform would be a promise kept to the Latino community after he disappointed many by failing to act on the issue in his first term, and it could be central to his legacy. The president met with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus at the White House Friday to discuss his upcoming proposals.

Following the meeting, lawmakers emphasized the need to act quickly.

"The time to act on comprehensive immigration reform is now," said Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif. "I remain hopeful that my colleagues in Congress can do the right thing and work together to produce legislation that secures our borders, reunites broken families and humanely treats the more than 11 million individuals who want nothing more than (to) achieve the American dream."

Obama pledged to make overhauling the system a top second-term priority.

"I think we have talked about it long enough," Obama said during an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" in December. "We know how we can fix it. We can do it in a comprehensive way that the American people support. That's something we should get done."

Administration officials say Obama's second-term immigration push will continue the principles he outlined during his first four years in office. The basis for the president's plan is expected to be his 2011 immigration reform "blueprint," which calls for a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, increased border security, mandatory penalties for businesses that employ unauthorized immigrants and improvements to the legal immigration system.

"What he hopes is that that dynamic has changed," White House spokesman Jay Carney said of Obama. "And there are certainly indications now that what was once a bipartisan effort to push forward with comprehensive immigration reform will again be a bipartisan effort to do so."

For Republicans, tackling immigration reform could be a way to broaden their appeal among Latino voters who are increasingly key to presidential elections. Latino voters accounted for 10 percent of the electorate in November, and 71 percent backed Obama over the 27 percent who voted for Romney.

In the Senate, lawmakers working on the effort include Democrats Charles Schumer of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois and Robert Menendez of New Jersey; and Republicans John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida, according to Senate aides.

A few other lawmakers have also been involved, including Democrat Michael Bennet of Colorado and Republicans Jeff Flake of Arizona and Mike Lee of Utah. It's not clear whether all those involved will sign on to the principles the group hopes to roll out next week.

Details of the Senate proposals remain unclear, but the principles are expected to address a process toward legalizing the status of unauthorized immigrants already in the country; border security; verification measures for employers hiring workers and ways for more temporary workers to be admitted into the country.

On the path to citizenship, Schumer and Graham have in the past supported requiring illegal immigrants to admit they broke the law, perform community service, pay fines and back taxes, pass background checks and learn English before going to the back of the line of immigrants already in the system.

Several of the senators negotiating the immigration principles are veterans of the comprehensive immigration reform effort under then-President George W. Bush. That process collapsed in 2007 when it came up well-short of the needed votes in the Senate, a bitter outcome for Bush and the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the Democrats' leader on the legislation.

Some Republicans still lament that result as a missed opportunity for the party that could have set the GOP on a different path to reach more Latino voters.

Rubio is a relative newcomer to Senate negotiations on the issue, but he's seen as a rising star in his party and a potential 2016 presidential candidate. As a charismatic young Hispanic leader, his proposals on immigration have attracted wide notice in recent weeks. And as a conservative favorite, unlike McCain or Graham, his stamp of approval could be critical to drawing in other conservative lawmakers.

A Republican aide said that Rubio has made clear in his interactions with the group that he couldn't sign on to proposals that deviated from the principles he himself has been laying out in recent media interviews, including border security first, a guest-worker program, more visas for high-tech workers and enforcement in the workplace. As for the illegal immigrants already in the country, Rubio would have them pay a fine and back taxes, show they have not committed crimes, prove they've been in the country for some time and speak some English and apply for permanent residency. Ultimately, citizenship, too, could be in reach, but only after a process that doesn't nudge aside immigrants already in line, and Rubio hasn't provided details on how long it all might take.

The aide was not authorized to discuss private deliberations and requested anonymity in order to describe them.

An open question for the Senate group has been whether Obama would release an actual bill or just his own principles. Republicans in the group tend to believe that a bill handed down by the White House could seriously complicate the process, spooking the GOP by coming off as a purely political move, since a White House-written bill would have little chance of actually passing.

The White House and Senate Democrats favor addressing immigration through one broad package of legislation, while some Republicans lawmakers prefer to tackle the issue through several separate bills.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-senators-starting-push-immigration-173707308--politics.html

coachella lineup joran van der sloot coachella 2012 lineup school delays critics choice awards 2012 honey badger colbert president

Sundance: 'American Promise' offered filmmakers unusual access ...

(Courtesy photo) Idris Brewster and Oluwaseun (Seun) Summers in ?American Promise.?

Sundance: ?American Promise? offered filmmakers unusual access ? to their son

Sundance ? The film chronicles two Brooklyn boys over 12 years.

Few people wait longer to star in a Sundance film than Idris Brewster. It?s been 13 years since his parents, Joe Brewster and Mich?le Stephenson, began filming the documentary that turned into "American Promise."

"From when I can first remember, I had a camera around me. So I don?t think I had a choice," Idris Brewster said.

?

?American Promise?

The documentary screens Wednesday, Jan. 23, 7 p.m. at Redstone Cinema 2, Park City; Thursday, Jan. 24 at 2:45 p.m., Broadway Center Cinema 6, Salt Lake City; Friday, Jan. 25, 11:15 a.m., the MARC, Park City; Saturday, Jan. 26, 3 p.m., Yarrow Hotel Theatre, Park City.

The documentary will air either later this year or in early 2014 on PBS?s ?P.O.V.?

Shot over 12 years, "American Promise" follows Idris and his best friend, Oluwaseun "Seun" Summers ? a couple of Brooklyn kids ? as they attended the prestigious, historically white Dalton School on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Gifted students, Idris and Seun soon faced new challenges, as did their parents.

Joe Brewster, a Harvard- and Stanford-trained psychiatrist, and his wife, Mich?le Stephenson, a Columbia Law School graduate and filmmaker, began working on the project in 1999. It?s about growing up, as well as class, gender and generational issues, with a particular focus on African-American boys. "I think when we started, we didn?t really know what this journey was going to be," Stephenson said.

And they didn?t really begin to decide when they began the editing process, about a decade after they began filming. They had acquired 800 hours of footage, and the first draft of the film came in at about 32 hours. Now it screens at 142 minutes.

The filming took place over a dozen years, but sporadically. "It?s not like we had the camera on [on] a consistent or constant basis," she said. "It was a very structured thing and as discreet as possible."

But not always discreet enough for her son once he hit high school."I didn?t want to be that kid with the camera following me around," Idris Brewster said. "But now, in retrospect, I?m really glad. And I?m coming to terms with people knowing me from the movie, and I?m ready to enjoy it."

This isn?t a look back through rose-colored glasses. Joe Brewster and Stephenson aren?t perfect parents, and the film reflects that.

"There were times when we were looking at the footage and wondering, ?Did I really say that to my son???" Joe Brewster said. "And then to have the editors tell you that you need to improve on your parenting skills, that was a bit much."

According to Idris Brewster, a lot was expected of him by his parents and the Dalton School. "My parents have always been hard on me, so I was sort of used to it," he said. "But there were a lot of sobering moments where it was just hard and I didn?t want to do it anymore. But I stuck with it."

story continues below

It couldn?t have been easy when your father "went into this process thinking that our son would graduate summa and become president of the United States of America," Joe Brewster said. "And only after a number of years into the process we began to tamp down on our expectations."

Brewster?s and Stephenson?s feature film "The Keeper" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1996, and they?re elated to be back with "American Promise." They rented a house, and about 20 people who participated in the film in one form or another are joining them to celebrate. "It?s really a validation of this long process, and we are just beside ourselves with this opportunity," Stephenson said.

spierce@sltrib.com

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/entertainment2/55659319-223/brewster-film-idris-stephenson.html.csp

luck sag awards 2012 nominees sag awards pro bowl 2012 roster yamaguchi road house occupy oakland

Opera about Nazi atrocity being shown in Austria

VIENNA (AP) ? Austrian parliamentarians and invited guests are gathering to watch the premiere of an opera depicting how Nazis methodically killed mentally or physically deficient children at a Vienna hospital during World War II.

"Spiegelgrund" is the work of Austrian composer Peter Androsch, whose great grandfather died in a concentration camp. Friday's performance will mark International Holocaust Day in Austria ? a nation still atoning for its role in atrocities committed by the Nazis during the war.

The opera is being performed in a chamber of parliament used for special sessions and ceremonial events, and shown on Internet, starting at 1600 GMT (11 a.m. EST).

Since the war, Austria has gone from denial to full recognition of its part in Nazi atrocities.

The world marks Holocaust Memorial Day on Sunday.

___

Online: www.sonostream.tv

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-01-25-EU-Austria-Holocaust-Opera/id-413be71827524af795698cf295c4b5ab

wikipedia sopa and pipa bills censoring the internet blackout blackout congress censored

Law students to help Wills Clinic at Pembroke Legal Aid of North ...

By Lauren Sarno

Office of Communications and Public Relations

January 25, 2013

Wake Forest law students will be returning to the Pembroke office of Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) for a fourth time this spring to serve area clients at two free Wills Clinics.

The clinics are scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 16, and Saturday, March 2.

Although LANC receives a grant to prepare advance directives for local residents, demand in the past few years has exceeded Pembroke office resources, according to Wake Forest Law Outreach Director Beth Hopkins. ?As a result, Wake Forest law students?have been?invited to work at the Wills Clinic?to receive hands-on?experience and?earn?pro bono hours,? she said.

Under the supervision of LANC Staff Attorney David Richardson, the law students will meet with clients and aid in drafting simple wills and advance directive documents for low-income clients?living in?Robeson County.

The Wills Clinic has been held?for the past three years,?and Aurora Stierwald, the Estate Planning Project Coordinator for the Pro Bono Project, who attended the Pembroke Wills Clinic as a?first-year law student, wanted to ensure ?it would run again.

?I think it?s a very rewarding experience for everyone involved,? Stierwald said. ?The students are able to utilize what they have learned in law school and also gain the practical experience that?s so important to a legal career. Legal Aid also really appreciates Wake Forest Law students driving?two-and-a-half?hours to Pembroke to help with these legal documents because they have more clients than they do resources.?

Category: Student Life | Tag: Pro Bono, Pro Bono Project

Source: http://news.law.wfu.edu/2013/01/law-students-to-help-wills-clinic-at-pembroke-legal-aid-of-north-carolina-on-feb-16-march-2/

college board nyc.gov SAT Notre Dame Football Schedule detroit tigers Tsunami Lil Reese

APNewsBreak: UCI's McQuaid replaced on IOC panel

FILE - This is a Monday, Oct. 22, 2012 file photo of Pat McQuaid, President of the Union Cycliste Internationale, UCI, as he informs about the position of the UCI regarding the decision from USADA in the case of Lance Armstrong, during a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland. The head of cycling's governing body has been replaced on a key International Olympic Committee panel as he deals with the fallout from the Lance Armstrong doping scandal. International Cycling Union President Pat McQuaid said Wednesday he was too busy to attend all the meetings of the Olympic commission evaluating bids for the 2020 Summer lympics.(AP Photo/Keystone, Salvatore Di Nolfi, File)

FILE - This is a Monday, Oct. 22, 2012 file photo of Pat McQuaid, President of the Union Cycliste Internationale, UCI, as he informs about the position of the UCI regarding the decision from USADA in the case of Lance Armstrong, during a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland. The head of cycling's governing body has been replaced on a key International Olympic Committee panel as he deals with the fallout from the Lance Armstrong doping scandal. International Cycling Union President Pat McQuaid said Wednesday he was too busy to attend all the meetings of the Olympic commission evaluating bids for the 2020 Summer lympics.(AP Photo/Keystone, Salvatore Di Nolfi, File)

LONDON (AP) ? The head of cycling's governing body has been replaced on a key International Olympic Committee panel as he deals with the fallout from the Lance Armstrong doping scandal.

International Cycling Union President Pat McQuaid said Wednesday he was too busy to attend all the meetings of the Olympic commission evaluating bids for the 2020 Summer Games.

"It's quite simple," McQuaid told The Associated Press. "I have too much going on and I can't afford to be spending two weeks away from the office in March."

McQuaid, an IOC member from Ireland, was appointed to the 10-person commission in September as the representative of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations. He has been replaced by Patrick Baumann, a Swiss IOC member and secretary general of international basketball federation FIBA.

"He couldn't meet the schedule and we had to find someone else," IOC vice president Craig Reedie, who chairs the evaluation commission, told the AP. "That's all. There's nothing sensitive about it in any way."

The IOC panel is assessing the 2020 bids from Madrid, Tokyo and Istanbul. The commission will pay four-day visits to each city in March and compile a detailed report ahead of a special briefing with the candidates in July in Lausanne, Switzerland. The IOC will choose the host city Sept. 7 in Buenos Aires.

McQuaid told the IOC he would be unable to go on the visits to all three cities.

"I contacted ASOIF, because I was their representative, and suggested that they find a replacement," McQuaid said.

It's not the only position McQuaid has relinquished in recent months. He lost his spots on the World Anti-Doping Agency executive committee and foundation board at the end of the year. He was replaced by Ugur Erdener of Turkey.

McQuaid and former UCI president Hein Verbruggen have come under scrutiny in the wake of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency report that detailed systematic doping by Armstrong and his teams. Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from sports for life.

The report included allegations by Armstrong's former teammates that he paid the UCI $125,000 to cover up a positive test from the 2001 Tour of Switzerland. While admitting to doping in his interview last week with Oprah Winfrey, Armstrong confirmed making a donation to the UCI but denied the 2001 positive test and any cover up.

"That story isn't true. There was no positive test. No paying off of the lab. The UCI did not make that go away. I'm no fan of the UCI," Armstrong told Winfrey.

McQuaid and Verbruggen both said the interview vindicated them and the UCI of any improper collusion with Armstrong. However, WADA director general David Howman said Armstrong's financial donation to UCI was inappropriate and the matter needs to be clarified.

The UCI has set up an independent commission to investigate the doping scandal and the federation's links with Armstrong. McQuaid and Verbruggen are expected to meet with the three-member commission during its scheduled April 9-26 hearing in London.

Other members of the 2020 Olympic evaluation commission include IOC members Guy Drut of France, Frank Fredericks of Namibia, Nat Indrapana of Thailand and Claudia Bokel of Germany; El Salvador Olympic committee head Eduardo Palomo; Paralympics representative Andrew Parsons of Brazil; and IOC executive director Gilbert Felli.

___

AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-23-OLY-IOC-McQuaid/id-17a8ca7bf88f46f89078eac20b2cee94

auld lang syne dick clark Happy new year fiscal cliff Pitbull Hannah Storm jenny mccarthy

Centerparcs at Home otherwise known as The Pretend Holiday ...

This is an epic and inspirational guest post from the fabulous Bella who blogs at at Free falling into 40? She absolutely gets how to hoave fun as a family on a budget and comes up with a pretend holiday that quite frankly sounds fabulous!

?

Centerparcs at Home otherwise known as The Pretend Holiday

I do love a holiday, it?s just a shame they cost so much!

In September Pickle was due to start school.? As she was in Reception she started a couple of weeks later than everyone else, so we thought it would be nice to take a family holiday and one of my favourite places has always been Centerparcs.

We hadn?t been to Centerparcs since I found out I was pregnant with The Monster (23 months old now).? However I discovered that the cheapest price I could get for the accommodation we wanted and a 4 day stay was ?549. For me this was far too expensive for 4 days, bearing in mind that this only somewhere to sleep and make food, access to the roads, the forest and the swimming pools.? We would still have to buy food, eat out, pay for activities, hire bikes etc..? Incidentally, I looked up the date of half term and it would cost ?1149. A week later it?s ?419.? I know you parents with school age kids have been moaning about this for a while, but I now get you.? Daylight robbery.? Any way I digress.

So we sat, sadly, thinking about what we could do. My husband was working on the Tuesday so we couldn?t consider going overseas.? After some thought I then hit on a brain wave.? I wrote down all the things about Centerparcs that I like so much and then put together a list of activities on every day of the week that we could do that we would have done, had we been there.? We also chucked in some other activities that we would not have been able to do if we had been there. Here?s the list:

What do I like about Centerparcs and do we achieve it next week?

1.???????? We have accommodation nearby TICK

2.???????? We cycle as a family TICK

3.???????? We go swimming TICK

4.???????? The kids can do creative things TICK

5.???????? Mummy can have a treatment. NO TICK

6.???????? Daddy can do something new NO TICK

7.???????? We can eat out a lot TICK

8.???????? We can do soft play TICK

9.???????? We can see some nature TICK

What else can we think about doing that we can?t do at Centerparcs?

1.???????? See a movie on the big screen

2.????? ???Go to a museum with dinosaurs

3.???????? Go to Legoland

What should the rules be when we are at home?

1.???????? No excessive tidying or cleaning in the house.

2.???????? Glass of wine to be poured at every opportunity.

3.???????? No clothes washing unless absolutely necessary

4.???????? Kids can stay up late

5.???????? We should watch some new movies on DVD together

6.???????? Easy meals??..either out or quick to cook.

I did some research, figured it all out and then wrote an email to my hubby with all the information above and an itinerary.

So I booked the time off and this is what we did.

Monday

We took The Monster to his first swimming lesson, but I also went in bedside the training pool with Pickle and after his lesson the four of his swam together.? It was a lot of fun and reminded me of why I need to make more time to do this.

We had about 3 hrs to kill before Pickle?s swimming lesson in the afternoon and the original plan was still up in the air, trip around Kew or to the London Wetland Center in Sheen. In the end, hubby took the bull by the horns and suggested we go into central London to see the Olympic parade. It was only 19 min on the train from where we were. The kids loved the train ride and the sights on the way and the parade was fab and emotional and I took lots of photos. We had to leave with just 3 coaches to go in order to make it back in time.

We got back for Pickles swimming lesson and then took two very exhausted children home.

Swimming together and watching the Olympic parade was a resounding success, but would have been equally enjoyable had we gone to Kew or the Wetland centre.

Tuesday

First on our list was soft play. There is a lot of soft play at Centerparcs and it?s just sort of there in every area of the park. I don?t pay to go to soft play very often because my children never have great experiences normally but Pickle had really enjoyed it on the three occasions we had been to Centerparcs.

I chose a massive soft play at Syon Park that we?ve been to for parties and arrived not long after it opened. It was relatively quiet as schools had gone back and both kids had an absolute ball in several sections of the place, including outside and it was rounded off nicely but a dance and music class happening in the under 5?s section with a teacher.? It was exactly the sort of thing I would have paid for at Centerparcs. At midday we left after we bought a tractor for TM (?2.40) and a doll for P (?1.20). As we couldn?t eat our packed lunch in there we went to the Garden Centre next door, had some yummy drinks with our packed lunch and then finished it off by a trip around the fish section looking at Koi and other exotic fish. The kids thoroughly enjoyed this bit and I remember paying about ?10 to see something similar on The Isle of Wight and it had cost nothing.

In the afternoon we did a craft that I had pre-planned. TM wasn?t very keen and wandered off about 10 min (to do a massive squelchy poo, as it turned out) but P loved it. It was great to do this with her.? The craft was chosen from RedTedArts blog and she was delighted to see the result.

Soft play and crafting day was voted the best day by the kids.

Wednesday

Hubby borrowed a friend?s bike which had a toddler seat on the back and met Pickle and I in Twickenham where I had my Brompton fold up bike and her little bike.? The four of us set off along the Thames path from Twickenham to Richmond and stopped for our lunch at a play area.? Hubby wasn?t very well but hung on and then he rode back with The Monster to take the bike back and drive home and Pickle and I rode into Richmond town and watched ?Brave? which she loved.? We then rode to where we had left a car early in the day (we took both cars out initially) and then headed off home, with Pickle talking nonstop about the movie.

For me, I thoroughly enjoyed the bike ride. It was safe along the Thames path and was lots of fun, spotting wildlife and getting some fresh air.? Pickle would probably say the movie was the best bit.

Thursday

It was Legoland day. We arrived and safely navigated the car parks arriving with two excited children (well, one really. The Monster had no idea what the heck was going on). First stop was the Stars Wars exhibit, which we loved but Pickle had no idea what it was. Then we got the train down (little train) and went to Duplo world where the kids played, watched a theatre show and we ate at a buffet. Then onwards Pickle to get her driver?s licence and The Monster to sleep.

. At this point I was fairly unimpressed with Legoland. The sculptures were weather worn and looked tired, the food options were a bit slap dash and we found the maps difficult to follow and therefore did quite a bit of walking. As well as all that Atlantis was shut so we couldn?t go on the submarine (whatever that was).

Things did pick up though and Pickle ended up going on tonnes of rides with each of us. Swings, Carousel, Knight Train, Spinning Spider and then eventually the Viking ride where she and hubby got drenched. In between there were a few traditional play parks and we had lots of fun playing on it, doing a pirate training course and watching others on rides that were too scary for us. There wasn?t a lot for The Monster to go on and he got quite fed up being left out, well, actually he screamed a lot if he saw Pickle on anything. Especially the helicopters, because I had initially thought he could go on it, but he wasn?t tall enough.

We left the Viking ride at 4.50pm which gave us 10 minutes to dash down to mini world where Countries of the World are on display in full Lego splendour. We took loads of fab photos and then headed back to the car as the park was closing.

We honestly thought the kids would fall asleep en-route to Windsor for a restaurant meal, but they made it and we de-camped to Pizza Express right outside the castle. We were prepared to deal with a meltdown from one or both kids but they were brilliant and we had a lot of laughs and we left to get home about 7.30pm.

Journey home was a result too, because they both stayed awake, Pickle making up THE most ridiculous songs on the way home, keeping us all laughing and most importantly keeping her brother awake long enough for us to sling them into bed when we got back just after 8pm.

This was a fantastic day, more for Pickle than anyone else but I would definitely go again and 1 day was enough.

Friday ? the last day

On this day we had a trip into London (short side trip to buy Pickle new tap shoes) and off to see The Dinosaurs at The Natural History Museum.

Pickle needed convincing as it had been nearly 2 years since she?d last seen the animatronics T Rex. Eventually she agreed and we headed down the dark path to see him gnashing his teeth. She squealed, she hid behind legs, but she eventually looked and took it all in. The Monster just leant forward in the buggy and said ?Rarrrrrrrrrr? at it. Hubby and I quite enjoyed it, I like to suspend disbelief and imagine it chasing me down.? Get?s the heart racing and let?s be honest, I have to get my thrills somehow.

Lunch in the restaurant and an ice-cream and then off to the Science Museum which is right next door. We got in and then immediately had to go the basement for nappy changing (TM) and toilet breaks (the other 3 of us). By the time I emerged we discovered TM?s toy dog had been lost so I had to retrace our footsteps and discovered him propped up on a curb around the corner.

Then straight down to the basement where all the interactive stuff is. Both kids had fun with all the sound stuff then they each donned a plastic bib and headed straight to the water play where they spent the next 20minutes. A quick dabble with the giant Lego and we headed home.

Both kids loved the dinosaurs and the Science museum.? Ending with the Science museum was a good move as most people had left and there was just so much for them to do.

It was a fantastic day and I?ve just asked Pickle (nearly 2 months later) and she said THIS was the best day.? I?m remembering being pretty sad the week was over.

The verdict

Well we did the maths and worked out we had spent about ?200 on our Pretend Holiday.? This includes all of the entry costs, travel, food during the week (even at home) and the costs in Legoland (the biggest outlay).? So we saved ?349 by choosing to have our Pretend holiday and frankly I think I enjoyed it as much, if not more than if I had done it at Centerparcs. The military planning of it helped because both hubby and I knew what the plan was each day and there were no arguments about it.

Would I do it again?? Yes, in a heartbeat.? I think I?d book an away holiday and then do this as my 2^nd holiday in a year which would keep costs down but still be as fun.? Holidays at home can be brilliant; it just takes a little planning.

?

Links to the days (done it a rush or exhaustion, so not perfectly written)

https://freefallinginto40.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/day-1-of-our-pretend-holiday/

?

https://freefallinginto40.wordpress.com/2012/09/11/day-2-of-our-pretend-holiday-soft-play-and-arts-and-crafts/

?

https://freefallinginto40.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/day-3-of-our-pretend-holiday-cycling/

?

https://freefallinginto40.wordpress.com/2012/09/13/day-4-of-our-pretend-holiday-legoland/

?

Love you Bella for sharing this awesome post with us?thank you!

https://freefallinginto40.wordpress.com/2012/09/14/day-5final-day-of-our-pretend-holiday-london-museums/

?

?

Related posts:

Source: http://family-budgeting.co.uk/2013/01/23/centerparcs-at-home-otherwise-known-as-the-pretend-holiday/

John Witherspoon george michael usain bolt Closing Ceremony London 2012 Tom Daley Leryn Franco The Campaign

All Signs Point to Strong Boomer-Driven Home Remodeling Rebound

Improvements in home remodeling activity last year look to continue well into 2013, suggesting that recovery might already be underway, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA).?

A product of the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, LIRA projects homeowner improvement spending will continue on its upward trajectory, reaching double-digit growth of nearly 20% through the third quarter of 2013.?

While there are external and political risks that could derail the recovery, there have also been several factors that reinforce confidence in the budding market.?

Older homeowners are retrofitting homes to accommodate evolving needs, says the JCHS, with home remodeling activity also driven by rehabilitation of foreclosed homes and the growing popularity of sustainable home improvements.?

?As baby boomers move into retirement, they are increasing demand for aging-in-place retrofits,? says Kermit Baker, director of the Remodeling Futures Program. ?A decade ago, homeowners over 55 accounted for less than one third of all home improvement spending. By 2011, this share had already grown to over 45%. And generations behind the baby boomers will help fuel future spending growth since echo boomers are projected to outnumber baby boomers by more than twelve million as they begin to enter their peak remodeling years over the next decade.?

Initiated in 1995, LIRA is designed to estimate national homeowner spending on improvements for the current and following quarters. By measuring an annual rate-of-change of its components, LIRA provides a short-term outlook of remodeling activity to help identify future turning points within the industry.

Written by?Jason Oliva

Category: Chart of the Day, Data, Senior Housing

Source: http://seniorhousingnews.com/2013/01/23/all-signs-point-to-strong-boomer-driven-home-remodeling-rebound/

roger goodell psychosis dianna agron million hoodie march tebow trade mike the situation jacksonville jaguars

NRA?s LaPierre criticizes inauguration speech

On Tuesday, National Rifle Association executive vice president Wayne LaPierre criticized President Barack Obama's inaugural address.

"In his second inaugural address, President Barack Obama quoted the Declaration of Independence and he talked about inalienable rights," LaPierre said during a speech at a hunting and conservation awards ceremony in Reno, Nev. "I believe he made a mockery of both."

During his inaugural speech on Monday, Obama said Americans shouldn't "mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics or treat name-calling as reasoned debate."

"Absolutes do exist, words do have specific meaning in language and in law," LaPierre countered Tuesday.

"We believe we deserve, and have every right to, the same level of freedom that our government leaders keep for themselves, and the same capabilities and same technologies that criminals use to prey upon us and our families," he continued. "That means we believe in our right to defend ourselves and our families with semi-automatic technology."

The NRA leader added, "No government gave them to us and no government can take them away."

LaPierre's comments come on the heels of the last week's unveiling of a set of legislative proposals and executive actions by Obama and Vice President Joe Biden formulated in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., elementary school shooting that left 20 children and six adults dead.

[Related: NRA's LaPierre slams critics of school gun plan]

Last month, during a press conference to address the shootings in Newtown, LaPierre made the controversial suggestion that a "good guy with a gun" should be stationed at every school in the country. Two days later on "Meet the Press," LaPierre blasted critics of his plan.

?If it?s crazy to call for putting police in and securing our schools to protect our children, then call me crazy," LaPierre said. ?I think the American people think it?s crazy not to do it."

Meanwhile, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., plans to introduce legislation later this week to reinstate a federal ban on assault weapons.

The "Assault Weapons Ban of 2013," which centers on banning military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition feeding devices?actions backed by President Obama?will be introduced during a press conference on Thursday morning in Washington. Feinstein will be joined by a coalition of Democratic lawmakers, law enforcement officers, and representatives from gun safety and gun violence groups, among others.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/nra-responds-obama-inauguration-speech-174700777--election.html

google stock china gdp dont trust the b in apartment 23 johnny damon kirk cameron news 10 hillary rosen

Soul-searching in focus as GOP gathers in NC

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) ? Republican soul-searching begins in earnest this week as GOP officials from every state in the nation come together for the first time since their party's November shellacking.

There is broad agreement that the Republican Party needs to undergo fundamental changes to remain competitive as surging minority populations re-shape the American electorate. But there is no clear path forward. And even as they gather in a Charlotte, N.C., hotel this week ? just days after President Barack Obama began his second term ? Republicans are in some ways as divided as ever.

Facing his first re-election test later in the week, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus is under intense pressure to improve the Republican brand to attract more women and Hispanics, while not upsetting the hard-line conservatives who represent his party's most passionate voters.

"They're really going to have to do full throttle self-examination. They have alienated so many people who are Republicans," said Olympia Snowe, a three-term Republican senator who retired last year, in part because of her party's shift to the right. "It's going to be a mighty challenge. The party's gone astray."

Indeed, the formal theme of the Republican National Committee's winter meeting ? "Renew, Grow, Win" ? reflects an understanding from party officials that the GOP must grow to survive. In particular, this week's meeting will focus on the need to abandon harsh rhetoric on illegal immigration, women's issues and the social safety net, rhetoric that helped drive moderate voters and minorities toward Democrats last fall.

"We need to renew our values, renew our party, renew what we stand for," RNC spokesman Sean Spicer said.

The push to broaden the party's message is the focus, but not the only business on the agenda for the three-day meeting in North Carolina, a presidential swing state where Democrats hosted their national convention last summer.

Republicans from across the nation will decide Friday whether Priebus deserves a second term after his party lost an opportunity to win the White House and add Senate seats under what appeared to be favorable political conditions. The 40-year-old Wisconsin native is widely expected to win re-election, despite a challenge from Maine National Committeeman Mark Willis, a former Ron Paul supporter who led a brief revolt at the party's national convention last year in Tampa, Fla.

Willis said Wednesday that he did not have the backing of three states needed to ensure a spot on the ballot with Priebus. He acknowledged that he would not likely defeat the sitting chairman even if he qualifies for the ballot. But he and others lashed out at party leaders, saying they were marginalizing grassroots supporters who favored presidential candidates like Paul, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann or Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who is thought to have interest in a 2016 presidential bid.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a conservative favorite, is attending the meeting in an unofficial capacity. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who has been mentioned as a possible 2016 presidential candidate, will deliver a keynote address Thursday night.

Ongoing discussions are expected to swirl about the 2016 presidential voting calendar, which sets the first contests for Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. While no shifts are expected this week, some party officials have grown increasingly concerned about Iowa's role after its last presidential caucus.

The results were confusing at best. Mitt Romney, who eventually won the nomination, was initially declared the caucus winner by the Iowa GOP. A subsequent tally, however, suggested that Santorum actually won by a handful of votes.

Some Republicans complain that Iowa's socially conservative voters tend to support candidates that represent ideological extremes. Santorum's candidacy was driven in large part by his opposition to abortion rights and gay marriage. Four years earlier, Iowa Republicans favored Mike Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and ordained Baptist minister who went on to win just a handful of states.

"I think Iowa is where all eyes are focused," said veteran GOP operative Phil Musser.

But Republicans far from Iowa also hurt their cause in the last election cycle.

Romney helped alienate many Hispanic voters by highlighting his support for a fence along the Mexican border and "self-deportation" of illegal immigrants. Down-ticket Republican candidates alienated female voters by backing new abortion laws in a handful of swing states like Virginia and New Hampshire, while Senate candidate Todd Akin of Missouri hurt himself and his party by declaring that women's bodies could prevent pregnancy in cases of "legitimate rape."

Exit polls make clear that Republicans face an uphill battle if they hope to repair their image.

Obama dramatically outperformed Romney among Hispanics last fall, winning 71 percent of the growing demographic compared to Romney's 27 percent. That was the GOP's worst showing among Hispanics since 1996, according to exit polling collected by The Associated Press. It was worse among black voters, who supported Obama over Romney 93 percent to 6 percent.

The disparity is less acute among women ? Obama captured 53 percent of the female vote ? although two decades have passed since a Republican presidential candidate last hit the 50-percent mark with women.

This week marks the beginning of a substantive discussion, but Priebus has outlined plans to release a "Growth and Opportunity Effort" later in the spring that offers specific paths forward.

It's unlikely to satisfy everyone.

"There's too many people that are either in the Republican Party wondering why they are in the Republican Party because they feel like the party isn't representing them any longer," said Nevada Republican national committeewoman Diana Orrock, a former Paul supporter who worries that grassroots supporters are being taken for granted. "Or we have people who have left the Republican Party and aren't getting a clear message as to why they should come back into the fold."

"We're losing elections," she said. "Something has to change."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-01-23-Republicans/id-19fdf8453d3e4b9ab31fd40c27ffac6f

hue jackson coachella 2012 line up lsu crimson tide crimson tide 2013 ford fusion bcs