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Afghan violence falls in 2012, insider attacks up

Internally displaced Afghans wait in line to receive firewood donated by Welt Hunger Hilfe 'German Agro Action' in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. Around 240 internally displaced families received firewood. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

Internally displaced Afghans wait in line to receive firewood donated by Welt Hunger Hilfe 'German Agro Action' in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. Around 240 internally displaced families received firewood. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

Afghan women wait for transportation after receiving flour donated by the women's affairs department, in the Gozara district, Herat province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. The women's affairs department of Herat province donated a sack of flour to around 250 families in the Gozara district. (AP Photo/Hoshang Hashimi)

Graphic shows monthly U.S. troop deaths in Afghanistan since October

Internally displaced Afghans from Helmand province, carry sacks of blankets to be donated by the United Nation's refugee agency (UNHCR) at a refugee camp in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. Around 600 internally displaced families received winter relief assistance distributed by the United Nation's refugee agency. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

Internally displaced Afghan children from Helmand province, wait for winter relief assistance from the United Nation's refugee agency (UNHCR) at a refugee camp in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. Around 600 internally displaced families received winter relief assistance distributed by the United Nation's refugee agency. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

(AP) ? Violence in Afghanistan fell in 2012, but more Afghan troops and police who now shoulder most of the combat were killed, according to statistics compiled by The Associated Press.

At the same time, insider killings by uniformed Afghans against their foreign allies rose dramatically, eroding confidence between the sides at a crucial turning point in the war and when NATO troops and Afghan counterparts are in more intimate contact.

"The overall situation is improving," said a NATO spokesman, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Lester T. Carroll. He singled out Afghan special forces as "surgically removing insurgent leaders from the battle space."

Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense, said Afghan forces were now charged with 80 percent of security missions and were less equipped to face the most lethal weapon of the militants ? roadside bombs.

"Our forces are out there in the battlefields and combat areas more than at any other time in the past," he said, citing reasons for the spike in casualties.

U.S. troop deaths, overall NATO fatalities and Afghan civilian deaths all dropped as insurgent attacks fell off in their traditional strongholds in the south and east. However, insurgent activity rose in the north and west, where the Taliban and other groups have been less active in the past, and overall levels of violence were higher than before a U.S. troop surge more than two years ago.

U.S. troop deaths declined overall from 404 last year to 295 as of Saturday. The Defense Department says 1,701 U.S. troops have been killed in action in Afghanistan since the U.S. invasion in 2001 until Dec. 26. Of those, 338 died from non-hostile causes. Some 18,154 were wounded.

A total of 394 foreign troops, including the Americans, were killed in 2012, down from 543 in 2011. The British, with the second-largest military presence, had 43 killed ? the second-highest toll among countries with forces in Afghanistan, by AP's count. The figure includes a Georgian soldier who went missing on Dec. 18 and whose body was turned over to NATO on Saturday.

The AP keeps daily tallies of casualties and violent incidents across Afghanistan based on reports from NATO and Afghan officials. Most cannot be independently verified, and other incidents may never come to light. The statistics sometimes vary from official counts because of time lags, different criteria and other reasons.

Deaths from so-called insider attacks ? Afghan police and troops killing foreign allies ? surged to 61 in 45 attacks last year compared with 2011, when 35 coalition troops were killed in 21 attacks.

The number, provided by the NATO command, does not include the Dec. 24 killing of an American civilian adviser by a female member of the Afghan police because the investigation is ongoing.

The focus of NATO's mission has largely veered from the battlefield to training the Afghans ahead of a pullout of most troops by 2014. The U.S plans to maintain a residual force, the size of which is now being determined.

A NATO report that tracks violence in the country showed a rise this year compared with the period before the surge of U.S. troops into the country. But the levels were down from last year and a peak in the summer of 2010. Kabul and the country's second-largest city, Kandahar, saw a considerable drop in lethal attacks, but districts in Kandahar province remain among the most restive in Afghanistan.

Militant attacks, the report said, decreased countrywide by 7 percent through November compared with the same 11-month period last year. But they were up in the northern and western parts of the country, which previously had been among the most peaceful regions.

Although NATO officials frequently credit Afghan troops with successful unilateral operations, a recent U.S. congressional report noted that higher-level Afghan units still need vital air, logistics and other support from foreign forces.

More Afghan police and soldiers are dying in the conflict, according to numbers provided by the interior and defense ministries.

More than 1,050 Afghan troops died this year, substantially higher than last year, although the ministry could not provide the exact 2011 death toll.

Nearly 1,400 police died in the 10 months from March 21 to the end of the year, compared with about the same number for the 12 months beginning March 21, 2011. The Afghan government follows a calendar year starting March 21.

NATO says Afghan security forces have grown from 132,000 in March 2011 to 333,000 this month.

The AP tally showed that at least 822 Afghan civilians had been killed by the Taliban and other militants this year while another 119 died in NATO airstrikes and other operations. That was a decrease from last year, when 1,151 were killed by insurgents and 283 by NATO. Substantially smaller numbers perish when caught in crossfires.

The United Nations reported different casualty figures but also noted that civilian deaths had decreased, reversing a five-year trend of mounting civilian deaths. Its latest report says that during the first six months of the year, 1,145 civilians died in conflict-related violence, compared with 1,510 in the same period of 2011. The U.N. considers insurgent land mines and roadside bombs to be particularly deadly for civilians.

Close to 3,000 militants were reported to have been killed by coalition and Afghan forces this year, compared with more than 3,500 last year. The NATO command does not issue reports on the number of insurgents its troops have killed, and Afghan military figures, from which the AP compiles its data, cannot be independently verified.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-30-AS-Afghanistan-Year-of-Violence/id-14d6caab9e394635b54587e0ed40aca8

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Whiting: Register names Outdoor Sportsperson of the Year | sanden ...

Whether you trekked to the North Pole, entered your first 5K or took the dog for daily walks in 2012, you deserve congratulations for perseverance.

Heck, just getting outdoors every now and then is an accomplishment. Consider how many people don't. Ever.

Beth Sanden competes in the cycling portion of the 2010 San Diego Triathlon Challenge in La Jolla.

DREW A. KELLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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When: Saturday, Jan. 5.

Where to sign up: Bear Mountain, ski patrol headquarters; BearMountainPatrol.com. Space is limited.

- David Whiting, Register columnist

So it's likely that you ? yes, you ? deserve being named Outdoor Sportsperson of the Year. But my rules only allow one winner.

With imaginary trumpets blaring, the Orange County Register's Outdoor Sportsperson for 2012 is...Beth Sanden of San Clemente.

In 2012, Sanden finished three marathons on three different continents: North America, Oceana, Africa.

With a goal of completing a marathon on each of the world's seven continents, in 2011 she knocked off Asia by finishing a marathon on the Great Wall of China.

But those accomplishments aren't why Sanden deserves being named Outdoor Sportsperson of the Year.

Sanden isn't just an athlete. She's also a coach. Her enthusiasm is infectious. And she raises thousands of dollars to help others discover hope and reinvent themselves in the natural world.

But even those accomplishments aren't why Sanden deserves recognition.

Sanden gets the shout-out because she shows us the infinite power of the human spirit.

OVERCOMING INJURIES

Sanden is one of those humans stuffed with positive energy. No matter what.

She doesn't see problems. She sees solutions. She doesn't see obstacles. She sees challenges.

Watch the video of Sanden struggling through the marathon on China's Great Wall. Understand, the wall follows the crests of an endless series of mountains. Stairs are so steep they should be called a ladder.

Now understand that more than a decade ago Sanden was a world-class athlete. She beat so many Ironman triathletes, she qualified for the world championship in Kona.

But on a training ride in 2002, Sanden rounded a corner and hit gravel. She wiped out, shattering two vertebrae and suffering a concussion.

Instantly, her life changed.

Sanden became a paraplegic. After years of determined training, her left leg remains useless, the right leg nearly so.

There's a video of her marathon in China. Twenty of the 26.2 miles are on the Great Wall.

Over and over, Sanden wobbles, nearly falls and regains her balance with a walker.

Up and down she goes. There are no runners in sight. They are long gone. As the day wears on, Sanden pushes on by any means necessary ? walker, cane, hand cycle ? working the muscles that remain to the max.

A by-passer waves. Clutching her walker, Sanden's unable to throw her trademark kisses. Still, she smiles and manages a cheery thank you.

Sanden's videographer also deserves a shout out. That would be her husband, Burt; their marriage a true partnership. Burt goes the distance documenting the event.

Seven hours, 20 minutes later, Sanden crosses the finish line. The parking lot is nearly empty.

How tough is the marathon in China? Consider that Sanden zoomed Boston in two hours, 34 minutes

INSPIRING OTHERS

It is October 2006, and I walk with Sanden through the early registration area in La Jolla for the Challenged Athletes Foundation's annual triathlon.

The foundation is a nonprofit that raises funds to provide equipment and training to help people with disabilities pursue sports. Sanden's commitment to the Challenged Athletes Foundation is obvious in the smiles. She knows nearly everyone, and nearly everyone knows her.

Virginia Tinley, wife of Ironman champion Scott Tinley, greets Sanden with a hug. Sanden beams.

It turns out Sanden has been raising funds for the Challenged Athletes Foundation for several years. And as the next seven years unfold, Sanden will continue to raise money.

She misses the foundation's triathlon challenge only one year, 2007 ? the year the event was canceled because of massive wildfires in San Diego.

In 2008, she invites me to join her triathlon team. I ride the bike leg. Sanden tackles both the swim and the run, the latter using her hand cycle.

At the triathlon in 2009, Sanden spots me and asks if I need anything. I look down at Sanden on her hand cycle and shake my head, wondering how she manages to take care of her own needs as well as those of so many others.

The following year in La Jolla, Sanden introduces me to one of her clients, Greg Tyler, a young man from Mission Viejo who lost an arm in a motorcycle accident. With Sanden's coaching, Tyler has entered the world of triathlon.

As she finishes swimming in the ocean, volunteers carry Sanden up stairs winding their way up a cliff. There was a time when Sanden could have run those stairs. But instead of living in the past, she waves to the crowd.

And the crowd cheers.

In 2010, she smokes the Boston Marathon, beating out another hand cycler 20 years her junior by four seconds

Since her injury, she's competed in some 50 triathlons and more than two-dozen marathons using her handcycle.

Yes, Sanden's competitive fires burn hot.

PERSEVERANCE

A mother of two daughters, Sanden tells me after one event: "I have been blessed to have my family and friends rally around me. They all helped me come so far."

Sanden pays it forward in many ways, including training able-bodied as well as challenged athletes.

In 2011 at a Challenged Athletes Foundation race, Sanden introduces me to another of her clients, Matt Neustadt, a 12-year-old Tustin boy who lost the use of his legs after suffering a rare congenital malformation called a neurenteric cyst.

Neustadt blows through the wheelie course.

In the last two years alone, Sanden has raised more than $10,000 for the foundation while also raising awareness about how much challenged athletes can accomplish.

Consider her February marathon in Tanzania, a land of rough roads that often turn to nothing but dirt and rock. The last eight miles was uphill. With a hand cycle, Sanden's race took nearly twice as long as her Boston Marathon.

After Africa, here's what Sanden told Register reporter Fred Swegles: "The challenges were the roads being full of potholes, speed bumps and the traffic spewing exhaust...lots of mud and gravel along the way in my eyes and a long uphill grind."

Completing the Ross Marathon in Tasmania was a little easier. There, she crossed the finish line in 3:32.

Ahead are Europe, South America and Antarctica, where Sanden expects to use something called a push ski.

There is no stopping this mother, wife, fundraiser, coach, athlete and Register Sportsperson of 2102.

Congratulations, Beth Sanden.

David Whiting's column appears four days a week; dwhiting@ocregister.com.


Source: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/sanden-382127-marathon-foundation.html

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Simple Abundance Exercises Can Change Your Mindset | Self ...

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Source: http://www.medicalguide.pro/4036/simple-abundance-exercises-can-change-your-mindset-9.html

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Washington dodges the 'dairy cliff,' avoids spike in milk prices

The House's Agricultural Committee reached an agreement with the Senate to extend the US farm bill ?that will keep milk prices in check in 2013. Without the compromise the price of a gallon of milk may have reached $7.

By Jim Wolf,?Reuters / December 30, 2012

Jim Mitchell selects a gallon of milk at a Milwaukee grocery store Dec. 4. As the nation teeters on the brink of the economic ?fiscal cliff,? Washington has reached one compromise, extending the US farm bill, which if expired could have doubled the price of milk.

Dinesh Ramde/AP/File

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Farm-state lawmakers have agreed to a one-year extension of the expiring US farm bill that, if enacted, would head off a possible doubling of retail milk prices to $7 or more a gallon in 2013.

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The compromise measure resulted from bipartisan discussions in the?House of Representatives' Agriculture Committee?and talks with colleagues in the US?Senate,?Frank Lucas?of?Oklahoma, the?House?panel's chairman, said in a statement Sunday.

"It is not perfect - no compromise ever is - but it is my sincere hope that it will pass the?House?and?Senate?and be signed by the President by January 1," Lucas, a Republican, said.

It was not immediately clear whether?House?and?Senate?leaders would bring the measure to a vote soon enough to avoid putting the so-called "dairy cliff" milk price spike into action.

Separately, lawmakers are working on a last-ditch effort to avert the similarly timed "fiscal cliff," when the biggest tax increases ever to hit Americans are set to start, paired with significant federal spending cuts

US Agriculture?Secretary?Tom Vilsack, in an interview with CNN taped Friday and aired on Sunday, urged?Congress?to come up with such a solution, if only an extension of the old law that expired nearly three months ago, lest milk prices start rising after Jan. 1, 2013.

Absent a new bill or an extension of current law, milk prices would revert to rules set in 1949, the last "permanent" farm legislation in the?United States. Government price supports would kick in, based on production costs 64 years ago, plus inflation. The potential retail milk price has been estimated at $6.00 to $8.00 a gallon versus current levels near $3.50.?

Lucas said in the statement that time had run out in?Congress' current session to enact a new five-year farm bill, as farm-state lawmakers and the dairy lobby had hoped.

Vilsack told CNN that soaring milk prices - if it comes to that - would ripple throughout all commodities "if this thing goes on for an extended period of time."

The price of milk will not double on Jan. 1, if?Congress?fails to act. Instead, prices would rise gradually as supplies are removed from normal markets and land instead in US Department of Agriculture storage facilities.

With supplies more scarce in normal marketing channels, some milk distributors and dairy product manufacturers could have turned to imported supplies.

The Department of Agriculture is reviewing a range of options for administering programs should a permanent law become legally effective on Jan. 1, a spokesman said on Friday.

The?Senate?passed its new five-year farm bill in June, and the?House Agriculture Committee?followed with a version in July.

But the?House?bill, with large cuts in food-stamp funding for lower-income Americans, has never been brought to a vote by the full?House. The?Senate?and?House?have for months remained far apart on the issues of food stamps and crop subsidies.

Lucas said the year-long extension "provides certainty to our producers and critical disaster assistance to those affected by record drought conditions."

It would also mean another round of the direct subsidies to farmers that cost about $5 billion a year, and that both sides of debate had agreed earlier to eliminate.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/usa/~3/uzf2nG7Bc0s/Washington-dodges-the-dairy-cliff-avoids-spike-in-milk-prices

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Oil rises as 'cliff' deadline approaches

NEW YORK (AP) ? Oil prices rose Monday with hopes that U.S. political leaders are getting closer to avoiding the "fiscal cliff" just hours before the deadline.

Negotiators for the White House and congressional Republicans in Congress, working against a midnight deadline, narrowed their differences Monday on legislation to avert across-the-board tax increases and spending cuts set to trigger on Tuesday.

But Republicans and Democrats remain divided, and it appears likely that financial markets will start 2013 without a clear picture of the budget policy of the U.S. economy ? the world's largest.

In afternoon trading benchmark oil rose 67 cents to $91.47 per barrel in New York. Oil has wavered in recent weeks along with the ups and downs of the budget negotiations. Through Friday oil had gained about 2 percent this month. Failure to reach a deal could eventually send the U.S. into another recession, which would drive down demand for energy.

Brent crude, used to price international varieties of oil, rose 35 cents to $110.97 a barrel.

The national average for gasoline hit $3.29 per gallon, well under the average of nearly $3.40 a month ago but 2 cents higher than a year ago.

In other energy futures trading:

Natural gas fell 11 cents, or 3.3 percent, to $3.37 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Wholesale gasoline rose 1 cent to $2.77 a gallon.

Heating oil gained a penny to $3.03 a gallon.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-12-31-Oil%20Prices/id-82bda8a380d24fa48440f06606210b25

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Citrix Releases Receiver for Windows 3.4

Just in time for the New Year, this update responds to requests for first time use and login??simplifications and supports StoreageZones?with a new?a ShareFile Sync upgrade.?It also works well on?Windows 8 Pro machines. ?You can update? your PC to the latest standard version (CitrixReceiver.exe) by visiting?http://receiver.citrix.com/. As before, you can configure the standard version of Receiver using an email?or server address or activate it by opening a provisioning file.??Full documentation is on eDocs.

We?ve also squeeze in two long-awaited capabilities into?the CitrixReceiverEnterprise.exe version: Fast Connect (previously only supported with the older?Online Plug-in) and an update to Smart Card Pass Through Authentication compatible with the new Windows 7 authentication process.? You can download the?CitrixReceiverEnterprise.exe 3.4?update using with your mycitrixID from?here.

To learn more and to read the entire article at its source, please refer to the following page, Receiver for Windows 3.4 ? Just Released- The Citrix Blogs

??

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Source: http://www.dabcc.com/article.aspx?id=23300

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Gullah Geechee group invited to march in Obama inaugural parade

The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission was chosen to participate in the 57th inaugural parade in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 21.

Commission chairman Ronald Daise said the group's participation means "we can truly take pride and hold our heads high with the realization that our heritage has shaped American culture."

A float is being designed to reflect Gullah Geechee culture and folk life, said Michael Allen, a partnership specialist for the National Parks Service.

Daise and Marquetta Goodwine, both natives of St. Helena Island, will represent Beaufort County in the parade.

The four-state corridor stretches from Wilmington, N.C., to St. Augustine, Fla.

Source: http://www.islandpacket.com/2012/12/29/2325783/gullah-geechee-group-invited-to.html

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SEO Directory Submission from Gorilla Online Marketing

29 Dec

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Millions of people find much information from popular search engine every time, you need to make sure that you are there. With Web.com, you can make your business appear in Facebook and the online Yellow Pages. Gorilla Online Marketing from?web.com, you will get best service on business promotion to create powerful online marketing presence. With Gorilla Online marketing, you will have your business promotion available on popular websites your customers go online. Visit the official website to get more information about their services.

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Source: http://youareheredesigns.net/seo-directory-submission-gorilla-online-marketing.

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Video: What are the chances that a "fiscal cliff" deal will pass? (cbsnews)

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Reports: Russia sends another naval ship to Syria

MOSCOW (AP) ? Russian news agencies say the navy is sending another ship to the Syrian port of Tartus, where Russia has a naval base.

The reports Sunday by the ITAR-Tass and Interfax news agency cited an unidentified official in the military general staff as saying the Novocherkassk, a large landing ship, has set sail from the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk. The ship is expected to arrive in the Tartus area in early January.

The reports gave no information on the ship's intent. But Russian diplomats have said that Moscow is preparing a plan to evacuate thousands of Russians from Syria if necessary. The Defense Ministry announced two weeks ago that several ships were being dispatched to the Mediterranean.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-30-Russia-Syria/id-920739da04d444ba95806168d3167174

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ALCC Community Success Academy

This afterschool initiative seeks to improve middle and high school students' basic study, test preparation, and critical thinking skills; literacy; and understanding of basic math concepts. The program will provide tutoring and mentoring for students and tutoring for parents to enable them to assist their children with homework assignments.?

Source: http://events.wayne.edu/main/2012/12/30/alcc-community-success-academy-44040/

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Bloody Monsters - Zombie Shooter Game for Android

Bloody Monsters - Zombie Shooter Game for Android

Shoot the bloody monsters & survive the carnage, in this extremely fun arcade shooter game with a bouncy twist. Bloody Monsters provides hours of entertainment as you master the art of a shooter in this fun shooting game. Download Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rvappstudios.bloodymonsters

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Video: Reid, McConnell react to fiscal cliff meeting

Why do some men get grouchier as they age?

Some call it ?grumpy old man complex.? Other experts label it: ?irritable male syndrome,? a spike in the outward crankiness of guys of a certain age. As more baby boomers hit 60? be ready for more grouchy outbursts, like a Donald Trump rant set to explode.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/hardball/50314528/

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Immigration reform: Is 'amnesty' a possibility now?

Congress seems primed to address immigration reform in 2013, and even a path to citizenship ? which critics deride as 'amnesty' for illegals ? may be on the table. The shift in the national conversation came suddenly. Here's why.?

By David Grant,?Staff writer / December 28, 2012

Maurcio Martell and his family stand on the porch of their home in Bessemer, Ala. The Martells are among some 12 million illegal immigrants living in the US whose lives could be affected if Congress takes up immigration reform in 2013.

Dave Martin/AP

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The momentum of President Obama's resounding victory in November's election ? with a big push from Latinos and other minority groups ? has catapulted immigration policy to the top of Washington's 2013 agenda, making reform not only possible but also likely.

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The shift in the political conversation has been so dramatic that even a pathway to citizenship for some of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States ? long rejected out of hand by most Republicans and some Democrats ? could be part of the deal.

The task is momentous. It involves weighing the wishes of industries from agriculture to high-tech, as well as the sensitivities of opening the door to immigrant workers at a time when unemployment remains high.

The past only reinforces the potential difficulties ahead. In 1986, Republicans felt betrayed when Democrats stripped the enforcement provisions from a bill that offered citizenship to some 3 million illegal immigrants. By 2005, the issue had become so politically toxic to conservatives that they blocked President George W. Bush's push for a new round of immigration reform.

Yet with Election 2012 highlighting the electoral consequences of America's changing demographics, the next year appears to be ripe for compromise. How reforms might take shape could be a major point of contention between the parties, but lawmakers on both sides suddenly see an opportunity for what could be their most expansive achievement of 2013.

"It has to be in 2013," says Rep. Ra?l Labrador (R) of Idaho, an immigration lawyer who thundered into Congress in the tea party wave of 2010. "If we wait until 2014, it's going to be election time. And you know how efficient we are here during election time."

Recent weeks have seen a flurry of activity on Capitol Hill. In the Senate, a "Gang of Eight" ? led by longtime immigration reformers Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) of New York and Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina ? has added freshman Sens. Michael Bennett (D) of Colorado and Mike Lee (R) of Utah, while potential 2016 presidential aspirant Sen. Marco Rubio (R) of Florida leads his own initiative.

1?|?2?|?3?|?4?|?5

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/w_nTLQRpfSA/Immigration-reform-Is-amnesty-a-possibility-now

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Deal or no deal? (Powerlineblog)

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A better pencil sharpener? Inventor dreams of erasing life's annoyances

58 min.

Long lines at amusement parks. Traffic stalled at rush hour. Cycling uphill. To most of us, these are just minor problems we face in an otherwise comfortable existence.?To Anwar Farooq, they are personal call-outs, challenges that he must answer with his own ingenuity. These days, the math?teacher and habitual?inventor is wrestling with the age-old problem of the?pencil sharpener.

"When I saw my students struggling with the regular pencil sharpener, I honestly knew that there must be an alternate approach, so I started thinking," Farooq, who teaches?at Maywood Academy,?southeast of Los Angeles, told NBC News.

That's not the first time Farooq "started thinking."

His inventions, spanning 1986 to now, may?seem whimsical at first, but on closer inspection are like early ancestors of devices in use today. There's a bike where your pedaling is boosted by an air compressor, for instance. If you replace the air compressor with an electric motor, you get today's battery-powered bikes.

There's?the Robocam, a?remote-controlled camera platform that's a precursor to telepresence robots and smartphone?videoconferencing apps alike.

For those annoying amusement park or movie theater?lines, Farooq proposes a chain of connected, moving chairs.?You take a load off, enjoy the?built-in entertainment system, and before long, it's your turn to get up and enjoy the ride or show. He calls it Waiting Is Fun.?It may seem far-fetched?... until Disney goes and installs one in Tomorrowland.

The idea Farooq seems most proud of is the?Rapid Commute. Cars traveling from the outskirts of a city?drive right onto a high-speed train, as if they were boarding a ferry boat. The train then brings them to a central location downtown, where they disembark. Next month he will be presenting it to the Transportation Research Board, an off-shoot of the non-profit?National Research Council,?at its annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

And then there's the?Quick N Silent pencil sharpener.?

* * *

Pencil sharpeners are, in fact, one of the few classroom technologies that have?not?experienced a radical redesign in the past century. The most common type of institutional sharpener, the hand-cranked type you can still see?mounted to a wall or the teacher's table in classrooms all over the world,?was introduced in 1904.

Sure, electric versions have been introduced, but?the cylindrical mills rotating in "planetary" fashion within?are still dominant ? despite the inconsistency of their results.

Nevertheless, when Farooq wrestled with how to modernize the?pencil sharpener, he didn't look to some?laser that could hone the tip of a pencil with micron-level precision. Instead, he found inspiration in the distant?past.

"I remembered that people carried pocket knives and they just used those to sharpen pencils quietly and efficiently."

He set to work on the new machine based on the same principles.

* * *

Farooq was always an inventor at heart, but he told us that, growing up in Pakistan, he never had a chance to exercise his creative capabilities. "Even if I had an idea, we were from the lower middle class, so we didn't have any money to do anything," he told us. "My biggest break is that I came to a country like America ??and now I can do those things I desire."

But even after moving to the U.S. in the 1970s, inventing hasn't been exactly easy for Farooq. In fact, following his dreams can at times be something of an expensive habit. "Of course it's a hardship to me and tight financially," he admitted. "My wife says, 'Why don't you take up gambling?'"

At least to him, though, the cost is worth it.?"I live for that, that excitement of finding something, of discovering something." He points out that the famed inventor Nicola Tesla died a poor man, but now they're building a Tesla?museum. Farooq doesn't expect a museum, but he does hope that his inventions will outlast him.

It may be his latest baby, the pencil sharpener,?that lives on. Even in our increasingly?digital world, Farooq feels strongly that pencil and paper, as?a medium for recording thoughts and images, won't disappear any time soon.?"Yes, it is old and unglamorous technology, but it's foolproof and works as advertised."

Its biggest asset is its low cost: "It's cheap enough to be owned by almost anyone in the world," he said.

When he finally figured out how to implement the pocket-knife method of sharpening, Farooq built a mock-up and?patented his design.

His prototype doesn't grind, like the rotary sharpeners in classrooms?worldwide. Nor does it shave around the edge, like the small twisty?single-blade sharpeners that predate the rotary type. Instead, it uses multiple blades to whittle down the edge from all sides at once. True to its name, the blades slice down the end of the pencil, exposing a sharp tip and plenty of lead in a single, silent pass.

Farooq is looking for funding to start manufacturing the device, which he has continually modified over the last few years in his spare time.?A crowd-funding attempt at?Fundageek, a website for inventors, has not produced much income. But he intends to put a more complete version of the device up for consideration on Indiegogo, a larger platform for collecting funding.

In the meantime, Farooq will keep on inventing. His own modest?website lists two things ? Personal Safety 360 and GPS Live Cam ??that he isn't ready to discuss publicly.

"When I came to this country,?I wanted to do something positive, a legacy to leave behind." Whether his inventions find widespread adoption or not, Farooq's insatiable inventor's spirit may continue to inspire the kids in his classroom ??as well as those who encounter him through his growing portfolio.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC?News Digital. His personal website is?coldewey.cc.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/better-pencil-sharpener-inventor-dreams-erasing-lifes-annoyances-1C6340098

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Archaeologists Think Hidden Imperial Tomb May Be Too Deadly to Explore

After discovering a secret palace hidden in China's first emperor massive burial complex, Chinese technicians are nervous. Not because Qin Shi Huang's tomb is the most important archeological discovery since Tutankhamun, but because they believe his burial place is full of deadly traps that will kill any trespassers. Not to talk about deadly quantities of mercury. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/yMUPVXmUUxo/archaeologists-think-hidden-imperial-tomb-may-be-too-deadly-to-explore

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  • Feyenoord to miss Schaken for six weeks

    Amsterdam News.Net - Friday 28th December, 2012

    Dutch league title contenders Feyenoord will miss Ruben Schaken for at least six weeks because the winger needed immediate surgery on his groin, Dutch media reported. The Dutch football ...

  • Moroccans voice opposition to Dutch ?abortion ship?

    Al Arabiya - Friday 28th December, 2012

    The Dutch non-profit organization Women on Waves, which is organizing the visit, says the ship will arrive at Smir, in northern Morocco on Thursday afternoon, around 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of ...

  • Spending a night in a Dutch ice hotel

    Kuwait Times - Friday 28th December, 2012

    Published Date: December 29, 2011 It could be any standard hotel room in the quaint northeastern Dutch city of Zwolle, with a bed, a minibar, bathrobes and two pairs of slippers. Except for the ...

  • Dutch pension funds need ?firm measures? to return to satisfactory funding levels

    European Pensions - Friday 28th December, 2012

    Firm measures are necessary to bring scheme funding levels of Dutch pension funds up to the minimum required funding ratio of 105 per cent within five years, warns De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) in ...

  • Dutch pension funds sell off securities

    European Pensions - Friday 28th December, 2012

    EUR 26bn worth of securities were sold by Dutch pension funds in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to figures published by De Nederlandsche Bank. The funds carried out equities sales ...

  • Dutch tax authorities rule on landmark tax rebate for UK pension funds

    European Pensions - Friday 28th December, 2012

    UK pension funds are set to enjoy a ?100million rebate from the Dutch tax authorities following a tax ruling, says the UK branch of KPMG. The professional services provider?s test ...

  • Net worth of Dutch investment funds decreases further

    European Pensions - Friday 28th December, 2012

    The net worth of supervised Dutch investment funds fell by ?6.4bn (eight per cent) in the third quarter of 2008 (Q3 2008), with De Nederlandsche Bank attributing losses to investment ...

  • Dutch pension funds receive ?4.9bn in dividends over 11 months

    European Pensions - Friday 28th December, 2012

    Between April 2007 and March 2008, Dutch pension funds are reported as having received ?4.9bn in dividends on quoted shares, according to De Nederlandsche Bank. Pension fund holdings of ...

  • Netherlands streets ahead in use of Liability Driven Investment

    European Pensions - Friday 28th December, 2012

    Sixty-one per cent of Dutch pension funds are currently employing a Liability Driven Investment (LDI) strategy, an increase of 18 per cent on last year?s figures. Fiduciary manager SEI ...

  • Slight growth in Dutch mutual funds

    European Pensions - Friday 28th December, 2012

    Dutch mutual funds expanded their share in Dutch household investments from 54 per cent to 55 per cent in the first quarter 2008, according to De Nederlandsche Bank. The Bank said the increase ...

  • Dutch pension liabilities fall

    European Pensions - Friday 28th December, 2012

    The value of the Dutch pension funds? technical provisions stood at approximately ?493bn at year-end 2007, a drop in liabilities of ?14bn, according to De Nederlandsche Bank. ...

  • Dutch metal pension funds launch joint in SRI policy

    European Pensions - Friday 28th December, 2012

    The two Dutch pension funds for the metal industry, the ?33bn Pensioenfonds Metaalelektro (PMT) and the ?21.5bn Pensioenfonds Metaal en Techniek (PME), have launched a joint social ...

  • Source: http://www.amsterdamnews.net/index.php/sid/211650614/scat/ec440608e2050e3b

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    Love Of Family & Home: Top 10 Post of 2012

    Hey Friends!

    I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!! Can you believe it's time to take down the tree & get ready for the new year? We usually wait until after the new year to take down all of our decorations, but for whatever reason, I'm thinking about parting with them sooner this year! I'm anxious to put everything away & get my house back to normal. Anyone else with me?

    Since the end of the year is upon us, I thought I would put together a quick post to recap the top 10 posts of this year. I actually had three recipes that landed in my top 10 this year (thanks to a Pinterest Superstar friend), but decided not to include them in this recap. If you are interested in the recipes, you can easily find them on my recipe page in the navigation bar above.

    Master Bedroom Closet Makeover


    Beadboard Backsplash, Corbel Love, & A Few Kitchen Updates
    Laundry Room Makeover {Take 2}
    Tip to Keeping Cut Hydrangeas Looking Fresh
    DIY Button Covered Monogram
    My Hair....Your Questions Answered.
    My Craigslist Dresser Makeover
    Easy & Inexpensive DIY Window Boxes
    How To Paint A Rug Using Vinyl Flooring
    My Sister's House: Coat Closet Turned Entry Nook
    Thank you to all of you who support this little ole blog of mine! I am blessed to have you visit me week after week!

    I'm always looking for ways to better this site for y'all & would love to write/blog about things that you guys enjoy reading, so if you have any suggestions for what you would like to see in 2013, please leave them in the comments section below!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!! Hope you all have a great weekend.

    Wanna see more of my projects from this year?! Check out my Project Gallery by clicking HERE.

    Linking up here....
    Top DIY Projects of 2012 at Southern Hospitality
    Weekend Wrap-Up at Tatertots and Jello

    Don't Miss Out -?DIY projects, home decorating, crafts & more by checking out?my subscribe page

    Source: http://www.loveoffamilyandhome.net/2012/12/top-10-post-of-2012.html

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    Rider Strong: Engaged to Alexandra Barreto!

    Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/12/rider-strong-engaged-to-alexandra-barreto/

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    International Media Question Pakatan's Foreign Backers

    It's not just the Malaysian press that is raising questions over the foreign funding of pro-Pakatan Rakyat groups; the international media is also turning the spotlight on the Opposition in the lead up to GE 13. The latest is RT, an international English news channel broadcast from Moscow, which has questioned "the opposition's links to foreign-funders in Washington."

    "As the South-East Asian nation of Malaysia prepares for general elections, distrust of the political opposition and accusations of foreign interference have been major talking points in the political frequencies emanating from Kuala Lumpur," it said.

    In a detailed op-ed on Wednesday, RT asked: "US attempting regime change in Malaysia: Fact or fiction?"

    "In Malaysia, high-profile NGOs and media outlets have admittedly received funding from OSI (Open Society Institute) and satellite organizations of NED (US-based National Endowment for Democracy). Premesh Chandran, the CEO of the nation's most prominent alternative media outlet, Malaysiakini, is a grantee of George Soros's Open Society Foundations and launched the news organization with a $100,000 grant from the Bangkok-based Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), another organization with dubious affiliations to the US State Department.

    "Malaysiakini has come under pressure from local journalists for the lack of transparency in its financial management and hesitance in revealing the value of its shares. Additionally, Suaram, an NGO promoting human rights, has borne heavy criticism over its funding and organizational structure.

    "Senator Ezam Mohd Nor, himself a recipient of Suaram's Human Rights Award, has accused the organization of employing poor research methods and attempting to disparage the government".

    The channel's detailed analysis will make uncomfortable reading for pro-Opposition groups, including Bersih.

    "After coming under heavy scrutiny for obfuscating funding sources, Bersih coalition leader Ambiga Sreenevasan admitted that her organization receives funding from the National Democratic Institute and the Open Society Institute.

    "While Sreenevasan's organization claimed to be non-partisan and apolitical, members of Malaysia's political opposition openly endorsed the movement, and some were even present at the demonstrations," RT said.

    "As elections loom, Bersih coalition leader Ambiga Sreenavasan is already dubbing them "the dirtiest elections ever seen" ? unsurprising rhetoric from a woman being handed her talking points by the US embassy."

    Ouch. That must hurt, Ambiga.

    RT also examined the possibility of US-based groups pushing for "regime change" in Malaysia.

    "Despite Najib having good rapport with formal Western leaders, it is clear with whom the think-tank policy architects, Zionist lobbies, and foundation fellows have placed their loyalties.

    "What is ticklishly ironic about reading op-eds penned by the likes of Wolfowitz and Al Gore, and how they laud Malaysia as a progressive and moderate model Islamic state, is that they concurrently demonize its leadership and dismiss them (as) authoritarian thugs," RT pointed out.

    Despite the scaremongering and rhetoric emerging from Pakatan, RT makes it clear that the Opposition does not offer a credible alternative at all.

    "Pakatan Rakyat, the main opposition coalition pitted against the ruling party, has yet to offer a fully coherent organizational program, and if the coalition ever came to power, the disunity of its component parties and their inability to agree on fundamental policies would be enough to conjure angrier, disenchanted youth back on to the streets, in larger numbers perhaps.

    "To put it bluntly, the opposition lacks confidence from the business community and foreign investors; even the likes of JP Morgan have issued statements of concern over an opposition win," the op-ed said.

    In fact, the most pressing threat to our multicultural society is the Islamist agenda promoted by PAS, which is trying to ride rough-shod over its 'allies' DAP and PKR.

    "It should be noted that if Islamists ever wielded greater influence in Malaysia under an opposition coalition, one could imagine a sizable exodus of non-Muslim minorities and a subsequent flight of foreign capital, putting the nation's economy in a fragile and fractured state.

    "And yet, the United States has poured millions into 'democracy promotion' efforts to strengthen the influence of NGOs that distort realities and cast doubt over the government's ability to be a coherent actor," RT said.

    This shows that Pakatan and its friendly NGOs and media can no longer hide from the political agenda of their foreign backers.

    "Malaysia does not have the kind of instability that warrants overt external intervention; backing regime-change efforts may only go so far as supporting dissidents and groups affiliated with Anwar Ibrahim," the international news channel said.

    This is explosive stuff.

    RT's detailed report is timely as the country gears up for the general election. Voters will now be better informed of Pakatan's efforts to realise the political agenda of their foreign backers, and the disastrous effect this could have on our country. The battle lines in GE 13 are now clearly drawn.

    Source: http://www.thechoice.my/top-stories/63521-international-media-question-pakatans-foreign-backers

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    These Four Retailers Are On The Brink Of Death

    The Wall Street Journal:

    While 2013 will be a tough year for retailers due to the tepid economic recovery, a few in particular face a critical 12 months. Their experiences highlight the challenges facing store chains, from increasingly cautious consumers to fierce online competition.

    Read the whole story at The Wall Street Journal

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    Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/27/these-four-retailers-are-_n_2369677.html

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    Consumers, businesses brace for 'fiscal cliff' impact

    18 hrs.

    For much of this year, business managers have blamed uncertainties over the looming ?fiscal cliff? for their reluctance to pick up the pace of new hiring. ?

    As the budget?deadline nears with no deal in sight, we may be about to find out just justified those fears are.

    Without a deal, the current budget law calls for a half-trillion-dollar package of tax hikes and spending cuts that most forecasters warn would, if left in force for long, send the U.S. economy back into recession.

    Reid: Fiscal cliff failure looks likely, blames Boehner for 'dictatorship'

    After strong gains in income in November, American households will see their paychecks shrink a bit when a two-year payroll tax "holiday" expires Dec. 31. The new rate will clip?2 percent from?every dollar of wage income, or?about $20 a week for someone making the median salary of?$50,000 a?year. ?

    ?People will start to feel it fairly quickly in their paychecks,? said Ian Shepherdson, an economist at Pantheon Macroeconomic Advisers.??I don't think the economy will fall apart completely (in the short term). But we?ve seen already that business confidence is weakening and consumer confidence is weakening. So the uncertainty is a problem.?

    Small business owners are especially negative. Just five percent of them plan on adding new jobs, according to the latest monthly survey of its members by the National Federation of Independent Businesses. Only 19 percent said they plan to invest in new equipment in the next three to six months.

    The business gloom does not bode well for the U.S. economy, which already faces weak conditions on several other fronts. Export growth is slowing as a?European recession and a?slowdown in China weigh on global demand for American products and services. Growth in government spending likely will slow ? whether or not a budget deal is reached to avoid the deeper cuts already set to kick in. That leaves spending by business and consumers to keep the economy afloat.

    It remains to be seen whether businesses are holding back because of the ongoing budget battle. An alternative explanation is that business owners are hoping their can maximize profits by spending less and hiring fewer full-time?workers, instead?making do with temporary or part-time workers more or less indefinitely.

    ?That means more temporary workers, less investment in the future, lower productivity gains and a lower growth rate in the future,? said UBS economist Drew Matus. ?That?s a worst case scenario. So we all better hopes it?s the fiscal cliff causing some of these people to hold back.?

    Though hiring picked up in the second half of this year, the overall pace is far lower than typically seen more than three years into an economic recovery. Since the 2007 recession ended, the number of part-time workers who can?t get full-time work has been stuck at double the level seen when the downturn began. ?

    The spectacle of political dysfunction is likely to keep business managers in a sour mood for some?time.?

    Though the new package of tax hikes and federal spending cuts is set to begin Jan. 1, the impact of those new measures will be felt gradually. Tax hikes will be spread over a full year. Some government?agencies may postpone spending cuts in?hopes that they'll be reversed before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30. ?

    More worrisome is the pending fight over raising the debt ceiling, which will exhaust the government?s borrowing authority in February.

    Unless lawmakers agree to extend it, the Treasury faces the same threat of default that threw the budget process into chaos?in July 2011 and cost the U.S. its Triple-A credit rating. The three major bond rating agencies have already warned that failure to reach a credible deal to contain federal budgets deficits could bring yet another downgrade.

    US Treasury to take steps to avoid hitting debt ceiling

    The best case scenario has Congress returning in January to enact a compromise agreement that President Barack?Obama signs into law, lifting the pall over business and consumers and sparking a fresh spurt of economic growth.

    ?That?s sort of what happened last summer when we had the debt ceiling fiasco,? said Sheperdson. ?Things rebounded fairly quickly. But while the negotiations were going on, payroll growth rolled over. And I?m nervous that we could get something similar this time.?

    Until the budget fiasco is resolved, with businesses sitting on their hands, consumers remain the last best hope to keep the economy afloat. ?

    ?The consumer has really been holding things up,? said Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors. ?Whether its retail sales, whether it's motor vehicle sales and even the biggest sales of all, housing, the consumer has been out there.?

    Though wages have remained nearly flat since the recession ended, U.S. households have continued to pay down debt. Record lower interest rates have sparked a wave of refinanced mortgages that have plowed billions of dollars back into household budgets.

    But the protracted display of Congressional incompetence may already be weighing on consumer spending, which accounts for 70 cents of every dollar of gross domestic product. ?On Friday, the latest read on consumer confidence, from a monthly Thompson Reuters/University of Michigan survey, showed that consumer sentiment fell sharply in December. ?A private survey, released Monday, similarly showed confidence getting eroded by fiscal cliff worries.

    Without a budget deal, higher taxes will crimp consumers? spending power ? but only gradually. That?s why many economists believe the fiscal cliff is really more a like a slope.

    Naroff likens the budget deadline to a snowball that will be released Jan. 1, picking up size and force as it continues to roll down the hill.

    ?To me the biggest uncertainty in all of this ? and for which we don?t have any estimates - is what happens to confidence?? he said. ?If consumers say, ?Hey, this thing is really getting very bad, Congress doesn't know what it is doing. ?I'm cutting back.? then we could have the snowball hit on consumer spending - with weakness in the business side. And then you have a real problem.?

    Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/consumers-businesses-brace-fiscal-cliff-impact-1C7660246

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