Saturday, December 31, 2011

Amazon marks 'best holiday' for Kindle devices, fills stockings full of cash

It was yet another solid year for Amazon's Kindle family of products. The mega online retailer sent out its yearly post-Christmas card, bragging about moving "well over one million Kindle devices per week" for December, making it the best holiday yet for the e-reader / tablet line, according to the company. Three Kindles held the top spots on the site's list of best sellers, led by the Fire, the Touch and the plain old fourth generation Kindle. No exact numbers from Amazon, as per usual, but it looks to have been a pretty green Christmas for Bezos and co. Jingle all the way to the celebratory press release after the jump.

Continue reading Amazon marks 'best holiday' for Kindle devices, fills stockings full of cash

Amazon marks 'best holiday' for Kindle devices, fills stockings full of cash originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/5_d-wtECetI/

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Executive change at ABC's 'This Week'

NEW YORK (AP) ? After bringing back George Stephanopoulos to replace Christiane Amanpour on Sunday's "This Week" political talk show, ABC is making a change behind the scenes as well.

The network's news president, Ben Sherwood, said Friday that Jon Banner will replace Rick Kaplan as the show's executive producer. Banner was a longtime producer of "World News" before taking on a wider role recently at ABC News.

Sherwood says Kaplan will produce ABC's New Hampshire primary and offer a "critical voice" in news and election coverage later.

"This Week" has been sinking in the ratings behind NBC and CBS, and Stephanopoulos agreed to come back to the show while continuing as co-anchor of "Good Morning America" during the week.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2011-12-30-ABC-This%20Week/id-961cc911a6d04e7b9a8221ba9064be2b

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Friday, December 30, 2011

UFC 141: Yahoo! Sports and Heavy present Fight Day live

UFC 141: Yahoo! Sports and Heavy present Fight Day live

The UFC's only official pre-fight show returns when Fight Day comes to you live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the host of Saturday's UFC 141 event. Hosts Dave Farra and Megan Olivi will guide you through the latest news of the week. Top MMA journalists will help Farra break down all of the action from UFC 141, including the huge main event between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem. UFC stars will also stop by the Fight Day set for exclusive interviews. Tune in at 6 p.m. ET!

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-141-Yahoo-Sports-and-Heavy-present-Fight-D?urn=mma-wp11179

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Donald Cerrone interview: After nasty exchange, he?s hell bent on ruining Nate Diaz?s holiday season

Donald Cerrone isn't very big on Christmas and definitely not a fan being insulted. After an October run-in with Nate Diaz, it makes for the perfect blizzard of punches, knees and kicks next week at UFC 14.

Before UFC 137, there was no history between Cerrone and Diaz, until the younger half of the infamous Diaz brothers pulled a trick from his bag of anger.

During the workouts before UFC 137, Diaz was speaking Leonard Garcia, one of Cerrone's teammates at Jackson's MMA in Albuquerque.

"Leonard was over there talking with the dude, so I said 'oh, [expletive] I'll go over there.' They were laughing and joking around. I walked over and said 'what's up Nate, I'm 'Cowboy.' He slapped my hand away and called me a punk-ass [expletive]," Cerrone told ESPNRadio1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas (NSFW). "He told me to get on. I don't know what his point [was]. I guess he doesn't want to be cordial."

Cerrone is slightly volatile and likes to fight. You need some major cojones to start something with him. There was a brief second there something bad was set to go down.

"I was getting ready to fight. Then he walked away. He just took off after that. It caught me by surprise," said Cerrone. "Don't know anything about the guy. I think they just wake up pissed off all the time for no reason. It just seems like they're always mad. Whatever he does to get his mind ready for the fight that must be it," said Cerrone.

If you think Cerrone is going to let it slide, you're dead wrong. He brought it even stronger during an interview on "Countdown to UFC 141" saying Diaz messed with the wrong guy.

"If you want to talk [expletive] to me, you're just gonna enrage me and piss me off," said Cerrone. "So feed my [expletive] flame. That's what I say. Let's go!"

At Cerrone's last fight, a dominant win over Denis Siver at UFC 137, he again got to witness the Diaz brothers' madness first hand as Nick ranted and raved about everything under the sun.

"I was exploding into laughter on some of the comments. I was waiting for someone to take the mic away from him, like 'that's enough before you completely ruin yourself. That'll be enough out of you.' I was just surprised he kept going on about compensation and no one knew what the [expletive] he was talking about," said Cerrone.

As far as Christmas goes, Cerrone is planning on hitting the road in the morning to drive from Albuquerque to Las Vegas. Cerrone, who's picked up $225,000 in post-fight bonuses this year, bought himself an early Christmas gift, an $80,000 RV.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Donald-Cerrone-interview-After-nasty-exchange-?urn=mma-wp11049

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New York Times: College Football Is In Crisis, What With The Resume Padding And Child Rape And Things Like That [Journalismism]

New York Times: College Football Is In Crisis, What With The Resume Padding And Child Rape And Things Like ThatToday's New York Times writes up the resignation of Yale football coach Tom Williams, caught in a resume-padding scandal after he claimed to have been a former Rhodes Scholarship finalist. A two-bylined investigation by the Times in November, as Yale quarterback Patrick Witt was dropping out of the Rhodes process so he wouldn't miss the Harvard game, found no evidence that Williams had applied for a Rhodes at all. That prompted an internal inquiry at Yale, which led to Williams stepping down.

The Times rehashed the Rhodes investigation today, and added that further reporting had also contradicted Williams's claim that he had briefly been a non-playing free-agent addition to the San Francisco 49ers roster. "Caught in lies," the headline said. The text likewise called Williams's Rhodes story a "lie." (For comparison, in 2004, while debunking the Bush Administration's case that Iraq had an active nuclear-weapons program, the Newspaper of Record called the administration's claims "largely one-sided" and wrote that officials had failed to "convey the depth of evidence" contradicting them. )

Then the Times dropped back to put the whole Williams scandal in context:

Witt's story gained attention just as the child sexual abuse scandal fully engulfed Penn State. Jerry Sandusky, a longtime top assistant to Joe Paterno, had been charged with molesting young boys over many years. Paterno, who had failed to act aggressively when alerted years ago that Sandusky had been seen assaulting a child on Penn State property, was soon fired.

The Penn State scandal, at the time, was only the latest and worst in a series of embarrassments for college football programs. The University of Miami was placed under investigation this fall after it was reported that a convicted swindler had deeply infiltrated the football team, with cash and favors. Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel lost his job, in part for failing to report and later lying about a scandal involving his players.

Padding your resume?a football tradition going back to Vince Lombardi, at least?is the same kind of thing as raping children. Giving athletes cash and favors? Also like raping children. Free tattoos? Child rape. In case you were wondering what we mean when we talk about the toy morality of the people who cover college sports, there you have it.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/deadspin/excerpts/~3/8_DPWAiz_bY/new-york-times-college-football-is-in-crisis-what-with-the-resume-padding-and-child-rape-and-things-like-that

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Friday, December 23, 2011

Russia's NATO envoy appointed to government (AP)

MOSCOW ? President Dmitry Medvedev has appointed Russia's envoy to NATO as deputy prime minister in charge of military procurement.

Dmitry Rogozin promised the president that he would use an "iron hand" to fight the deeply entrenched corruption that has undermined efforts to provide new weapons to Russia's armed forces.

The military prosecutor said this year that about 20 percent of the military budget was stolen by corrupt officials and contractors.

Rogozin, a nationalist politician and former parliament member, was posted to Brussels in early 2008 as Russia's envoy to the Western alliance.

Medvedev appointed him to the government position on Friday. Rogozin replaces Sergei Ivanov, who on Thursday took up a new post as Kremlin chief of staff.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111223/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_military

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Amazon Updates Kindle App for iPad/iPhone/iPod touch

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.mobiletechreview.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Board=news&Number=41860

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Thursday, December 22, 2011

Brand New Retro: Yamaha?s THR Amps Pack High Tech Into Old-Style Boxes

I’ve always loved the look of classic guitar amps, from the signature criss-cross speaker grilles of Vox through the classic Marshall stack to the old Fenders which look like your grandmother’s radio. And now Yamaha’s new THR range adds high-tech to arguably one of the best looking case-designs around.
There are two amps, the THR5 and [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/k_0OtxENCeg/

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Monday, December 19, 2011

Peru judge grants Berenson NY holiday (AP)

LIMA, Peru ? A Peruvian court has ruled that paroled U.S. activist Lori Berenson and her toddler son can travel to New York for the holidays, she and her father confirmed on Friday.

A three-judge appeals court on Wednesday overturned a lower court judge's ruling denying Berenson permission to travel, said Guillermo Gonzalez, spokesman for Peru's judicial system. He said she could leave the country from Dec. 16 to Jan. 11.

"I'm very glad that Peru is respecting its laws and human rights," Berenson's father, Mark, told The Associated Press by phone from Manhattan. "As Lori says, if she doesn't come home, let Interpol arrest her."

"She is not trying to ever break the law again," he added.

If she doesn't return to Peru by Jan. 11, the country's government could seek her extradition and return her to prison for violating parole, Gonzalez said.

Lori Berenson was paroled last year after serving 15 years for aiding leftist rebels, but she cannot leave Peru permanently until her sentence ends in 2015.

Her father said he is "petrified" a negative local reaction to the New York visit could prevent the trip, including celebrating his 70th birthday Dec. 29.

"My worry is that there's going to be screaming to stop this," he said. Some Peruvians consider her a terrorist, opposed her parole and have publicly insulted her on the street.

He said that as far as he knew, his 42-year-old daughter was still trying to buy a ticket for herself and son Salvador, who is 2 1/2.

"It's not going to be easy," he said. Flights are heavily booked and prices high at this time of year.

Reached by the AP, Lori Berenson confirmed her court permission but added by text message: "I am not speaking to the press."

She has been repeatedly hounded and mobbed by Peruvian news media, which has occasionally frightened young Salvador. Last month, one TV channel obtained her new address and showed video of her home on television, her father said.

"It was very dangerous," he added. "The (U.S.) Embassy complained."

"It's just not fair to Salvador or to her," he said. "They used her like she's a celebrity and she just wants to be a low-profile person and get on with her life and be a good citizen."

He said he would appeal to President Ollanta Humala to send his daughter home.

Humala could by law commute her sentence but has not indicated whether he might do so. The AP sought to reach a presidential palace spokesman for comment but its calls were not immediately returned.

Lori Berenson is separated from Salvador's father, Anibal Apari, whom she met in prison and who serves as her lawyer. He told the AP he signed documents letting her travel with the child.

Mark Berenson said his daughter is looking forward to seeing relatives she hasn't met since her 20s, including his 96-year-old aunt, and that he wants his grandson, who loves trees, see the New York Botanical Garden's holiday display.

Since her initial parole in May 2010, Lori Berenson repeatedly regret for aiding the rebel Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement.

Arrested in 1995, the former MIT student was accused of helping the rebels plan an armed takeover of Congress, an attack that never happened.

A military court convicted her the following year and sentenced her to life in prison for sedition. But after intense U.S. government pressure, she was retried in civil courts in 2001 and sentenced to 20 years for terrorist collaboration.

Berenson was unrepentant at the time of her arrest, but softened during years of sometimes harsh prison conditions, eventually being praised as a model prisoner.

Yet she is viewed by many as a symbol of the 1980-2000 rebel conflict that claimed some 70,000 lives. The fanatical Maoist Shining Path movement did most of the killing, while Tupac Amaru was a lesser player.

Berenson has acknowledged helping the rebels rent a safe house, where authorities seized a cache of weapons. But she insists she didn't know guns were being stored there. She denies ever belonging to Tupac Amaru or engaging in violent acts.

In an interview with the AP last year, Berenson said she was deeply troubled at having become Peru's "face of terrorism."

Its most famous prisoner, she also became a politically convenient scapegoat, she said.

___

Associated Press writer Martin Villena contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_peru_lori_berenson

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Sunday, December 18, 2011

ECB's Stark discusses resignation

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) ? A top European Central Bank official has publicly discussed the reasons for his surprise resignation, saying he is not satisfied with the direction Europe's currency union has taken.

Juergen Stark said in an interview in Monday's edition of Germany's Wirtschaftswoche magazine that the ECB had done its job by keeping inflation under control across the eurozone, which it does through adjusting interest rates.

But he said some governments had tolerated excessive wage costs and unsustainable real estate booms that preceded today's debt crisis.

Stark is leaving at the end of the year, 2 1/2 years before the end of his eight-year term on the bank's six-member executive board. The council runs the bank day-to-day at its Frankfurt heaquarters, while interest rate decisions are taken by the broader 23-member government council, on which Stark also sits.

Stark was quoted as saying that "there is a broad theme that serves as the reason for this: that I am not satisfied with the way this currency union has developed."

Stark said the ECB had done its part by keeping inflation under control but could not be expected to clean up policy mistakes by individual governments that ran up too much debt or let their economies become uncompetitive through high labor costs.

"Don't overburden the central bank," he said.

He said governments should have avoided financial trouble by reining in labor costs. Stark was quoted as saying governments also failed to rein in excessive real estate booms that collapsed and contributed to the eurozone debt crisis. He didn't mention individual countries but wage costs rose in Greece, hampering the economy and state finances, and Ireland and Spain had debt-fueled real estate booms that collapsed.

The ECB earlier said Stark was leaving at year-end for personal reasons.

Analysts have said he appears to have left because of opposition to the European Central Bank's program to buy government bonds. But Stark was not quoted in the interview as mentioning the bond purchase program.

The purchases lower the borrowing costs faced by indebted governments such as Italy and Spain. High borrowing costs are threatening to leave them unable to be able to borrow anew to pay off bonds that are maturing, resulting in a disastrous default that would shake the eurozone and global economy.

The bank and its President Mario Draghi have said the program is limited and only aimed at steering interest rates, and that governments must reform their finances and not wait for a central bank bailout.

Stark repeated his longstanding opposition to calls for the ECB to sharply increase the bond purchases through its power to create new money. He said that would violate the prohibition in the EU treaty on the ECB using its monetary powers to finance governments, although it is a step that the U.S. Federal Reserve has been allowed to take.

Stark dismissed calls by "real or self-styled experts" to use the "big bazooka" of printing money. "It is a fundamental arrangmenet of a currency union that the monetary financing of state debts through the ECB is not permitted," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-12-18-EU-Europe-Financial-Crisis/id-62de0d78f8134b54a6f3af1213540e04

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Actor Christian Bale Refused Access to Blind Legal Activist Chen

One of the stories that is getting a lot of press today concerns Chen Guangcheng, a Chinese legal activist, who is blind and is currently under house arrest in China.

United States actor, Christian Bale, famous for his role in Batman, recently was in China for the premier of his newest film, The Flowers of War, and attempted to visit Chen because he wanted to shake his hand and tell him what an inspiration he has been to him. During Bale's attempt to meet the imprisoned activist, accompanied by CNN, Bale was denied access and "roughed up" - according to many news reports. Please keep Chen Guangcheng in your prayers and also his family. He has been used mightily to expose the one child policy in China and has suffered brutally at the hands of his captors. Click here to read an older report about Chen at China Aid. Read more: Here

Source: http://www.persecutionblog.com/2011/12/actor-christian-bale-refused-access-to-blind-legal-activist-chen-guangcheng.html

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Saturday, December 17, 2011

BlackBerry 10 superphones not arriving until late 2012

RIM announced their Q3 2011 results today, including the bloodbath that is PlayBook sales, and clusterfrak that is BlackBerry 10 superphones not being available until late 2012. RIM needs to either get it together and become the competition we sorely need, or hope their stock drops low...


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/m94djDvruBY/story01.htm

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Are married people 'nearly a minority'? (The Week)

New York ? According to new Pew Research numbers, fewer Americans than ever before are saying "I do"

The proportion of adults in the United States who are married has plummeted to a record low, according to new data released by the Pew Research Center. Just 51 percent of Americans are bound by matrimony, making married people "nearly a minority." What's behind the shifting stats? Here, a guide:

This is a record low?
Yes. The proportion of Americans who are married has been falling precipitously. While in 1960, 72 percent were married, by 2000, that statistic was only 57 percent, says Carol Morello at The Washington Post. The decline has been especially sharp in recent years. Between 2009 and 2010 alone, the rate declined by five percent. Also significant: Over 40 percent of adults under the age of 30 view marriage as an anachronistic institution. "They see it as an obsolete social environment," says Pew researcher D'Vera Cohn. Even people who say they want to get married are less likely to take the plunge.

SEE MORE: The dating site that pairs singles by what's in their fridges

?

What's the reason for the drop?
A number of factors are at play. For one, the median age at which people get married for the first time is at an all-time high: 26.5 for brides and 28.7 for grooms. This tendency to delay marriage means that only 20 percent of adults aged 18 to 29 are married today, compared to almost 60 percent in 1960. The stagnant economy has also exacerbated the drop, says Greg Howard at Slate. More people than ever ? 7.5 million ? are living together out of wedlock, an increase of 13 percent in just one year. "In many cases, the two couldn't afford to maintain two homes, so they shacked up without tying the knot."

Is marriage doomed?
Not quite. A majority of those who are unmarried ? 61 percent ? still want to get married, "even some of those who don't have a very rosy view of the institution," says Belinda Luscombe at TIME. Nearly half of those who think that "marriage is becoming obsolete" still aspire to marriage at some point. Furthermore, marriage is going strong in some social spheres. "Most college graduates will marry, eventually," says Morello. Two-thirds of those with degrees are currently married.

SEE MORE: 72 years together: The couple who died holding hands

?

Could this dip be a good thing?
Perhaps, says Luscombe. These statistics may not signal the end of marriage entirely, but instead "the end of fewer marriages." Arguably, people "are being more judicious before they jump into a binding lifelong contract" while marriage is "losing its status as a social obligation." That "probably means fewer divorces."

Sources: BBC, Gawker, Slate, TIME, Wash. Post

SEE MORE: The pillow that makes long-distance relationships less lonely

?

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20111214/cm_theweek/222465

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Friday, December 16, 2011

Russian customs seize Iran-bound radioactive metal (AP)

MOSCOW ? Russia's customs agency says it has seized radioactive metal from the luggage of a passenger bound for Tehran.

The Federal Customs Service said in a statement that its agents found 18 pieces of metal Friday at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport after a radiation alert went on. It says the gauges showed that normal radiation levels were exceeded by 20 times.

The customs agency said prosecutors have launched a probe into the incident.

The Interfax news agency says the pieces contained Sodium-22, a radioactive isotope of sodium that could only be produced at a nuclear reactor.

Sodium-22 is a positron-emitting isotope with a remarkably long half-life.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_sc/eu_russia_iran

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HBT: Darvish winner might not be revealed until Tuesday

The?Hokkaido Nippon-Ham?Fighters were presented with the winning bid in the Yu Darvish sweepstakes on Wednesday. But it could be another several days before they reveal that information to the world.

According to CBS Sports? Danny Knobler, the Fighters have until next Tuesday to accept the bid and reveal the winning team, and they?re likely to use that entire period of time. So unless there?s a leak, we?ll continue to play the waiting game.

Indications are that the Yankees, Blue Jays, Rangers and Cubs made bids for the 25-year-old Japanese right-hander and that the?Rays,?Angels,?Twins,?Orioles,?Red Sox,?Reds,?Marlins,?Mets,?Giants and?Athletics did not. As for the other 16 major league teams ? well, we just don?t know.

Darvish posted a superb 18-7 record, 1.44 ERA and 276/36 K/BB ratio in 232 innings this past year for the Fighters. He had a 1.99 career ERA in seven total Nippon Professional Baseball seasons.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/15/yu-darvish-winner-might-not-be-revealed-until-next-week/related/

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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Dems: IG probing NLRB allegations (Politico)

An investigation has been opened into whether a Republican member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) received improper enticements to resign and incapacitate the agency, according to Democrats on the House Education and the Workforce Committee.

?We understand that the [NLRB] Inspector General has opened his own investigation into these matters, apparently based on information he has received, and we will await the results of that investigation,? Aaron Albright, a spokesperson for the Democrats on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, told POLITICO in a statement.

Continue Reading

Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the ranking member on the committee, had previously suggested Brian Hayes, the only Republican member currently serving on the NLRB, may have received ?private requests? to resign in order to incapacitate the board and prevent it from passing new labor regulations, potentially favorable to unions and Democrats.

?I am concerned that any decision to resign prematurely will be the result of objectionable motives or improper influence,? wrote Miller in a statement two weeks ago.

The Inspector General?s office would not confirm or deny whether an investigation is ongoing due to privacy concerns but said it is aware of the allegations.

?Dave Berry, Inspector General of the National Labor Relations Board, confirmed that his office is aware of allegations concerning possible enticements offered to Board Member Brian Hayes to resign his position. The allegations that were raised would naturally concern an Inspector General at any agency. However, the NLRB?s Inspector General does not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation,? NLRB spokesperson Nancy Cleeland told POLITICO.

Hayes is one of three members of the NLRB, and the only Republican. Since the NLRB requires three members to function, his resignation would have stalled new regulations which Republicans have opposed.

Last Wednesday, Hayes announced at an NLRB meeting that he would not quit. ?It is not my nature to be obstructionist,? he said. ?I believe resignation would cause the very same harm and collateral damage to the reputation of this agency.?

The Obama administration has been having problems confirming new members to the NLRB board, an agency which Republicans currently view with suspicion.

One of the two Democratic members of the NLRB, Craig Becker, had his Senate confirmation shot down in early 2010, forcing the Obama administration to recess-appoint him in March 2010.

However, Becker?s appointment will expire when the Senate adjourns for recess near the end of this year, denying the NLRB the minimum three members required for quorum.

As such, there is pressure on the NLRB to move forward with a contentious new labor rule that Republicans and business groups allege would restrict the ability of employers to bring concerns about union elections to the agency. Democrats argue that the rule will eliminate unnecessary delays between when employees file for a vote on whether to start a union and the day those votes are cast.

Last Wednesday?s meeting led to a 2-1 vote, split on party lines, that moved the rule forward to be drafted into final language.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories1211_69819_html/43813755/SIG=11mntkuda/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/69819.html

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Ind. Gov. Daniels says state found untouched $300M (AP)

INDIANAPOLIS ? Indiana's governor announced Tuesday that state officials have found $300 million that went untouched even as lawmakers made deep cuts to education and slashed vacant government jobs while it weathered the Great Recession.

Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels said the money was collected but never transferred to the state's general spending account, which lawmakers use to allocate funds to various programs and departments. While Daniels tried to downplay the discovery, Indiana Democrats called for investigations into how an administration sometimes held up by Republicans as a model for the rest of the U.S. could misplace so much money.

"This is a very serious error and the governor himself, he needs to launch an investigation into why this happened," said state Rep. Scott Pelath, a Democrat from Michigan City who is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Daniels said the administration was looking into how the money went unaccounted for so long, but he also tried to minimize the amount that went untouched by comparing it to the state's entire yearly budget, which is about $14 billion.

But Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Luke Kenley, a Republican from Noblesville, noted that adding just $120 million to the state coffers would be almost equivalent to opening two new racinos, which are horse racetracks with slot machines. Kenley said he hasn't had much time yet to ponder how such a large sum of money could go missing.

"I was so glad to see the money I guess I haven't worried about that part much," he said.

The issue arose in the state's e-filing tax system for companies. Money collected through that system wasn't moved to the general spending account. The problem started in the 2007 budget year and wasn't found until after the end of the 2011 fiscal year.

As more companies started using the e-filing system, the amount of money that went untouched increased. The amount missed in the first year was a relatively minute $4.7 million, but by the most recent budget the state had left untouched $140 million in corporate tax receipts ? an amount equivalent to roughly 10 percent of expected collections.

An auditor in the Indiana Department of Revenue discovered the problem late last month while tracking a $25,000 tax check through the state's tax collection system.

Daniels said he had chalked up reduced tax collections to wild fluctuations in corporate profits during the recession.

In the last two years, lawmakers have cut education spending by $300 million. But the state also has been able to build a $1.2 billion nest egg ? one of the reasons Republicans both in Indiana and nationally sometimes hold up the state as an example of fiscal responsibility and proper management.

"This wasn't just an accounting error. Children got hurt by this, families have suffered. And it all could have been avoided," Senate Minority Leader Vi Simpson, a Democrat from Bloomington, said in a statement.

Daniels didn't say whether he thought the money should be spent or banked, which would trigger automatic taxpayer refunds under a plan he pushed through the Legislature earlier this year.

___

Tom LoBianco can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/tomlobianco

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111207/ap_on_re_us/us_indiana_found_money

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Sunday, December 4, 2011

American Idol News: Season 11 Premiere Announced, Grammy Nods For 3 Former Idols

Some American Idol news to update you on today…FOX has announced its mid-season lineup. We now know when Season 11 will premiere! Also, three Idol alums were nominated for Grammys. Can you guess who? Get the deets below! All three of last season’s judges return – Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez as well as host Ryan Seacrest. They will grace our TV screens beginning Wednesday, January 18th from 8:00 to 10:00 PM EST and Thursday, January 19th from 8:00 to 9:00 PM EST when Season 11 of the widely popular singing competition premieres. Additionally, AI will be broadcast again on Sunday, January 22nd at approximately 10:00 PM EST after a nice lead in from the NFC Championship Game. Whew, AI overload! Looking forward to it though…been going through withdrawals!! Three American Idol alums were recognized by the Recording Academy last night. Carrie Underwood’s ‘Mama’s Song’ was nominated in the Best Country Solo Performance category, going up against Blake Shelton’s ‘Honey Bee’, Taylor Swift’s ‘Mean’, Martina McBride’s ‘I’m Gonna Love You Through It’, and Jason Aldean’s ‘Dirt Road Anthem’. Speaking of Aldean, his duet with Kelly Clarkson (‘Don’t You Wanna Stay’) was nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. They [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/nyEMFVmnkM0/

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San Jose's $100,000 pension club is rapidly growing (San Jose Mercury News)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/169522858?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Friday, December 2, 2011

Boehner says payroll tax cut good for economy (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The top Republican in Congress said on Thursday that extending a payroll tax cut for workers would boost the U.S. economy, putting himself at odds with members of his party who are skeptical of its benefits.

Minutes after declaring "I'm not an economist. I don't know what kind of impact it's going to have," Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner said renewal of the tax cut would be economically beneficial.

"I don't think there is any question that the payroll tax relief, in fact, helps the economy, in allowing more Americans ... to keep more of their money," Boehner said when pressed by reporters.

Boehner's comments, quickly welcomed by the White House, were in sharp contrast to what members of his party were saying just days ago.

Many Republican lawmakers are skeptical that extending the tax cut beyond this year will help job creation and say it will have only a temporary effect on the economy.

The White House, investment banks and some economists have warned in recent days that U.S. economic growth could suffer in 2012 if the cuts are allowed to expire.

Until earlier this week, Republicans had been lukewarm to extending the payroll tax cut, but they have come under political pressure to do so in advance of the 2012 presidential and congressional elections.

"Republicans have finally felt the heat of doing something about the payroll tax cut," said House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

But Boehner said his party was sticking to its demand that the tax cut be paid for and not add to the country's $15 trillion debt.

Obama has proposed a tax increase on wealthy Americans, but Republicans have rejected that, saying it would hurt business owners who generate jobs.

White House spokesman Jay Carney called it progress that Boehner backed extension, but he rejected a Senate Republican plan to pay for it as an "unbalanced approach."

Senate Republicans offered a plan on Wednesday to cover the projected $120 billion cost of extending the tax cut. It would continue a pay freeze for federal workers through 2015 and gradually reduce the federal workforce by 10 percent.

The Senate could begin voting as early as Thursday evening on competing funding plans by Democrats and Republicans. Both proposals will likely fail, triggering intensive negotiations on a compromise.

Without congressional action by December 31, the payroll tax that workers pay would revert to 6.2 percent, up from the current, temporary 4.2 percent tax. On average, it would cost American families about $1,000 a year.

(Additional reporting by Donna Smith, Rachelle Younglai and Caren Bohan; Editing by Ross Colvin and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111201/pl_nm/us_usa_tax_boehner

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How Do I Market My Small Business?

If you?ve ever asked yourself the question above, then this small business roundup is for you. You?ve got a great product or service in place, but how do you get customers to learn more about it and about you and your company? Marketing may not be as hard as you think and there are plenty of tools and a lot of advice to help you along the way.

Social Media

Survey says: Small business finally using social media. A recent study shows a significant shift in the use of social media as a marketing tool for small business. Check out some of the interesting numbers as small business seems to be finally adapting to the social Web in a big way. MarketWatch

Facebook remains the platform of choice. Small businesses still swear by Facebook as their main social media marketing outlet saying it is still more effective than all other alternatives. You can check out a graph showing the breakdown of social media channels as well. eMarketer

More Data

Series of surveys show increased acceptance/effectiveness of social media. Paul Gillin has this roundup of surveys all showing that the time has come for social media marketing in general. Though the Constant Contact survey is the one most sited in connection with SMBs, there is some other data here to confirm the trend. Business2Community

Check out the full Constant Contact survey here. Check out the rest of the data in this survey released in time for this past Small Business Saturday. The Fall 2011 Attitudes and Outlooks Survey has plenty of insight of interest to your small business. Constant Contact

Email

Is email really dead? Though it may be the last tool you think about in your marketing tool box, e-mail should not be counted out. Check out the infographic below and follow our link for a version you can share. VisibleGains

Is Email Dead? [Infographic]

Book Shelf

Google + for Dummies. Susan Payton takes us on a guided tour of?the newest social media frontier with a review of this new guide to Google +. If you?ve been slow to get started, join the club, but understand the value for your business. Small Business Trends

Mobile

SMBs prepare to invest in mobile. Though a survey may show small business still lags behind in the use of mobile marketing, other data points to the fact that mobile marketing may soon be on the increase among small businesses. ZDNet

Why mobile could be key to last minute sales. Not only can mobile marketing provide a compliment to your social media campaign, it can also provide important boosts where needed to generate sales on Holidays and at other special times. Venture Beat

Advice

Tips when designing your marketing plan. When coming up with a marketing plan for your small business?in the new?year, don?t forget these five important points. Your marketing plan should be the key to?bringing in more clients and customers. Be sure you get your?it right.?SFGate

Other Tools

Project Rev 2012 offers marketing advice/tools. A?new project focuses on?delivering marketing?advice and tools to 10 specially selected small business owners?and entrepreneurs in an effort to help them find more customers. Business Wire

Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/12/how-do-i-market-my-small-business.html

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Monday, November 28, 2011

Video: Euro Debt Crisis & U.S. Markets

A look at the European market rally and discussing whether the ECB will announce the amount of debt they will buy, with Marchel Alexandrovich, Jefferies International and Maury Harris, UBS Investment Research.

Related Links:

Business & financial news headlines from msnbc.com

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/45460565/

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