Republican Senator McConnell rules out more taxes in fiscal fight

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Sunday ruled out raising tax revenues again on top of the tax hike on the wealthy in the "fiscal cliff" deal, and said the full focus must now be on spending cuts.

"The tax issue is finished, over, completed," the Kentucky Republican said on ABC's "This Week."

"That's behind us. Now the question is what are we going to do about the biggest problem confronting our country and our future, and that's our spending addiction."

In an another appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," McConnell said he favored tax reform, but it should not increase revenue.

McConnell said the White House should start working with Congress immediately to determine spending cuts to reduce the deficit, before the March deadline to raise the federal borrowing limit brings another fiscal crisis.

"We could do things very quickly, these are not new issues," he said on ABC.

Congress and the White House reached a deal last week in the nick of time to avoid the fiscal cliff of severe tax increases and spending cuts that many economists said could have tipped the country into recession.

But Republicans complained the deal was focused almost entirely on raising revenue through a tax increase on families making more than $450,000 a year, and did not make significant spending cuts or reduce deficits.

Asked whether Republicans would threaten a U.S. credit default in its press for spending cuts, McConnell told ABC, "It's not even necessary to get to that point. Why aren't we trying to settle the problem? Why aren't we trying to do something about reducing spending?"

(Reporting by Vicki Allen and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/republican-senator-mcconnell-rules-more-taxes-fiscal-fight-141844038--business.html

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Sir Anthony Hopkins surprises family living in his childhood home ...

OSCAR-WINNING actor Sir Anthony Hopkins surprised a couple living in his old childhood home by rocking up and offering to buy it.

The 75-year-old Silence Of The Lambs star parked up in the street outside the semi-detached home in the small village of Margram, Port Talbot during a trip down memory lane with his Columbian-born wife Stella.

But the current owner Chris Trainor spotted the showbiz couple in their chauffeur-driven car and invited them in for a cup of tea.

Anthony was given a guided tour and posed for pictures during his 30 minute stay.

He then asked if Chris would be interested in selling the ?180,000 semi.

The call centre worker was even more surprised when Anthony invited him and his family to visit him at his luxury home in Malibu, California.

Father-of-one Chris, who has a two-year-old daughter called Poppy, said: ?It is not every day you get a Hollywood A-list actor turn up on your doorstep.

Sir Anthony Hopkins

Menacing ... Sir Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in Silence Of The Lambs

?He was with his wife, niece and two security guards.

?They were looking at the house from outside so I told them to come in and made them a cup of tea.

?Sir Anthony went around the whole house and said he was born in my daughter?s bedroom.

?He said he would send us a postcard with the details of his place in LA. He said we could visit.

?He was really thrilled to have a quick look around our place - he said it made his New Year.?

Anthony spent the first 12 years of his life in the pre-war semi at Wern Road, Port Talbot, which stands just a mile from one of Britain?s biggest and ugliest steelworks.

The couple say they would love to have a trip around Anthony's multi-million pound mansion in sunny Malibu, California.

Sir Anthony Hopkins and his wife Stella Arroyave

Christmas blessing ... Sir Anthony Hopkins and his wife Stella Arroyave at the blessing of their marriage in St David Catherdral, Pembrokeshire, West Wales

Wales News Service

And they say they would consider selling their home to the movie star and his wife if they made a serious offer.

Anthony is back in the UK for the premiere of his latest film Hitchcock.

Anthony and Stella had their marriage blessed at St David?s Cathedral, Pembrokeshire, during their recent visit to his native Wales.

Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/4729317/Sir-Anthony-Hopkins-surprises-family-living-in-his-childhood-home-and-offers-to-buy-the-property.html

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Self Publishing Is Not A Trouble Free Work ? Writing and Speaking ...

Being a self publisher is not an effortless listing, it means that you will be in complete control of not only the real creating of the book yet additionally you will certainly be calling the shots on every step in the procedure of your books manufacturing.

This really isn?t meant to scare you away from self publishing your book. Equally you will certainly be able to make the choices on exactly how you desire your book offered you could likewise choose, as a self publisher, how much support you want to obtain.

Aided Self Publishing indicates that you now have the alternatives to choose from when it comes to publishing your book without the necessity of handing over the composition to a large posting stored and trusting in them to inform you exactly what is finest for you and your book.

Without the popularity recently of self publishing comes companies that provide a large assortment of alternatives to decide on, from modifying sites to printing and everything in between. In a sense it resembles selecting which packages to contribute to your satellite TELEVISION carrier?s solution. You may either decide on an all incorporating plan or you could include the items that are necessary to you as you go along.

Anybody could release a book. Essentially, the right to release is assured to you by the Free speech of the Constitution of the United States. You do not need to get a permit or register with anyone to publish a book. Nonetheless it does expense money to release a book.

Book publishing in the past was very costly however without today?s modern technology it is a lot more budget friendly. An author, in meaning, is a person who sets up the money to have something given the public. So as the author, it is going to cost something to obtain your book out to the masses.

It truly falls to you in some cases how much you are willing or able to invest on publishing your book based upon what you are capable of handling your own self and exactly what you may need a little aid with. One thing to remember is, this is your baby and even though you wish to be involved in taking your vision and delivering it to fact, there are some points at the same time that you might want to have another person take care of in order that you may generate the best finished item that you possibly could and provide your book the chance it ought to have.

If you want to know about self publishing, you may read our Self Publishing blog

Tags: self book publishing, self publishing

Source: http://writingandspeaking.flyfishing-guide.net/uncategorized/self-publishing-is-not-a-trouble-free-work/

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Source: http://ebsesa.posterous.com/self-publishing-is-not-a-trouble-free-work-wr

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Delphi and Verizon launch new connectivity system: track and monitor your vehicle through your smartphone

Delphi and Verizon announces new connectivity system to track and monitor your vehicle through your smartphone

Delphi has allied itself with Verizon to launch a new Vehicle Diagnostics service. It works through a cloud system that connects your four-wheeler to your smartphone (or internet browser), showing precisely where your car is, as well as options to secure it and check its vitals. Delphi promises the new system will work in most vehicles sold in the US since 1996 and users can pick up alerts for driving and vehicle performance issues, as well as setup geo-fences to monitor if your car goes outside specified zones. Connecting your phone to the car is done through Bluetooth and adds access to key fob commands including remote door control. The compatible smartphone app will arrive on devices running Android 2.2 or later and iOS 5.0 onwards, while the Delphi Web portal works on Internet Explorer 7, with Firefox, Chrome and Safari versions still in the works.

Continue reading Delphi and Verizon launch new connectivity system: track and monitor your vehicle through your smartphone

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/06/delphi-and-verizon-announces-new-connectivity-system-to-track-an/

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Media stocks buoyant after 'fiscal cliff' deal

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Shares of media companies rose Wednesday as fears of an advertising slowdown based on slower economic growth abated somewhat due to a deal to avert the so-called "fiscal cliff."

Movie studio owners could also benefit from a one-year extension of certain film and TV tax credits in the budget deal passed Tuesday.

But analysts said the market's reaction was driven more by relief over the broader agreement over taxes. Without it, TV networks' advertising revenues could have been hurt.

That's because the deal stopped steep income tax hikes on many Americans that would have started this year. Tax increases would likely have hurt consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity. And advertising usually tracks economic growth.

"If we went into a recession, people would be concerned about advertising," said Evercore analyst Alan Gould. "The fact that we didn't go off the cliff means advertising demand will hold up a little bit better."

In afternoon trading, media companies' stocks rose faster than the broader market.

? The Walt Disney Co. shares rose 2.3 percent to $50.93

? Time Warner Inc. shares gained 3 percent to $49.25

? News Corp. shares climbed 3.4 percent to $26.38

? Viacom Inc. shares jumped 5.5 percent to $55.64

? CBS Corp. shares were up 2.4 percent to $38.95

The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 1.8 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite increased 2.4 percent.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-01-02-US-Fiscal-Cliff-Media-Companies-Sector-Snap/id-81f74e5a61484804926055000774a4f2

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Abbas's Fatah holds first mass Gaza rally in years

GAZA (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians joined a rare rally staged by President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah group in Gaza on Friday, as tensions ease with rival Hamas Islamists ruling the enclave since 2007.

A long hiatus in peace talks between Abbas's administration and Israel has narrowed ideological differences between the two main Palestinian factions. Solidarity has deepened since Israel's Gaza assault in November, in which Hamas, though battered, declared victory against the Jewish state.

Abbas remains based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but several of his senior advisers attended Friday's march in the Gaza Strip, festooned with yellow Fatah flags rather than the green Hamas colors that have dominated such events since Hamas fighters drove Fatah from the territory in 2007.

"The message today is that Fatah cannot be wiped out," said Amal Hamad, a member of the group's ruling body. "Fatah lives, no one can exclude it and it seeks to end the division."

The demonstration marked 48 years since the secular Fatah's founding as the spearhead of the Palestinians' fight against Israel. Its longtime leader Yasser Arafat signed an interim 1993 peace accord that won Palestinians a measure of self-rule.

The hardline Hamas movement, which does not recognize Israel's right to exist, rejected the deal, but fought and won a Palestinian parliamentary election in 2006. It formed an uneasy coalition with Fatah until their violent split a year later.

Though shunned by the West, Hamas feels bolstered by the electoral gains of Islamist political movements in neighboring Egypt and elsewhere in the region - a confidence reflected in the fact Friday's Fatah demonstration was allowed to take place.

"The success of the rally is a success for Fatah, and for Hamas too," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri. "The positive atmosphere is a step on the way to regain national unity."

Egypt has long tried to broker Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, but past efforts have foundered over questions of power-sharing, control of weaponry, and to what extent Israel and other powers would accept a Palestinian administration including Hamas.

An Egyptian official told Reuters that Cairo was preparing to invite the factions for new negotiations within two weeks.

Israel fears grassroots support for Hamas could eventually topple Abbas's Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank. The Palestinians say Israel's settlement building in the occupied territory has undermined Abbas's credibility as a statesman.

"Hamas could seize control of the PA any day," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday.

(Editing by Dan Williams and Alistair Lyon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/abbass-fatah-holds-first-mass-gaza-rally-years-102117729.html

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PINK rides again to fight breast cancer - Cabinet.com

News

Friday, January 4, 2013

By JON LAVOIE

Special to the Journal

HOLLIS ? The Merrimack Sno-Buds will join the Hollis Nor?Easters on the second annual snowmobile ride to benefit breast cancer research.

Two years ago, Sue Keough had an idea to encourage more women to ride in the town of Hollis. She put together a plan and organized an introductory trail ride for women in the area. Keough, the secretary for The Hollis Nor?Easters, enlisted the help of the club to groom and prepare for the ride. Many local women joined the ride ? more than expected ? and had a great time. Keough said the abundant interest by women could be put to good use in the future, and the ?PINK RIDE? was born.

The PINK RIDE is a snowmobile ride to raise money for breast cancer research. Keough discovered that her club?s local hospital, St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua, had a breast care center and they were happy to help and pointed her in the right direction. From there, Keough did the rest with a little help from her friends. She put together an information sheet and a sponsor sheet. Her plan was to have her large following of female riders gather donations and sponsors, collect the donations, and give all proceeds to the hospital?s breast care center.

Little did Keough know that after all of her hard work and effort, that southern New Hampshire would have one of the worst snowfall total winters in history. In the days leading up to the PINK RIDE, there was literally no snow on the ground. The PINK RIDE seemed doomed. A benefit solely planned around a snowmobile ride, with no snow to ride on. But the good in people always seems to shine through in times of difficulty.

Keough put a twist on the ride name and decided to informally call it, ?The little PINK RIDE that could.? She announced that the ride would now be a walk.

The riders would instead walk the very route they were planning to ride, and much to her surprise, everyone joined her.

On the day of ?The little PINK RIDE that could,? each participant showed up at the PINK RIDE starting point, and a check for over $3,000 was handed to representatives from St. Joseph Hospital.

The ride/walk went as planned and the PINK RIDE was cemented as a mainstay in Hollis Nor?Easter lore.

This season?s PINK RIDE will take place Saturday, Feb. 9.

The ride leaves from Silver Lake State Park in Hollis and will feature a ride through a brand new trail cut by the Hollis Nor?Easters this past off season called the Vista Trail.

There is a lot of interest from neighboring clubs and club members to participate this year.

The Brookline Icebreakers, Merrimack Sno-Buds, and the Wilton Lyndeborough Winter Wanderers will join the cause and encourage their members to join, too.

The riders will be welcomed back from the ride with a large winter cookout at the park.

If you are not located in the area but are interested in donating to the PINK RIDE, you can do so through the Nor?Easters? website, www.noreasters.org/pink_ride.html. The link provides a Pay Pal, a secure way to donate directly to the cause.

For more information contact Sue Keough, Hollis Nor?Easters, at www.noreasters.org or email to skeough@bentleymnge group.com.

? Jon Lavoie,
member of the
Hollis Nor?Easters

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Source: http://www.cabinet.com/merrimackjournal/merrimacknews/989099-308/pink-rides-again-to-fight-breast-cancer.html

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No deal yet on Illinois pension fix: state House speaker

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A fix for Illinois' public pension crisis remained elusive on Saturday after a meeting between Democratic Governor Pat Quinn and legislative leaders failed to produce a deal.

State House of Representatives Speaker Michael Madigan, a Democrat, said that it was still possible to reach a deal in time to be voted on early next week by the Legislature.

"There's no resolution today. We're going to continue to work throughout the weekend and right through Tuesday of next week to try and move legislation that will solve this funding problem of Illinois pension systems," Madigan told reporters following the meeting.

The House has scheduled a Sunday-through-Tuesday lame-duck session ahead of the start of a new legislative session on Wednesday. Quinn has been pushing the Democratic-controlled Legislature to pass pension reforms before the new session begins.

Illinois' finances are buckling under the weight of a huge $96 billion unfunded pension liability that is rapidly siphoning off money needed for essential state services such as healthcare and public safety.

The lack of a pension fix has led to downgrades of Illinois' credit ratings, with Moody's Investors Service warning last month it could drop Illinois below the current A2 rating, the lowest among the states it rates.

A potential breakthrough on a pension fix surfaced on Friday when Quinn announced that Madigan had agreed to defer until a later date a measure to gradually shift state payments for teacher pensions onto local school districts. Republican lawmakers were concerned the move would lead to local property tax hikes.

Madigan on Saturday said that will lead to a partial pension fix, leaving lawmakers to deal mainly with benefit levels. The Teachers' Retirement System, which includes educators in the state outside of the Chicago Public Schools, is the largest of the five state pension funds and accounts for the lion's share of the unfunded liability.

Legislative leaders discussed a series of steps aimed at fully funding the pension system in 30 years, including boosting worker contributions, raising retirement ages and limiting cost-of-living adjustments for retirees.

But differences of opinion remained about the structure and, ultimately, the constitutionality of the bill. Public labor union officials have warned they will go to court to fight pension changes and they are confident they will prevail given strong protections for pension benefits in the Illinois Constitution.

" The question is can you bring these all together and get a bill that can pass and be signed by the governor," Madigan said.

The governor did not make any statements after the meeting. A spokeswoman said he would continue to push for a deal until the last moments of the lame-duck session.

"We still want to see pension reform done by January 9. We're going to be working on it every hour up until that time. Progress has been made, but no deal yet, no solid agreement yet," said Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson. (Additional reporting by Karen Pierog; Editing by Will Dunham and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/no-deal-yet-illinois-pension-fix-state-house-212352529.html

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