Berlusconi's party denies tried to bring down Monti

Well, this is nice. Though the marriage was called off once in 2011, it seems that 86-year-old Hugh Hefner and his 26-year-old fianc?e, Playboy's Miss December 2009 Crystal Harris, are finally going to tie the knot at the end of this month. Yes, the couple went and got their marriage license in Beverly Hills and have set the date for New Year's Eve, which will be festive, because Hugh will already be dressed up like Father Time, as is his duty every year. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/berlusconis-party-denies-tried-bring-down-monti-181812583--business.html

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Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church stages living nativity

Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church will once again be presenting Bethlehem Experience, a drive-through, living nativity from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7 and Saturday, Dec. 8.

This gift to the community will take place on church grounds, located at 11042 Sunrise Drive. Come experience a 1st century village, talk with Roman soldiers, watch live animals, gaze with wonder upon the manger, and discover the true meaning of Christmas by enjoying this free family event.

For more information, visit www.rbpres.org.

Source: http://feeds.soundpublishing.com/~r/birentertainment/~3/edh8uIeDqLA/182572071.html

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Monti government at risk after Berlusconi withdraws support

ROME (Reuters) - Silvio Berlusconi's party withdrew its support for Prime Minister Mario Monti on Thursday, raising the risk of a snap election in Italy, but President Giorgio Napolitano said he would work to avoid a crisis and there was no need for alarm.

The centre-right People of Freedom (PDL) party walked out of a Senate confidence vote on a package of economic measures and abstained in a separate confidence vote in the lower house following criticism of Berlusconi by a senior minister.

Monti's government survived comfortably but the risk it could fall remained as tensions rose between the parties that have backed the technocrat government over the last year.

Head of state Napolitano, who makes the final decision on whether to call an election, said there was no need for alarm on international markets and Italy's institutions were strong.

"There are pre-electoral political tensions that even outside Italy can be understood without creating alarm about the institutional strength of the country," Napolitano said.

PDL secretary Angelino Alfano said the party had not wanted to bring the government down on Thursday but would decide over the next few days whether to do so. "If we had wanted to make it fall, we would have already today given a vote of no confidence," he told reporters.

If the government does fall, an election would likely be called only a few weeks earlier than the expected date in early March, but such a development would upset investors nervous about what will follow Monti.

With all parties now clearly in campaign mode, Alfano said that Berlusconi had told him of his intention to run following strong indications on Wednesday that he would return to the frontline as the PDL election candidate.

The PDL move on Thursday followed comments by one of Monti's ministers saying Berlusconi's return could be bad for Italy.

Napolitano said a turbulent end to the five-year legislature must be avoided so Monti's government could complete its program and the prime minister said he would await the president's judgment on Thursday's political drama. The president will meet Alfano on Friday.

Napolitano has previously said he will not call elections until parliament has approved a package of economic reforms.

The political confusion helped drive up Italian bond yields but the impact was relatively contained. The premium investors demand to hold Italian 10-year BTP bonds rather than lower-risk German Bunds widened to 330 basis points, having fallen below 300 points earlier in the week.

MARKETS WORRIED

International markets are worried about what will happen after Monti steps down. The respected former European Commissioner has restored confidence in Italy since he took over a year ago from the flamboyant and scandal-plagued Berlusconi.

The centre-left Democratic Party (PD), which is the main element with the PDL of a cross party alliance sustaining Monti, indicated it could ask Napolitano to dissolve parliament if the government could not count on the support of Berlusconi's party.

The conflict underlined the deep uncertainty in Italian politics before next spring's election and weakened bond prices, which have come back under control since reaching critical levels before Monti's takeover.

Berlusconi's statement on Wednesday suggested that he wanted to exploit public anger over austerity measures to revive the fortunes of the party he founded and bankrolled, which has slumped badly in opinion polls over the last year.

The former premier said the situation was much worse than when he stepped down and Italy was on the edge of an abyss.

In a television interview early on Thursday, Industry Minister Corrado Passera expressed strong reservations about a return by the 76-year-old billionaire, who left office last year as investors despaired of him addressing the country's economic crisis and Italy seemed headed for a Greek-style crisis.

The stand-off deepened the confusion surrounding the election and threatens to open a severe political crisis in the euro zone's third largest economy.

Berlusconi accused Monti's government of dragging Italy into an "endless recessive spiral". Passera retorted that most of Italy's deep economic problems were the result of a decade of poor management.

Berlusconi, who was in power for most of the past 10 years, faces deep divisions within the PDL, which is split between loyalists opposed to Monti and other factions, including many who want to continue backing the government's reform agenda.

Former Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, a leading PDL moderate who wants Monti to come back as premier after the election, defied party orders to abstain in the lower house vote, together with at least three other deputies.

Analysts say the party could easily fall apart before the election, leaving a void on the centre-right which has already lost substantial ground to the populist 5-Star Movement of comedian Beppe Grillo which is second in opinion polls after the centre-left.

Disillusioned PDL supporters are also believed to be a substantial bloc of the up to 50 percent of voters who say they would abstain in an election or have not made up their minds.

Berlusconi's indecision has further undermined his party, whose support is now at less than half the level that won it a landslide election victory in 2008.

(Additional reporting by Paolo Biondi, Giuseppe Fonte, Massimiliano Di Giorgio, Steve Scherer, Catherine Hornby, James Mackenzie and Naomi O'Leary; Editing by Jon Hemming)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/berlusconi-party-racks-tension-italy-government-140510172.html

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The Final Election Receipts Exceeded $2 Billion

Well, this is nice. Though the marriage was called off once in 2011, it seems that 86-year-old Hugh Hefner and his 26-year-old fianc?e, Playboy's Miss December 2009 Crystal Harris, are finally going to tie the knot at the end of this month. Yes, the couple went and got their marriage license in Beverly Hills and have set the date for New Year's Eve, which will be festive, because Hugh will already be dressed up like Father Time, as is his duty every year. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/final-election-receipts-exceeded-2-billion-035544521.html

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Los Angeles port workers return to work after strike

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The largest U.S. cargo shipping complex resumed full operations on Wednesday after harbor clerks and management settled an eight-day strike that left two Southern California ports mostly idle, sapping the region's economy of an estimated $8 billion.

The strike at the neighboring ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach ended when clerks in the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63 reached a tentative contract deal with a group of shippers and terminal operators late Tuesday. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a onetime labor activist, had joined in to prod the two sides into an agreement.

"Everyone is back to work and it's business as usual," said John Fageaux, a spokesman for the ILWU.

Terminals gates opened at 7 a.m. local time (1500 GMT) and cranes began unloading cargo crates from ships an hour later, said Philip Sanfield, a spokesman for the Port of Los Angeles. Between 5,000 and 10,000 workers are expected to clock in on Wednesday at the port complex, he added. At one point, 13 ships were anchored offshore because of the shutdown.

About 800 clerical employees walked off the job November 26 over a dispute with management about the outsourcing of jobs. About 10,000 longshoremen refused to cross their picket lines, according to Fageaux.

The settlement was reached not long after federal mediators, called upon to join negotiations at the mayor's behest, showed up on Tuesday at the waterfront community center where talks were being held. Villaraigosa announced the agreement.

"Today, the ILWU voted to approve the contract," Villaraigosa said, standing with smiling members of both negotiating teams.

Union officials said they expected members, who have been without a contract for more than two years, to ratify the new contract.

Details of the pact were not immediately made public. But the mayor and ILWU representatives said the two sides had come to terms on the union's chief concern - control over outsourcing, or the transfer of jobs to workers elsewhere for less pay.

What direct role, if any, the mediators played in clinching the deal was unclear. But Villaraigosa said a key breakthrough came when the union, which had resisted outside intervention, joined management on Tuesday morning in consenting to mediation as a way of spurring the stalled talks.

The union credited the mayor with helping the parties narrow their differences during a marathon bargaining session.

"I am pleased with it," said Fageaux, "We didn't get everything that we wanted and neither did the employer. It's fair and it's a contract we can both be happy with."

$1 BILLION A DAY

The strike cost Southern California, a region still struggling to recover from a prolonged economic slump, an estimated $1 billion a day, including lost wages and the value of cargo rerouted to other ports, the mayor said.

The National Retail Federation, which had warned that a prolonged strike could have a "devastating impact on the U.S. economy," welcomed the settlement.

"Retailers have cargo that has been stuck at the port that has to get out for last minute holiday merchandise," said Jonathan Gold, vice president of supply chain and customers policy for the NRF. "This is much bigger than just hitting retailers. It impacts manufacturers, farmers and others involved in the logistics industry."

The shutdown marked the worst cargo traffic disruption at Los Angeles and Long Beach - which together account for nearly 40 percent of all U.S. container imports - since a 10-day lockout of longshoremen at several West Coast ports in 2002.

The latest dispute forced a shutdown at 10 of the twin ports' 14 container terminals.

Four other container terminals remained open, along with facilities for handling shipments of automobiles, liquid fuels and break-bulk cargo such as raw steel.

Still, at least 18 freighters bound for Los Angles and Long Beach during the strike changed course to take their cargo to ports in Northern California, Mexico and Panama, according to the non-profit Maritime Exchange of Southern California. The diverted cargo heightened concerns about the region losing business to competing ports.

Many other cargo-laden vessels were forced to line up for days at offshore anchorages, waiting to unload their containers.

The chief stumbling block throughout contract negotiations was disagreement over future staffing levels and continued union classification of jobs lost to retirement or attrition.

Under the agreement, Villaraigosa told Reuters: "The employers are not going to outsource."

Union spokesman Craig Merrilees said: "Really, it was getting control on the outsourcing ... ensuring that the jobs are here today, tomorrow and for the future."

During the dispute, the employers had accused union negotiators of seeking to "featherbed" the ranks of clerical workers with more jobs than were necessary.

Unlike the labor clash at West Coast ports a decade ago, which took place in the fall, the latest dispute unfolded after the height of the busy pre-holiday shipping season, limiting the scope of its ripple effect.

Many major U.S. retailers said they were largely spared any pain from the labor clash because most of their Christmas inventory had already made it to store shelves.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach together handled more than $400 billion in goods arriving or leaving the West Coast by ship last year. Experts say the ports directly or indirectly support 1.2 million Southern California jobs - workers involved in moving freight to or from the shipping complex.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb, Steve Gorman, Alex Dobuzinskis and Nichola Groom; Editing by Patrick Graham, Janet Lawrence, Jackie Frank and M.D. Golan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/strike-settlement-reopen-los-angeles-ports-normal-freight-134921296.html

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How Internet Marketing Videos Can Help Your Business - muvee Blog

Posted on Dec.05, 2012 by nevin

This post is part of muvee?s regular series of articles about how video integrates with marketing your business

A few years ago the big thing in marketing was blogs. It seemed like every business started one and internet marketers started harnessing this power to drive sales and build reputation.

Things have certainly changed over the last few years. Sure blogs are still great, but another essential component for marketing has made its way on to the stage: video (here?s an example of an internet marketing video?that can help your business).

If you aren?t using video, you are missing out on a powerful tool for reaching out to consumers. Internet marketing videos can be a powerful tool for building your reputation, finding new customers and selling product.

Why is Video so Popular?

Video content is here to stay. Consumers love it and as such marketers do too. But why is it so popular? There are probably many reasons, but we?ve put together a list of a few key reasons:

It?s Affordable -?As you surely know marketing can be expensive, but video can be a powerful weapon for those with a limited budget. Think about it. You can gather up a few funny photos of your employees at work, catch a few video clips on your iPhone and string everything together in minutes using muvee?s fast video editor. Then you can post to YouTube for free. For hardly any investment at all you can create compelling video content.

Possibility of Going Viral- Every internet marketers dream is a viral video and for good reason. All you need is one video to take off to expose your message to thousands or even millions of new potential customers. All you need is one person to start the chain of sharing your video with friends for the possibility of a viral video. Social media can be an internet marketing video?s best friend. Take this viral video of a flash mob for example; it probably cost pennies to create, but has gathered more than 38 million views.

Video Works with Mobile Users ? A growing majority of internet users access their online content primarily from mobile devices, some rarely using a standard home computer anymore.

Video works great on mobile platforms. Short bursts of video can be enjoyed in a spare minute whether sitting in a doctor?s office waiting room, chilling with friends or killing time at work. Video content works with how people are using today?s internet.

Isn?t it time your business started taking advantage of the video revolution? Our business video editing software will help you create professional quality content in minutes.

Plus muvee Reveal X makes it easy to post to YouTube, Facebook and other outlets, making it just as easy to share your content as it is to create it.

Source: http://blog.muvee.com/2012/12/05/how-internet-marketing-videos-can-help-your-business/

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Treasury eyes some 3.5 billion pounds from 4G spectrum auction

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain expects to raise some 3.5 billion pounds from a fourth-generation mobile spectrum auction scheduled for early next year, the Treasury said on Wednesday.

The figure was outlined in Chancellor George Osborne's half-yearly budget statement.

"We assume that the government will raise an extra 3.5 billion pounds from the 4G spectrum auction," the Office for Budget Responsibility, Britain's independent budget watchdog, said in its economic and fiscal outlook.

Britain's media regulator set out the long-awaited plans for the auction in November. Prospective bidders are be able to submit their applications with an initial deposit from December 11, with bidding beginning in January and licences granted in February and March.

Regulator Ofcom has said the reserve prices for the spectrum would be a combined total of 1.3 billion pounds.

Mobile operators Vodafone and Telefonica's O2 are keen for the auction to begin after market leader EE, owned by France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom, rolled out its new 4G service to great fanfare in October.

(Reporting by Mohammed Abbas and Tim Castle; editing by Kate Holton)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/treasury-eyes-3-5-billion-pounds-4g-spectrum-180540790--business.html

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Father: Sick girl safe and being treated in Mexico

In this hospital surveillance photo released by the Phoenix Police Department on Monday, Dec. 3, 2012, a woman is seen with her 11-year-old daughter, a leukemia patient who had her arm amputated and a heart catheter inserted due to an infection. Authorities say the woman inexplicably took the girl from the hospital last week. Police say that if the catheter is left in too long it could lead to a deadly infection. The family?s identity is being withheld but they are calling the girl Emily. (AP Photo/Phoenix Police Department)

In this hospital surveillance photo released by the Phoenix Police Department on Monday, Dec. 3, 2012, a woman is seen with her 11-year-old daughter, a leukemia patient who had her arm amputated and a heart catheter inserted due to an infection. Authorities say the woman inexplicably took the girl from the hospital last week. Police say that if the catheter is left in too long it could lead to a deadly infection. The family?s identity is being withheld but they are calling the girl Emily. (AP Photo/Phoenix Police Department)

In this hospital surveillance photo released by the Phoenix Police Department on Dec. 3, 2012, a woman is seen with her 11-year-old daughter, a leukemia patient who had her arm amputated and a heart catheter inserted due to an infection. Authorities say the woman inexplicably took the girl from the hospital last week. Police say that if the catheter is left in too long it could lead to a deadly infection. The family?s identity is being withheld but they are calling the girl Emily. (AP Photo/Phoenix Police Department)

(AP) ? The mystery surrounding the whereabouts of a sick girl with leukemia deepened Wednesday after her father said his 11-year-old daughter is being treated in Mexico and authorities considered bringing child neglect charges against the family.

Phoenix police have been looking for Emily since surveillance video one week ago showed the girl's mother walking her out of Phoenix Children's Hospital a day before the child was set to be released.

Authorities are searching for the girl in Arizona, California and Mexico, where the family has relatives, as doctors say she could contract a potentially deadly infection if not returned for treatment.

The girl underwent about a month of chemotherapy and had been treated for an infection that forced doctors to amputate her arm, police said. Doctors had inserted a tube through her chest to deliver medications through her heart. Her mother unhooked the tubing from an IV and left with the girl, leaving her susceptible to infection.

Phoenix police said the parents could face criminal neglect charges if they didn't return the girl.

U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped the father, Luis Bracamontes, 46, as he crossed into Arizona from Mexico over the weekend, but the man denied any involvement in removing his daughter from the hospital and said he didn't know where she was.

However, in an interview this week with NBC News, Bracamontes said his daughter was safe and being treated by doctors in Mexico.

"She is well and she is fine," he said while declining to reveal where the girl was being treated.

Bracamontes blames the Phoenix hospital for the loss of his daughter's arm and says the family was being pressured over mounting medical bills. He displayed photos of the girl both before and after the surgery and talked on his mobile phone to a girl and a woman he claimed were his daughter and wife.

The hospital cannot comment on Emily's condition due to health privacy laws, but in a statement Wednesday said decisions about patient care are not based on ability to pay.

"Phoenix Children's Hospital is deeply concerned about Emily's safety and well-being and continues to cooperate with law enforcement," the hospital statement read. "If Emily's family has questions about her care, we encourage open communication and discussion of options with the care team."

The girl's grandfather, Luis Bracamontes, said he has not talked to his son in 15 days and doesn't know where the girl is ? including if she is even in Mexico.

"We are worried because we don't know what's going on," said Bracamontes, 76, in Spanish from his home in San Jose, Calif.

He doesn't know why the girl was taken from the hospital but said the amputation might have had something to do with it. He said some of his relatives are assuring him that the girl is fine and getting good medical attention.

Bracamontes said his son sometimes lived in San Jose and sometimes in Phoenix. The family is originally from Mexico.

Phoenix police, meanwhile, say the story of the girl's father raises even more red flags.

"We're in the same spot we were in last Thursday when we began looking for her," police Sgt. Steve Martos said Wednesday. "We understand the right of a parent to change doctors, to change hospitals, we're not challenging that. We just want to make sure that Emily is getting the right medical attention that she requires to prevent this potential horrific ending."

Martos said doctors in Phoenix told authorities that if Emily's catheter is not tended to, it could make her susceptible to a deadly infection that could kill her in a matter of days.

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said Emily's immune system is already compromised from the cancer and chemotherapy.

"If bacteria get into the blood stream, that can cause a serious infection," Schaffner said.

The open catheter could serve as a pathway for bacteria, he said, adding that a potentially deadly infection is not only possible, but likely.

Martos said the father's story only adds to investigators' bewilderment that began when the mother inexplicably removed the child from the hospital. He said surveillance video shows the mother and child getting into a dark-colored minivan, but the license plates on the car were registered to a different vehicle.

"It all just makes us even more curious that they're unwilling to provide us with basic information to confirm what he is saying, and they're still trying to hide Emily," Martos said. "There's certainly the potential for some criminal charges."

"So we're going to continue looking for her until we either run out of leads or she is found," he added. "We can't just drop it."

___

Associated Press writer Brady McCombs contributed to this report from Salt Lake City.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-12-05-Sick%20Girl%20Sought/id-a0d407655a98475183a6e02f99ddd924

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