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Source: http://www.emtelegraph.com/30268/top-oversold-us-listed-chinese-stocks-dec-30-2011-china-analyst/
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In a turnaround from last year, shoppers were not afraid to pull out the plastic this holiday season. Spending on credit cards jumped 7 percent in November and was up in the first half of December, according to First Data, a company that tracks consumer payment data.
The move back to credit is part of a strategy this year by credit card companies to get people spending on high-interest plastic, and also reflects buoyed consumer confidence. While the increased spending boosts a hurting economy, it also poses risks for shoppers.
And it's not just plastic that got a seasonal boost. Self-reported spending overall was up 4.1 percent for the period between Nov. 21 and Dec. 25 over last year, according to a recent data from Gallup.com. Americans spent an average of $78 per day over the five-week period. The data is based on weekly surveys of more than 3,000 adults in the United States.
Robust spending in the weeks before Christmas led the National Retail Federation to revise its original holiday forecast for November and December. The organization said it expected sales to rise 3.8 percent over the last year's expenditures for a record $469.1 billion.
Even without the holiday bump in credit card spending, aggressive credit card promotions over the past year have nudged consumer credit card balances higher. At the end of November, American Express, Capital One and Discover Financial Services all reported higher balances by their card holders. U.S. card loans from all three issuers were up over 3 percent compared to November 2010, Dow Jones reported.
The boost in spending helps the American economy overall, as consumption makes up nearly three-quarters of GDP. Credit card companies also get a boost, as they make money both in swipe fees from cards -- typically 2 percent to 4 percent of the purchase -- along with interest on carried balances.
For consumers, however, spending on credit cards is a slippery slope. Even while balances may be relatively low, compared to their pre-recession heights, the high interest rate can make it difficult to completely pay down cards quickly. For example, it takes 10 months to eliminate an $1,800 balance with an APR of 15.19 percent, the current average rate, with a $200 monthly payment.
Already, one credit counseling organization says it is getting post-holiday interest from consumers concerned about debt. Consolidated Credit Counseling Services, a national nonprofit credit counseling organization, reported a healthy spike in incoming phone calls seeking debt advice on the Monday after Christmas.
"Traditionally we have seen bumps [in business] in mid-January until about March," said Howard Dvorkin, founder of the Florida-based counseling agency. "Last year there was no bump because spending was so far off."
However, just because card spending is up, one credit card expert cautions it's too early to say whether consumers will go into additional debt from holiday purchases. Bill Hardekopf, who runs the card comparison site LowCards.com, says many of the offers this year were targeted at customers who have a track record of responsible credit usage.
"They are great if you are using them right and paying off entire balance on time and they can make money for you," Hardekopf said. "But if you are not disciplined and don't pay it off -- or you charge more than you can afford -- then credit cards are horrible way to pay for things."
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/28/holiday-spending-credit-card_n_1173045.html
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The US is prepared to admit the politically besieged president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh ? ostensibly for medical treatment ? following vigorous debate within the Obama administration over whether the move would be seen as support for an Arab despot with blood on his hands.
Saleh, who has ruled for 33 years, said at the weekend that he plans to travel to the US to end the political crisis that has claimed the lives of hundreds of anti-regime protesters in Yemen.
"I would like to get away from attention and TV cameras and allow the consensus government and the local authorities to prepare properly the upcoming elections," he said.
However, a dispute has broken out over the terms of Saleh's admission, with the US saying he will only be allowed in for "legitimate medical treatment" for injuries sustained in a bomb attack on his presidential compound in June.
Some in the US administration are concerned that Saleh is looking for a way out of his country to avoid prosecution for his army's slaughter of protesters earlier this year.
Washington does not want to be seen to be giving Saleh asylum or protection, but other administration officials believe his departure could open the way for an end to Yemen's political crisis.
Washington has one eye on the decision by President Jimmy Carter to allow the Shah of Iran to travel to the US in 1979, which contributed to the anger of Iranian revolutionaries who seized the US embassy in Tehran and took diplomats hostage.
Saleh said he only intends to go to the US for "a few days" and he "will not abandon my people and my comrades". But opposition activists believe that if he leaves Yemen in the present political climate, he will not swiftly return.
His opponents celebrated when he left the country for Saudi Arabi in June for treatment after the failed assassination attempt, but he returned home in September.
Following months of protests, Saleh signed an agreement last month to hand over powers to his vice president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, and leave office after next year's election in return for immunity from prosecution for crimes, including the killings of anti-regime protesters, during his rule.
The immunity deal has infuriated many of the regime's opponents, who say Saleh continues to wield considerable power through his relatives and political loyalists who retain office.
About 20 people were killed over the weekend in protests against the immunity deal in the capital, Sanna, and the southern city of Taiz.
Tens of thousands of Yemenis took to the streets of Sanna on Monday to demand Hadi's resignation over his failure to bring to justice those responsible for killing protesters.
The New York Times reported that the US had set conditions, including requiring an itinerary, for issuing Saleh a visa. Although those conditions have yet to be met, officials said Saleh could arrive in the coming days.
Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5670462766
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WASHINGTON (AP) - Americans probably will not be seeing a huge ticker-tape parade anytime soon for troops returning from Iraq, and it is not clear if veterans of the nine-year campaign will ever enjoy the grand, flag-waving, red-white-and-blue homecoming that the nation's fighting men and women received after World War II and the Gulf War.
Officials in New York and Washington say they would be happy to help stage a big celebration, but Pentagon officials say they haven't been asked to plan one.
Most welcome-homes have been smaller-scale: hugs from families at military posts across the country, a somber commemoration by President Barack Obama at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
With tens of thousands of U.S. troops still fighting a bloody war in Afghanistan, anything that looks like a big victory celebration could be seen as unseemly and premature, some say.
"It's going to be a bit awkward to be celebrating too much, given how much there is going on and how much there will be going on in Afghanistan," said Don Mrozek, a military history professor at Kansas State University.
Two New York City councilmen, Republicans Vincent Ignizio and James Oddo, have called for a ticker-tape parade down the stretch of Broadway known as the Canyon of Heroes. A similar celebration after the Gulf War was paid for with more than $5.2 million in private donations, a model the councilmen would like to follow.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said last week that he was open to the idea but added, "It's a federal thing that we really don't want to do without talking to Washington, and we'll be doing that."
A spokesman for the mayor declined to elaborate on the city's reasons for consulting with Washington. Ignizio said he had been told by the mayor's office that Pentagon officials were concerned that a celebration could spark violence overseas and were evaluating the risk.
Navy Capt. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, said that he has not heard that issue raised and that New York has yet to make a formal proposal. He also said officials are grateful communities around the country are finding ways to recognize the sacrifices of troops and their families.
The last combat troops in Iraq pulled out more than a week ago. About 91,000 U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are in Afghanistan, battling a stubborn Taliban insurgency and struggling to train Afghan forces so that they eventually can take over security. Many U.S. troops who fought in the Iraq War could end up being sent to Afghanistan.
A parade might invite criticism from those who believe the U.S. left Iraq too soon, as well as from those who feel the war was unjustified. It could also trigger questions about assertions of victory.
Mrozek noted that President George W. Bush's administration referred to military action in the Middle East as part of a global war on terror, a conflict that is hard to define by conventional measures of success.
"This is not a war on a particular place or a particular force," he said.
Bush himself illustrated the perils of celebrating milestones in the war, Mrozek said, when he landed on an aircraft carrier and hailed the end of major combat operations in Iraq behind a "Mission Accomplished" banner in May 2003. U.S. troops remained in Iraq for 8? more years, and Bush was criticized over the banner.
The benchmarks were clearer in previous wars. After World War II, parades marked Japan's surrender. After the Gulf War, celebrations marked the troops' return after Iraqi forces were driven out of Kuwait.
The only mass celebrations of U.S. military activities since Sept. 11, 2001, were largely spontaneous: Large crowds gathered in Times Square and outside the White House in April after Osama bin Laden was killed.
At the same time, Iraq veterans aren't coming home to the hostility many Vietnam veterans encountered. The first large-scale event honoring Vietnam veterans was not held until 1982, when thousands marched in Washington for the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Parades were later held in New York in 1985 - 10 years after the war ended - and in Chicago the next year.
___
Gross reported from New York. Associated Press writers Angela K. Brown in Fort Hood, Texas, and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.
___
Follow Ben Nuckols on Twitter at http://twitter.com/APBenNuckols.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/16399705/as-iraq-war-ends-no-parade-for-troops-is-imminent
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DETROIT?? Heading down a path that could lead to the state of Michigan taking over the running of Detroit, Gov. Rick Snyder on Tuesday appointed a team to review the city's finances.
The team was named after a preliminary review of city finances showed "probable financial stress" after Detroit was unable to tackle its mounting deficits.
The team, which includes State Treasurer Andy Dillon and other local officials, has 60 days to complete its work. The formal review was announced last week.
The appointments are the next step in the review process, which is driven by expectations that Detroit will run out of cash by April.
"Given urgent and time-sensitive financial issues facing Detroit and the need to ensure critical services continue to be provided to city residents, the next step simply necessitates the appointment of a financial review team," Snyder said in a statement.
The formal review could have various results. If a financial emergency is declared to exist, the governor would have to decide on an emergency manager. But if the stress levels are considered mild, the current city management could carry on.
Detroit Mayor Dave Bing has said he will cooperate with the review process but says his budgets are the remedy to the city's financial crisis.
Last Thursday, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., joined religious and civil rights leaders to promise protests and possible civil disobedience against Michigan's new emergency manager law that could lead to a takeover of Detroit government.
"We are prepared to go from education, mobilization, litigation, legislation, demonstration and civil disobedience," Jackson said as he and others held a news conference at Detroit's Bethany Baptist Church.
"We want a positive commitment to restoring democracy and economic justice for all citizens." Jackson said.
Snyder has called for Bing and Detroit's City Council to come up with their own financial rescue plan so Michigan can stay out of the city's business.
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But Snyder has also highlighted what he said was the seriousness of the city's money problems, citing Bing's statement that Detroit could run use up its available cash in April.
"We can't let the city run out of money," Snyder said. Besides Detroit's cash-flow problem is a long-term structural deficit that needs a fundamental solution, he said. "Detroit's been in a financial crisis of some kind for decades."
The Detroit Public Schools and the cities of Flint, Pontiac and Benton Harbor already have state-appointed emergency financial managers.
Michigan recently enacted a law expanding the state's power to push aside elected local government and school officials whose agencies get in financial trouble.
Conyers said the expanded law is "seriously flawed" and said it unfairly targets communities with large numbers of minority group members.
Jackson, a Chicago-based activist, said emergency managers are like dictators with the power to override local democracy, discard union contracts and cut vital public services. He said he is seeking U.S. Justice Department intervention.
Detroit, with a population of 714,000, has faced hard times with auto industry contraction and falling revenue. More than 36 percent of its residents are below the poverty line, according to the Census Bureau.
The city was once one of the most populated in the United States. But it lost 25 percent of its residents between 2000 and 2010, the fastest decline for any municipality with more than 100,000 residents besides New Orleans.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45798809/ns/us_news-life/
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ORLANDO, Fla. ? Sam Rivers, an internationally-known jazz musician who played with Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, has died. He was 88.
Monique Rivers Williams says her father died Monday night from pneumonia.
The Oklahoma native was a saxophonist, flutist and composer.
He started his career in Boston, where he performed with Herb Pomeroy's big band in an ensemble that included future music producer Quincy Jones. In 1964, he moved to New York and was hired by Davis. He played with a diverse group of musicians there that included Gillespie, T-Bone Walker and John Lee Hooker.
He moved to Orlando in the early 1990s and regularly played with a group of jazz musicians whose day jobs were at Walt Disney World.
Plans are being made for a public memorial concert.
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On December 5th, 2011 TechCrunch Europe came to Moscow again. Co-organized by TechCrunch Europe, Digital October and Kite Ventures, the second TechCrunch Moscow showcased several early stage startups and hosted panels on emerging technology trends in Russia and abroad. The event, held in English, proved to be a smashing success, bringing together over 700 participants and attracting several thousand viewers online. Videos of the event can be found below including the amazing interview between Andrew Keen and political commentator Anton Nossik on a pivotal day for Russian politics following the Russian Duma elections of the previous day. It's a must watch.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/KlP5MOnMMHQ/
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December 26, 2011 at 08:03 AM
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) ? Over the objections of the U.S. Forest Service, wildlife officials in California are taking steps at the state level to protect a rare woodpecker partly because the federal agency won?t stop logging the bird?s ever-shrinking habitat in burned stands of national forests in the Sierra Nevada.
The California State Fish and Game Commission recently voted to add the black-backed woodpecker to the list of species that are candidates for protection under the California Endangered Species Act, launching a year-long status review of the bird that is at the center of an ongoing legal battle in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals over salvage logging in the area where 250 homes burned near Lake Tahoe in 2007.
Commissioner Michael Sutton said he?s satisfied there is a ?substantial possibility? the woodpecker could end up being listed as threatened. He said his support for the move was based in part on correspondence from the Forest Service indicating the agency doesn?t believe the bird needs any protection and that even if it did, USFS wouldn?t be required to provide it.
The Forest Service had designated the black-backed as the indicator species for all fish and wildlife dependent on burned forests across the Sierra, from north of Tahoe to south of Yosemite. It?s the same kind of designation agency biologists gave the northern spotted owl in the 1980s to serve as a barometer of the overall health of old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest.
But, said Sutton, it has become clear ?their management policy has changed recently. They now permit, under relevant forest management plans, 100 percent salvage logging of burned areas, which is the preferred habitat of this species.
?That may be fine for the Forest Service,? said Sutton, after moving to add the woodpecker to the state?s list of candidate species on Dec. 15. ?Their mandate is multiple-use, including timber harvest? Our mandate is stewardship of wildlife.?
Commissioner Daniel Richards was the lone dissenter in the 3-1 vote advancing the listing petition by the Phoenix-based Center for Biological Diversity and the Earth Island Institute?s John Muir Project in Cedar Ridge, Calif.
?I do believe it is a rare species, but that doesn?t make it is endangered. It has been rare forever,? Richards said. ?We get these every month. Everybody would like for us to list everything as endangered ... to burden our department with further analysis.?
Chad Hanson, executive director of the John Muir Project, said the action was significant because ?they are acknowledging that not only is there a total lack of protection from clear cutting on private lands, they (the woodpeckers) also don?t have any protections on Forest Service land to fall back on.?
?It?s the first time anybody has acknowledged that a species is impacted by post-fire salvage logging,? added Justine Augustine, a lawyer for the Center for Biological Diversity based in San Francisco. ?They accepted the fact there is substantial evidence there is a problem here and we?re going to have to step in.?
Hanson, a wildlife ecologist at the University of California, Davis, helped persuade the Forest Service in recent years to designate the black-backed woodpecker the indicator species for all wildlife dependent on burned forests throughout the Sierra and has been citing the agency?s own research for years in his bid to show the bird may already be on its way to extinction.
?Even in burned forests, the black-backed is one of the rarest birds in California,? he said, adding there is ?no dispute its habitat has declined dramatically since the 19th and early 20th century due to fire suppression.?
As a result, such post-fire habitat now comprises less than one-half of 1 percent of the Sierra forests the woodpecker once inhabited, he said.
But Forest Service officials say there is no evidence that the bird?s population itself is actually in a state of decline. While Hanson maintains there may be as few as 1,000 pairs of black-backs left in the Sierras, the agency believes there are many more.
Randall Moore, Pacific Southwest regional boss for the Forest Service based in Vallejo, presented the state commission earlier this year with a 16-page memo questioning the ?degree and immediacy? of the threat to the black-backed from Forest Service practices. He said more information was needed, and that ?management of National Forest System lands is inherently complex given the responsibility to manage public natural resources for a wide variety of often conflicting threats and opportunities.?
Halting or significantly restricting fire suppression activities ? even away from homes ? the memo noted, is ?unlikely to be implementable due to social and political resistance.?
Augustine said it was ?inappropriate, at best? for the Forest Service to imply the state should change its findings to accommodate the Forest Services? ?complex? management. He said the wildlife commission?s decision will help put the spotlight on the service?s new legal stance that even if the bird did warrant added protection, the agency no longer is required to provide it.
The agency was long bound by the National Forest Management Act, which President Reagan signed into law in 1982, which established the so-called ?viability rule.? It stipulated that the Forest Service would attempt to maintain a viable population of all species found on individual forests. But the Forest Service says the rule is super-ceded by the 2007 forest plan amendment, which, still provides general guidelines for protection of fish and wildlife. But, according to the agency?s interpretation, it does not prohibit projects such as salvage logging just because the potential impact to a particular species? habitat could threaten the sustainability of its population on that individual national forest.
Hanson said the change in position represents a ?significant threat of extinction to a number of species in the coming decades. It is an outrageous and dangerous position for the agency to take, and I think it had an impact on the commission?s decision.?
The issue will be front and center in late January or February when the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear oral arguments on the same two environmental groups? appeal challenging a federal court?s refusal to halt the logging at Lake Tahoe.
The Forest Service maintains it met all the law?s requirements for the Angora fire project, intended to speed restoration of the burned area as well reduce future fire threats over nearly 3,000 acres. The agency said it was made clear in the environmental assessment that its proposed action could reduce potential black-backed woodpecker territories, and that was its ?only project-level analytical duty.??
Given the federal agency?s position, Hanson said, state protection of the bird may be its only hope.
?Basically what the commission did is stand up for the science on this species,? he said. ?I know it doesn?t necessarily mean that they are going to go through with a listing a year from now, but they did the right thing here.?
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Apple's TV ad depicting Santa's interaction with Siri on his iPhone 4S, has been acknowledged as the most effective TV commercial of the holiday season, according to the analysis firm, Ace Metrix.
The TV ad starts with Santa asking Siri how he can get to Charlie Grant's house to deliver his presents, which launches into a dialogue where Siri warns Santa of the cold and alerts him to 3.7 pending appointments.
The ad received 652 points out of a possible 950 in Ace Metrix's survey, 8 percent higher than any other tech brand, according to Apple Insider. Many viewers were enlightened by the ad saying it made them aware of new tools within the Siri feature. The ad has had over two and a half million views on YouTube.
Ace Metrix randomly selected a group of viewers who rated a set of commercials based on relevance, persuasion and information. The company found that ads featuring Santa generally did much better during the holiday season.
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Siri, the iPhone 4S's voice assistant, has been one of the most popular features of the latest iPhone, setting it apart from its competitors.
Tweets Responding to the Ad:
chrisgeidner?Chris Geidner
According to the ad, Siri?is much more responsive to Santa?than she ever is to me.
chartier?David Chartier
Tried the "find that email" bit from Apple's Santa?+ Siri?ad. Didn't know that worked. My iPhone just became my most useful email too.
SamSpratt?Sam Spratt
Apple's new Santa?Siri?ad?is effective but weird coming from Apple youtube.com/watch?feature=...
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Love the new Siri/ Santa?ad. "Siri, how's the rest of my day looking?" 3.75 billion appointments.
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RT @9to5mac: Santa?Claus shows us how to use Siri?in Apple's new iPhone 4S commercial goo.gl/fb/zUs6s?- cool ad, as usual!!!! #xmas
Siri has been heralded for its sophisticaed understanding of conversational human language. It allows users to send messages, schedule meetings, place phone calls through voice commands.
Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/272589/20111225/apple-tv-santa-ad-top-commercial-holiday.htm
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By Sharon Wrobel
Dec. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Israel?s TA-25 Index increased 2.2 percent to 1,115.26 at the 4:30 p.m. close in Tel Aviv, the highest level since Nov. 15. The measure has dropped 16 percent this year. Investors traded about 782.2 million shekels ($207 million) of shares and convertible securities, according to bourse data.
The following stocks rose or fell today. Symbols are in parenthesis.
Allot Communications Ltd. (ALLT IT) dropped to the lowest since Nov. 29, declining 2.9 percent to 60.87 shekels. Bloomberg News reported that the company?s gear was sold to Iran and a lawmaker called for an investigation.
Brainsway Ltd. (BRIN IT) climbed 5.1 percent, the most since Dec. 14, to 18.76 shekels. The maker of devices to treat neurological disorders said interim trial results showed its Deep TMS product was safe and may improve fatigue in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis.
Clal Industries & Investments Ltd. (CII IT) and IDB Holding Corp. (IDBH IT) soared the most in almost a month, rising 6.7 percent and 6.8 percent respectively, to 17.80 shekels and 41.95 shekels. A unit of Nochi Dankner?s holding company IDB is in talks to sell part of its stake in Clal.
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (ELAL IT) increased 4.4 percent, the most since Dec. 14, to 0.64 shekel. The national carrier said the Israeli government has agreed to increase its share of the burden of providing aviation security, reducing the airline?s expenses in 2011 by $5.8 million.
EZ Energy Ltd. (EZ IT) rose the most since Oct. 18, jumping 7 percent to 0.046 shekel. The U.S. unit of the operator of gas stations and convenience stores, signed an initial deal to sell the property rights to 18 U.S.-based gas stations for $24.5 million. The company expects profit before taxes of $8.5 million from the sale.
Israel Chemicals Ltd. (ICL IT) advanced 5.1 percent to 41 shekels, the highest since Nov. 17. Israel?s finance ministry has given the company, which extracts minerals from the Dead Sea to make fertilizer and potash, until midnight on Dec. 27 to respond to a final government offer regarding how much of the cost it will bear for the salt harvest in the Dead Sea.
--Editors: Michelle E. Frazer, Susan Lerner
To contact the reporter on this story: Sharon Wrobel in Tel Aviv at swrobel4@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Claudia Maedler at cmaedler@bloomberg.net
Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5662585717&f=378
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(No. 387 - December 22, 2011 - noon ET) Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement:
?Canada strongly condemns these cowardly attacks in Baghdad.
?On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those killed in these senseless acts of violence.
?We stand with the Government of Iraq as it confronts the real threat of terrorism and extremist violence inside Iraq?s borders.
?We urge the leaders of Iraq to facilitate meaningful and constructive dialogue that will help bring about a stable and secure Iraq for all its citizens.?
- 30 -
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
Follow us on Twitter: @DFAIT_MAECI
Source: http://www.international.gc.ca/media/aff/news-communiques/2011/387.aspx?lang=eng
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Mitt Romney seems to think his strongest issue in a general-election race against President Obama is jobs. I?d argue he has that backwards.
In an interview with TIME Magazine?s Mark Halperin, Romney said, ?I know that the Democrats will try and make this a campaign about Bain Capital?. 25 million people are out of work because of Barack Obama. And so I?ll compare my experience in the private sector where, net-net, we created over 100,000 jobs.?
?I?ll compare that record with his record, where he has not created any new jobs.?
This detachment from reality fascinates me, so let?s unwrap the argument.
First, the confused former governor believes 25 million people are out of work ?because of Barack Obama.? If Romney can explain why Obama is to blame for a recession that began in 2007, I?d love to hear it. For that matter, the economy lost 3.6 million jobs in 2008 ? the year before the president took office. How exactly is Obama responsible for that, too?
Second, Romney now claims to have created ?over 100,000 jobs? at his vulture-capitalist firm. Romney also appears to have made this number up out of whole cloth. Indeed, two weeks ago, when Romney?s Super PAC ran an ad claiming he ?helped create thousands of jobs? as CEO at Bain, Super PAC officials were asked to back that up with evidence. They refused.
Third, it?s remarkable that Romney is only willing to compare his ?experience in the private sector.? What about when Romney was willing to put his experience to work in the public sector, during his one term as governor of Massachusetts? Romney doesn?t want to talk about it for a reason ? his state?s record on job creation was ?one of the worst in the country,? ranking 47th out of 50 states in job growth. It?s one of the reasons Romney left office after one term deeply unpopular, and why his former constituents don?t want him near the White House.
And fourth, Obama ?has not created any new jobs?? The ease with which Romney lies continues to be disconcerting.
With one month remaining this year, the U.S. private sector has now added 1.67 million jobs in 2011, well ahead of last year?s private-sector total of 1.2 million, and the best year for businesses since 2006. Since March 2010, American businesses have created 2.9 million jobs.
I?d encourage Romney to consider this chart showing private-sector job growth by month since the Great Recession began?
?and this chart showing private-sector job growth by year over the last two decades (and 2011 isn?t over yet).
Reporters really need to brush up on this stuff. When Romney lies to their face ? which seems to happen just about every day ? they should be able to push back with reality.
?
By: Steve Benen, Contributing Writer, Washington Monthly Political Animal, December 23, 2011
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Source: http://mykeystrokes.com/2011/12/23/mitt-romneys-limited-understanding-of-jobs/
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Wind hits a gate during an alpine ski, men's World Cup race, in Val Gardena, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. The first classic downhill of the World Cup season was abandoned Saturday because of strong winds. Despite several delays, 21 competitors had completed their runs on the twisty and terrain-filled Saslong course before organizers decided to call it off. (AP Photo/Armando Trovati)
Wind hits a gate during an alpine ski, men's World Cup race, in Val Gardena, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. The first classic downhill of the World Cup season was abandoned Saturday because of strong winds. Despite several delays, 21 competitors had completed their runs on the twisty and terrain-filled Saslong course before organizers decided to call it off. (AP Photo/Armando Trovati)
France's Johan Clarey smiles in the finish area after completing an alpine ski, men's World Cup race, in Val Gardena, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. The first classic downhill of the World Cup season was abandoned Saturday because of strong winds. Despite several delays, 21 competitors had completed their runs on the twisty and terrain-filled Saslong course before organizers decided to call it off. Johan Clarey had been leading a French one-two with a time of one minute, 55.80 seconds ahead of Adrien Theaux, with Patrick Kueng of Switzerland in third. (AP Photo/Armando Trovati)
Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal skis past FIS race director Guenther Hujara, left, during an alpine ski, men's World Cup race, in Val Gardena, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. The first classic downhill of the World Cup season was abandoned Saturday because of strong winds. Despite several delays, 21 competitors had completed their runs on the twisty and terrain-filled Saslong course before organizers decided to call it off. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)
France's Adrien Theaux competes during an alpine ski, men's World Cup race, in Val Gardena, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. The first classic downhill of the World Cup season was abandoned Saturday because of strong winds. Despite several delays, 21 competitors had completed their runs on the twisty and terrain-filled Saslong course before organizers decided to call it off. Johan Clarey had been leading a French one-two with a time of one minute, 55.80 seconds ahead of Adrien Theaux, with Patrick Kueng of Switzerland in third. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)
Beat Feuz, of Switzerland, takes a jump during an alpine ski, men's World Cup race, in Val Gardena, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. The first classic downhill of the World Cup season was abandoned Saturday because of strong winds. Despite several delays, 21 competitors had completed their runs on the twisty and terrain-filled Saslong course before organizers decided to call it off. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)
VAL GARDENA, Italy (AP) ? Right before Bode Miller's run, the first classic downhill of the World Cup season was canceled Saturday because of strong wind.
Despite several delays, 21 competitors had negotiated the twisty and terrain-filled Saslong course before organizers decided to call it off for safety reasons.
"I think it was the right call. If wind hits you on the camel jumps that's a career-ending injury," said Miller of longest jump on the course, which launches skiers into the air for more than 80 yards.
Johan Clarey had been leading the competition with a time 1 minute, 55.80 seconds, followed by French compatriot Adrien Theaux and Patrick Kueng of Switzerland.
Clarey was seeking his first World Cup victory. His best previous result was third in this downhill two years ago. He wasn't so sure about the cancellation.
"There wasn't so much wind on the track. It wasn't dangerous," Clarey said. "We've had so many races with windy conditions. I don't know if (it's because) there is two French on the top. Maybe if it was two Austrians or two Swiss it wouldn't be the same."
The race started without problem, but wind caused a half-hour delay after large snow drifts were blown over the course. That prompted organizers to take down the banner above the finish line.
Men's World Cup director Gunter Hujara called the race off just as Miller was getting ready to start.
"It was at the edge of being still safe and we did not like to risk anything and that's why we canceled it before a bad fall," Hujara said.
Canadian Erik Guay didn't think it was too dangerous.
"There's always wind ? it's an outdoor sport," said Guay, the downhill world champion. "Most of the time I agree with Gunter's decision but not this one. There was no reason to cancel so soon, he could have put it off a bit."
The International Ski Federation did not immediately announce if the race would be made up later. The next downhill is in Bormio on Dec. 29.
The men's circuit moves across the Gardena pass to nearby Alta Badia for giant slalom and slalom races Sunday and Monday. Ted Ligety of the United States will be aiming for his third GS win in four races this season.
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ALMATY (Reuters) ? Some employees of KazMunaiGas Exploration Production are staying away from work because they fear for their safety after violent clashes killed at least 10 people in a western Kazakh oil city, the company said on Saturday.
London-listed KMG EP said Kazakhstan's Interior Ministry was providing armed security at key oil production facilities after the clashes on Friday, when a crowd set fire to the headquarters of its Uzenmunaigas unit in the city of Zhanaozen.
The company said in a statement it was maintaining daily oil production levels by keeping employees working round the clock.
"Some Uzenmunaigas workers failed to appear for the night shift and the morning shift on December 16 and 17," KMG EP said.
"This can be explained by the fact workers are afraid for their own security and the security of their family members."
Public protests are scarce in Kazakhstan, Central Asia's largest economy and oil producer, where President Nursultan Nazarbayev has ruled with a firm hand for more than 20 years and has overseen massive foreign investment, mainly in oil and gas.
The unusually violent clashes in Zhanaozen, a city of 90,000 people about 150 km (95 miles) inland from the Caspian Sea, marred celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of Kazakhstan's independence from the Soviet Union.
Sacked oil workers clashed with riot police in the city's central square. Ten people were killed and buildings and cars were set on fire, Prosecutor-General Askhat Daulbayev said.
Interior Minister Kalmukhanbet Kasymov said the situation in Zhanaozen was under control and around 70 people had been arrested. He said 75 people had been taken to hospital and six police officers were among the injured, Interfax reported.
"The disorder in Zhanaozen has been suppressed. The situation in the city is calm and nobody is on the square," Interfax quoted Kasymov as saying.
STRIKING OIL WORKERS
Thousands of KazMunaiGas EP workers began a months-long strike in May, demanding better pay and conditions. The company, calling the strikes illegal, sacked 989 workers and has said production will fall 8.5 percent short of its target this year.
KMG EP has said 2,500 people were on strike at the height of the dispute. Representatives of the striking workers have put the maximum number at almost 16,000.
Uzenmunaigas employs 9,000 people, but the strikes were not confined to this unit alone. Workers at the Karazhanbasmunai field, a joint venture between KMG EP and Chinese state-owned investment company CITIC, also downed tools briefly in May.
Although the strikes have ended, sacked workers and sympathetic citizens have held regular protests in Zhanaozen's central square since. This spilled into violence when protesters stormed a stage erected for an Independence Day celebration.
Daulbayev, the prosecutor-general, said law-enforcement officers had been attacked by "hooligans" wielding firearms and "cold steel."
Reports circulating on social networking websites said the death toll was higher than 10 and that police had opened fire as the disturbances got out of control. These reports could not be verified independently.
The prosecutor-general did not say who had been killed or how. Local hospitals did not pick up the receiver when Reuters called, and New York-based Human Rights Watch said at least some mobile phone and Internet access had been shut down in the city.
"Without a means of communication with the outside world, people in Zhanaozen are extremely vulnerable," said Mihra Rittmann, Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch.
Human Rights Watch also called on the government to observe "human rights norms" as they restore order. "Even in times of unrest and violence, when police restore order they should do so without using excessive force," Rittman said in a statement.
The rights group also said around 100 people were detained and later released after a peaceful rally in the regional centre of Aktau, a larger city on the Caspian coast.
KazMunaiGas EP's London-traded stock closed down 4.0 percent on Friday, versus a decline of only 0.4 percent in the wider oil and gas sector.
(Additional reporting by Mariya Gordeyeva and Dmitry Solovyov; editing by Tim Pearce)
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WASHINGTON ? The House has endorsed harsher sanctions on Iran in an effort to weaken Tehran economically and derail its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
The overwhelming votes of 410-11 and 418-2 Wednesday were largely symbolic, however, as the Senate was not expected to act on the legislation in the few remaining days of the congressional session.
Separately, Congress was poised to back a sweeping defense bill that already included crippling sanctions on foreign financial institutions that do business with Iran's Central Bank that the Senate backed unanimously last week.
The legislation builds on sanctions that Congress overwhelmingly passed ? and President Barack Obama signed ? last year.
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Gmail has updated its iOS app with a few small features it was lacking at launch, most notably the ability to add a custom signature that Gmail uses when you're mobile and settings for enabling a vacation responder.
The mobile signature is great if you want to add a note to the end of your signature stating that you're mobile, and the vacation responder is nice if you, for some reason, aren't bringing your computer on vacation. You can hit the new gear icon above the sidebar to access these features. Other updates include better support for nested labels and a fun "Scribbles" feature that lets you make hand-drawn images using the touch screen to send in your emails. Google says it's also fixed a number of bugs and UI issues, though it hasn't fixed any of the issues that makes it a mediocre app. Hit the link to read more.
Note that if you're already using Gmail for iOS, you may need to uninstall the app and re-download it manually. The Lifehacker staff had some trouble when updating it from the App Store; it didn't give us the new version?just a buggier copy of the old version.
Updates to the Gmail app for iOS | Official Gmail Blog
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OMAHA, Neb. ? Several new problems have been found at a Nebraska power plant that suffered flood damage earlier this year, federal regulators said Tuesday, so inspectors will be watching the plant north of Omaha even more closely as repairs from flooding are made.
The tougher oversight for the Omaha Public Power District plant in Fort Calhoun will likely further delay its restart from early next year until sometime in the spring as it makes repairs from the summer flooding. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said none of the new issues represents a public safety threat, but the growing number of problems, combined with the prolonged shutdown, requires more scrutiny.
Fort Calhoun has been shut down since April, when it was being refueled. Flooding along the Missouri River then forced it to remain closed as floodwaters surrounded the plant.
NRC spokesman Victor Dricks told The Associated Press that the new problems at the plant include deficiencies in the Omaha Public Power District's emergency response and either a design or installation flaw that contributed to a fire in June. Inspectors also found flaws in the way the utility's analysis of how the plant would withstand different accident conditions such as earthquakes, tornadoes or loss of coolant.
The plant was already facing extra oversight because of the failure of a key electrical part during a test in 2010 and deficiencies in flood planning that were also found last year. Fort Calhoun might not be receiving so much attention if it hadn't had the other recent regulatory problems.
"In light of all that, the senior managers of the NRC are going to increase oversight at Fort Calhoun even further," Dricks said.
Utility officials began looking for ways to improve Fort Calhoun's operations earlier this year after the first couple of regulatory concerns were identified. The utility has submitted a detailed improvement plan to the NRC that regulators approved. The utility's chief nuclear officer, Dave Bannister, has acknowledged the performance problems at Fort Calhoun and promised to improve.
Bannister and other utility officials weren't immediately available to comment Tuesday afternoon.
David Lochbaum, nuclear safety director at the advocacy group Union of Concerned Scientists, said he could think of only a handful of times when the NRC has used this inspection approach, but that's partly because the nation's 65 nuclear power plants are rarely shut down as long as Fort Calhoun has been. He said many of the regulations the NRC uses to measure how well a nuclear plant is operating are based on things that happen while it is running.
Lochbaum praised the way the NRC is handling the situation.
"The good news is the NRC is doing its job," said Lochbaum, a former nuclear plant engineer.
At the height of the summer flooding, the Missouri River rose about 2 feet above the elevation of the base of the plant. The utility erected a network of barriers and set up an assortment of pumps to help protect its buildings. The plant remained dry inside, and officials said Fort Calhoun could withstand flooding up to 7 or 8 feet higher.
Two of the new violations are related to a small fire at Fort Calhoun that briefly knocked out the cooling system for used fuel in June. Temperatures at the plant never exceeded safe levels and power was quickly restored.
The utility declared an alert when the fire happened, but Dricks said it failed to notify state emergency response officials within 15 minutes, as required. NRC inspectors also determined that the part that caused the fire was either designed incorrectly or installed wrong.
Utility officials said last month that Fort Calhoun might resume generating electricity as early as January, but the additional inspections announced Tuesday will likely delay that a couple of months.
Before Tuesday's announcement, Fort Calhoun was one of only two nuclear power plants in the nation at level four of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's oversight system. This new move will put Fort Calhoun in a special category for plants that are shut down where regulators will have broad authority to conduct inspections.
___
Online:
Nuclear Regulatory Commission: http://www.nrc.gov
OPPD Fort Calhoun plan: http://www.oppd.com/AboutUs/22_007203
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We know from stellar nurseries we've seen elsewhere that the current model is largely correct. We know from spectrometry that the gas cloud is abundant in light elements and poor in elements that form in later-generation stars, and know also from spectrometry that the star itself is also very rich in light elements. Spectrometry, the the level of light given off, plus the estimated distance also tells us where in the sequence the star is, because the sequence is now very well known. We can further verify a few details -- the solar winds push gas away from the sun, but there are no solar winds before there's a sun to emit them. By measuring output and the degree of push, you can determine how long the gas cloud has been blasted at by the star. If this matches expectation, all's well. If the gas cloud shows evidence of more displacement than can be accounted for, there'd be problems. So far, all looks good.
So although the exact details of stellar formation do shift from time to time, major changes aren't likely. Minor ones, on the other hand, are commonplace. For example, some stellar nurseries close to the galactic centre are being hammered by solar winds from supermassive stars in the region. Current models cannot account entirely for how the stars were able to condense at all under such conditions. (You wouldn't expect fog patches to form in gale force 9 winds for the same reason. If you see fog in such conditions, then there's some extremely freaky condition to explain it - a total lack of air currents or turbulence is possible if you've exactly the right environment, and therefore something similar must exist in these freak star formations. It's an addition to, though, rather than a replacement of existing models.)
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UPDATE: Jayson Stark of ESPN.com confirms that the Marlins and Pujols? agent will indeed meet again tonight.
8:03 PM: It appears that the Marlins and Dan Lozano, the agent for Albert Pujols, are already setting up another meeting, having met already once this afternoon.
The Cardinals, too, are due to meet again with Lozano. According to Newsday?s Ken Davidoff, they view the Marlins as a real threat to land the three-time MVP.
St. Louis isn?t known to have made a new offer to Pujols since he turned down a nine-year, $198 million extension in January, and reports indicate that they?re not willing to go much higher now. While $200 million sounds nice, the $22 million per year would put Pujols behind Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Howard, CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Joe Mauer, Johan Santana and Mark Teixeira in terms of annual salary.
Despite having already spent $106 million on Jose Reyes and $27 million on Heath Bell, the Marlins look like legitimate suitors for Pujols. They?d certainly have to eclipse the Cardinals? offer to have a shot, but as much as Pujols is believed to enjoy playing in St. Louis, he may not take kindly to the perceived lack of respect being displayed in contract negotations. Pujols has never come close to earning what he?s worth, and while it?s true that the Cardinals don?t rake in dollars like the Yankees and Red Sox, they did outbid everyone for a premier talent in Matt Holliday two years ago.
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ZAGREB (Reuters) ? Croatia voted on Sunday in an election likely to hand power to the centre-left opposition on a mandate to overhaul the country's flagging economy before it joins the European Union in 2013.
Voters will almost certainly punish the ruling conservative HDZ -- Croatia's dominant party since independence in 1991 -- for a string of corruption scandals and rising unemployment.
Polls suggest power will pass to an opposition bloc known as Kukuriku ('cock-a-doodle-doo') and led by 45-year-old former diplomat Zoran Milanovic of the Social Democrats (SDS).
The next government will have to act fast to trim state spending, create jobs and avert a potential credit rating downgrade.
Milanovic has told Croats they will have to work "more, harder, longer" to turn the economy around before the country of 4.3 million people becomes the second ex-Yugoslav republic to join the EU in July 2013.
"I have a decent pension but I look around me and I see poverty everywhere," 74-year-old pensioner Milan Grgurek said after voting in the capital, Zagreb. "Whoever comes to power ... will have to carry out reforms."
Croatia broke away from socialist Yugoslavia in a 1991-95 war, and has seen its economy boom over the past decade on the back of foreign borrowing and waves of tourism to its stunning Adriatic coastline.
But growth ground to a halt when the global financial crisis hit in 2009.
CORRUPTION
Unemployment stood at 17.4 percent in October and thousands of employees work without pay. Lack of liquidity has paralyzed many local businesses and overall foreign debt has surpassed 100 percent of gross domestic product.
"The two things we expect from the new government are to draft a budget that shows fiscal consolidation, otherwise we are threatened with a credit rating cut, and to make a resolute start to the necessary reforms," said Davor Majetic of the national employers' association.
Milanovic told Reuters this week that the state budget for 2012 would be in place by the end of March and should reflect "how serious we are" about turning the economy around and averting a credit downgrade.
He said he expects the credit rating agencies to give Croatia a "grace period of three months at most."
After voting, Milanovic told reporters: "We expect victory, like anybody competing for the trust of the citizens."
In power for the past eight years, Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor's HDZ has been mired in corruption scandals since its former leader and prime minister, Ivo Sanader, stepped down in 2009. Sanader is now standing trial for alleged graft.
A number of other senior HDZ officials have been arrested or questioned over alleged slush funds in the past year, hurting the party's standing with voters.
Kosor said she hoped voters would "choose those who led an uncompromising fight against corruption and will be at the head of the government when we join the EU, because we have done a lot, and achieved that historic goal."
Voting ends at 7 p.m. (1800 GMT), when exit polls will follow. An official, preliminary count is expected by midnight.
(Editing by Matt Robinson and Maria Golovnina)
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Bipartisan leaders in New York State agreed to a plan to raise taxes on the rich. The plan is broadly similar to similar ideas discussed ? but rejected ? by Congress.
In the state that's home to Wall Street, taxes on the rich are about to go up.
Skip to next paragraphThat's the hot-button headline from a budget deal announced Tuesday by?bipartisan leaders in New York State.
The plan can be viewed in some ways as a microcosm of the larger?debate in Washington over national finances. In both cases, a?Democratic chief executive and a divided legislature face difficult?budget deficits, a still-weak economy, and a public that doesn't want?to see taxes go up.
A difference: New York politicians found a path of bipartisan?compromise, including plans to collect some new tax revenue ? from the?state's highest earners ? as well as to cut spending. In Washington,?efforts to reach such an accord have failed so far.
"Our state government has come together in a bipartisan manner to?create jobs, grow our economy and, at the same time enact a fair tax?plan that cuts taxes for the middle class," Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said?in a statement announcing the budget deal. "This would be lowest tax?rate for middle class families in 58 years."
Of course, politicians are prone to spin their achievements in the?most positive light, and it remains to be seen whether a deal designed?to raise $2 billion in new tax revenue will simultaneously mend the?budget and invigorate economic activity in New York.
The plan also still needs approval from the full state Senate and Assembly.
But New York State is following a script that many finance experts?urge for the nation as well: streamline spending, reduce tax rates,?and close loopholes so that more tax revenue can come in. Those?elements are hallmarks, for example, of the bipartisan Bowles-Simpson deficit reduction commission that made recommendations to President Obama last year.
New York State's Senate leader, a Republican, echoed Governor Cuomo's?praise for the approach.
"This year, working in a bipartisan manner, we've accomplished some?very important things for the people of this State ? including?eliminating a $10 billion deficit, bringing spending under control and?capping property taxes," majority leader Dean Skelos said. He said the?new tax reforms would "create thousands of new private sector jobs,?and begin to turn our economy around."
Under the plan, substantial new tax revenue would come from households?earning more than $300,000 a year, even as tax rates fall for them and for?others.
The new tax rates would range from 6.45 percent (for households with annual incomes of $40,000 to $150,000) to 6.85 percent (for households with?incomes of $300,000 to $2 million). Above the $2 million mark, the tax?rate would jump significantly higher, to 8.82 percent.
But again, all those tax rates would be lower than current rates. In?terms of how much tax households actually owe, taxes would rise for?the rich and fall for other groups. And overall, the state would take?in $2 billion more in revenue.
Similarly, the Bowles-Simpson plan called for a tax revenue boost ? something opposed by Republican lawmakers in Congress who have signed a no-hike pledge?championed by lobbyist Grover Norquist. On the spending side, it?called for tough choices on entitlements like Social Security, opposed?by many congressional Democrats. And tax reform (simplifying the code and lowering?tax rates) was used as a sweetener designed to make the plan more?politically palatable and more efficient for both tax collection and?economic growth.
"This job-creating economic plan defies the political gridlock that?has paralyzed Washington," Cuomo said.
The tax-hike plan comes as New York is one of a handful of states?struggling to close a budget gap for its current fiscal year. In?another one of these states, California, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) is?seeking approval for tax hikes.
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FRESNO, Calif.?? A Sikh man waiting for a plane at Fresno Yosemite International Airport was stabbed in a seemingly unprovoked attack, police said.
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Some Northwest lodges and resorts are making winter adventures more accessible for families by throwing in a little help: Stocked cabins and burly snowcats.
The victim was treated at the airport and boarded his flight taking him to another one bound for India.
Fresno police said Mitchell Dufur, 26, stabbed the Sikh man in his 50s in the upper torso Sunday evening near the security checkpoint. No words were exchanged before the attack. The man was standing with his translator when the attack occurred.
Dufur was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a knife in an airport.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations urged the FBI and police Monday to investigate the incident as a possible hate crime.
"Sikh men who wear beards and turbans as part of their faith are often targeted by bigots who mistake them for Muslims," said Sacramento CAIR Executive Director Basim Elkarra.
Gina Swankie of the FBI's Sacramento office said agents were having "a dialogue with the group," but she would not confirm whether they had opened an investigation. Police Lt. Don Gross said investigators have not determined whether it was a hate crime because Dufur has refused to talk to police about his motive.
Two elderly Sikh men were gunned down in suburban Sacramento on March 4. Surinder Singh, 65, and Gurmej Atwal, 78 when they were walking through a neighborhood in Elk Grove. Police are investigating the fatal shootings as a possible hate crime potentially linked to the men's appearance. Both men wore turbans and long beards.
Sikhism developed in the Punjab region of northern India. Sikhs in the U.S. have occasionally been the target of anti-Muslim sentiment because they wear turbans and have beards.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45558189/ns/travel-news/
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