Debt Limit ? A Guide To American Debt Made Easy

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Source: http://therealrevo.com/blog/?p=90986

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Senate Fiscal Cliff Deal: Negotiations Reach Standstill In Congress

Military Health Care - $16 Billion

In his last offer to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), President Barack Obama lobbied for $16 billion in cuts from the military's health care program, TRICARE. In 2012, the president also proposed hiking fees for military personnel and veterans who receive benefits under the program in an effort to help cut the defense budget. His proposal drew significant fire from Republican lawmakers and veterans' groups.

Military Retirement Program - $11 Billion

Both sides agreed to cuts from the military retirement program. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) claimed during July 2011 talks that lawmakers had reached a tentative deal to slash <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/11/fiscal-cliff-talks-medicare-social-security_n_2113259.html" target="_hplink">$11 billion</a>. Under the current system, military personnel receive immediate retirement benefits after serving for 20 years. According to a recent report from the Congressional Budget Office, the appropriation cost per active military service member has <a href="http://www.cbo.gov/publication/43574" target="_hplink">increased at a higher rate</a> than either inflation or the total pay package of private-sector employees. Given the budget constraints looming before the Defense Department, the CBO floated the idea of transitioning the military retirement program to a matching-payment model.

Federal Employee Retirement Program - $33 -$36 Billion

Cantor claimed that Republicans and Democrats had agreed to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/11/fiscal-cliff-talks-medicare-social-security_n_2113259.html" target="_hplink">$36 billion in savings</a> over 10 years from civilian retirement programs. The president proposed a marginally more modest figure of <a href="http://presspass.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/11/15089281-white-house-grand-bargain-offer-to-speaker-boehner-obtained-by-bob-woodward#.UKCJftkTtS8.twitter" target="_hplink">$33 billion</a> in his final offer to House Speaker John Boehner. Just this year, Republicans in the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform also looked to find savings from the Federal Employee Retirement System by <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/house-committee-approves-measure-upping-federal-employee-contributions-to-retirement-plan/2012/04/26/gIQAuoW6iT_blog.html" target="_hplink">requiring employees to pay more of their salary</a> into their pensions, which Democrats opposed as a pay cut that would make civil service less attractive for top talent. In September 2011, the federal government employed <a href="http://www.fedscope.opm.gov/cognos/cgi-bin/ppdscgi.exe?DC=Q&E=/FSe%20-%20Status/Employment%20-%20September%202012&LA=en&LO=en-us&BACK=/cognos/cgi-bin/ppdscgi.exe?toc=%2FFSe%20-%20Status&LA=en&LO=en-us" target="_hplink">over two million individuals</a>, either through the cabinets or independent agencies. Many Republicans have complained that the federal workforce has ballooned during the Obama administration, and while the raw number of employees has risen by <a href="http://www.thefactfile.com/2012/01/23/the-size-of-the-federal-workforce-rapid-growth-for-some-stagnation-for-others/" target="_hplink">14.4 percent</a> between Sept. 2007 and Sept. 2011, the percentage of public employees out of the total civilian workforce has <a href="http://www.thefactfile.com/2012/01/23/the-size-of-the-federal-workforce-rapid-growth-for-some-stagnation-for-others/" target="_hplink">remained fairly constant</a> around 1.2 percent since 2001. Much of the raw growth has been concentrated in the Department of Defense, Veteran's Affairs and Homeland Security.

Agricultural Subsidies - $30 - $33 Billion

Democrats and Republicans agreed to cut as much as <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/12/fiscal-cliff-barack-obama-_n_2118739.html" target="_hplink">$30 billion</a> from agricultural subsidies; the main opposition fell along geographical lines rather than partisan ones. Hailing from an agriculture-heavy state, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) threatened to pull out of talks entirely if a deal included that much in subsidy reduction. The president ended up pushing for <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/11/fiscal-cliff-talks-medicare-social-security_n_2113259.html" target="_hplink">$33 billion in cuts</a>, but that figure also included reductions in conservation programs. Baucus now tells HuffPost any cuts should be made through the farm bill, not fiscal cliff talks.

Food Stamps - $2 to $20 Billion

Cantor pushed hard for significant cuts to food stamps, formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. He charged that the federal government could save as much as <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/11/fiscal-cliff-talks-medicare-social-security_n_2113259.html" target="_hplink">$20 billion over ten years</a> by eliminating waste and fraud, but the White House countered that the real number was closer to $2 billion. Instead, those cuts would force the program to scale back on the number of enrollees and the level of benefits it could offer.

Flood Assistance - $4 Billion

Obama proposed cutting <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/12/fiscal-cliff-barack-obama-_n_2118739.html" target="_hplink">$4 billion from flood assistance</a> funding in his final offer to Boehner in July 2011. But Hurricane Sandy straining the National Flood Insurance Program; The New York Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/13/nyregion/federal-flood-insurance-program-faces-new-stress.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0" target="_hplink">reports</a> that thousands of claims are being submitted daily, which could send the overall cost upwards of $7 billion for a program that suffers from a ballooning debt problem. And with climate change promising <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/climate-change-predictions-foresaw-hurricane-sandy-scenario-for-new-york-city/2012/10/31/b78de428-2374-11e2-ac85-e669876c6a24_blog.html" target="_hplink">future flooding disasters</a> along the eastern seaboard, cutting the program looks unwise.

Home Health Care - $50 Billion

The president offered to cut <a href="http://presspass.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/11/15089281-white-house-grand-bargain-offer-to-speaker-boehner-obtained-by-bob-woodward#.UKCJftkTtS8.twitter" target="_hplink">$110 billion over the next decade</a> from the government's health care spending, excluding Medicare. Among the programs that could lose crucial funding is home health care, where Democrats and Republicans agreed to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/11/fiscal-cliff-talks-medicare-social-security_n_2113259.html" target="_hplink">$50 billion in reductions</a> over ten years. Cantor pushed for closer to $300 billion in spending cuts to health care, but Democrats appeared to stand firm.

Higher Education - $10 Billion

The president proposed cutting <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/12/fiscal-cliff-barack-obama-_n_2118739.html" target="_hplink">$10 billion from higher education</a> over the next decade, mostly from Pell grants. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/27/pell-grants-college-costs_n_1835081.html" target="_hplink">Over nine million students</a> relied on federal subsidized loans to afford college during the 2010-2011 school year, and the skyrocketing costs have continued to diminish the purchasing power of the Pell grant program. Obama has actively worked to make college more affordable for lower-income students. Key Republican lawmakers have attempted to cut funding for student loans; most notably, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) slashed the maximum award from $5,550 per student per year down to <a href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/07/dems_students_fight_to_save_pell_grants_amidst_debt_ceiling_talks.html" target="_hplink">just $3,040</a>.

Medicaid And Other Health- $110 Billion

The original funding levels proposed by Cantor and the GOP leadership would turn the entitlement program for America's poor into little more than a block grant program, Democrats claimed during the 2011 debt ceiling talks. Under such a program, they argued that states would then <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-11/medicaid-to-lose-1-26-trillion-under-romney-block-grant.html" target="_hplink">drop more people from enrollment</a> and scale back on health benefits. In fiscal year 2009, <a href="http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0151.pdf" target="_hplink">over 62 million Americans</a> -- many of them children -- depended on Medicaid for their health care. But the president did agree to <a href="http://presspass.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/11/15089281-white-house-grand-bargain-offer-to-speaker-boehner-obtained-by-bob-woodward#.UKCJftkTtS8.twitter" target="_hplink">$110 billion</a> in cuts from Medicaid and other health programs.

Medicare - $250 Billion +

Republicans pushed for a drastic overhaul to the entitlement program for America's seniors. Ryan infamously proposed turning Medicare into little more than a voucher system in which seniors would receive checks to purchase their own health care on the open market -- a plan that would ultimately <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kennethdavis/medicare-vouchers_b_1947804.html" target="_hplink">force individuals to shoulder more of the burden</a> for their health care costs. Democrats refused to accept changes similar to those in Ryan's plan. The president, however, was <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/11/fiscal-cliff-talks-medicare-social-security_n_2113259.html" target="_hplink">more open to other GOP suggestions</a> on Medicare. In his final offer to Boehner, he agreed cut $250 billion over the next ten years -- in part by increasing premiums for higher-income seniors and by raising the eligibility age from 65 to 67 (although over a longer time frame).

Tax Reform - $800 Billion - $1.6 Trillion

Republicans have again and again <a href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/politicolive/0511/Boehner_Medicare_Medicaid__everything_should_be_on_the_table_except_raising_taxes.html" target="_hplink">decried any attempt</a> to raise taxes, either on the highest earners or on corporations. (A Democracy Corps/Campaign for America's Future survey shows that <a href="http://www.ourfuture.org/report/2012114508/cafdemocracy-corps-election-poll-2012" target="_hplink">70 percent of voters</a> support raising taxes on the wealthiest two percent of Americans.) Instead, Boehner has pushed for a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/11/fiscal-cliff-talks-medicare-social-security_n_2113259.html" target="_hplink">comprehensive tax reform bill</a> that would lower the marginal tax rates while closing loopholes and eliminating deductions in order to raise around $800 billion in additional revenues. For many Democrats, <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323551004578117152861144968.html" target="_hplink">that figure simply isn't enough</a>. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney announced Tuesday that the president was aiming for as much as <a href="http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/13/showing-backbone-on-the-debt/" target="_hplink">$1.6 trillion in new revenues</a>, and the president told reporters on Wednesday that it would be <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/14/obama-tax-cuts_n_2131256.html" target="_hplink">practically impossible</a> to raise the amount of revenue he wanted simply from closing loopholes and lowering rates.

Social Security - $112 Billion

Social Security <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/14/fiscal-cliff-social-security_n_2130762.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular" target="_hplink">isn't driving the deficit</a>, yet Republicans have <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/11/fiscal-cliff-talks-medicare-social-security_n_2113259.html" target="_hplink">pursued drastic changes</a> to the program. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has promised that Social Security would be <a href="http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/reid-no-messing-with-social-security" target="_hplink">off the table</a> in the on-going negotiations to avoid the fiscal cliff, but Obama did concede to tying the benefits to a <a href="http://presspass.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/11/15089281-white-house-grand-bargain-offer-to-speaker-boehner-obtained-by-bob-woodward#.UKCJftkTtS8.twitter" target="_hplink">recalculated Consumer Price Index</a> that would ultimately provide less money to retirees. Sen. Bernie Sanders claims that, under such a measure, seniors who are currently 65 years-old would see their benefits drop by <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/267079-reid-assures-sanders-he-wont-agree-to-social-security-cuts-in-debt-deal" target="_hplink">$560 a month in 10 years</a> and by as much as <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/267079-reid-assures-sanders-he-wont-agree-to-social-security-cuts-in-debt-deal" target="_hplink">$1,000 in 20 years</a>. The Moment of Truth project (led by the two former co-chairs of the president's deficit reduction commission, former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.) and former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles) claims that the recalculated CPI could save as much as <a href="http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/11767/the_social_security_cut_washington_does_not_want_you_to_understand/" target="_hplink">$112 billion</a> from Social Security over the next ten years.

Tax Loopholes And Deductions - Up To $180 Billion

Although Cantor and other GOP House members demanded that any deficit-reduction deal brokered in 2011 be classified as <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/11/fiscal-cliff-talks-medicare-social-security_n_2113259.html" target="_hplink">revenue-neutral</a>, they were open to closing particular loopholes in the corporate tax code and limiting itemized deductions for individuals -- given that they were offset by other tax cuts. Out of the $50 billion in savings to be found over the next decade from closing loopholes, Cantor proposed getting $3 billion from eliminating the break for corporate-jet owners and another $20 billion from voiding the subsidies for the oil and gas industries. On the individual earner side, he proposed eliminating the second-home mortgage deduction for $20 billion, as well as limiting the mortgage deduction for higher-income households to rake in another $20 billion. He also offered to tighten the tax treatment of retirement accounts. But Democrats wanted to see even greater action taken on itemized deductions. In June 2011, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) proposed raising $130 billion in new revenues by capping itemized deductions at 35 percent for the highest income brackets. The GOP response to his proposal at the time was a resounding "no."

Bush Tax Cuts For The Wealthy - $950 Billion

Set to expire on Dec. 31, 2012, the Bush tax cuts represent one of the most controversial elements of the so-called fiscal cliff. They added over <a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/07/24/opinion/sunday/24editorial_graph2/24editorial_graph2-popup.gif" target="_hplink">$1.8 trillion to the deficit</a> between 2002 and 2009. Yet Republicans argue that an extension is necessary to create jobs and spur economic growth. But a <a href="http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/PDF/0915taxesandeconomy.pdf" target="_hplink">study</a> from the Congressional Research Service found that tax cuts for the wealthiest earners had little economic effect. The White House is pushing for a renewal only of those tax breaks for the lower- and middle-class Americans in order to save the average middle-class family <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/01/pf/taxes/fiscal-cliff-tax/index.html" target="_hplink">between $2,000 and $3,500</a> next year. Letting the cuts expire for those earning over $250,000 a year -- or the wealthiest two percent of Americans -- would haul in <a href="http://www.offthechartsblog.org/cbo-ending-high-income-tax-cuts-would-save-almost-1-trillion/" target="_hplink">$950 billion</a> in savings over the next decade, according to the CBO. Obama stressed how much the country stood to gain from such an approach Wednesday during a press conference. "If we right away say 98 percent of Americans are not going to see their taxes go up ? 97 percent of small businesses are not going to see their taxes go up," he said. "If we get that in place, we're actually <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/49821777" target="_hplink">removing half of the fiscal cliff</a>."

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/30/senate-fiscal-cliff-deal_n_2385225.html

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Capital News ? Woman accused of NYC subway hate crime murder

Posted by AFP on December 30, 2012

A man walks past a subway stop in Manhattan on December 5, 2012/AFP

NEW YORK, Dec 30 ? A 31-year-old New York woman was scheduled to appear before a judge Sunday after being charged with murder as a hate crime for shoving a Hindu man to his death in front of an oncoming subway train.

Erika Menendez of the Bronx borough was motivated by hatred of Muslims and Hindus, according to the Queens District Attorney?s Office.

?I pushed a Muslim off the train tracks because I hate Hindus and Muslims. Ever since 2001 when they put down the twin towers, I?ve been beating them up,? she told police.

Menendez, who is awaiting arraignment in Queens Criminal Court, faces from 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

The victim, 46-year-old Sunando Sen, was born in India and raised Hindu, a roommate told The New York Times.

The incident took place late Thursday at a station on the number 7 line in Queens.

Menendez ? who was speaking to herself as she paced along the platform, according to witnesses ? pushed the man as the train was pulling into the station. He apparently had his back to Menendez and did not see her.

Police released surveillance camera video footage via Twitter showing a woman running from the scene.

?The defendant is accused of committing what is every subway commuter?s worst nightmare ? being suddenly and senselessly pushed into the path of an oncoming train,? Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement.

?The victim was allegedly shoved from behind and had no chance to defend himself. Beyond that, the hateful remarks allegedly made by the defendant and which precipitated the defendant?s actions can never be tolerated by a civilized society.?

Sen?s death was eerily similar to that of a 58-year-old man killed on December 3 when he was pushed onto the tracks during a fight with a deranged man at a Manhattan subway station. The assailant, later identified as 30-year-old Naeem Davis, has been charged with murder. Davis is homeless.

A New York Post front page picture of the man on the tracks a split second before he was killed by the oncoming train provoked public fury as to why no one helped him ? and why the tabloid newspaper published the photo.

Several million people use the New York City subway system every day, but incidents of this kind are rare.

Before the December 3 death, the last time someone was pushed onto the rails and hit by a train was in 2010. The woman survived.

Thursday night?s incident appeared to have scared many New York subway riders as they kept closer to the walls as trains rolled into the station.

?It?s horrible,? said 46-year-old city resident Elena Rodriguez. ?We?re feeling so insecure now to be in the subway.?

Author: AFP
AFP has written 3651 posts
Agence France-Presse is a global news agency delivering fast, in-depth coverage of the events shaping our world from wars and conflicts to politics, sports, entertainment and the latest breakthroughs in health, science and technology.

Source: http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2012/12/woman-accused-of-nyc-subway-hate-crime-murder/

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Egypt's central bank: reserves at "critical" level

CAIRO (AP) ? The Central Bank of Egypt says the country's foreign currency reserves are at a "critical" minimum level.

The bank says reserves are at the minimum level needed to pay Egypt's international obligations. It did not give a current figure. In statistics from November, the reserves stood at $15 billion, less than half what they were before last year's uprising, even with help of deposits from Qatar.

The bank said in a statement Saturday that it has introduced a new auction system for buying and selling U.S. dollars after a rush by Egyptians to sell the pound in exchange for dollars over concerns of devaluation.

Reserves have tumbled since foreign investment dried up amid the country's turmoil the past two years. Much of the reserves have gone toward propping up the currency.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-central-bank-reserves-critical-level-164608124.html

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Debt ceiling is much scarier than fiscal cliff

23 hrs.

Ryan Vlastelica, Edward Krudy and Doris Frankel , Reuters

Investors fearing a stock market plunge if the U.S. tumbles off the "fiscal cliff" next week may want to relax.

But they should be scared if a few weeks later Washington fails to reach a deal to raise the nation's debt ceiling as that threatens a default, another credit downgrade and a financial markets panic.

Market strategists say that falling off the cliff for any lengthy period -- which would lead to automatic tax hikes and stiff cuts in government spending?--?would badly dent both consumer and business confidence, but?it would take some time for the U.S. economy to slide into recession. In the meantime, there would be plenty of chances for lawmakers to make amends by reversing some of the effects.

That has been reflected in a U.S. stock market that has still not shown signs of melting down. Instead, it has drifted lower and gotten more volatile.

In some ways, that has let Washington off the hook. In the past, a plunge in stock prices forced the hand of Congress, such as in the middle of the financial crisis in 2008.

"If this thing continues for a bit longer and the result is you get a U.S. debt downgrade ... the risk is not that you lose two and half percent, the risk is that you lose ten and a half," said Jonathan Golub, chief U.S. equity strategist at UBS Equity Research in New York.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said earlier?this??week that the United States will technically reach its debt limit at the end of the year.

'Tremendous fight'
The White House has said it will not negotiate the debt ceiling as in 2011, when the fight over what was once a procedural matter preceded the first-ever downgrade of the U.S. credit rating, but it may be forced into such a battle again. A repeat of that war is most worrisome for markets.

Markets posted several days of sharp losses in the period surrounding the debt ceiling fight in 2011. Even after a bill to increase the ceiling passed, stocks plunged in what was seen as a vote of no confidence in Washington's ability to function, given how close lawmakers came to a default.

Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's lowered the U.S. sovereign rating to double-A-plus, citing Washington's legislative problems as one reason for the downgrade. The benchmark S&P 500 dropped 16 percent in a four-week period ending Aug. 21, 2011.

"I think there will be a tremendous fight between Democrats and Republicans about the debt ceiling," said Jon Najarian, a co-founder of online brokerage TradeMonster.com in Chicago.

"I think that is the biggest risk to the downside in January for the market and the U.S. economy."

There are some signs in the options market that investors are starting to eye the January period with more wariness. The CBOE Volatility Index, or the VIX, the market's favored anxiety indicator, has remained at relatively low levels throughout this process, though on Thursday it edged above 20 for the first time since July.

More notable is the action in VIX futures markets, which shows a sharper increase in expected volatility in January than in later-dated contracts. January VIX futures are up nearly 23 percent in the last seven trading days, compared with a 13 percent increase in March futures and an 8 percent increase in May futures. That's a sign of increasing near-term worry among market participants.

Consumers don't appear at all traumatized by the fiscal cliff talks, as yet. Helping to bolster consumer confidence has been a continued recovery in the housing market and growth in the labor market, albeit slow.

The latest employment take will be out Friday, and the Labor Department is expected to show jobs growth of 145,000 for December, in line with recent growth.

Consumers will see their paychecks affected if lawmakers cannot broker a deal and tax rates rise, but the effect on spending is likely to be gradual.

Negotiations ongoing
President Barack Obama met with?congressional leaders from both parties Friday?for discussions about the fiscal cliff, and the House of Representatives is set to convene Sunday and continue working through the New Year. Obama has proposed maintaining current tax rates for all but the highest earners.

Options strategists have noted an increase in positions to guard against weakness in defense stocks such as General Dynamics, as those stocks would be affected by spending cuts set for that sector. Notably, though, the PHLX Defense Index is less than 1 percent away from an all-time high reached Dec. 20.

This underscores the view taken by most investors and strategists: One way or another, Washington will come to an agreement to offset some effects of the cliff. The result will not be entirely satisfying, but it will be enough to satisfy investors.

"Expectations are pretty low at this point and yet the equity market hasn't reacted," said Carmine Grigoli, chief U.S. investment strategist at Mizuho Securities USA. "You're not going to see the markets react to anything with more than a 5 to 7 percent correction."

Markets, for the most part, have not shown the same kind of volatility as in 2008 or 2011.

A gradual decline remains possible, Golub said, if business and consumer confidence continues to take a hit on the back of fiscal cliff worries. The Conference Board's measure of consumer confidence fell sharply in December, a drop blamed in part on the fiscal issues.

"If Congress came out and said that everything is off the table, yeah, that would be a short-term shock to the market, but that's not likely," said Richard Weiss, a Mountain View, Calif.-based senior money manager at American Century Investments.

"Things will be resolved, just maybe not on a good time table. All else being equal, we see any further decline as a buying opportunity."?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/forget-fiscal-cliff-debt-ceiling-much-scarier-1C7753061

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Is India a Rapist Society?

It looks that there is a new consciousness among the youth and students in this country against the obnoxious act of rape. India stands out. Wow, Mera Bharat Mahan! More than half of the country has learned to live rape. No one?s conscience is disturbed when everyday three Dalit women are raped on an average in this country. Speak of conscience blunting! How about the rape of the Adivasi women? No one literally cares. A small column in an unseeable corner of newspapers! The rape of the North East! Sorry. The rape of North Eastern women! By the mainland Indians, by traders, by police and by the Indian army! Wah! Wah!! Speak of the fence eating the crop!

Don?t we remember the North Eastern women taking up to an unheard of protest method against the Indian army raping their women? Does this nation even recognize that there is one Irom Sharmila fasting for more than a decade now? The Khairlangis, the Dharmapuris, the Guwahatis, the Khandamals etc., etc. How come that some rapes are more gruesome than other rapes? If a girl belonging to some caste is raped, it terribly disturbs, not only the conscience but also the streets, the opposition and the government of the nation. Is there any difference in the body of women belonging to different castes and tribals and religions? May be, who knows! Just as blood is of different colours in different races and different castes!

Even in the social and political engineering of rape, as is the case in the recent Delhi rape only a caste girl is chosen. Otherwise, it would not arouse the anger of the common youth, na? Did the rape precede the engineering or did the engineering precede the rape? It can be anybody?s guess. Why was rape of a girl used to whip the government? Once again it can be anybody?s guess. Shame on the government is the loud cry. How about shame on the men of this country? How about shame on the politicians? How about shame on the women of this country who have opted to keep quiet when they are not raped or one of their caste women was not raped? Is rape also sectarian? What a shame!

Is rape the problem? No, as history very clearly shows. It is the politics of rape that is the real problem. We know from time immemorial that rape has been used to settle scores among enemies, in times of war, in military strategies, in intelligence gathering, in civil wars and worst of all in caste atrocity and communal violence India. The way Indian army is let loose on the women of North East indicates a loathsome mindset in the ruling oligarchy. The ruling oligarchy keeps a calculated indifference to the way rape is used as a weapon among men to settle caste scores. This reveals a sickness and decay in the marrow of every bone in the body of this society. In this rottenness rape does not stand alone. Naked parading of women, honour killing, rampant child marriages etc. add to the wretchedness of women.

Is rape the problem in India? No. It is the attitude and the value towards women that are problems in India. That women are sex objects is a universal reality. That Dalit and Tribal women are easy sex objects for the caste forces is the Indian reality. Let us try denying this. The stark truth of a society of men that is putrid to the core will stare at us naked. The total disrespect for women and the camouflaging of this disrespect by spreading the banal and blatant lie that women are highly respected in India, that they are our mothers etc. are symptoms of this underlying plague. The permeation of this sickness is alarming. The sectarian and casteist callousness of this country to its women is a much deeper problem.

What else can you expect from a country that has established ceremonial and sanctified rape in the Devadasi system? Where are the youth and students against this broad daylight sexual orgy? How about the different festivals that legitimize quite religiously the procession of naked Dalit women carrying elements of worship for a few kilometres? Where is the conscience of this nation, of the forces that have engineered a high pitched battle against the rape of one woman in Delhi? Is Delhi so important for men? But it is in Delhi that one hears of frequent rapes and killing of women after rape. Delhi is the rape capital of India and that perhaps is why some political forces thought of rape as their next political strategy.

It will be na?ve to dump rape as only a political tool. It is also a manifestation a deprivation of sex, healthy sex I mean. The double standards attached to Indian discourse on sex, the denial of space for men and women to socialize freely, the stigma attached to normal sexual behaviour among men and women, the spreading of prejudices about sex and its clandestine practice by all and sundry, the killing of female foetuses, the leniency to boys in the family upbringing, the litany can go on and on. All these keep adding bit by bit to the evolution of a psyche of rape.

What are we arriving at? In India you have the social rape. That is, Dalit and Adivasi women can be raped at will by the caste forces and the law of the land will turn the other way. It has done that in the last more than 65 years. You have the religious rape. Religion legitimizes the rape of women under different festivals and Devadasi system. You have the political rape. That is, rape as a weapon of revenge and settling scores. You have the systemic rape. That is, the law machines legitimizing rape as a ?common? thing among armed forces and law enforcers.

The most devastating aspect in the recent hype on rape in Delhi is the attitude of the media. Laudable are the efforts of any media that highlights the issue of rape. But why is this sudden focus on rape by the national media? It creates a myth that in India the media is hyper sensitive to the issue of rape. If India really had such a sensitive media many maladies of this country would have been reduced long ago. The media must take more than an equal share of the Indian society?s callousness towards the reality of rape.

Let us then safely conclude that the caste forces, the religious forces, the political forces, the ruling oligarchy and the different pillars such as the media are raping India on the whole. Many are clamouring for the blood of the rapists. ?Kill them? ?hang them? is the far cry of the so-called protestors against rape. Let them give a serious thought to the above-mentioned forces.

The issue of rape of women has to be tackled differently. It is a long drawn out programme of action and dealing with different issues that plague the country. It is as serious as nation building. If India is honest in its respect for women then its Parliament must have a minimum of 50% women members. No legitimization of any kind to reduce this proportional representation will absolve India of the stigma of being a rapist society.
?

Source: http://www.merinews.com/article/is-india-a-rapist-society/15879633.shtml

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OWN Documentary Club: 'Love Etc.' Trailer

Oprah.com:

"Love Etc." is a witty, poignant and humorous exploration about the universal stages of love, depicted through five real stories over the course of one year in New York City. "Love Etc." documents the intimate journeys of engaging characters aged 18-89 who reflect the city's diversity, and takes an honest look at life's most challenging pursuit. The film is directed by Jill Andresevic and produced by Walnut Hill Media. Executive produced by Jonathan Tisch.

Tune in to OWN on Sunday, Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. ET for a special encore presentation of "Love Etc."

Read the whole story at Oprah.com

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/28/own-documentary-club-love_n_2371546.html

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Stocks extend losses ahead of 'fiscal cliff' talks

22 hrs.

JeeYeon Park , CNBC

Stocks took another beating for the fifth-consecutive session Friday, with the Dow logging its worst weekly drop in six, after a report that President Barack Obama said he is not going to make a new budget offer during the "fiscal cliff" summit at the White House.

Instead, Obama plans to lay out what is clear can pass with a majority in both the House and Senate and what most American people support, which includes protecting everyone making $250,000 and less from seeing their taxes go up.

The?Dow Jones Industrial Average?dropped 158.20 points, or 1.21 percent, to close at 12.938.11, dragged down?by?Hewlett-Packard?and?ExxonMobil.

The?S&P 500?slumped 15.67 points, or 1.11 percent, to end at 1,402.43. The?Nasdaq?declined 25.60 points, or 0.86 percent, to finish at 2,960.31. The?CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, spiked to close above 22 for the first time since June.

For the week, the?Dow?tumbled 1.92 percent, the?S&P 500?fell 1.94 percent, and the?Nasdaq?dropped 2.01 percent. Most Dow components ended in the red for the week, dragged by?Hewlett-Packard?and?Microsoft, while?Bank of America?squeezed out a small gain.

"Traders are so cautious and investors are also worried," said Stephen Guilfoyle of Meridian Equity Partners.?

President Barack Obama?met with a bi-partisan group of congressional leaders?at the White House, just days before the deadline to reach a deal or see the a series of automatic spending cuts and tax hikes come into force. If a deal is not possible, Obama and the leaders would leave the resolution to the next Congress to address in January.

Earlier, stocks came off their lows as investors latched onto a glimmer of hope amid reports of?progress toward a potential deal. According to sources, negotiations revolved around permitting taxes to rise to Clinton-era levels on incomes above $400,000, the level in Obama's last offer to Republican House Speaker John Boehner before their negotiations fell apart earlier this month.

Hewlett-Packard?confirmed that the Justice Department is looking into its allegations that?Autonomy?engaged in accounting fraud prior to its acquisition by HP last year.

Apple?dipped after a Chinese court fined the iPhone maker $160,000 for hosting third-party applications on its App Store that were selling pirated electronic books, Xinhua news agency said. Apple shares have declined nearly 25 percent in the last three months. The stock hit an all-time high of $705 in mid-September.

Barnes & Noble?jumped after British publisher?Pearson?said it will buy a 5 percent stake in the bookstore chain's digital Nook and college bookstore businesses for $89.5 million. Separately, Barnes & Noble said it expects holiday sales to be below forecasts and that its Nook business will not meet prior full-year 2013 projections.

Among airlines, Raymond James raised its price target on?Delta Airlines,?Southwest Airlines,?U.S. Airways,?Spirit Airlines?and?Alaska Air.

On the economic front, pending home sales rose to the highest level in more than 2-1/2 years, climbing 1.7 percent in November, according to the National Association of Realtors.?

And the Institute for Supply Management-Chicago said its index of Midwest business activity rose to 51.6 in December from 50.4 in November, edging past expectations for 51.0.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/wall-street-extends-losses-week-1C7753031

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Renters Are Damaged By Foreclosures Too | Boise Real Estate Blog

Renters are oft-overlooked victims of foreclosure.

A recent study by the National Law Center On Homelessness and Poverty points out that roughly 20% of all foreclosed properties are rental properties.

Visualize this:

You are a renter who has signed a one-year lease, put up a substantial security deposit, moved in, and think you?re all settled for the next twelve months.

Then, two months into your lease, you learn that the property you?re renting just went into foreclosure.

Or, worse, you learn that the property was already in foreclosure when you signed the lease.

Another few months pass, and a sheriff?s deputy knocks on your front door and tells you that you must leave within three days.

You have to move, your deposit is gone, and the landlord has pocketed your rent while not making mortgage payments.

It?s not fair, but it can happen.

Renters in these circumstances are innocent victims and vulnerable through no fault of their own.

Before you sign that lease, check the public records ?and confirm that a notice of default has not been recorded against the property you want to rent.

That will, at least, confirm that the property is not in foreclosure proceedings when you sign the lease.

You can do this by contacting your county recorder?s office in most locales.

Source: DSNews.com article

?

December 27th, 2012 Posted in Inside Real Estate ?Print This Post

Source: http://www.boiseblog.com/2012/12/renters-are-damaged-by-foreclosures-too

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Video games a flash point in Connecticut school rampage&#39;s aftermath

Chris Ruffner of Mt. Washington browses the selection of video games on Thursday at Family Video in Whitehall. Violent games, such as the popular ?Call of Duty? series, are under scrutiny as a result of the Newtown, Conn., school massacre. Sidney Davis | Tribune-Review

By Adam Smeltz

Published: Friday, December 28, 2012, 12:51?a.m.
Updated 13 hours ago

The National Rifle Association and others call violent video games a spark for real-life brutality.

But those urging increased scrutiny of the industry because of reports that such video games enthralled the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter should look to previous efforts. Scholars warn that past attempts to regulate the industry fell flat, sometimes on free-speech grounds.

Research links violent gaming with aggressive tendencies, but no studies definitively peg them as a cause of fatal attacks, researchers said.

?I wouldn?t be surprised to see different legislatures or different politicians introducing measures, trying to see if we can have more studies of kids and violent games. It?s a high-profile thing,? said Mia Consalvo, a faculty member and Canada Research Chair in Game Studies and Design at Montreal-based Concordia University.

?Unfortunately, it?s one thread among many,? Consalvo said. ?It?s kind of looking for an easy solution when there probably isn?t one.?

Adam Lanza, 20, who killed his mother before fatally shooting 20 children, six adults and himself on Dec. 14 in Newtown, Conn., played graphic video games such as ?Call of Duty,? according to published reports.

Within days of the massacre, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., introduced legislation that would order the National Academy of Sciences to investigate how violent video games affect children and to report findings within 18 months.

?I have long expressed concern about the impact of the violent content our kids see and interact with every day,? Rockefeller said.

NRA leader Wayne LaPierre picked up the theme last week, flaying ?vicious, violent video games? as ?the filthiest form of pornography.? The NRA did not respond to a Tribune-Review interview request.

Ed Kowalski, 43, of New Kensington said his three stepkids? grades went ?through the roof? after they cut back on video games. He said the kids ? ages 13, 10 and 8 ? often have trouble focusing after playing for extended periods.

?These things take kids into oblivion,? Kowalski said. ?We believe those age restrictions are important for any kid.?

Industry observers said video game criticism is nothing new. A rating system begun in 1994 took shape as technology allowed manufacturers to sell more realistic games. Senate hearings pushed the industry to develop the ratings.

It?s up to retailers to verify a buyer?s age for purchases of games rated ?M? for mature or ?AO? for adults only, according to the Entertainment Software Rating Board. A representative for the rating board would not comment, and another key industry group, the Entertainment Software Association, did not respond to calls.

The rating board?s website says national retailers refuse to sell M-rated games to underage customers 87 percent of the time, according to a federal review.

The U.S. Supreme Court invoked First Amendment rights in June 2011 when it rejected a California law that would have banned sales to anyone younger than 18. Five years earlier, a federal judge ruled unconstitutional a Michigan law that barred retailers from selling such games to minors. In Utah, then-Gov. Jon Huntsman vetoed a 2009 bill that would have punished stores for selling M-rated games to minors.

State Sen. Leland Yee, a San Francisco Democrat who introduced the ill-fated California bill, said the video game industry since has ?done a better job of voluntarily limiting the sale of games to children.?

Ohio State University professor Brad Bushman has studied video games and not found a direct causal connection between violent games and extreme behavior.

So many factors fuel violent conduct that it?s impossible to identify video games as a singular cause. It?s especially complicated to study because ethical researchers cannot give guns and knives to video game fans just to see what happens, he said.

At the same time, Bushman said, research has found ties between violent gaming and generally aggressive behavior. He said the industry could put warning labels on violent games and make it harder for children to buy M-rated games on the Internet.

?I?d be more surprised if Adam Lanza did not play violent video games than if he did play violent video games. Almost everyone his age does,? though few become murderers, Bushman said.

The industry evolved its approach over the years, adding a feature that lets gaming system owners lock out adult games, Consalvo said.

?I think we can ask why, as a culture, we enjoy so much violent content, not just in games but in film and television ? and why that?s so appealing,? she said. ?But that?s a much larger conversation.?

Adam Smeltz is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Source: http://triblive.com/news/editorspicks/3203767-74/games-video-violent

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New India-Pakistan Cricket Series Marks Thaw in Relations (Voice Of America)

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Try Practicing These Great Self Improvement Tips Today! | Mind and ...

The concept of self improvement is based on a person improving themselves in all ways on a regular basis. You?ll have to build self-awareness, learn new things, and develop spiritually, all leading to the fulfillment of your personal goals. The aim of this article is to assist you with some ways to enhance your self improvement goals. Taking steps can help you find a better understanding of yourself.

Many people often have goals that are too broad, when they are trying to grow through personal development. Make sure to come up with a target goal for yourself. When you have specific goals set, you will find that you get results.

TIP! Getting out and living your life can really enhance your quest for personal development. You need to chose to actively participate in your life instead of being a spectator.

To achieve success, list personal development goals that are broken down into specifics. The more specific your goals, the easier it will be to chart a course from where you are now to where you want to be in the future. You can face each challenge and move on to the success you desire.

Read some good books about self improvement. The best personal development books can give you new ideas and advice that could change your life forever. Books on the topic of self improvement can be poorly written. To avoid this, make sure you read books that have been reviewed well.

TIP! You should try to become the best at what you do. The passions you have should always make you want to achieve greatness.

Go to the movies with a friend. You will be out and about but not have to socialize as much. You will also begin to get comfortable being around large groups of people.

Remove the disorder and chaos from your life. Bringing structure to your life will give you a great sense of accomplishment, and living a more organized life will boost your confidence. Additionally, it will remove the stress caused by living a disorganized life. Having everything in its own place instills a calming energy.

TIP! In order to have a lifestyle that you love, set goals that you are sure that you can accomplish. When you determine what your weaknesses are, you can address them properly and become a better you.

Perhaps you have set high goals for yourself and keep failing to attain them. If this is the case, it is a good idea to stop and think why. Compare your goals with the goals of others that you can research online. You may find that you are setting the bar too high, forgetting a critical step, or not allocating enough of your resources to solving the problem.

Are you having a hard time finding that special someone? Perhaps you should try the Internet. Four out of ten couples meet online these days. You never know, the person you are looking for could also be looking for someone! Free sites have advantages and disadvantages, but so do paid dating sites.

TIP! Start giving other people compliments. Resist the urge to focus on the negative and instead speak out in kindness to others and you will find yourself being kinder to yourself, as well.

You must monitor your progress whenever you undertake a personal development project. Take heed of the advice provided here so that you can determine how this should occur. When you monitor your progress with any task, you will surely begin to notice improvement.

Now you have some more information about development to use to your advantage. This is an excellent start, but don?t neglect additional research. Use your time wisely so you?re able to get the success you desire. Do more research and adapt the tips and strategies you come across so they are relevant to your projects.

Categories: Personal Development | Tags: Personal Development | Permalink

Author: manpro

European Marketing Professional Online- and Networkmarketer Online Afiliate Marketer

Source: http://www.mindandbodymagic.com/try-practicing-these-great-self-improvement-tips-today/

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Ex-U.S. President George H.W. Bush in intensive care (reuters)

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Fees undermine fliers' ability to compare fares

FILE - This Dec. 21, 2012 file photo shows travelers walking to a ticketing desk at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. For many passengers, air travel is only about finding the cheapest fare. But as airlines offer a proliferating list of add-on services, from early boarding to premium seating and baggage fees, the ability to comparison-shop for the lowest total fare is eroding. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

FILE - This Dec. 21, 2012 file photo shows travelers walking to a ticketing desk at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. For many passengers, air travel is only about finding the cheapest fare. But as airlines offer a proliferating list of add-on services, from early boarding to premium seating and baggage fees, the ability to comparison-shop for the lowest total fare is eroding. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? For many passengers, air travel is only about finding the cheapest fare.

But as airlines offer a proliferating list of add-on services, from early boarding to premium seating and baggage fees, the ability to comparison-shop for the lowest total fare is eroding.

Global distribution systems that supply flight and fare data to travel agents and online ticketing services like Orbitz and Expedia, accounting for half of all U.S. airline tickets, complain that airlines won't provide fee information in a way that lets them make it handy for consumers trying to find the best deal.

"What other industry can you think of where a person buying a product doesn't know how much it's going to cost even after he's done at the checkout counter?" said Simon Gros, chairman of the Travel Technology Association, which represents the global distribution services and online travel industries.

The harder airlines make it for consumers to compare, "the greater opportunity you have to get to higher prices," said Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition, whose members include corporate travel managers.

Now the Obama administration is wading into the issue. The Department of Transportation is considering whether to require airlines to provide fee information to everyone with whom they have agreements to sell their tickets. A decision originally scheduled for next month has been postponed to May, as regulators struggle with a deluge of information from airlines opposed to regulating fee information, and from the travel industry and consumer groups that support such a requirement.

Meanwhile, Spirit Airlines, Allegiant Air and Southwest Airlines ? with backing from industry trade associations ? are asking the Supreme Court to reverse an appeals court ruling forcing them to include taxes in their advertised fares. The appeals court upheld a Transportation Department rule that went in effect nearly a year ago that ended airlines' leeway to advertise a base airfare and show the taxes separately, often in smaller print. Airlines say the regulations violate their free-speech rights.

At the heart of the debate is a desire by airlines to move to a new marketing model in which customers don't buy tickets based on price alone. Instead, following the well-worn path of other consumer companies, airlines want to mine personal data about customers in order to sell them tailored services. You like to sit on the aisle and to ski, so how would you like to fly to Aspen with an aisle seat and a movie, no extra baggage charge for your skis, and have a hotel room and a pair of lift tickets waiting for you, all for one price? You're a frequent business traveler. How about priority boarding, extra legroom, Internet access and a rental car when you arrive?

"Technology is changing rapidly. We are going to be part of the change," said Sharon Pinkerton, vice president of Airlines for America, which represents most U.S. carriers. "We want to be able to offer our customers a product that's useful to them, that's customized to meet their needs, and we don't think (the Transportation Department) needs to step in."

If airlines have their way, passengers looking for ticket prices may have to reveal a lot more information about themselves, such as their age, marital status, gender, nationality, travel history and whether they're flying for business or leisure. The International Air Transport Association, whose 240 member airlines cover 84 percent of global airline traffic, adopted standards at a meeting earlier this month in Geneva for such information gathering by airlines as well as by travel agents and ticketing services that would relay the data to airlines and receive customized fares in return.

"Airlines want, and expect, their (ticket) distribution partners to offer passengers helpful contextual information to make well-informed purchase decisions, reducing the number of reservations made based primarily or exclusively on price," said a study commissioned by the association.

Consumer advocates question how airlines would safeguard the personal information they gather, and they worry that comparison shopping for the cheapest air fares will no longer be feasible.

"It's like going to a supermarket where before you get the price, they ask you to swipe your driver's license that shows them you live in a rich zip code, you drive a BMW, et cetera," Mitchell said. "All this personal information on you is going out to all these carriers with no controls over what they do with it, who sees it and so on."

The airline association said consumers who choose not to supply personal information would still be able to see fares and purchase tickets, though consumer advocates said those fares would probably be at the "rack rate" ? the travel industry's term for full price, before any discounts.

It's up to individual airlines whether they price fares differently for travelers who don't provide personal information, said Perry Flint, a spokesman for the international airline association.

The stakes, of course, are enormous. Since 2000, U.S. airlines have lost money for more years than they've made profits. Fee revenue has made a big difference in their bottom lines. Globally, airlines raked in an estimated $36 billion this year in ancillary revenue, which includes baggage fees and other a la carte services as well as sales of frequent flyer points and commissions on hotel bookings, according to a study by Amadeus, a global distribution service, and the IdeaWorksCompany, a U.S. firm that helps airlines raise ancillary revenue. U.S. airlines reported collecting nearly $3.4 billion in baggage fees alone in 2011.

One expense airlines would like to eliminate is the $7 billion a year they pay global distribution systems to supply flight and fare information to travel agents and online booking agents like Expedia. Airlines want to deal more directly with online ticket sellers and travel agents, who dominate the lucrative business travel market. Justice Department officials have acknowledged an investigation is underway into possible anti-trust violations by distribution companies.

Airlines also have been cracking down on websites that help travelers manage their frequent flier accounts. The sites use travelers' frequent flier passwords to obtain balances and mileage expiration dates, and then display the information in a way that makes it easier for travelers to figure out when it makes more sense to buy a ticket or to use miles.

"What the airlines are trying to do right now is reinvent the wheel so they can hold all their information close to their chest," said Charles Leocha, founder of the Consumer Travel Alliance. "As we move forward in a world of IT, the ownership of passenger data is like gold to these people."

By withholding information like fee prices, he said, "we are forced to go see them, and then we are spoon-fed what they want to feed us."

___

Airlines for America http://www.airlines.org

Travel Technology Association http://www.traveltechnologyassociation.org

Business Travel Coalition http://businesstravelcoalition.com/

___

Follow Joan Lowy at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-12-26-Airline%20Fees/id-c68c80dd768a4341b674015191c83e7a

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Pope decries slaughter of 'defenseless' Syrians

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Pope Benedict XVI wished Christmas peace to the world Tuesday, decrying the slaughter of the "defenseless" in Syria and urging Israelis and Palestinians to find the courage to negotiate.

Delivering the Vatican's traditional Christmas day message from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, Benedict also encouraged Arab spring nations, especially Egypt, to build just and respectful societies.

He prayed that China's new leaders respect religion, a reference to persecution Chinese Roman Catholics have at times endured under communism.

As the 85-year-old pontiff, bundled up in an ermine-trimmed red cape, gingerly stepped foot on the balcony, the pilgrims, tourists and Romans below backing St. Peter's Square erupted in cheers.

Less than 12 hours earlier, Benedict had led a two-hour long Christmas Eve ceremony in the basilica. He sounded hoarse and looked weary as he read his Christmas message and then holiday greetings in 65 languages.

In his "Urbi et Orbi" speech, which traditionally reviews world events and global challenges, Benedict prayed that "peace spring up for the people of Syria, deeply wounded and divided by a conflict that does not spare even the defenseless and reaps innocent victims."

He called for easier access to help refugees and for "dialogue in the pursuit of a political solution to the conflict."

Benedict prayed that God "grant Israelis and Palestinians courage to end long years of conflict and division, and to embark resolutely on the path to negotiation."

Israel, backed by the United States, opposed the Palestinian statehood bid, saying it was a ploy to bypass negotiations, something the Palestinians deny. Talks stalled four years ago.

Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said that in a meeting with the pope last week, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas "emphasized our total readiness to resume negotiations." The Palestinians have not dropped their demand that Israel first stop settlement activities before returning to the negotiating table.

Hours earlier, in the ancient Bethlehem church built over the site where tradition holds Jesus was born, candles illuminated the sacred site and the joyous sound of prayer filled its overflowing halls.

Overcast skies and a cold wind in the Holy Land didn't dampen the spirits of worshippers in the biblical West Bank town. Bells pealed and long lines formed inside the fourth-century Church of the Nativity complex as Christian faithful waited to see the grotto that is Jesus' traditional birthplace.

Duncan Hardock, 24, a writer from MacLean, Va., traveled to Bethlehem from the republic of Georgia, where he had been teaching English. After passing through the separation barrier Israel built to ward off West Bank attackers, he walked to Bethlehem's Manger Square where the church stands.

"I feel we got to see both sides of Bethlehem in a really short period of time," Hardock said. "On our walk from the wall, we got to see the lonesome, closed side of Bethlehem ... But the moment we got into town, we're suddenly in the middle of the party."

Bethlehem lies 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Jerusalem. Entry to the city is controlled by Israel, which occupied the West Bank in 1967.

For those who couldn't fit into the cavernous Bethlehem church, a loudspeaker outside broadcast the Christmas day service to hundreds of faithful in the square.

Their Palestinian hosts, who welcome this holiday as the high point of their city's year, were especially joyous this season, proud of the United Nations' recognition of an independent state of Palestine just last month.

"From this holy place, I invite politicians and men of good will to work with determination for peace and reconciliation that encompasses Palestine and Israel in the midst of all the suffering in the Middle East," said the top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal in his annual address.

Back at the Vatican, Benedict offered encouragement to countries after the Arab spring of democracy protests. He had a special word for Egypt, "blessed by the childhood of Jesus."

Without citing the tumultuous politics and clashes in the region, he urged the North African region to build societies "founded on justice and respect for the dignity of every person."

Benedict prayed for the return of peace in Mali and harmony in Nigeria, where, he recalled "savage acts of terrorism continue to reap victims, particularly among Christians."

The Vatican for decades has been worried about the well-being of its flock in China, who are loyal to the pope in defiance of the communist's government support of an officially sponsored church, and relations between Beijing and the Holy See are often tense.

Speaking about China's newly installed regime leaders, Benedict expressed hope that "they will esteem the contribution of the religions, in respect for each other, in such a way that they can help to build a fraternal society for the benefit of that noble people and of the whole world."

Acknowledging Latin America's predominant Christian population, he urged government leaders to carry out commitments to development and to fighting organized crime.

In Britain, the royal family was attending Christmas Day church services at St. Mary Magdelene Church on Queen Elizabeth II's sprawling Sandringham estate, though there were a few notable absences. Prince William is spending the holiday with his pregnant wife Kate and his in-laws in the southern England village of Bucklebury, while Prince Harry is serving with British troops in Afghanistan.

Later Tuesday, the queen will deliver her traditional, pre-recorded Christmas message, which for the first time will be broadcast in 3D.

______

Dalia Nammari in Bethlehem and Cassandra Vinograd in London contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-decries-slaughter-defenseless-syrians-111207075.html

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NFL Star Chad Ochocinco?s Naughty Sex Tape Hits The Internet!

NFL Star Chad Ochocinco’s Naughty Sex Tape Hits The Internet!

Chad Ochocinco is the latest celebrity to have his sexy time adventures released for the world to see! The website World Star Hip Hop posted a video of photo stills from the sex tape (NSFW link of course) here of the former Miami Dolphins player getting his freak on with two ladies. A source close ...

NFL Star Chad Ochocinco’s Naughty Sex Tape Hits The Internet! Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2012/12/nfl-star-chad-ochocincos-naughty-sex-tape-hits-the-internet/

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Russian parliament endorses anti-U.S. adoption bill

MOSCOW (AP) ? Defying a storm of domestic and international criticism, Russia moved toward finalizing a ban on Americans adopting Russian children, as Parliament's upper house voted unanimously Wednesday in favor of a measure that President Vladimir Putin has indicated he will sign into law.

The bill is widely seen as the Kremlin's retaliation against an American law that calls for sanctions against Russians deemed to be human rights violators. It comes as Putin takes an increasingly confrontational attitude toward the West, brushing aside concerns about a crackdown on dissent and democratic freedoms.

Dozens of Russian children close to being adopted by American families now will almost certainly be blocked from leaving the country. The law also cuts off the main international adoption route for Russian children stuck in often dismal orphanages: More than 60,000 Russian youngsters have been adopted in the United States in the past 20 years. There are about 740,000 children without parental care in Russia, according to UNICEF.

All 143 members of the Federation Council present voted to support the bill, which has sparked criticism from both the United States and Russian officials, activists and artists, who say it victimizes children by depriving them of the chance to escape the squalor of orphanage life. The vote comes days after Parliament's lower house overwhelmingly approved the ban.

Seven people with posters protesting the bill were detained outside the Council before Wednesday's vote. "Children get frozen in the Cold War," one poster read. Some 60 people rallied in St. Petersburg, Russia's second largest city.

The bill is part of larger legislation by Putin-allied lawmakers retaliating against a recently signed U.S. law that calls for sanctions against Russians deemed to be human rights violators. Although Putin has not explicitly committed to signing the bill, he strongly defended it in a press conference last week as "a sufficient response" to the new U.S. law.

Originally Russia's lawmakers cobbled together a more or less a tit-for-tat response to the U.S. law, providing for travel sanctions and the seizure of financial assets in Russia of Americans determined to have violated the rights of Russians.

But it was expanded to include the adoption measure and call for a ban on any organizations that are engaged in political activities if they receive funding from U.S. citizens or are determined to be a threat to Russia's interests.

Russian children's rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov told the Interfax news agency that 46 children who were on the verge of being adopted by Americans would stay in Russia if the bill is approved ? despite court rulings in some of these cases authorizing the adoptions.

The ombudsman supported the bill, saying that foreign adoptions discourage Russians from adopting children. "A foreigner who has paid for an adoption always gets a priority compared to potential Russian adoptive parents," Astakhov was quoted as saying. "A great country like Russia cannot sell its children."

Russian law allows foreigners to adopt only if a Russian family has not expressed interest in a child being considered for adoption.

Some top government officials, including the foreign minister, have spoken flatly against the adoption law, arguing that the measure would be in violation of Russia's constitution and international obligations.

But Senator Mikhail Margelov, chairman of the Council's foreign affairs committee, referred to the bill as "a natural and a long overdue response" to the U.S. legislation. "Children must be placed in Russian families, and this is a cornerstone issue for us," he said.

Margelov said that a bilateral Russian-U.S. agreement binds Russia to give notice of a halt to adoptions 12 months in advance. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies that the president would consider the bill within the next two weeks.

The measure has become one of the most debated topics in Russia.

By Tuesday, more than 100,000 Russians had signed an online petition urging the Kremlin to scrap the bill.

Over the weekend, dozens of Muscovites placed toys and lit candles in front of the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament after it approved the bill on Friday, but security guards promptly removed them. Opposition groups said they will rally against the bill on Jan. 13, and several popular artists publicly voiced their concern about the legislation.

While receiving a state award from Putin on Wednesday, film actor Konstantin Khabensky wore a badge saying "Children Are Beyond Politics." Veteran rock musician Andrey Makarevich called on Putin Monday to stop "killing children."

During a marathon Putin press conference Thursday, eight of the 60 questions the president answered focused on the bill. Responding angrily, Putin claimed that Americans routinely mistreat children from Russia.

The bill is named in honor of Dima Yakovlev, a Russian toddler who was adopted by Americans and then died in 2008 after his father left him in a car in broiling heat for hours. The father was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

Russian lawmakers argue that by banning adoptions to the U.S. they would be protecting children and encouraging adoptions inside Russia.

In a measure of the virulent anti-U.S. sentiment that has gripped parts of Russian society, a few lawmakers went even further, claiming that some Russian children were adopted by Americans only to be used for organ transplants and become sex toys or cannon fodder for the U.S. Army.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russian-parliament-endorses-anti-us-adoption-bill-110523337.html

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Couple&#39;s holiday village a &#39;gift of love&#39; to retirement home | vogrin ...

December 24, 2012 11:00 AM

Looking for an Irving Berlin, old-fashioned Christmas experience far removed from the digital age?

Take a ride to the Liberty Heights retirement center on the far north end of Colorado Springs and check out the holiday village erected in the lobby.

It?s one of those often-overlooked gestures by folks who simply want to share a little joy of the season.

What Barbara and George Millholland have set up there is their life?s collection of lighted, hand-painted ceramic buildings.

On three eight-foot tables they?ve created a little village meant to inspire a nostalgic winter wonderland.

There?s a train that runs in a circle around part of the village. And a little snow-covered hill with snowboarders who go round-and-round down the hill.

A carousel plays music and the Ferris wheel emits crowd noise.

Honestly, I was a bit skeptical when it was suggested I should see if for myself. But I?m glad I did. It was something I?d expect to see in a department store display.

I wondered why Barbara and George had taken the time to haul it out and put it on display.

?We just do it as a gift of love,? Barbara told me.? ?We thought it would be something everyone could enjoy ? the people who live there, their children and their grandchildren who come to visit.?

It?s also open for viewing by the public until Jan. 7. Just pull up to the security gate during business hours on weekdays and tell them why you are there. They will buzz you in.

It?s the second year Barbara and George have shared their holiday village with the Liberty Heights residents and it?s been warmly received by the 175 folks who live there, said Amanda Schwilch, marketing director at the center.

?It?s a big part of our Christmas tradition already,? Schwilch said.

Comments on a visitor?s registry echo that feeling.

?Awesome? said one guest. ?Wow? said another. ?Reminds me of my childhood? wrote yet another.

Barbara said she sees the joy it brings residents.

?It captivates them,? she said. ?They come back again and again to see it. And some of the men come down to play with the train. They are excited it?s there.?

The village represents 37 years of collecting by the Millhollands, over the course of their marriage.

?We started with three pieces and now we have hundreds,? George said.

Until recently, the holiday village was displayed only in the Millhollands? home.

Their children and grandchildren played with it each Christmas, rearranging the houses and running the train. But the past few years they had a problem.

?It got too big,? she said. ?It outgrew our space.?

There?s plenty of room at Liberty Heights, 12105 Ambassador Drive, just east of Voyager Parkway off Ramtron Drive.

I watched residents wander by admiring it and clearly they love it. And that?s the whole point.

?It?s all about love,? Barbara said.

And that is what the season is all about. Right?

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Source: http://www.gazette.com/news/vogrin-148781-holiday-village.html

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