Can My Small Business Afford A Commercial Mortgage ...

Despite the official end to economic recession, banking lending and all-round financial confidence remains at an all-time low and as a result, business owners of all industries are left questioning the suitability of every financial move that is made.

As a leading form of business finance, a commercial mortgage is deemed by experts as the most appropriate form of lending, providing business owners with a great deal of desirable benefits:

• Property Ownership
• Financial Stability
• Improved Cash flow
• Low Interest Rates
• Tax Deductible Sum

Greatly outperforming the business rental market, the commercial mortgage has achieved proven success across the board. However, in light of the recent economic struggle; business owners have refrained from initiating any form of expansion be it via property or staff and any form of lending be it a commercial mortgage or otherwise, why? The lack of government action and the declining trust of the banking authorities in the small business have created a volatile commercial market leaving the small business owner asking one question?

How can my business afford a commercial mortgage?

How Can A Commercial Mortgage Help?

The commercial mortgage stands out as the clear leader and has proven to have helped businesses of all industries achieve a degree of fundamental success and can help to achieve the same results for any business, however small it may be:

• Providing vital funds for business expansion
• Providing a needed cash injection
• Allow for comfortable business growth
• Cost reduction
• Increased Profitability
• Remain a leader in your industry

How Can My Business Be Deemed A Suitable Commercial Mortgage Candidate?

In light of the recent gravy train scandal, trust in banks has greatly diminished and borrowers are now, more than ever, wary of whom they seek financial aid from. As the result of the flailing confidence, the alternative lender has grown greatly in popularity and is now deemed the ultimate source for commercial finance.

In order to provide your business with the suitable financial injection; a commercial mortgage broker will, despite any previous loan rejection, clearly and concisely analyse your business finances, history and plans in an effort to determine your real loan credibility and whether; in the face of any future financial strain, your business will be able to withstand the pressure of monthly mortgage repayments.

The risk of default will always remain at the forefront of the decision made by a mortgage broker and using specific markers, lenders will thoroughly assess the qualifying factors of a borrower.

Loan to Value Ratio- A key factor used to assess potential borrowers, the LTV ratio is a figure concluded by dividing the borrowed sum by the property value. The lower the figure, the greater the suitability of the client.

Debt Service Coverage Ratio- Another key factor used to assess potential borrowers, the DSCR is a protective barrier sum formed by dividing NOI by monthly interest and mortgage payments. The higher the DSCR figure, the lower the client risk.

How Will I Be Required To Repay The Borrowed Sum?

If, using one of the aforementioned markers, you have been deemed suitable; the mortgage broker will grant your business the desired sum you wish to borrow however an agreement will need to be settled.

A commercial mortgage is often loaned for a period of between fifteen to twenty years and as the borrower you will be required to repay an agreed monthly sum; this sum will be determined by the type of mortgage you chose to select:

• Variable rate- A risky option with varying payments
• Fixed Rate- The safest option, with consistent payments
• Interest Only- A financially desirable option, allowing the borrower to lower overall loan interest.

Dependent upon the type of mortgage you chose to opt for; you will be required , under any and all circumstances, to make your monthly payments without fail. Should you fail to repay your mortgage, your account will fall into default however your financial broker will have prepared for the worst during the initial application process and will have ensured that all risks are minimised.

How Can I Be Sure I Will Not Face Hidden Charges?

Nothing can be more damaging to a business then any hidden financial charges; however in contrast to the cloudy agreements offered by the banking authorities, a commercial mortgage broker will ensure complete transparency throughout the entire process.

In the hands of the right broker, all charges and all fees will be made abundantly clear before you sign on the dotted line.

As the middle man working between clients and a portfolio of lenders; the success of a commercial mortgage broker will only lay in the success of client dealings.

Who Do I Need To Talk To?

As with anything and everything in business; you must scour the market to search the right deal and the right lender for your business. Although the high street lender may seem like the easier option, your business could potentially and quite greatly benefit from seeking financial aid from an independent source.

An impartial and specialist commercial mortgage broker will scour the market to search for the ideal solution to suit your business and will ensure you have access to the best rates and the most appropriate solutions.

Will I Need To Provide Anything?

During the commercial mortgage application process, many lenders will require specific information to secure your lending:

• Financial history of the business for a minimum of three years
• Business Plans
• Miscellaneous Information

Once in possession of the required information; a specialist financial lender will begin processing your application and determine whether a commercial mortgage is the right financial solution for your business.

If in need of financial assistance then why not consider a commercial mortgage as the financial route for your business?

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Source: http://www.charlestonfinancial.co.uk/can-my-small-business-afford-a-commercial-mortgage/

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China to host Palestine envoy on Gaza tensions

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will host an envoy of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the crisis in Gaza, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday, adding the government had been in touch with all players in the conflict to try and find a solution.

China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council with veto powers, has traditionally had a low profile in Middle East diplomacy, but has maintained close relations with the Palestinians for decades.

In recent years, it has also cultivated good ties with Israel, especially in the field of defense.

The envoy, secretary-general of the Palestinian People's Party, Bassam Al-Salhi, will be in China from Thursday for a three-day trip, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing.

"China is paying great attention to the present situation in Gaza," Hua said. "China has been in close touch with Israel, Palestine and other countries, and has called on all sides, especially Israel, to exercise maximum restraint and cease fire as soon as possible to avoid the situation worsening."

"We support the necessary steps taken by the international community, especially the U.N. Security Council," she said. "China will continue to use its own means to work hard to ameliorate the situation between Israel and Palestine and maintain peace and stability in the region."

Hua added that China also supports the Security Council "responding to calls from the international community, including the Arab world, to issue as soon as possible a consistent and beneficial message about the Gaza situation".

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi had called the Egyptian foreign minister "to support efforts of the Arab League and Arab countries to ameliorate the situation in Gaza", Hua said.

China has tried on and off over the years to mediate in the Israeli-Palestinian issue but with little apparent success.

Israeli air strikes shook the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rockets struck across the border as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks in Jerusalem in the early hours of Wednesday, seeking a truce that can hold back Israel's ground troops.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Writing by Sui-Lee Wee; editing by Miral Fahmy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-host-palestine-envoy-gaza-tensions-083233351.html

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Magazines Download - All in PDF | Kiplinger's Personal Finance ...

21 November 2012 21:20

English | PDF | 75 pages | 35.9MB

Kiplinger's Personal Finance was written to help you do a better job of managing your personal and family financial affairs and to help you get more for your money. You get ideas on saving, investing, cutting taxes, making major purchases, advancing your career, buying a home, paying for education, health care and travel, plus much, much more.

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Source: http://magazinesdownload.com/post/2012/11/21/Kiplingers-Personal-Finance-January-2013.aspx

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EU leaders prepare for bitter fight over budget

German Chancellor Angela Merkel looks out of her car window as she arrives for an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. EU leaders begin what is expected to be a marathon summit on the budget for the years 2014-2020. The meeting could last through Saturday and break up with no result and lots of finger-pointing. (AP Photo/Yves Logghe)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel looks out of her car window as she arrives for an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. EU leaders begin what is expected to be a marathon summit on the budget for the years 2014-2020. The meeting could last through Saturday and break up with no result and lots of finger-pointing. (AP Photo/Yves Logghe)

British Prime Minister David Cameron speaks with journalists as he arrives for an EU summit at the EU Council building in Brussels on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. EU leaders begin what is expected to be a marathon summit on the budget for the years 2014-2020. The meeting could last through Saturday and break up with no result and lots of finger-pointing. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

French President Francois Hollande speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. EU leaders begin what is expected to be a marathon summit on the budget for the years 2014-2020. The meeting could last through Saturday and break up with no result and lots of finger-pointing. (AP Photo/Yves Logghe)

People walk in front of a giant banner for the euro currency outside of an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. Leaders from around Europe are arriving in Brussels Thursday for what promises to be a turbulent summit on the budget for the 27-country European Union. And for once, Britain will be at the heart of the debate. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

British Prime Minister David Cameron leaves the building after a bilateral meeting at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. EU leaders begin what is expected to be a marathon summit on the budget for the years 2014-2020. The meeting could last through Saturday and break up with no result and lots of finger-pointing. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

BRUSSELS (AP) ? The leaders of Britain and France staked out starkly different version of the European Union's future Thursday as they walked into a European Union budget summit, setting the stage for a long, divisive and possibly inconclusive summit.

While British Prime Minister David Cameron is seeking to keep payments into EU coffers down as low as possible, French President Francois Hollande called for sustained subsidies for farming and development programs for poorer nations.

With each of the 27 nations having the power of veto over the 2014-2020 budget, the summit negotiations could stretch over the weekend, perhaps without result.

Cameron voiced the concerns of several other countries that do not want to see an increase in the bloc's spending plan at a time when many member states are cutting budgets at home.

"No, I'm not happy at all," Cameron said about EU President Herman Van Rompuy's latest offer to cap spending for 2014-2020 at ?1 trillion ($1.28 trillion).

"Clearly, at a time when we're making difficult decisions at home over public spending, it would be quite wrong ? it is quite wrong ? for there to be proposals for this increased extra spending in the EU," Cameron said.

The EU budget primarily funds programs to help farming and spur growth in the bloc's less developed, and it amounts to about 1 percent of the EU's gross domestic product.

France's Hollande said that was worth fighting for, adding he would be happy to walk away from the meeting if his demands were not met.

"No country should have a privileged position," Hollande retorted. "I come here to find a compromise, not to set an ultimatum."

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, supports more spending, arguing that cross-border initiatives will help create the economic growth and jobs that the bloc of a half-billion people needs, particularly during a financial crisis that has pushed some countries into recession.

Several leaders were already anticipating the possibility of failure and the need to hold another summit in the new year to negotiate a deal.

"Germany wants to reach a goal, but there might also be the need for yet another stage," Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

Facing an ever more vocal Euroskeptic electorate at home in the U.K., Cameron is under huge pressure to veto any seven-year deal which would make the budget bigger. The U.K. and other countries that contribute more then they receive from the budget ? such as the Netherlands, Sweden and, to a certain extent Germany ? claim an austerity budget is the only justifiable outcome at a time when almost every member state has to cut its budget to lower debt.

Meanwhile, 15 of the EU's most financially and economically vulnerable countries have joined forces to oppose any cuts to funds earmarked for economic growth and development. These countries include not only traditionally poorer member states, many in Eastern Europe, but also those hit hardest by the financial crisis, like Greece, Portugal and Spain.

They argue that they need sustained, even increased, help to close the wealth gap on the continent and that EU institutions need the means to implement their jobs and growth policies.

"Certain countries want to make drastic reductions in the budget. That's a big mistake," said Elio Di Rupo, Belgium's prime minister.

With every country having the power of veto, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte fully realized what was coming.

"There will be quite a battle to come ? the French, the British, southern Europe, eastern Europe, we all have our demands," Rutte said. "I don't know whether it will work out."

Going into the open-ended summit, which might well stretch into Saturday or beyond, Van Rompuy made a first compromise proposal that leaned toward Cameron's demands. It proposes a cut of between ?3 billion ($4 billion) and ?24 billion ($31 billion) ? depending on which year the cut is calculated against ? from the ?1 trillion proposal.

"With less money, we cannot do the same as before," Van Rompuy wrote in the invitation letter he sent to the 27 leaders.

If the summit fails to find a compromise, the issue could spill over into a new meeting next month, or into next year. There is no set deadline for a deal but the closer it gets to 2014, the tougher it will be for a smooth introduction of new programs.

"In talks with colleagues, I had one message. If this doesn't work out at once, let's be sure that the mood is not that dark that we have to spend months on patching up personal relationships," Rutte said.

If there is no deal up to 2014, there would be a rollover of the 2013 budget plus a 2 percent increase accounting for inflation.

___

Don Melvin and Carlo Piovano contributed from Brussels, Juergen Baetz from Berlin.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-11-22-EU-Budget%20Summit/id-7d1b733d5ad444f4a5f2e745901fc9f3

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Why Section 179 Matters for Technology Purchases

We talk often around here about the importance of the Section 179 tax deduction, and we should: It?s one heck of an important topic.? As the year winds down and the holidays approach, you should be thinking about more than just the hottest Black Friday sales.? You should be thinking of ways to take advantage of the Section 179 tax deduction for your end-of-year technology purchases.

Section 179 allows you to deduct up to $139,000 on a number of technology purchases, from computers to hardware and software, servers, and POS systems, there are a variety of ways to take advantage of the deduction.* With technology ever-changing and new versions released regularly, it certainly pays to take advantage of any price break you can get your hands on.? This way, you?re able to stay up-to-date with the latest equipment.

So how does it work? ?It?s simple, just fill out this form from the IRS and submit it.? But hurry, because the limits of this deduction will be dramatically reduced at the end of the year, likely to as low as $25,000.? Any piece of technology used outside of the United States is not eligible, so keep that in mind.

Still have questions? Be sure to check out our ebook with even more details on how to take advantage of this deduction.? And, to find out how much you can save, plug your information into our Section 179 calculator.

Have you taken advantage of this deduction yet?

*This is not tax advice.? Be sure to talk with your tax advisor to be sure that your specific equipment will qualify.

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Photo credit to iStock

Source: http://blog.directcapital.com/business-insights/finance-lending/section-179-technology/

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Teach me how to make a book! ? Education in graphic design and ...

Digital technologies in education - In recent years there has been a great increase in the interest in how digital technologies in the field of education and academic research can be such a useful tool and also a crucial way of testing the educational practice itself. The development of these technologies has been pushed through with the contribution of many different disciplines. The tools that have already been developed, and the potential of all the new devices, could be of great value to add to educational activity in every field and also an opportunity to rethink the ways in which to produce and share knowledge. Of course it is still an ongoing process, but some goals have been achieved, concerning digital publishing for educational purposes.
Both the conferences that INC has organized in the past years, Unbound book 2011 and Boek uit de band 2012, have treated this issue in a very complete way (for example, the conference session called ?E-readers in Dutch Education? moderated by Joost Kircz) and the e-Learning research field is one of the most innovative and lively at this moment.
We are talking about digital tools and digital publishing for education and academic research.
What is the role of visual arts and design in these fields? And what about design and arts educational programs in the digital age?

Education for publishing - What I find curious is that we are actually living in the upcoming era of self publishing, in which it seems that the problem is only about giving the tools to enable the process and then things, like the making of a book or a magazine, can be easily done by anybody ? with all the debate generated about the increase in knowledge production due to instant on demand replication. This is, in my opinion, exactly the burning question:
What could be the meaning of a publishing class in the age of DIY practices?
Related to book design, what is the role of the teacher now that he/she has lost the complete authority and expertise on the subject, because digital publishing is a field that hasn?t been fixed in specific features yet?
Is it right to start seeing teachers and students in a different and more collaborative hierarchy?

The publishing process in the field of visual arts - If we get more into the world of visual arts and graphic design and the educational practice in these fields, of course we need to focus more on the medium ? we can call it book or whatever. There is no doubt that this particular approach could be one of the still missing points of view on digital publishing that can contribute to the proper development of it, even in its educational aspect. So we question about on what is a book and which shape it?s going to have in the near future, however, from the specific point of view of visual arts, we could also ask which is the right way to teach the entire publishing process, from the first idea to the final shape of the ?object?.

Publishing Class 2011 - poster for a workshop

Defining the publishing process - So, the first step would be: What do we mean by publishing process? First of all, I think the best way is to start with a wide approach, trying to set a framework about how to teach the whole publishing process in a way that includes all its phases, all its aspects and all the possible shapes that a publishing course can take ? for example, a journalism class or a book design class.
What are both the steps and the different areas in educational practice and what could be the main principles and guidelines for teaching in the publishing field?

Teaching journalism - An insightful point of view comes from the field of journalism? and some very functional ways of setting the problem came from a paper that I recently read, written by Raoul Boers ? lecturer in Content Management and Digital Culture at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam, who? I am going to meet next week ? and other lecturers from different universities: [R. Boers, E. Ercan, L. Rinsdorf, R. W. Vaagan, From Convergence to Connectivism: Teaching Journalism 2.0, Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, Volume: 2 Issue: 4, October 2012].

The paper sets the key concept of media convergence and how it leads to fundamental changes in the education for the journalistic field under three sub-topics, ?the changes in the curricula, the changes in? course syllabi, and the changes in the technological infrastructures of the academic institutions?.
?Cross-media news writing and storytelling are different from producing for broadcast media and print news [?] In writing across media one adds elements to this process by creating a non-linear approach, which means that instead of developing a rigidly structured single narrative you choose to navigate through the elements of story by using a combination of text, still photographs, video clips, audio, graphics, and interactivity such as polls or blogs on a website in such a fashion that each medium is complementary.?

The paper goes on to explain how a journalism course can be structured, observing how some classes have been arranged around the concepts of media convergence, collaboration and user-generated content, identifying two main aspects of the process, which I find particularly effective: ?The integrative aspect (the merging of different technologies and industries to create new forms of cultural product and new modes of production and delivery e.g. iPhones, iPads, androids) and the divergence aspect (the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries and the migratory behavior of media audiences, who will go anywhere for desired entertainment experience).?

How to frame a publishing class - There are several things to be previously defined in order to frame a publishing class:
A. The different profiles involved in the process;
B. The different activities and how they get integrated in the process (integrative aspect);
C. What the product is like and what the different platforms for it are (divergence aspect).
Finally, there are also kinds of product that are different on another level: beyond the media convergence aspect, there are indeed several different objects that have their own features and each one needs a different approach because it triggers a different process. There is a difference if I want to make a book for a novel, a news paper, a monthly magazine, an artist?s book etc. This doesn?t mean that they couldn?t be interacting with each other, but I think it is also important to set some specifics for each, to define better the market, the user, the medium and so on.
Another aspect to analyze, following these that I have explained above, is:
How to integrate technology in the process of teaching for publishing? Both in the phases of the process and for the different activities, profiles, platforms, products and objects etc.

Design class for publishing and publishing class for visual arts - There are many examples of studies about how digital technologies are embodied in the process of publishing in journalism and in the field of academic writing for several disciplines, and some education programs are completely conceived in this way.
But I?m afraid that the point for art and design is always the same: Why is this issue so complicated to frame and even not so taken into account in the field of the making of visual arts and the making of educational programs for visual arts? I see two main reasons: one is because the digital format and process has not been explored much sufficiently in book design and this is actually a consequence of the second reason: there is such a strong paper tradition in all the design and art parameters, rules, limits, and possibilities there are changing fast in technologies, but so slowly in the concepts. This makes sense also for the newspaper and the academic essay formats, but much more so for books because the design and art traditions have always been seen primarily as a their own visual product.
As we tried to identify the publishing process from an educational point of view following some examples in the journalistic field, we could ask the same questions and try to set the same steps and levels of arrangement for a book design course. But the specific challenge in this field should be indeed how to deal with the wall of such a strong paper and typographic tradition in graphic design and how to translate it into a digital environment.

Werkplaats Tipografie

The dialectic aspect of the teaching practice - What I also see as a decisive key concept, not to forget in an experimental phase such as it is, is that the dialogue between two different generations and roles (students/teachers) could be an interesting starting point for the research on how to make a book today, observing how this dialogue can actually affect the design process.
So the teachers could be seen as the ones that know how to do it properly in a more traditional way, and the students, the so-called digital-natives, could be the ones who have the right amount of ?ignorance? and openness to new technologies to break the rules of the book and see it in a new way, as it actually has always been in the past ? looking at, for example, the work of the pioneer of the New Wave movement in graphic design, Wolfgang Wiengart and his totally unconventional usage of the photographic film in typography, in the context of a strong tradition as the Swiss one was in the 50s and 60s. This is just one of the many examples of breaking the rules in graphic design, using a particular technology in a diverse way.
However, the dialectic aspect of the teaching practice is something that has always been there and it?s what makes education not only an activity to educate someone who is younger and less expert than us, but also a way to come up with new ideas, what makes a discipline itself evolve, starting from both positions, teacher?s and student?s. How to take advantage of this dialogue to re-define the book as such?

Wolfgang Weingart - experiments with letterings

The state of education in graphic design and visual arts - All these issues could help in having an idea of what the state of the art in the education for publishing is, both in the design and art practices and in the creating-content activities, but also to set some anchor points that could be useful to have a clear idea of all the steps achieved, in order not to be run over by the times changing so fast in terms of new media, new technologies and, in general, new behaviour.
As many designers and visual artists are also educators and they carry out a huge part of their research through the teaching practice, it?s interesting to talk with them about the educational aspect of their profession, because they can directly see what?s going on in the educational field from the point of view of someone who is actually making visual communication.
Many of them point out that they have the feeling that what we teach/learn in classes is to be a professional that could be just expired or be totally different in the next few years; this is true especially in the design field, looking at all the new and specific skills that a designer needs to have. Probably the world is not seeking the old-school-designer anymore, the designer has to become also a developer, or on the other hand, a manager, a critic, a curator etc. or maybe someone more like a director that makes all the parties interact in the proper way. But this is of course a very controversial issue: Are we moving towards a more specialized or a more generic kind of profession in the design field? Can the dialectic aspect of education in some ways contribute to solve this ambiguity and how?

Students and teachers in comparison - in order to study more closely these issues of book design, artist?s book and the educational aspects of both in the digital age, in the next interviews we?ll ask these questions directly to students and teachers.

? Session one will be two focus group interviews ? students and teachers together ? in two Dutch institutes, one is a school of graphic design and typography: Werkplaats Typografie, based in Ahrnem; and one is a course of publishing for visual art: Publishing Class 2012, the two year program designed for the Dutch Art Institute MFA ArtEZ by Casco - Office for Art, Design and Theory.

? Session two will be two single interviews in the field of journalism publishing, one to a student: Lars B?hm, developer of the magazine Uncovered; one to a teacher: Raul Boers, Amsterdam University of Applied Science.

Casco's Publishing Class works

Source: http://networkcultures.org/wpmu/outofink/2012/11/21/teach-me-how-to-make-a-book-education-in-graphic-design-and-visual-art-in-the-age-of-digital-publishing/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=teach-me-how-to-make-a-book-education-in-graphic-design-and-visual-art-in-the-age-of-digital-publishing

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Obama, Congress leaders meet to avert "fiscal cliff"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional leaders emerged from a meeting with President Barack Obama on Friday vowing to find common ground on taxes and spending that would allow them to head off a looming "fiscal cliff" that could push the economy back into recession.

Democrats said they recognized the need to curb spending and Republicans said they had agreed to put "revenue on the table" as the two sides enter what are likely to be weeks of tense negotiations ahead of a December 31 deadline.

Both sides are eager to reassure investors that Washington will not see a repeat of the white-knuckle budget standoffs that spooked consumers and financial markets last year.

After a White House meeting that lasted a little more than an hour, the top two Republican leaders in Congress spoke alongside the two Democratic leaders - a rare occurrence.

"I feel very good about what we were able to talk about. We have the cornerstones of being able to work something out," Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said.

U.S. stock indexes went up on the positive remarks by Reid and the other leaders - House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

The meeting marked the first time Obama, a Democrat, has sat down with his Republican opposition since he won re-election last week.

"I think we're all aware that we have some urgent business to do," Obama told reporters at the beginning of the meeting.

Both sides are pledging cooperation even as they dig in on their long-held opening positions.

Obama insists that tax rates on the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans must rise, while Republicans pledge that they will not agree to any rate increase.

Republicans are also eager to rein in government health costs, which are projected to explode over the coming decade.

"We're prepared to put revenue on the table provided we fix the real problem," McConnell said, referring to Medicare and other government benefit programs.

There could be room for compromise.

Obama could agree to allow the top tax rate to rise to something less than the 39.6 percent he wants. Policymakers, for example, could also agree to limit the tax increase to households making more than $500,000 annually, rather than the $250,000 cap Obama is demanding.

Republicans have suggested generating more revenue by limiting tax breaks for the wealthiest, rather than raising their rates. Obama has said that would not raise enough money.

The negotiators also need to confront $109 billion in domestic and military spending cuts due to kick in on January 2, the result of earlier failures to craft a more nuanced budget deal.

Nonpartisan budget forecasters say failure to reach a deal could push the U.S. economy back into recession and drive up the unemployment rate.

Business leaders say the uncertainty is already weighing on the economy as employers postpone hiring and capital expenditures until they get a better sense of the tax and spending environment.

The S&P 500 has dropped 4.3 percent in the past two weeks, in part due to concerns over the fiscal cliff.

Pelosi suggested two sides might forge a temporary deal that would get them past the cliff and give them more time to work out a more lasting solution. Lawmakers will almost certainly not have enough time to retool Medicare and overhaul the outdated tax code before the end of the year, but a preliminary agreement could provide a framework for doing so later.

"The speaker spoke about a framework going into next year. I was focusing on how we send a message of competence to consumers, to the markets, in the short run, too." Pelosi said.

Boehner faces a delicate balancing act as he will have to sell any deal to his rank-and-file conservatives, many of whom believe they owe it to their constituents to hold the line on taxes.

But after Obama won re-election and his Democrats picked up seats in the House and the Senate last week, they may be more willing to show that they can balance their ideals with the demands of the country as a whole.

"Going over the fiscal cliff, in my view, is a bucket of crazy," Republican Representative Peter Roskam, one of Boehner's deputies, said at a budget conference.

(Additional reporting by Angela Moon in New York and Thomas Ferraro and Patrick Temple-West in Washington; Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Will Dunham and Bill Trott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eve-fiscal-cliff-talks-positions-harden-011529513--business.html

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Discipline key for Florida Gators to buck trends

GAINESVILLE -- Historically, when Florida plays a team outside the Southeastern Conference not named Florida State or Miami, the result is usually one-sided.

Steve Spurrier?s and Urban Meyer?s high-powered offenses didn?t slow down just because the opposition wasn?t ranked. The Gators have never lost to a team from Football Championship Subdivision Division II, and in games against those teams, fans became accustomed to seeing something near 60 points on the scoreboard and walking out of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium with a smile on their faces. Lately, however, the smile has disappeared.

In November last year, Florida trailed Furman 22-7 after a quarter before pulling out a win. To start the 2012-13 season, Florida squeaked past Bowling Green by 13 points. And then there?s last week?s come-from-behind escape against Louisiana. Not exactly football powerhouses.

This is a new era in Gainesville. Second-year coach Will Muschamp has stripped any importance from blowout victories, saying all wins count the same. That approach has trickled down to his players, especially the 18 seniors who will play their final game at The Swamp on Saturday when No. 7 Florida (9-1, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) meets FCS opponent Jacksonville State (6-4) at 1 p.m.

Senior Xavier Nixon is one of those players. His first season in Gainesville was 2009, when Florida beat Charleston Southern, Troy and Florida International by a combined score of 180-12. But he said finishing his career in the same fashion he started it ? with a lopsided win ? is not that important.

?A victory is a victory, whether it?s Alabama, whether it?s Bowling Green or whoever we may face,? Nixon said. ?At the end of the day, as long as we get a win in the win-or-loss column, it doesn?t matter.?

But the Gators have come dangerously close of late to putting a number in the wrong column, and, according to Muschamp, there?s no one to blame but themselves.

Last week against the Ragin? Cajuns, Florida committed 10 penalties for 79 yards, helping extend scoring drives for the opposition while at the same time hindering its own chances of scoring. In the season opener against Bowling Green, the Gators had 14 penalties for 106 yards. Those two games have accounted for 30 percent of the team?s 79 penalties, which ties Florida with North Carolina for 111th nationally. The flags have been thrown in critical situations for mistakes that are easily prevented, like jumping offside or lining up incorrectly.

?Really, as far as just true discipline penalties, this was maybe the first one since Bowling Green that things got a little ridiculous,? Muschamp said of the Louisiana game. ?There?s a difference when you talk about an aggressive penalty. Maybe you could have used better judgment. And there?s a discipline penalty, where you don?t line up on the line of scrimmage against something you?ve run 6,000 times.?

Muschamp has said Florida?s margin for error is extremely slim, and against Jacksonville State on Saturday, it will be slimmer than usual. Starting quarterback Jeff Driskel (ankle) will miss the game, and several other players will play either injured or sit because of ailments. Sophomore Jacoby Brissett will make his first start of the season behind an offensive line that has allowed 31 sacks and hasn?t been fully healthy in weeks.

Therefore, Muschamp said he would sit the team down this week to go over the mistakes, something he did following the 14-penalty showing in Week 1.

?We?ll go back in the film room,? he said, ?and make sure they understand that when the other team doesn?t snap the ball and you take a step it?s a 5-yard penalty.?

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/17/3101329/discipline-key-for-florida-gators.html

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Pfizer's once-daily Lyrica trial fails to meet goal

(Reuters) - Pfizer Inc said on Friday a late-stage trial of a once-a-day formulation of its drug pregabalin did not significantly reduce the frequency of some types of seizures in patients with epilepsy.

Pfizer's biggest product, sold under the brand name Lyrica, is used to treat epilepsy when given several times a day in combination with other drugs. The drug, with $4 billion in annual sales, is more widely used to treat nerve pain.

Pfizer said the lack of a statistically significant improvement may have been due to a higher-than-expected response among patients taking the placebo.

The study was the first of three trials testing the drug as a once-a-day therapy. The company is also testing it in patients with fibromyalgia and some types of nerve pain, for which it is also approved in its immediate-release formulation.

(Reporting By Toni Clarke; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Grant McCool)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pfizers-once-daily-lyrica-trial-fails-meet-goal-132752581--finance.html

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Florida Unemployment Drops to Lowest Mark Since 2008 http://t.co/XXW3m5Sl

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Source: http://www.facebook.com/LOCAL15News/posts/10151124229316587

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24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell ? November 16, 2012: Markets Push ...

U.S. equity markets opened flat this morning following not much in the way of data from either Asia or Europe. In Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants the European Central Bank to limit its bond buying from the countries that need it most. That won?t settle things down much in the eurozone. In Asia, Japan?s legislature has been dissolved and new elections are coming. And in the Middle East, the flare-up between Israel and Hamas has had an impact on the price of crude oil. In the U.S. there was little new data out today. Industrial production fell and capacity utilization was lower, both signs of contraction (more coverage here). One bright spot occurred around noon, when Congressional leaders said that discussions with President Obama on avoiding the fiscal cliff were encouraging (more coverage here).

The U.S. dollar index rose today, now up 0.23% at 81.263. The GSCI commodity index is up 0.5% at 634.10, with commodities prices mixed today. WTI crude oil closed up 1.4% today, at $86.67 a barrel, and posted a gain of 0.7% for the week. Brent crude trades down about 0.9% at $108.93 a barrel. Natural gas is up 2.3% today at about $3.79 per thousand cubic feet. Gold settled up less than 0.1% today at $1,714.70 an ounce, and finished the week down 0.9%.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up nearly 46 points to 12,588.23 (0.37%), the NASDAQ rose more than 16 points (0.57%) to 2,853.13, and the S&P 500 rose 0.48% or more than 6 points to 1,359.87.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including JetBlue Airways Corp. (NASDAQ: JBLU) cut to ?sell? at Goldman Sachs; Frontier Communications Corp. (NASDAQ: FTR) cut to ?sell? at Goldman Sachs; SeaDrill Ltd. (NYSE: SDRL) raised to ?outperform? at Credit Suisse; Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP) started as ?outperform? at Wells Fargo; and Annaly Capital Management Inc. (NYSE: NLY) raised to ?outperform? at Wells Fargo.

Earnings reports of interest since U.S. markets closed last night have resulted in some price moves today, including these as of the last half hour of trading: Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) is down 1.6% at $10.14 after posting a new 52-week low of $9.95 (more coverage here); Autodesk Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) is up 3.5% at $31.57; Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) is down 7.4% at $8.85 after posting a new 52-week low of $8.69 earlier today (more coverage here); Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) is up 1.1% at $33.62 (more coverage here); Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: MRVL) is down 0.4% at $7.39 after posting a new 52-week low of $7.05 earlier today; Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHLD) is down 18.4% at $47.73; Foot Locker Inc. (NYSE: FL) is up 4.8% at $33.37 (more coverage here); and J.M. Smucker Co. (NYSE: SJM) is down 1.7% at $83.90 (more coverage here).

After markets close today and before they open Monday morning we are scheduled to hear from Hastings Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ: HAST), Lowe?s Companies Inc. (NYSE: LOW), and Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE: TSN).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Ruckus Wireless Inc. (NYSE: RKUS) is down 10.3% at $13.42. The wireless equipment provider held its IPO today and its been a roller coaster ride, mostly headed down in the afternoon from an offering price of $15 a share. More coverage here.

Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) is up 5.5% at $23.39. The social media company?s new e-commerce product, Gifts, is a big hit with investors.

Penn National Gaming Inc. (NASDAQ: PENN) is up 29.67% at $48.77 after posting a new 52-week high of $50.50 earlier today. The casino owner and operator is spinning off much of its real estate into a REIT. More coverage here.

Stay tuned for Monday. We have also noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

• 10:00 a.m. ? Existing home sales
• 10:00 a.m. ? Housing market index
• 11:30 a.m. ? 3- and 6-month Treasury bill auctions

Have a great weekend!

Paul Ausick

Source: http://247wallst.com/2012/11/16/247-wall-st-closing-bell-november-16-2012-markets-push-higher-in-last-hour-jblu-ftr-sdrl-chkp-nly-amat-adsk-dell-gps-mrvl-shld-fl-sjm-hast-low-tsn-rkus-fb-penn/

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Israel assassinates Hamas military chief in Gaza - 8 News NOW

By AMY TEIBEL and IBRAHIM BARZAK
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) - Militants in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip killed three Israelis on Thursday in a rocket attack likely to deepen a bruising Israeli air, naval and artillery offensive, the most intense assault on the Palestinian territory in four years.

The casualties were the first in Israel since it launched its operation on Wednesday with the assassination of Hamas' top military commander, followed by an onslaught of airstrikes and shelling by tanks and naval gunboats. Eleven Palestinians, including two children and seven militants, have been killed and more than 100 wounded in Gaza since the Israeli operation began.

Few in the Palestinian territory's largest urban area, Gaza City, came out following the call for dawn prayers on Thursday, and the only vehicles plying the streets were ambulances and media cars.

About 400 angry mourners braved the streets, however, to bury Hamas mastermind Ahmed Jabari, whose body was draped in the green flag of the Islamic militant Hamas movement. Some fired guns in the air and chanted, "God is Great, the revenge is coming." When the body was brought into a mosque for funeral prayers, some tried to touch or kiss it. Others cried.

"This crime will not weaken us. It will make us stronger and more determined to continue the path of jihad and resistance," Hamas lawmaker Mushir al-Masri said in a eulogy. "The enemy opened the battle and shall bear the consequences."

Israel said Jabari's assassination was the start of a broader offensive, launched after days of rocket fire from the coastal territory. It was Israel's most intense attack on Gaza since its full-scale war there four years ago.

The fighting has deepened the instability gripping the Middle East. Egypt recalled its ambassador to protest the military operation.

Just days earlier, Israel was drawn into Syria's civil war for the first time, firing missiles into its northern neighbor for the first time in four decades after stray mortar fire landed in Israeli-occupied Syrian territory.

Israeli aircraft, tanks and naval gunboats resumed pounded Gaza early Thursday and about 60 rockets thudded into southern Israel as terrified residents on both sides of the frontier holed up in their homes.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said two Israeli men and a woman died after a rocket struck their four-story apartment building in the southern Israeli town of Kiryat Malachi. A 4-year-old boy was seriously wounded in and two babies lightly wounded in the strike.

Gaza schools were ordered closed until the operation ends, and most of the territory's 1.6 million people hunkered down close to home, venturing out only to buy food, fuel and other basic supplies.

Hamas announced a state of emergency in Gaza, evacuating all its security buildings and deploying its troops away from their locations.

Israeli aircraft dropped leaflets on several locations in Gaza early Thursday, warning Gazans to stay away from Hamas, other militants and their facilities.

The Israeli military said Hamas fighters and other militant factions, undeterred by the air attacks, bombarded southern Israel with more than 130 rockets after the operation began. Israel's newly deployed Iron Dome missile defense system, developed as a response to the short-range rockets from Gaza, intercepted two dozen of them, military spokeswoman Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich said.

Israel declared a state of emergency in the country's south, where more than 1 million Israelis live within rocket range, instructing people to remain close to fortified areas. School was canceled in communities within a 40-kilometer (25-mile) radius of Gaza.

People living in areas along the frontier were ordered to stay home from work, save for essential services, and shopping centers were closed. Israeli police stepped up patrols around the country, fearing Hamas could retaliate with bombing attacks far from the reaches of Gaza.

Batya Katar, a resident of Sderot, a community that has been a frequent target of rocket fire, said streets were empty there.

"People won't be outside. The minute they assassinated the Hamas military chief we knew an offensive had begun. We were waiting for it, and it's about time they did it. We have the right to live like other countries in the world."

Israeli officials said Wednesday that a ground invasion was a strong possibility in the coming days if Hamas didn't rein in the rocket fire. Mid-morning Thursday, there was no sign such an invasion might be beginning. But the Israeli military was cleared to call up special reserve units - a sign the operation might broaden.

The military said it destroyed dozens of the militants' most potent rockets - the Iranian-made Fajr, which is capable of striking Israel's Tel Aviv heartland - as well as shorter-range rockets. In all, the military estimated Hamas had 10,000 rockets and mortars in its arsenal before the military operation began.

In a nationwide address Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel could no longer stand repeated attacks on its southern towns.

"If there is a need, the military is prepared to expand the operation. We will continue to do everything to protect our citizens," Netanyahu declared late Wednesday.

For the past four years, Israel and Hamas have largely observed an informal truce. But in recent weeks, the calm has unraveled in a bout of rocket attacks from Gaza and retaliatory Israeli airstrikes. From Israel's perspective, Hamas escalated the situation with two specific attacks in recent days: an explosion in a tunnel along the Israeli border and a missile attack on an Israeli military jeep that seriously wounded four soldiers.

Earlier this week, Israeli defense officials warned they were considering resuming their controversial practice of assassinating senior militants. Wednesday's killing of Jabari was an indication they were serious.

Israel has refrained from such attacks, which have drawn international condemnations, since its January 2009 offensive in Gaza.

Hamas officials had brushed off the Israeli threats, and Jabari, contrary to form, was driving in broad daylight when his vehicle was hit.

The Hamas military chief had long topped Israel's most-wanted list, blamed for masterminding a string of deadly attacks that including a bold, cross-border kidnapping of an Israeli soldier in 2006. He also was believed to be a key player in Hamas' takeover of Gaza in 2007 from a rival Palestinian faction, the Western-backed Fatah movement.

Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cut short a trip to Switzerland to deal with the crisis. Abbas was rushing back to his base in the West Bank, said Palestinian official Saeb Erekat.

Abbas lost control of Gaza to Hamas militants in 2007 and now governs only the West Bank. Still, he claims to be president of all Palestinians.

Erekat harshly condemned Israel's military operation, saying the Palestinians "hold Israel fully responsible for the consequences of this act of aggression."

Advocates say targeted killings are an effective deterrent without the complications associated with a ground operation such as civilian and Israeli troop casualties, and that they also prevent future attacks by removing the masterminds. Critics say they amount to extrajudicial killings and invite retaliation by militants and encourage them to try to assassinate Israeli leaders.

During a wave of suicide bombings against Israel a decade ago, the country employed the tactic to eliminate the upper echelon of Hamas leadership.

Hamas accused Netanyahu of launching Wednesday's operation to win votes in the Jan. 22 parliamentary election. But major Israeli parties, including the dovish opposition, all lined up behind Netanyahu.

Still, the region has changed greatly since the Gaza offensive four years ago. Neighboring Egypt is now governed by Hamas' ideological counterpart, the Muslim Brotherhood.

Israel and Egypt signed a peace accord in 1979. Relations, never warm, deteriorated after longtime Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in a popular uprising last year. The Jabari assassination threatened to further damage those fraying ties.

In Washington, the United States lined up behind Israel. "We support Israel's right to defend itself, and we encourage Israel to continue to take every effort to avoid civilian casualties," said State Department spokesman Mark Toner.

President Barack Obama spoke with Netanyahu and the two men agreed Hamas needs to stop its attacks on Israel to allow tensions to ease, the White House said.

Obama spoke separately to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, given Egypt's central role in preserving regional security, the White House said. The two men agreed on the need to de-escalate the conflict as quickly as possible.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for calm and urged both sides to respect international humanitarian law.

On Wednesday night, the U.N. Security Council met behind closed doors to consider an Egyptian request for an emergency meeting on Israel's military action in Gaza. The Palestinians asked the council to act to stop the operation.

____

Barzak reported from Gaza City. Additional reporting from Sarah El Deeb in Cairo and Bradley Klapper in Washington.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.8newsnow.com/story/20097345/israel-says-it-is-prepared-to-broaden-gaza-attack

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Call of Duty Elite app gets Black Ops 2 support on iOS, Android

The Call of Duty Elite app has been updated on iOS and Android to support this week's monolithic debut, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. You can use the app to check your career stats and recent match performances, edit your classes, and search for and apply to Clans - pretty much the same stuff you can do with the app via Modern Warfare 3.You can also use it to stream Call of Duty Elite TV, access multiplayer guides, and track challenges. The iOS app is universal and compatible with all iDevices running iOS 5.0 or greater.Continue reading >

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AllGameNews-All/~3/61M0iKANv3o/

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NBA & ADIDAS UNVEIL COLORFUL HOLIDAY UNIFORMS

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Posted on November 14th, by HeatherZeller in BLOG.

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Christmas Day in the NBA has become a forum for players to reveal holiday-themed fashions. Each year, a new range of limited-edition, seasonal sneaker colorways make their debut on the feet of players. Among the more memorable kicks in recent years were Kobe Bryant?s lime green ?Grinch? sneakers.?This season will have players styled head-to-toe in holiday gear. To accompany the shoes that will likely hit the hardwood and to?celebrate 65 years of Christmas Day games, the league will be outfitting its stars in special ?BIG Color? uniforms.

All teams competing on Christmas Day will wear a version of the colorful game day threads. The participating squads include: Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets.

The uniforms are simplistic in design, featuring a monochromatic color scheme with solid color team logos, names, and numbers framed with minimal accent color and a shimmer finish for a bold statement. The BIG Color jerseys are part of the adidas Winter Court Collection, which also includes new warm-up jackets and shooting shirts.

?I grew up watching games on Christmas Day and it?s a huge honor to have your team play in front of millions around the world,? said All-NBA center Dwight Howard of the Los Angeles Lakers. ?I?m excited to wear these BIG Color uniforms that bring style and flare to the court and represent my team!?

Fans can purchase the Winter Court Collection for all NBA teams at NBAStore.com, the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue in New York City, Champs Sports, and team retailers on November 15th.

Fans can expect to see these ?BIG Color? on December 25th:

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Source: http://blog.aglamslam.com/2012/11/14/nba-adidas-unveil-colorful-holiday-uniforms/

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Petraeus enlisted for cameo in 'Call of Duty' game

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? David Petraeus has landed on his feet with a new gig in "Call of Duty: Black Ops II."

The retired Army general who stepped down as CIA director last week amid a scandal surrounding his extramarital affair pops up in the highly anticipated Activision Blizzard Inc. first-person shooter game released Tuesday.

A character with Petraeus' name and likeness voiced by Jim Meskimen briefly appears as the Secretary of Defense in the year 2025.

The cameo was first reported by the gaming site Kotaku.com.

"Call of Duty" games have often employed virtual renditions of political figures.

"Black Ops II" also features an encounter with Manuel Noriega, a female president resembling current Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, an aircraft carrier named the USS Barack Obama and an appearance by retired Lt. Col. Oliver North.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/petraeus-enlisted-cameo-call-duty-game-213839693.html

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Jack Reacher' Director Top Choice For 'Mission: Impossible 5'

Tom Cruise is likely reuniting with a familiar face for the latest "Mission: Impossible" movie: Christopher McQuarrie. According to new reports, McQuarrie is likely to take on the upcoming "Mission: Impossible 5," but Paramount Pictures is waiting to hire writers for the film before making it official. Deadline has the news, and also comments that [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/11/14/mission-impossible-5-director/

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Sandy, 'fiscal cliff' and election revive global warming talk; even carbon tax being studied

WASHINGTON - Climate change is suddenly a hot topic again. The issue is resurfacing in talks about a possible new tax.

Superstorm Sandy, the rare and devastating Northeast storm, and a U.S. election that gave Democrats gains have put global warming back in the picture. So has the hunt for answers to a looming budget crisis.

What was once an unlikely solution is now being discussed unofficially? a carbon tax. People would pay the tax whenever they use fossil fuels like coal and oil that produce heat-trapping carbon dioixide.

Former Republican Congressman Bob Inglis said such a thing may be inevitable.

The conservative American Enterprise Institute held an all-day discussion of a carbon tax on Tuesday. On Wednesday, former Vice-President Al Gore launches a 24-hour online talkfest about global warming and disasters.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sandy-fiscal-cliff-election-revive-global-warming-talk-211258250.html

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Beating tax cheats key to Italy's recovery plan

ROME (AP) ? Good plumbers may be worth their weight in gold, but when one was spotted zipping around in a bright red Ferrari, Italian tax police were fast on his trail.

Stamping out entrenched tax evasion is crucial to Premier Mario Monti's quest to keep Italy from succumbing to the European debt crisis, and it is critical to fellow eurozone members in more dire straits, such as Greece and Spain ? which are also notorious for making cheating the taxman a way of life.

Indeed, Greece's international rescue creditors have been pressing Greece for two years to reform its ailing tax system, citing poor collection as a key factor keeping the country mired in crisis. In Spain, where tax fraud is rampant, as much as ?90 billion ($115 billion) is lost each year to tax fraud -- the equivalent of the country's national debt, according to Spain's main tax inspectors union.

To succeed in Italy, authorities will have to catch the legions of self-employed and small business owners who brazenly lie about their earnings, like the plumber in the eastern town of Pescara, who socked away undeclared income in 30 bank accounts, or a successful pastry shop owner in Calabria, who on his tax return claimed he was earning next to crumbs.

And those are the less sophisticated schemers.

Tax police officials say that wealthy Italians, their companies and foreigners who make their money in Italy are increasingly trying to avoid taxes by using such strategies as falsely declaring that their base of operations or residence is abroad.

Another daunting challenge is the so-called "submerged" economy, a term embracing Italians who declare only a fraction or nothing at all of their earnings -- and dentists, lawyers, doctors and other big-earning professionals are frequently among the worst offenders.

Tax evasion of all types in Italy every year totals about euros 240 billion ($300 billion), or 15 percent of the country's gross domestic product of ?1.6 trillion ($2 trillion), tax police estimate. The massive amount amounts to more than a third of Italy's yearly total receipts from tax ? euros 676 billion ($860 billion), according to 2011 figures from Eurostat.

One remarkable conclusion to draw from the official cheating estimates: winning the war on tax cheats could wipe out many times over the country's budget deficit, which is expected to soon reach euros 42 billion ($53 billion). And it would rapidly knock away at the nation's colossal public debt of ?2 trillion ($2.5 trillion), or 125 percent of GDP.

But "big international frauds are up," lamented Lt. Col. Gianluca Campana, in charge of the income tax unit revenue protection office at the Guardia di Finanza, Italy's financial police corps which reports to the Economy Ministry.

The entrenched practice by many cafes, eateries, hair dressers and similar small business of neglecting to give customers mandatory cash register receipts commonly grabs the attention in crackdowns on tax evasion in Italy.

But, cautioned Campana, "one false (big business) invoice can equal no cash register receipts for coffees for two months."

Over all of 2011, the total of non-declared income discovered by tax police amounted to some ?50 billion ($65 billion), of which some 20 percent was due to international tax evasion, he said. By comparison, in the first nine months of this year, tax police discovered some ?40 billion in undeclared income, with 30 percent of that blamed on international tax evasion, Campana said.

With the economic crisis shrinking bottom lines, and Italy increasingly on the hunt for big-time evasion, especially by big businesses, "there is a tendency to move capital abroad, using maneuvers apparently legal but which really are not," Campana said. A classic technique consists of declaring one's formal residence abroad in tax havens like Monte Carlo. Also common are companies that clearly have their business base in Italy but claim it is abroad in countries with far lower tax brackets.

Campana is armed with three degrees, including a masters in tax law from Milan's Bocconi University, the prestigious economics institute formerly headed by Monti. He brings skills to this specialized police corps that are as finely tuned as sharp-shooting.

"We are going after the big cases (of evasion) in order to rake in more money," Campana said.

The Ferrari-driving plumber hid some ?2 million ($2.6 million) of his income over several years by giving his customers invoices -- for jobs ranging from fixing leaks to installing new bathrooms -- for the actual cost of his work, but kept a second, false registry of much lower figures for tax purposes, said Pescara tax police Col. Mauro Odorisio.

Armed with a 2008 law, authorities confiscated assets belonging to the plumber equivalent to the approximately ?1 million ($1.3 million) they contend he owed in taxes, Odorisio said.

With Ferraris in red or yellow, and snazzy Porsches parked inside, Guardia di Finanza garages practically resemble luxury car dealerships.

The cars get sold to help recoup unpaid taxes and interest.

Overall, tax revenues in Italy were up by 4.1 percent, says the Economy Ministry, when comparing figures from the first eight months of 2012 with the same period in 2011, but much of that was due to new taxes, and not necessarily a revolution in citizens' consciences about tax obligations.

Monti's recipe relies heavily on taxes that are nearly impossible to avoid, such as sales tax. He also revived a property tax that his populist predecessor, Premier Silvio Berlusconi, had abolished in a promise to voters.

The ministry's report last month noted that the property tax figured prominently in the "tendency toward growth" in tax revenues. But sales tax revenue dropped slightly despite higher sales tax rates, indicating that consumers were feeling the pinch of the stagnant economy.

The heavier fiscal burden seems to have driven some honest citizens to rebel against the engrained culture of tax evasion.

The number of phone calls from the public to the tax police's hotline to report stores, restaurants and other businesses that didn't give customers sales receipts has almost doubled in the first nine months of this year, compared with the same period in 2011.

It's apparently dawning on Italians that shirking taxes in the end only costs them, in terms of ever-higher levies and cutbacks in public services.

Citizens now increasingly understand that "the lack of revenue over time caused by tax evaders forced the government to stiffen the tax burden on categories where you can't evade taxes," Campana said, referring to workers whose taxes are deducted from paychecks. Another area where evasion is close to impossible is real estate ownership.

Odorisio noted the crackdown included extending the statute of limitations on tax evasion from six to eight years and establishing prison as a penalty for big-time evasion.

Other weapons include a measure promoted by the Monti government that limits cash payments to no more than ?1,000. Paying by credit card or personal check is a relatively new habit for Italians, who are used to carrying wads of cash in their pockets, even for big-ticket items like home renovations or vacations.

Past governments in Italy sometimes resorted to tax amnesties to try to boost revenues. But critics, contending some Italians counted on such a possibility, described that strategy as only perpetuating the tax cheat culture.

Spain hasn't had much success with its own tax amnesty introduced by the conservative government in March. That measure, expiring soon, allows undeclared assets or those hidden in tax havens to be repatriated by paying a 10 percent tax without criminal penalty. The amnesty is estimated to recuperate far less than the expected ?2.5 billion ($3.25 billion).

Greece saw demands for tax system reform from international rescue creditors added on to conditions for future rescue loan payments, as Greek authorities acknowledged that a high-profile campaign to crack down on major tax cheats has produced disappointing results.

The cash-strapped government over the last 10 months recovered just ?19 million ($25 million) of the ?13 billion ($17 billion) of arrears on the list. A prominent Greek magazine publisher recently tapped anger over rich tax evaders by publishing a list of people allegedly holding Swiss bank accounts. He was acquitted this month of breaching privacy laws.

Meanwhile, Italian tax police are chasing after cheats who have shown some of the most chutzpah about not paying their fair share of taxes, like the Padua woman who advertised on the Internet that she had a couple of "cash-only" bed and breakfast rooms to let.

Tax police discovered the lodgings are part of an apartment in public housing she was given after falsely declaring she was indigent on her annual tax forms.

____

AP reporters Derek Gatopoulos in Athens and Ciaran Giles in Madrid contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/beating-tax-cheats-key-italys-recovery-plan-080025508--finance.html

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Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 6:30PM ET

It's Monday, which means it is time for you to listen into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to mp3 at 6:30PM. Please be a part of it by reviewing the list of topics after the break, and then participating in the live chat too.

Continue reading Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 6:30PM ET

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Leader experts in neurorehabilitation gather in Toledo, Spain

Public release date: 12-Nov-2012
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Contact: Alda lafsson
alda.olafsson@csic.es
0034-915-681-499
Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)

Researchers and experts from around the world in Clinical Rehabilitation, Applied Neurophysiology and Biomedical Engineering will meet from November 14th to 16th, at the First International Conference on NeuroRehabilitation Converging Clinical and Engineering Research (ICNR2012). The conference, organized in Toledo (Spain) by researchers of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), aim to analyze the state of the therapies that are currently being conducted in this field and to promote a multidisciplinary global change.

Neuromotor & Neurosensory modeling and processing, Biomechanics, Neural Protheses, Neuro-Robotics, or Neuromodulation are some of the technologies to be analyzed during the lectures and workshops that comprise the conference program. All these systems have transformed throughout the last century the research and treatment of loss of motor and cognitive functions and have provided new opportunities for patients.

Jos Luis Pons, CSIC researcher at the Centre for Automation and Robotics and conference coordinator, claims: "Restoring motor and cognitive functions is a fascinating research field that has undergone major transformations. Now, we are able to interact with the nervous system through systems that can restore neuromotor abilities. It is a field in a crucial path between research and clinical reality, where therapists, clinicians and researcher have much to say".

The sessions have been organized under the HYPER Project, an initiative of the CONSOLIDER-INGENIO Program led by CSIC Bioengineering Group. The objective of this initiative is to develop "bio-inspired" systems to treat spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy in children, and strokes. It is these systems that replicate, in the most possible accurate way, the natural movements of the human body.

Pons, HYPER coordinator, states: "The project is based on the development of robotics, prosthetics and virtual reality, which, combined with traditional therapies, improve the rehabilitation of lower limbs functions such as walking or maintaining posture, as well as the upper limb functions". In addition, the project counts, among others, with the collaboration of the Hospital Nacional de Parapljicos in Toledo and the Hospital of Fuenlabrada through the Instituto de Salud Carlos III.

Within the robotics field, which is already being implemented in some hospitals, progress is being made with mechanical exoskeletons, which allow paraplegics and people with mobility problems to perform daily activities. According to ngel Gil, rehabilitation physician at the Hospital Nacional de Parapljicos in Toledo: "The incorporation of these technologies represents a breakthrough and great hope for patients". The conference, which will include an exhibition of technologies in the sector,will also look at the impact of computer science, video games and virtual reality,two tools that, in addition to being useful to process data and get the information that provide, for example, movement sensors, are used to find out what the needs of the patients are and to get them motivated.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 12-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Alda lafsson
alda.olafsson@csic.es
0034-915-681-499
Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)

Researchers and experts from around the world in Clinical Rehabilitation, Applied Neurophysiology and Biomedical Engineering will meet from November 14th to 16th, at the First International Conference on NeuroRehabilitation Converging Clinical and Engineering Research (ICNR2012). The conference, organized in Toledo (Spain) by researchers of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), aim to analyze the state of the therapies that are currently being conducted in this field and to promote a multidisciplinary global change.

Neuromotor & Neurosensory modeling and processing, Biomechanics, Neural Protheses, Neuro-Robotics, or Neuromodulation are some of the technologies to be analyzed during the lectures and workshops that comprise the conference program. All these systems have transformed throughout the last century the research and treatment of loss of motor and cognitive functions and have provided new opportunities for patients.

Jos Luis Pons, CSIC researcher at the Centre for Automation and Robotics and conference coordinator, claims: "Restoring motor and cognitive functions is a fascinating research field that has undergone major transformations. Now, we are able to interact with the nervous system through systems that can restore neuromotor abilities. It is a field in a crucial path between research and clinical reality, where therapists, clinicians and researcher have much to say".

The sessions have been organized under the HYPER Project, an initiative of the CONSOLIDER-INGENIO Program led by CSIC Bioengineering Group. The objective of this initiative is to develop "bio-inspired" systems to treat spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy in children, and strokes. It is these systems that replicate, in the most possible accurate way, the natural movements of the human body.

Pons, HYPER coordinator, states: "The project is based on the development of robotics, prosthetics and virtual reality, which, combined with traditional therapies, improve the rehabilitation of lower limbs functions such as walking or maintaining posture, as well as the upper limb functions". In addition, the project counts, among others, with the collaboration of the Hospital Nacional de Parapljicos in Toledo and the Hospital of Fuenlabrada through the Instituto de Salud Carlos III.

Within the robotics field, which is already being implemented in some hospitals, progress is being made with mechanical exoskeletons, which allow paraplegics and people with mobility problems to perform daily activities. According to ngel Gil, rehabilitation physician at the Hospital Nacional de Parapljicos in Toledo: "The incorporation of these technologies represents a breakthrough and great hope for patients". The conference, which will include an exhibition of technologies in the sector,will also look at the impact of computer science, video games and virtual reality,two tools that, in addition to being useful to process data and get the information that provide, for example, movement sensors, are used to find out what the needs of the patients are and to get them motivated.

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-11/snrc-lei111212.php

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