madmen basketful: January 2013

Monday, January 28, 2013

Good Reads: Boomtown slum, democracy in progress, and 'rewilding' in the Netherlands

This week's good reads include a day in Kenya's bustling Kibera slum, the struggle to promote democracy in the Arab world, and a radical conservation theory in the Netherlands.

By Allison Terry,?Correspondent / January 7, 2013

A hairdresser braids a woman?s hair in her salon in Kenya?s Kibera slum.

Noor Khamis/Reuters

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The image of an African shantytown does not usually conjure up hope for economic prosperity. But Kibera, one of Nairobi?s slums and arguably Africa?s largest slum, is exactly that for the Kenyans who call it home. In The Economist, a writer chronicled a day in Kibera, describing the slum?s ebbs and flows, capturing its entrepreneurial spirit. People from all over Kenya leave their towns and villages for a chance to find work in Kibera?s ?thriving economic machine.?

Skip to next paragraph Allison Terry

Allison Terry is national news intern for the Christian Science Monitor. She previously worked on the cover page desk and contributed to the culture section of the Monitor.

The promise of the Arab Spring

As post-Arab Spring countries struggle to establish democratic institutions, pessimism about their ultimate success misses a broader lesson: Stable democracies have historically evolved from violent uprisings, initial failures, and stumbling blocks.

?These troubles ... are not a bug but a feature ? not signs of problems with democracy but evidence of the difficult, messy process of political development through which societies purge themselves of the vestiges of dictatorship and construct new and better democratic orders,? writes Sheri Berman in Foreign Affairs.

Critics who see Egypt, Libya, and other transitioning countries as democratic failures ignore the inherited social, cultural, and political dynamics in these countries, and a broader historical perspective. New democracies are not blank slates, writes Ms. Berman. In the aftermath of overthrowing dictators, countries must overcome the baggage that comes with authoritarian regimes ? distrust, animosity, and lack of civil organizations to deal with people?s demands. Islamism is filling that void in Egypt after Hosni Mubarak?s fall as religious organizations were the only places where people could participate and express themselves.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/LGGtcHWW-GE/Good-Reads-Boomtown-slum-democracy-in-progress-and-rewilding-in-the-Netherlands

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Krugman: 'What We're Seeing Now Is Open, Explicit Reverse Robin Hoodism'

The New York Times:

Republicans have a problem. For years they could shout down any attempt to point out the extent to which their policies favored the elite over the poor and the middle class; all they had to do was yell "Class warfare!" and Democrats scurried away.

Read the whole story at The New York Times

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/krugman-what-were-seeing-_n_2566060.html

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Bulgarians support building of new nuclear plant: exit polls

SOFIA (Reuters) - A majority of Bulgarians supported the building of a new nuclear power plant in the country's first referendum since the fall of communism, exit polls showed on Sunday, increasing pressure on rightist government which has opposed the plan.

While the low turnout of between 19.5 and 20.3 percent means the result will not be binding, it shows Prime Minister Boiko Borisov's policies have alienated many voters and complicated his campaign for a July election.

(Reporting by Tsvetelia Tsolova)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bulgarians-support-building-nuclear-plant-exit-polls-173745203--business.html

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Sunday, January 27, 2013

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Lawmakers see immigration overhaul this year

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Republican and Democratic lawmakers were cautiously optimistic Sunday that a long-sought overhaul of the nation's immigration system that includes a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the country will clear Congress this year, the result of changes in the political landscape shown in November's election.

"We are trying to work our way through some very difficult issues," said Illinois' Sen. Richard Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate. "But, we are committed to a comprehensive approach to finally, in this country, have an immigration law we can live with. We have virtually been going maybe 25 years without a clear statement about immigration policy. That's unacceptable in this nation of immigrants."

Sen. Robert Menendez, who along with Durbin and Sen. John McCain, is part of the six-member, bipartisan Senate group working on a framework for immigration legislation to be announced this week, said current politics dictate that a pathway for citizenship must be included.

"Let's be very clear: having a pathway to earned legalization is an essential element. And I think that we are largely moving in that direction as an agreement," said Menendez, D-N.J., said.

But the package "will have the enhancement of the border security," he said, nodding to Republicans' priority to tighten borders to prevent future illegal immigration.

He also said the package would have to crack down on employers hiring undocumented workers.

Arizona Republican McCain has returned to the issue after having led a failed push to fix the nation's broken immigration system ahead of his 2008 bid for the White House.

McCain said: "What's changed is, honestly, is that there is a new, I think, appreciation on both sides of the aisle ? including, maybe more importantly on the Republican side of the aisle, that we have to enact a comprehensive immigration reform bill."

Despite making little progress on immigration in his first term, President Barack Obama won more than 70 percent of the Latino vote, in part because of the conservative positions on immigration that Republican nominee Mitt Romney staked out during the GOP primary. Latino voters accounted for 10 percent of the electorate in November.

Obama is to press his case for immigration changes during a trip to Las Vegas Tuesday: a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants that includes paying fines and back taxes; increased border security; mandatory penalties for businesses that employ unauthorized immigrants; and improvements to the legal immigration system, including giving green cards to high-skilled workers and lifting caps on legal immigration for the immediate family members of U.S. citizens.

In an opinion piece published online Sunday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Sen. Marco Rubio, also a member of the bipartisan Senate group, laid out his proposal to address the issue. The Florida Republican, son of Cuban immigrants, wrote that "significant progress" on enforcing immigration laws must be certified before unauthorized immigrants now in the country are allowed to apply for residency and "get in the back of the line."

Rep. Paul Ryan, the 2012 Republican candidate for vice president, said he backs Rubio's proposal.

"Immigration is a good thing. We're here because of immigration. We need to make sure it works," Wisconsin's Ryan said.

If Republicans fail to act, they will pay the price in elections for generations, McCain warned.

"Well, I'll give you a little straight talk: Look at the last election... We are losing dramatically the Hispanic vote, which we think should be ours for a variety of reasons," McCain said.

McCain and Menendez spoke with ABC's "This Week," Durbin appeared on "Fox News Sunday" and Ryan was on NBC's "Meet the Press."

___

Associated Press writer Philip Elliott contributed to this report.

___

Follow Michele Salcedo on Twitter at http://twitter.com/michelesalcedo.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-01-27-US-Immigration/id-85b4577bb52f4c54a43bc0b82d7501c5

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Saturday, January 26, 2013

Kim Kardashian Divorce Demand: Pay My Bills!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/kim-kardashian-divorce-demand-pay-my-bills/

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Obama Presses Liberal Agenda as He Starts 2nd Term

From gun control to gay rights, President Barack Obama's second-term agenda is shaping up as an unabashedly liberal wish list.

In less than a week, he's vowed to tackle climate change and protect government entitlements. His administration has lifted a ban on women in combat and expanded opportunities for disabled students. Proposals for stricter gun laws have already been unveiled, and plans for comprehensive immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants, are coming next week.

Obama's full embrace of such an agenda suggests a president both freed for action by his re-election win and seeking to capitalize on it.

"There is a deep recognition that he has a short period of time to get a lot done," said Jennifer Psaki, Obama's 2012 campaign spokeswoman. "The American people are seeing a man who is determined to finish what he started in his first term, pushing through his agenda without the burden of running for re-election."

But following through and winning approval for his proposals will require cooperation from a Congress that is nearly as divided now as it was before the November elections.

"If the president pursues that kind of agenda, obviously it's not designed to bring us together," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who calls the start of Obama's second term "a new era of liberalism."

And it's not just congressional Republicans who could stand in Obama's way as he seeks to make good on his pledges. Senate Democrats from conservative-leaning states ? who, unlike Obama, still face future elections ? may have reservations about backing a liberal agenda in the lead-up to the 2014 midterms.

Democratic resistance is already proving to be a problem for some of the toughest gun control measures that Obama proposed ahead of his inauguration in response to the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn. An assault weapons ban, in particular, appears to be in jeopardy, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada among the Democrats yet to voice support.

Obama's tilt to the left follows a presidential campaign that left open questions about what policies he would pursue if he won a second term. His most specific campaign pledge was to let George W. Bush-era tax cuts expire for the wealthiest Americans, a step he was able to achieve during the "fiscal cliff" negotiations in late December.

That's why many of his strongest supporters were surprised ? some pleasantly ? by the issues he raised in his inaugural address, particularly his call for tackling the threat of climate change, a topic that garnered little attention during the campaign.

And after campaigning on a balanced approach to deficit reduction, including making tough choices on entitlement programs, Obama used his inauguration to extol the virtues of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. He made just one reference to the huge federal deficit.

Obama has previously said he's willing to put government entitlements on the table as Washington seeks to reduce the deficit, and aides say his inaugural address doesn't change that.

Obama also became the first president to use the word "gay" in an inaugural address, asserting that the nation's journey is not complete until "our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law."

Progressive groups welcomed the president's rhetoric, but made it clear that words alone would not be enough.

Adam Green, co-founder of the political action group Progressive Change Campaign Committee, said that if the president's inaugural address does become a template for his second-term governing strategy, "that will allow the president to win big victories and secure a legacy of bold progressive change that helped millions of Americans."

"We hope he goes that route, and we will proudly rally to his side if he does," Green said.

It remains to be seen how vigorously Obama pursues the agenda items he outlined in his inaugural address. White House officials have already struggled this week to back up his rhetoric with specific policy proposals

Still, people close to the president say he feels emboldened since winning re-election and wants to act quickly on progressive issues that eluded him during his first term. His supporters have also created a campaign spin-off organization to support his second-term agenda.

The outside group, Organizing for Action, will employ many of the same people who led Obama's two presidential bids and will have access to his campaign's voter and donor data. The new group is expected to focus on backing his positions in legislative battles, including gun control and immigration.

Some of what the president may pursue, particularly when it comes to climate change, may be through executive branch actions that don't need congressional approval.

The Pentagon this week acted on its own to lift a ban that kept female service members out of combat positions. And the Education Department unilaterally ordered schools to include students with disabilities in sports programs or provide equal alternative options.

White House officials are scouring rule books for other actions the West Wing and government agencies can take on their own.

???

Associated Press writers Josh Lederman contributed to this report.

What's the threat? North Korean rhetoric, reality

A veteran of South Korean Headquarters of Intelligence Detachment (HID), in a North Korean military uniform, shouts a slogan with his former comrades during a rally against South Korean government giving support to pro-North Korean groups in South Korea near the City Hall in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. South Korea's President Park Geun-hye is strongly urging North Korea to refrain from conducting a nuclear test that could only worsen the tensions on the Korean Peninsula in the wake of a provocative long-range rocket launch in December, envoy Rhee In-je told The Associated Press and selected news outlets in Davos, Switzerland. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korean police officers walk by models of North Korea's Scud-B missile, center left, and other South Korean missiles on display at Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, South Korea. Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. South Korea's President Park Geun-hye is strongly urging North Korea to refrain from conducting a nuclear test that could only worsen the tensions on the Korean Peninsula in the wake of a provocative long-range rocket launch in December, envoy Rhee In-je told The Associated Press and selected news outlets in Davos, Switzerland. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

TOKYO (AP) ? According to its official statements, North Korea is ready to go to the brink. But how serious are Pyongyang's threats?

This week, new U.N. sanctions punishing the North's successful December rocket launch have elicited a furious response from Pyongyang: strong hints that a third nuclear test is coming, along with bigger and better long-range missiles; "all-out action" against its "sworn enemy," the United States; and on Friday, a threat of "strong physical countermeasures" against South Korea if Seoul participates in the sanctions.

"Sanctions mean war," said a statement carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency.

A U.S. research institute said Friday that recent satellite photos of the site where nuclear tests were conducted in 2006 and 2009 show North Korea could be almost ready to carry out its threat.

In the face of international condemnation, North Korea can usually be counted on for such flights of rhetorical pique. In recent years it threatened to turn South Korea into a "sea of fire," and to wage a "sacred war" against its enemies.

If the past is any indication, its threats of war are overblown. But the chances it will conduct another nuclear test are high. And it is gaining ground in its missile program, experts say, though still a long way from seriously threatening the U.S. mainland.

"It's not the first time they've made a similar threat of war," said Ryoo Kihl-jae, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. "What's more serious than the probability of an attack on South Korea is that of a nuclear test. I see very slim chances of North Korea following through with its threat of war."

Although North Korea's leadership is undeniably concerned that it might be attacked or bullied by outside powers, the tough talk is mainly an attempt to bolster its bargaining position in diplomatic negotiations.

The impoverished North is in need of international aid and is eager to sign a treaty bringing a formal end to the Korean War, which ended nearly 60 years ago in a truce. It uses its weapons program as a wedge in the ever-repeating diplomatic dance with the U.S.-led international community, and there is no reason to believe this time is different.

"I see this as their way of testing the water," said Narushige Michishita, a North Korea expert at Tokyo's Graduate Institute of Policy Studies. "North Korea will probably never be able to defeat the United States in a war. But they are getting stronger."

In 2006 and 2009, North Korea carried out underground nuclear tests just after receiving U.N. sanctions for launching long-range rockets. The latest barrage of rhetoric comes after the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to condemn the successful Dec. 12 rocket launch and further expand sanctions against Kim Jong Un's regime. Pyongyang replied with its threat of more launches and possibly another nuclear test.

"Settling accounts with the U.S. needs to be done with force, not with words," said Thursday's statement from the National Defense Commission, which promised "a new phase of the anti-U.S. struggle that has lasted century after century."

North Korea has long insisted that its rocket launches were peaceful attempts to put a satellite in orbit, while the U.S. and United Nations consider them illegal tests of missile technology. This week, however, Pyongyang, made it clear that one goal of its rocket program is to attack the United States.

But its ability to do so is limited, say experts who believe North Korea still has technological kinks to work out in its nuclear devices. It is thought to be unable to make a nuclear weapon small enough to be mounted on a missile, so it needs to test that technology as well.

Another big issue is money.

In his first speech to his people, the young leader, Kim, who is still believed to be in his 20s, said North Korea will continue its "military first" policy. But for a nation that chronically struggles to feed its own people, resources are limited. And because of trade restrictions, acquiring parts for its weapons from abroad is increasingly difficult.

Despite December's successful launch, North Korea's ability to get missiles off the launch pad is less than reliable. In April, a similar rocket splintered into pieces over the Yellow Sea. Days later, North Korea showed off what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile, but many experts who reviewed footage of the rockets said they were clearly fakes.

The North does, however, appear to be making some progress.

Japan's Defense Ministry, in an assessment of the December launch presented to the prime minister on Friday, said the North's best designs probably give its missiles a range of more than 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles), according to Japan's Kyodo news service. That would be enough to reach the West Coast of the United States. A South Korean defense official said Friday that Seoul agrees with that assessment.

The Japanese report warned that Pyongyang's missile technology has "entered a new stage" that is of serious concern to the international community. Japan is particularly wary of North Korea's capabilities because all of its islands are well within striking distance. Japan also hosts about 50,000 U.S. troops, whose bases would be a tempting target if Pyongyang were to try to make good on its threats.

"There has been a tendency to underestimate what North Korea can do in the space and missile field, and possibly with technology in general," U.S. nuclear expert Jeffrey Lewis wrote recently on his Arms Control Wonk blog. He noted that debris recovered from the wreckage of the December rocket's first stage indicates that most of it was made in North Korea.

North Korea claims the right to build nuclear weapons as a defense against the United States, which stations more than 28,000 troops in South Korea.

It is believed to have enough weapons-grade plutonium for about four to eight bombs, according to nuclear scientist Siegfried Hecker, who visited North Korea's nuclear complex in 2010. And in 2009, Pyongyang also declared that it would begin enriching uranium, giving it a second way to make atomic weapons.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday that he has seen no outward sign that North Korea will follow through soon on its plan to conduct a test, but added that doesn't mean preparations aren't under way.

A U.S. research institute said Friday that recent satellite photos of the Punggye-ri site where nuclear tests were conducted in 2006 and 2009 reveal that over the past month roads have been kept clear of snow and that North Koreans may have been sealing the tunnel into a mountainside where a nuclear device would be detonated.

The analysis was provided to The Associated Press by 38 North, the website of U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. The latest image was taken Wednesday.

38 North concludes that the Punggye-ri site "appears to continue to be at a state of readiness that would allow the North to move forward with a test in a few weeks or less once the leadership in Pyongyang gives the order."

U.S. officials confirmed Friday that the U.S. has seen some trucks moving around the site. One official said the U.S. is not ruling out that the test could happen in the near future.

But the officials cautioned that, as in previous tests, because it would be done underground, the U.S. may not know much before it actually happens. Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss intelligence matters publicly.

___

Associated Press writer Matthew Pennington contributed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-25-AS-NKorea-Nuclear/id-f7284d99ec0d42b88bee6b48aac74639

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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

German cardinal 'ashamed' at rape victim treatment

BERLIN (AP) ? A senior German bishop is publicly apologizing after two Catholic hospitals turned away a rape victim seeking treatment that included emergency contraception.

Cardinal Joachim Meisner said the hospitals should have provided the woman with medical help, though they would have drawn the line at treatment that would have prevented a pregnancy.

The incident December in the western city of Cologne caused uproar in Germany, where many hospitals are run by the Catholic and Protestant Churches.

Meisner said in a statement Tuesday that the Church was "deeply ashamed by this incident because it goes against our Christian mission."

He denied that the Church had issued an order for hospitals to turn rape victims away. He says both hospitals have also apologized.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/german-cardinal-ashamed-rape-victim-treatment-131801941.html

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Sunday, January 20, 2013

Islamists flee Malian town after French airstrikes

Malian soldiers jubilate as they return to Niono, from Diabaly, some 400 kms (300 miles) North of the capital Bamako, Saturday Jan. 19, 2013. French troops encircled a key Malian town on Friday, trying to stop radical Islamists from striking against communities closer to the capital and cutting off their supply line, a French official said. The move around Diabaly came as French and Malian authorities said that the city whose capture prompted the French military intervention in the first place was no longer in the hands of the extremists. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

travelers climb back on a transport truck after being checked by Malian soldiers at a checkpoint in Niono, Mali, some 400 kms (300 miles) North of the capital Bamako Saturday Jan. 19, 2013. French troops encircled a key Malian town on Friday, trying to stop radical Islamists from striking against communities closer to the capital and cutting off their supply line, a French official said. The move around Diabaly came as French and Malian authorities said that the city whose capture prompted the French military intervention in the first place was no longer in the hands of the extremists.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

A Malian well-wisher displays his French flag as French soldiers enter Niono, Mali, some 400 kms (300 miles) north of the capital Bamako Saturday Jan. 19, 2013. French troops encircled a key Malian town on Friday, trying to stop radical Islamists from striking against communities closer to the capital and cutting off their supply line, a French official said. The move around Diabaly came as French and Malian authorities said that the city whose capture prompted the French military intervention in the first place was no longer in the hands of the extremists.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) ? Burned out vehicles and scattered bullets dotted the streets of a central Malian town after radical Islamists retreated following days of French airstrikes, according to video obtained Sunday.

The Malian military announced late Saturday that the government was now controlling Diabaly, marking an important accomplishment for the French-led offensive to oust the extremists from northern and central Mali.

"People are calm since the Islamists left the city of Diabaly before it was taken by the Malian and French forces yesterday," said Oumar Coulibaly, who lives in the nearby town of Niono.

The Associated Press obtained video filmed Saturday by a local resident, which shows people from Diabaly inspecting the fighters' vehicles and charred weaponry destroyed by French airstrikes and Malian ground forces.

Several armored vehicles belonging to the Malian army also can be seen lying abandoned and damaged at the side of roads in Diabaly, a town of 35,000 that is home to an important military camp.

The video marks the first pictures to emerge from the area, which was taken over by al-Qaida-linked militants at the beginning of the week. The zone remains blocked off by a military cordon and journalists have not been able to access the area so far.

Residents who had fled to the nearby town of Niono and officials described how Islamists fled the town on foot after days of French airstrikes that destroyed their vehicles.

"They tried to hijack a car, but the driver didn't stop and they fired on the car and killed the driver," said a Malian intelligence officer who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists.

The Islamists first seized control of the main towns in northern Mali nine months ago, taking advantage of a power vacuum after a military coup in the distant capital of Bamako.

West African regional neighbors talked of a military intervention to retake northern Mali for months, but it was not until the French began their offensive Jan. 11 that the Islamists faced a military threat to their grip on power.

The Islamists took Diabaly several days later ? 270 miles (430 kilometers) away from the capital ? as part of an alarming descent into central Mali and closer to the government seat of power in Bamako.

Speaking Saturday on French 3 television, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Drian said France now has 2,000 troops in Mali and "could go beyond" the 2,500 troops initially announced for Mali.

Neighboring countries are expected to contribute around 3,000 troops to the operation. While some initial contributions from Togo, Nigeria and Benin have arrived to help the French, concerns about the mission have delayed other neighbors from sending their promised troops so far.

France's foreign minister said Saturday that "our African friends need to take the lead" in the military intervention, though he acknowledged it could be weeks before neighbors are able to do so. Laurent Fabius spoke at a closely-watched summit in Ivory Coast focusing on ways that African forces can better help Mali as France's military intervention there entered its second week.

"Step by step, I think it's a question from what I heard this morning of some days, some weeks, the African troops will take over," Fabius said in Abidjan, the commercial capital of Ivory Coast.

Fabius also said that a donor summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Jan. 29 "will be a key event."

___

Associated Press writers Robbie Corey-Boulet in Abidjan, Ivory Coast and Jamey Keaten in Dakar, Senegal contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-20-Mali-Fighting/id-97c1f26b90e748dd87b364d6cedfd41d

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12 Better Business and Personal Marketing Practices for 2013

2013

As a small business, you will have to respond to these business marketing trends to keep your business relevant in 2013.

As a business owner or manager, the suggested personal marketing practices will prove to be valuable for helping you to better implement them for maximum business marketing benefit.

Business Marketing Trends and Practices

#1 ? Original Content is Highly Valued

If this wasn?t true, then media outlets would not always be racing to be the first to report the news to achieve the temporary prize of being first. There is no need to race when YOU are the only source.

Google Authorship is evidence that original marketing content ? one of a kind ? a category of one -?will always be more highly prized.

#2 ? Business is Now Personal

The personal perspective that you provide is what makes any type of content marketing original. Repurposing content is accepting mediocrity ? something that places you in a race to the bottom.

#3 ? Customers Want to Make Better Choices

Those who use their expertise to help their customers will earn their trust. First help your customers to be better buyers ? then help them further with your expertise. So this year, help your community to simplify.

#4 ? Social Media Will Not Fix Anything

If your business is broken social media will amplify that. So, to help you get better, why not consider blogging just for you. It will help you to dig deep and find better solutions for your customers.

#5 ? Consistency Sets Expectations

How often should you be publishing to your online channels? ?If you make regular contributions, even if that is quarterly, it is better than nothing at all ? and certainly better than anything irregular. Consistency is a mark of professionals.

#6 ? You Have to Love What You Do

I love to blog and it pains me that the gap since my last post is the widest in years. Looking on the bright side, I?ve just completed my first book on social marketing for small business?and that is reward enough for me ? especially if members of my tribe like you find it useful.

Personal Marketing Practices

#7 ? Surprise Your Audience

Pay attention to those that nobody pays attention to ? it could be the greatest gift they receive all year.?Buy the person?s lunch in the line with you. Send an anonymous gift.

#8 ? Show up Even When You are Unprepared

We all think that we need to be prepared, and we should be, but sometimes the most amazing days of our lives are those when we improvise from the heart in service to our communities. It?s a wonderful thing.

#9 ? Face Your fears

Being yourself means facing your fears and doing what you know has to be done if you are to feel the sense of accomplishment that drives your happiness and success. When you do what is uncomfortable you learn things about yourself that help you to better serve your customers.

#10 ? Love Yourself

Steve Jobs famously said, ?they are no smarter than you are.? ?When you really embrace that concept the fears that hold you back fall away. What?s left is the innate confidence in your own abilities that shines through.

#11 ? Your Work is Never Done

If it were, then you would have nothing to aspire to. Try to view life, and certainly business, as a process ? not a transaction. How can you do more together with your customers? They are probably wondering the same thing. Help them get what they really want.

#12 ? Show Your gratitude

Believe it or not, being grateful for the contribution of others helps you just as much, if not more than them. When you put that positive energy into the world it helps you realize you are part of something bigger ? an ecosystem that needs your contribution.

How about you?

What is your small business marketing manifesto for 2013?

If you liked this ? please leave a comment below and share with your friends

About the Author:??Jeff Korhan, MBA, helps mainstream small businesses create exceptional customer experiences that accelerate business growth. ?Get more from Jeff on?LinkedIn,?Twitter?and?Google+.

Jeff is also the author of?Built-In Social: ?Essential Social Marketing Practices for Every Small Business ? Published by Wiley, April 15, 2013

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Source: http://www.jeffkorhan.com/2013/01/12-better-marketing-trendspractices-2013.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=12-better-marketing-trendspractices-2013

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How Much Beef Is In Your Burger?

dgharmon writes in with an interesting article about how much, or how little beef is in a UK burger. "The presence of horsemeat in value beefburgers has caused a furore. But what is usually in the patties? It has been a sobering week for fans of the beefburger. Tesco have used full-page adverts in national newspapers to apologize for selling burgers in the UK that were found to contain 29% horsemeat. Traces of horse DNA were also detected by the Food Standards Agency of Ireland in products sold by Iceland, Lidl, Aldi and Dunnes. But a beefburger rarely contains 100% beef."

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/vNAyeyWE6_I/story01.htm

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Saturday, January 19, 2013

CNBC's Fast Money: Stocks, Investing, Market Analysis - CNBC

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/15838499/CNBCrsquos_Fast_Money_Stocks_Investing_Market_Analysis__CNBC

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In Japan, This McDonald's Is Serving Breakfast 24 Hours a Day

Face it. The best meal you can get at McDonald's is breakfast. And for a limited time, you can get just that at a McDonald's in Tokyo. That's all you can get. Wahoo!

The McDonald's in Tokyo's Shinjuku (the Meiji-dori Sutepa-ten, to be exact!) has put its regular menu on hold and is serving round the clock breakfast. In Japan, the McDonald's breakfast service is called "Asa Makku" (????) or "Morning McDonald's". Website IT Media recently swung by to check out the fast food festivities.

The campaign is the latest in a string of ones from McDonald's Japan that has unintentionally resulted in french fry madness and hamburger horrors. This latest stunt seems like it won't end in fast food chaos.

If you live in the greater Tokyo area, you have until January 20 to enjoy the round the clock McDonald's breakfast in Shinjuku.

In Japan, This McDonald's Is Serving Breakfast 24 Hours a Day Or the giant Sausage McMuffin on top the restaurant.

24????????????????????????? [IT Media]

Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am. In Japan, This McDonald's Is Serving Breakfast 24 Hours a Day

Source: http://kotaku.com/5976986/in-japan-this-mcdonalds-is-serving-breakfast-24-hours-a-day

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FAQ's about your foundation | Home Improvement Solution

If you have questions about your foundation, you should consult with Foundation Contractors in Houston. These experts have been working with foundations for pretty much their entire careers. They know everything there is to know about foundations. It?s better to call them then have to deal with a crumbling foundation, which could jeopardize the potential sale of your residence. You might be tempted to put off these repairs for a long time because they?re bound to cost you in the long run; however, they will only become more expensive the longer you wait to fix them. Address them now and pay a lower price. Your house is an investment just like any other. You have to work at it to make sure that it will start to pay dividends before long. Failing to adequately take care of your house is the worst possible thing you could do. It costs a lot of money, but you sacrificed to begin with in order to get the house in the first place. You might as well continue this sacrificing to pay for any expenses associated with the ownership of your house. It?s a good idea to have the money sitting around to be able to pay for repairs with cash.

You should waste no time in calling the professionals when you notice problems beginning to form in your foundation. These problems will become worse as time goes on, so it?s better to address them now than trying to conquer them later. The stability of your house depends on the strength of its foundation. If you foundation has seen better days, your house is going to follow suit. There?s nothing wrong with calling out the professionals to fix your foundation. That?s what they?re there for. They have been doing it for several years and are good at it. Their services might cost you, but you have to consider what would happen if you avoided getting your foundation fixed altogether. You shouldn?t want to think about the possibility of part of your foundation collapsing, taking the rest of the house with it. The process of keeping your house looking great is part of the responsibility of owning a home. Your duty as a homeowner is more than just paying the mortgage every month. You have to keep your house looking great as well. Do not try to work on your foundation unless it is something that you have done before.

It?s not difficult to get your questions about foundations answered. There are all sorts of resources available to provide you with adequate information on the topic. Once you have your questions answered, you will be able to figure out how you should proceed. It?s tempting to want to put off these repairs or avoid doing them entirely; however, your foundation is too important to mess with. You will be able to find a deal that fits within your budget if you look hard enough and talk to enough contractors. Before long, you will have a contractor who will do the job for a very affordable fee.

Source: http://home-improvement-solution.com/faqs-about-your-foundation/

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Military father regains child custody upon appeal

Those who are a part of the military have a duty to serve the country. Many times this means that they will be deployed to countries all over the world in order to serve and protect the nation's interests. Parents in Virginia and elsewhere also have a duty as well, which lies with taking care of their children. However, when a parent is also in the military these two sets of duties can sometimes create serious conflict regarding child custody.

Recently a panel of appellate court justices in a child custody battle ruled that lower court judges should not have stripped the father of primary custody while he was being deployed overseas. Initially the lower court judge restored primary custody of the boy to the mother, who had also been serving in the military while the couple was still married. The coupled divorced in 2001, one year following the birth of their son.

The parents had shared custody while the father retained primary custody of the child. The conflict started with a disagreement between the parents about where the child would be attending school. The father wanted their son to attend a school closer to where he lived, whereas the mother wanted the child to continue attending school in the location where the family lived while the father was deployed overseas.

The lower court judge ordered a doctor's review regarding which household would be best for the child. The doctor determined that it would be better for the child to continue attending the school near the mother. However, the appellate court ruled that the doctor's report should never have been ordered, and also gave back primary child custody to the father. This case illustrates that family law regarding a military family may not be straightforward in Virginia and elsewhere. Therefore, thorough research of the law may be necessary in these types of situations.

Source: Oceanside-Camp Pendleton, CA Patch, "Deployment Shouldn't Deprive Soldier of Child Custody, Court Rules," Jan. 3, 2013

Source: http://www.springfieldfamilylawlawyers.com/2013/01/military-father-regains-child-custody-upon-appeal.shtml

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Syria accuses Turkey at U.N. of receiving stolen factory goods

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - War-ravaged Syria has accused Turkey of receiving stolen goods from armed groups, who it said plundered some 1,000 factories in the industrial city of Aleppo, and called on the United Nations to condemn its neighbor's involvement.

Syria's U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari said in a letter to the U.N. Security Council and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, released on Thursday, that armed groups "transferred the stolen goods to Turkey, with the full knowledge of the Turkish Government."

"Syria would like to point out that these unethical acts ... are tantamount to direct participation in transnational crime and piracy," he wrote in the letter dated January 7.

"The Syrian Arab Republic calls on the Security Council and the Secretary-General to condemn clearly these destructive acts of terrorism and do what is required to hold accountable their perpetrators, as well as those states and regional and international powers that stand behind them," Ja'afari wrote.

The United Nations says more than 60,000 people have been killed during a 22-month-old revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which began with peaceful protests but turned violent after Assad's forces tried to crush the demonstrations.

Assad's government has repeatedly accused Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, the United States and other Western governments of supporting and arming the rebels. The government deny providing weapons to the rebels.

The 15-member Security Council has been deadlocked on how to try to end the violence. The United States and European council members blame Russia, a staunch Syrian ally, and China for the council's inaction. Moscow and Beijing have vetoed three resolutions condemning Assad and reject the idea of imposing sanctions on his government. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syria-accuses-turkey-u-n-receiving-stolen-factory-171457325.html

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Monday, January 14, 2013

South Africa 525/8 v New Zealand 157/4 & 121/10 *

NZ 157/4 (67.0 ov, DG Brownlie 44*, BJ Watling 41*, AN Petersen 0/5) - Stumps | Live Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo We see you have Google Chrome installed. Try out Cricinfo's free extension: show me no thanks New Zealand tour of South Africa, 2nd Test: South Africa v New Zealand at Port Elizabeth, Jan 11-15, 2013

Source: http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/567357.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

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Colin Powell Accuses GOP Of Racism: They ?Still Look Down On Minorities?

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell appeared on NBC?s Meet the Press Sunday and had some strong words for his fellow GOP members: ?The Republican party needs to take a very hard look at itself and understand that the country has changed.? Powell criticized the GOP of today for everything from their views on climate change to taxes. Most importantly? The party has a ?dark vein of intolerance? running through it and ?if they don?t change? along with America?s changing demographics, ?they are going to be in trouble.?

Host David Gregory asked Powell why he was still a Republican and he noted that it was the way he was ?raised,? but that ?the Republican party right now is having an identity problem.?

RELATED: GOP Frustrated Over Rape Comments: ?Stop? Talking About Rape As Anything But A ?Brutal And Horrible Crime?

The GOP ?still looks down on minorities,? Powell said. He slammed Sarah Palin?s ?shuck and jive? comments from last year about President Obama and criticized Republican?s use of the word ?lazy? to describe the president.

?Why do senior Republican leaders tolerate this kind of discussion within the party?? he asked.

The choice of the next Republican candidate may be less important than what the party actually stands for, Powell added.

?If it?s just going to represent the far right-wing of the political spectrum, I think the party is in difficulty,? he said.

Watch the full clip below, via NBC:

?
>> Follow Anjali Sareen (@AnjaliSareen) On Twitter

Source: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/colin-powell-accuses-gop-of-racism-they-still-look-down-on-minorities/

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WTB: Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III | New

Listed on 12 January 2013 by:

Safety Tip

To eliminate fraud always use Cellpex messaging and ordering.
It`s safer and there are no transaction fees.

Additional Details

', SHADOW,SHADOWY, 3,SHADOWX, 3, SHADOWOPACITY, 80, VAUTO, CENTER, WIDTH, 300); } var helpTitle = null; function showHelpTips(evt) { var elem = Event.element(evt); if (!elem.title.blank()) { helpTitle = elem.title; overlib("

"+helpTitle+"

", SHADOW,SHADOWY, 3,SHADOWX, 3, SHADOWOPACITY, 80, VAUTO, CENTER, WIDTH, 300); elem.title = ''; } } function hideHelpTips(evt) { var elem = Event.element(evt); if (helpTitle != null && !helpTitle.blank()) { elem.title = helpTitle; } nd(); }

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Cellpex_Requests_Wholesale/~3/CXZaCM18pxo/index.php

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2012 FORD TRANSIT CONNECT WAGON XLT VAN FOR SALE!

'12 FORD TRANSIT CONNECT WAGON XLT VAN

Right Side & Light LF Side damage, Lot Drives, RF Strut is bent, Good Bags, Cooling appears to be holding, Desk & Chair in Rear, 110 Volt Converter, Ergo Ladder Rack, Loaded, MP3 CD, Sync by Microsoft, Phone.

**Check out the ladder rack! http://www.primedesign.net/index.htm

Price: $9,500.
Call T&T Repairables
812-876-0781 ?SPENCER, IN

Source: http://www.autabuy.com/Vehicles/Details.cfm?VID=744666&Year=2012&Make=Ford&Model=Transit%20Connect%20Wagon%20XLT

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Michael Lohan: NOT a Deadbeat Dad?!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/michael-lohan-not-a-deadbeat-dad/

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Thursday, January 10, 2013

London Underground Celebrates 150 Years

As London Underground celebrates its 150th anniversary,Croylek Limited pays tribute to the world's oldest underground network and looks at how Croylek products has helped in improving the safety of underground trains.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

As millions of passengers make their daily commute on the London Underground, they will no doubt notice that today?s commute is slightly different from any other day. This is because the London Underground is celebrating its 150th birthday, making it the oldest underground in the world.

The first stretch of the world-famous network opened on the 9th January 1863, with the first passenger journeys taking place the following day between Paddington and Farringdon on the Metropolitan Railway.

As time passed, the technology and equipment required to manufacture, maintain high standards and develop a 21st century underground network became more advanced. For many years, Croylek Limited has assisted the London Underground in achieving their development and safety aims by supplying various products for Rolling Stock, Track Side Applications and Maintenance. The most notable product is perhaps VSR 10, a Silicone Impregnated Glass Fibre Braided Sleeving, which is fully compliant with LUL Standard 1-085-A1 (Fire Safety Performance of Materials).

VSR10 is the only specified insulation sleeving for trains operating on the underground network. It is specified for its excellent fire performance. VSR 10 possesses a high Oxygen Index of 64.5%, which makes it extremely difficult to ignite. This property, along with the products low smoke/fume and zero halogen properties offer exceptional performance and safety should a fire ever break out on the network that extends to 249 miles (402km) of which 45% are tunnels.

Individuals, including the Mayor of London, and companies, have paid tributes to the London Underground. There will be a series of events to mark the anniversary, starting with the recreation of the first passenger journey using a Metropolitan Railway steam locomotive and coaches on the 13th of January.

Once again, Congratulations on 150 years from all at Croylek Limited!

Source: http://www.prurgent.com/2013-01-10/pressrelease281134.htm

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Save ?100 on Algarve golf breaks from Ireland

08.01.13

RYANAIR BAGS FARO GOLFERS WITH ?CLUBS FLY FREE? PROMO

BOOK BEFORE 31 JAN & SAVE ?100

Ryanair, Europe?s only ultra-low cost airline, announced that from today (8 Jan) passengers who book a Jan, Feb or March golf break from Dublin to Faro, before midnight (24:00hrs) Thurs 31 Jan, can bring their golf bag for free - saving them ?100 on a return flight.

Ryanair celebrated this ?Clubs Fly Free? promo by releasing seats to Faro from just ?40 one-way for travel in Jan, Feb & Mar. ?Ryanair?s ?40 Faro seats are limited so book early for a great winter golf break in the Algarve.

Ryanair?s Stephen McNamara, said:

?Ryanair has cut the cost of golf breaks to the Algarve in January, February and March with a winning combination of Europe?s ultra-low fares and free golf clubs carriage - all of which are available from www.ryanair.com.?

Source: http://www.ryanair.com/en/news/save-100-euro-on-algarve-golf-breaks-from-ireland

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Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Rescued By A Bailout, A.I.G. May Sue Its Savior

Dealbook:

Fresh from paying back a $182 billion bailout, the American International Group has been running a nationwide advertising campaign with the tagline ?Thank you America.?

Behind the scenes, the restored insurance company is weighing whether to tell the government agencies that rescued it during the financial crisis: thanks, but you cheated our shareholders.

Read the whole story at Dealbook

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/08/aig-bailout-lawsuit_n_2429338.html

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Tuesday, January 8, 2013

From cancer to wrinkles: beauty-care lures biotechs | SmartPlanet

Luxury skin-care is a $1.2 billion market in the U.S., and it?s grown about 20 percent in each of the last two years. Cosmetics companies have traditionally ruled this domain, but now veterans of pharmaceutical firms are using their knowledge to grab a piece. Bloomberg Business reports.

?It seems like there?s a never-ending appetite for beauty products,? says Les Funtleyder, research director at private equity firm Poliwogg. ?For drug development, it?s 7 to 10 years from clinic to market ? and a lot of money, up to $1 billion. In beauty products, there?s less regulatory risk, no clinical-development risk, and a very much shorter time to market.?

A few years ago Kleanthis Xanthopoulos, the chief executive officer of Regulus Therapeutics ? a biopharmaceutical company developing cancer and atherosclerosis drugs ? created a separate company, Sent?, to launch a line of skin-care products.

?I was thinking, ?How can we take the rigor of high-end science and apply that not to drugs, but what we call life-enhancing consumer products that aren?t regulated by the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration]???? he explains. The scientist sees a big market catering to middle-aged women (and, increasingly, men) who want to combat sagging skin and undereye circles.

Sent? executives licensed a compound that had been sold at higher concentrations for wound and burn care. The new product is selling at $75 for 15ml, and according to the company, addresses age-related loss of skin elasticity and tone.

Living Proof, a line of hair products, is another example of a beauty brand with a pharmaceutical history. It was founded by Polaris Venture Partners, the venture capital firm behind Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, which makes a recently approved drug for irritable bowel syndrome. A main ingredient includes a light, water-resistant polymer, and the product?s formulation came about with the help of biotech and cancer researchers.

[Via Bloomberg Businessweek]

Image by sunshinecity via Flickr

Source: http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/bulletin/from-cancer-to-wrinkles-beauty-care-lures-biotechs/9622

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Monday, January 7, 2013

Recreation Opportunities Available throughout Holiday Season at ...

Posted on January 3, 2013 by carlosandre in Soccer.

Lynchburg, Va. (PRWEB) December 21, 2012

With the absence of more than 12,000 residential students for winter break, much of Liberty Universitys dining and recreational offerings will be closed for the holidays, but there are still opportunities to get a taste of excitement or enjoy family fun on campus.

Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre, the only year-round snowless ski slope of its kind in North America, will continue to offer skiing, snowboarding, and tubing during holiday hours: Monday through Friday noon to 10 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-10 p.m., and Sunday 2 p.m.10 p.m., with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. For those who prefer to get extreme indoors, the Liberty Mountain Skate Park located in the Candlers Station shopping center, will have the same hours.

The LaHaye Ice Center will be open for ice skating Dec. 26 from noon-5 p.m.; Dec. 27, noon-3:30 p.m.; Dec. 28-29, noon-3 p.m. and 6:30-8 p.m.; and Dec. 30, 1-3 p.m.

Sports fans are able to catch the Flames mens basketball team in action at home Dec. 21 and 28. Liberty hosts the Milligan Buffaloes in the first matchup and Union College to close out 2012 play in the Vines Center. Both games tipoff at 7 p.m.

Campus will look as alive and energetic as ever Dec. 30-31 as students are invited to ring in the New Year at Winterfest. Participants can jam to live tunes from some of todays hottest Christian artists, including TobyMac, Red, and Casting Crowns. The event also features dynamic Christian speakers to challenge students in their faith. Winterfest exposes guests to all that campus has to offer, including its exciting recreational activities like indoor soccer, rock climbing, ice skating, and extreme winter sports at the Snowflex Centre.

Liberty University, located in Lynchburg, Va., is the worlds largest Christian university. Nearly 100,000 students attend classes on its 6,800-acre residential campus and study in its thriving online education program.

? Previous Post Next Post ?

Source: http://castudios.com.br/blog/?p=90

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Source: http://catinici.posterous.com/recreation-opportunities-available-throughout

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No movement: Lawmakers dig in heels on debt crisis

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. applauds after handing the gavel to House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio who was re-elected as House Speaker of the 113th Congress, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive on Air Force One, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., as they return from their Hawaii vacation. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, from Kentucky, departs the Strom Thurmond room after a Senate Republican caucus meeting about the fiscal cliff, on Capitol Hill, Monday, Dec. 31, 2012 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Congressional leaders on Sunday showed no signs of emerging from their corners to resolve the next step in the financial crisis, with Democrats still talking about higher taxes on the wealthy and the Senate's top Republican suggesting that a crippling default on U.S. loans was possible unless there were significant cuts in government spending.

"It's a shame we have to use whatever leverage we have in Congress to get the president to deal with the biggest problem confronting our future, and that's our excessive spending," said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Last week's deal to avert the combination of end-of-year tax increases and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff" held income tax rates steady for 99 percent of Americans but left some other major pieces of business unresolved.

By late February or early March, the Treasury Department will run out of options to cover the nation's debts and could begin defaulting on government loans unless Congress raises the legal borrowing limit, or debt ceiling. Economists warn that a default could trigger a global recession.

Also looming are deep automatic spending cuts expected to take effect at the beginning of March that could further erase fragile gains in the U.S. economy. Then on March 27, the temporary measure that funds government activities expires, and congressional approval will be needed to keep the government running. It's one more chance to fight over spending

Lawmakers said debt talks will consume Congress in the coming weeks, likely delaying any consideration of an expected White House proposal on gun restrictions in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting.

Republicans say they are willing to raise the debt ceiling but insist any increase must be paired with significant savings from Medicare, Medicaid and other government benefit programs. President Barack Obama has said he's willing to consider spending cuts separately but won't bargain over the government's borrowing authority.

"One thing I will not compromise over is whether or not Congress should pay the tab for a bill they've already racked up," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address.

Democrats said further tax increases for the wealthiest Americans were still possible as Congress looks to close the gap between revenues and expenditures. Democrats point out that Obama has already agreed to significant spending cuts, and that the latest deal only gets the nation to about half of the revenue it needs to resolve the red ink.

"Trust me, there are plenty of things within that tax code ? these loopholes where people can park their money in some island offshore and not pay taxes. These are things that need to be closed. We can do that and use the money to reduce the deficit," said Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the second-ranking Senate Democrat.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California said she, too, wants to put "everything on the table from the standpoint of closing loopholes."

But McConnell bluntly declared that the "tax issue is over" after last week's agreement.

"We don't have this problem because we tax too little; we have it because we spend too much," McConnell said.

Making the rounds on the Sunday talk shows, McConnell was asked repeatedly whether Republicans were prepared to see the nation default on its spending obligations. McConnell said that wouldn't be necessary, so long as Obama agrees to the spending cuts.

But at one point, when asked by NBC's David Gregory whether the GOP strategy will be to hold the debt ceiling "ransom" in exchange for spending cuts, McConnell said it was a "shame we have to use whatever leverage we have" to get the president's attention.

"None of us like using situations like the sequester (automatic across-the-board spending cuts) or the debt ceiling or the operation of government to try to engage the president to deal with this," McConnell said.

Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., didn't dismiss the idea of allowing a partial shutdown of government until an agreement can be reached. Texas Sen. John Cornyn and other Republicans have floated the idea of a shutdown as a way of winning deeper spending cuts.

"I believe we need to raise the debt ceiling, but if we don't raise it without a plan to get out of debt, all of us should be fired," Graham said.

Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, said the Republican strategy amounted to: "Give us what we want ... or we're going to tank the United States economy."

Pelosi said she believes the president has enough authority under the 14th Amendment to raise the debt ceiling without Congress' blessing. But the White House has said previously that it does not believe that the amendment ? which says the "validity" of public debt shouldn't be questioned ? gives the president that power.

McConnell spoke on NBC's "Meet the Press," ABC "This Week" and CBS "Face the Nation." Pelosi was on CBS. Durbin and Graham appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" and Van Hollen was interviewed on "Fox News Sunday."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-01-06-US-Congress/id-0de15a247b7d4342ab4e1decd5996ce2

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Monday, January 28, 2013

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