How To Build Links And Influence People

This is the author?s nephew, Oliver, reminding you to Smile. See Part 2, Point 2 below.

Are you looking to get some momentum with web traffic? ?Trying to figure out how to build links and bring in more customers? ?This post is for you.

I?ve been listening to that lavishly written classic on human relations ?How To Win Friends And Influence People? while jogging lately. ?What a powerful book. ?This is probably my fourth time through the audio version. ?It will not be my last.

It got me thinking about how building web traffic (link building, SEO, social media) is basically winning friends and influencing people online. ?So it makes sense that we can take what Dale Carnegie said back in the 30s and tweak and update it some to implement his techniques on the web.

There is a great deal to be learned here for content and inbound marketers. ?The outline below is verbatim from Dale?s book with his statements in bold and my comments following each. ?Some of the points deal with winning friends (and getting links), while others deal with influencing people (converting visitors into customers). ?Parts 1 through 3 of the book relate to content marketing, while Part 4 is about leadership which doesn?t apply here. ?These comments are through Part 3 only.

How To Build Links And Influence People

Part One

Fundamental Techniques In Handling People

1. Don?t criticize, condemn, or complain. ?In all online interactions, keep on the sunny side. This is especially true with the use of sarcasm, which never plays well in text form. ?Stay light years away from negativity, whining, and sarcasm.
2. Give honest sincere appreciation. ?When leaving comments (blogs, social media, etc.), don?t just say ?that was great!? Tell the person why it was great. ?Best-selling author John Jantsch left a fine comment on one of my posts a couple of months ago. ?He told me exactly why he thought it was a great post. ?If you?ve read Carnegie?s book, the phrase ?hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise? will come to mind. ?Leave great comments and people will click back on your name link, subscribe to your blog, link to you, etc.
3. Arouse in the other person an eager want.? Write post titles that people want to read. ?Here?s a good one from SEOMoz:?Are Your Titles Irresistibly Clickworthy & Viral?? Data shows that people want lists. ?Number and bold bullet point your post sections with regularity. ?A good, numbered ?How To? list or ?Top 10? list is what we call Link Bait. ?They gets links because people ?want? lists. ?Here are 7 Reasons Why List Posts Will Always Work from Copyblogger. ?Notice, Carnegie?s book had numbered points, as did the post from SEOMoz,?as did the post from Copyblogger, as does this post. ?Every once in a while write an epic content piece that covers the topic as thoroughly as possible. ??Epic Content? is 1,000 words or more according to this article. ?The post you are reading now (1,700+ words) qualifies as epic by that standard. ?When you max out on a subject, you?ll build more links because your content will be the definitive statement on the subject.

Part Two

Six Ways To Make People Like You

1. Become genuinely interested in other people. ?Quit thinking of your online interactions as ways to get more links. ?Seems to go against what we outlined in the title of this post? ?Yes and no. ?Sometimes your motivation is selfish and then your actions turn into something unselfish. ?You?ll be surprised at the interesting and awesome things you find in your field of interest when you really start looking. ?Remember that thing called a Blog Reader (RSS)? ?Start one or clean up the old one. ?Google Reader has that very cool ?Other Blogs Like This? thing that suggests other good blogs you will like. ?If you have time, use Tweetdeck or Hootsuite to follow other folks who put out great content. ?Read, get conversations started, and you?ll be surprised at what happens.
2. Smile.? Make sure your smiling face shows up on search results for blog posts that you write. ?Google has an author verification system that displays profile pics alongside search results. ?That drastically increases click-thru-rates and may influence rankings from within Google?s algorithm. ?Say hello to more organic search traffic. ?It is called ?rel=author?. ?We?ve done it ourselves, but it takes a while to filter through and start showing.
3. Remember that a person?s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language. ?Remember what I said about John Jantsch? ?He started off his blog comment with my name. ?I did indeed like that. ?When leaving comments, use the person?s first name to start things off.
4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves. (This is the secret to being a great conversationalist.) ?Ask for feedback on your posts, tweets, etc. and make sure and respond to each one. ??Good manners are made up of petty sacrifices.? ? Ralph Waldo Emerson. ?Check out the good exchange in the comments of this post on Inbound Marketing On A Dime.
5. Talk in terms of the other person?s interests.? In the content marketing & SEO world, this is called Keyword Research. ?You want to find keywords that a lot of folks are searching for and that have relatively low competition. ?We use a combination of Google Adwords for keyword suggestions and HubSpot?s awesomely revamped Keyword tool for analyzing opportunities. ?The post you are reading is optimized around the keyphrase ?how to build links?. ?I replaced ?Win Friends? in the book title with our desired keywords. ?I looked at both ?how to get links? and ?how to build links?. ?They had nearly equal competition scores and ?how to build links? gets more traffic, so that?s what I went with.
6. Make the other person feel important?and do it sincerely. ?Every person has value and you should respect that online just as you would in person. ?Never disregard someone?s interactions online and never say something online (or on the phone) that you wouldn?t say face-to-face. ?(Repeat this to yourself over and over again before posting in online forums or calling your cable company!)

Part Three

Win People To Your Way Of Thinking

1. The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it. (Because even if you win, you aren?t going to get what you want.) ?In my younger days, I had often written a harsh comment and right before hitting enter, had second thoughts. ?I?m better at filtering before I even get started now, but sometimes I have to reach for the button on the top right of my keyboard. ?As Steven King says, that delete key is on your keyboard for a reason. ?Use it.
2. Show respect for the other person?s opinions. Never say, ?You?re wrong.? ?Some bloggers suggest writing posts that disagree with another person?s post. ?This can be done, but with extreme caution. ?See the link in next point . . .
3. If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically. (A good way to start is to admit that you could be mistaken.) ?I advise reading?Ben Franklin?s autobiography (free)?to master this art.
4. Begin in a friendly way. ?A great way to be friendly is to be funny. ?Stephen Guise gives some good ideas in ?Three(ish) Techniques To Unborify Your Blog Posts? and we took a stab at one of them in a tweet.
5. Get the other person saying ?yes, yes? immediately. ?This is a tried-and-true sales technique. ?Begin your posts with questions which qualify your reader as a lead for your business. ?Use multiples consecutively to really qualify . . . ?Are your considering (your product or service)? ?Are you tired of (itch your biz scratches)?? ?Look back at the first paragraph of this post.
6. Let the other person do a great deal of the talking. ?Do not feel like you have to have the last word in online conversations. ?Again, ask questions and put your heads together with the community you are creating or joining.
7. Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers. ?Don?t hesitate to expand on someone else?s idea and give them credit for the valuable nugget that you built off of. ?Providing links back to the original content is a great way to give that credit and those links often turn back around and link back to you. ?We did that in this post.
8. Try honestly to see things from the other person?s point of view. ?Create stuff that people WANT to link to, not just something your keyword research told you you had to write. ?Your post schedule is only important from your point of view. ?If your blogging schedule means you put out average stuff, it?s better for you to turn that dial back a bit and create fewer, but better, posts.
9. Be sympathetic with the other person?s ideas and desires. ?If you are trying to build links, your linking source might want a link back. ?IT IS OK TO DO RECIPROCAL LINKS ?on a small scale and with relevant partners? as SEOBook?s Aaron Wall says here.
10. Appeal to the nobler motives. Make sure your business does something that makes the world a better place and don?t be afraid to let the world know how. ?Guy Kawasaki?s superb The Art of the Start book (and here?s a vid of him talking about it) on entrepreneuring kicks off with ensuring that your biz ?Makes Meaning? by increasing the quality of life, righting a wrong, or preventing the end of something good. ?If your work doesn?t do one of these, you just plain need to quit what you are doing and start over. ?If your biz does these things, post frequent case studies to show how you?ve changed the world for your clients or customers.
11. Dramatize your ideas. ?Every content post should have some sort of visual. ?If you doubt this statement, read this post and infographic. Speaking of infographics, don?t doubt their value either. ?Here?s what one industry leader had to say on the subject,??we are seeing the death of the novelty of infographics, not a decline in their value.? ?Check out this super, 2-minute vid on the value of visualization. ?Speaking of dramatizing, read Business Storytelling: Why You Should Hire A Communicator.
12. Throw down a challenge. ??Your content should move the reader to action. ?Specific, timed, achievable challenges get your reader moving. ?See 50 Blog Post Ideas For Small Biz in 10 Minutes Or Less. ?Not only should you throw down the challenge, but encourage readers to blog about whether they accomplished the challenge.

Have you used one of these techniques successfully? ?Can I clarify a point? ?Make a blog post about it or let me know in the comments.

About Eric McCarty

Eric has been with ITD Interactive since January 2011. His background includes launching several internet businesses and photography. He has been married to Laressa since 1995. They have 3 daughters and reside in Johnson City. Connect with me on Google+

Source: http://www.itdinteractive.com/2012/how-to-build-links-and-influence-people/

jennifer lopez wardrobe malfunction hugo hugo nfl combine 84th annual academy awards beginners 2012 oscars

Former chairperson of the University of Kelaniya student union Suranjith Bandara...

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

Source: http://www.facebook.com/srilankanewsnet/posts/560888590607237

prince johan friso windows 8 logo anguilla gone with the wind michael jordan checkers imbibe

Canadian Travel Insurance and Trip Cancellation Insurance: Protect ...

Whether you are out of the country for a few days or a few weeks, securing travel health insurance before you leave should be considered an essential part of the planning process. ?Costs for medical care in the United States and many places around the world can be very expensive,? says John Thain, president of the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada. ?Travel insurance helps take care of you and your family and can protect your finances.? Thain recommends buying your health insurance policy from a regulated insurance company, and allowing sufficient time to complete the application process before you leave, particularly if you are required to answer medical questions.

Here, he provides some important tips to snowbirds.

Do not rely solely on your government health insurance plan
While you will have some coverage in the event of an emergency, you need to supplement the small amount the government would provide with a plan that will offer more protection. ?Provincial government health plans pay only a very small portion of medical expenses incurred outside of Canada,? says Thain. ?Specialists can help you navigate health-care services outside of Canada and guide you in seeking and receiving proper treatment. If something unexpected happens, you will have someone to turn to for help.??

Know what you?re buying
Thain recommends asking your travel insurance advisor or your insurance company about different plan options: single-trip policy, an annual multi-trip policy or top-up-to-credit card coverage. Be sure to clarify anything you do not understand.

Read through and understand your policy
Rather than take a buy-now-ask-questions-later approach, make sure you understand your policy before you leave. ?Insurance companies can have many different approaches to benefits, exclusions, limitations, eligibility and, especially, pre-existing conditions,? says Thain. ?It is critical to read and understand your policy before you travel in order to avoid unexpected surprises.??

Inform your insurer about changes to your health
If something happens between the time you purchase your insurance and the time you leave, you need to inform your provider. This could result in changes to your policy, warns Thain. ?Be an informed consumer, know your own health and understand your travel insurance policy.??

Three misconceptions travellers have about health insurance:

• Travel insurance is a substitute for your provincial health insurance plan while you are out of the country.
  That is not the case. Travel insurance is for unexpected emergencies only.
  ??
• There is no need for travel health insurance if you are cross-border shopping and will be gone for only a day or two.
  That is not the case. Emergencies can happen at any time to anyone.
• 
  
• Once I have my policy, all of my pre-existing conditions will be covered.
  That is not the case. It is essential to review your policy and understand how it defines pre-existing conditions and how terms such as ?stable,? ?controlled? and ?treatment? relate to your personal medical history. Ask your doctor for help in answering medical questions that you are not sure about, including medications, tests you are undergoing or have scheduled and any referral to specialists you have recently had.

by Tara Nolan,

This article appeared in the Toronto Star on December 12, 2012.

Source: http://travelinsurance.biis.ca/2012/12/protect-yourself-with-travel-health.html

the rock vs john cena acm awards 2012 january jones ncaa final game reba mcentire acm awards the killing

Oregon State, Texas going opposite directions - Sat, 29 Dec 2012 PST

December 29, 2012 in Sports

Schuyler Dixon Associated Press

'); $("#content-tool-box-"+tool_name).jqm({trigger:this,overlay:20}); } }); });

?

Oregon State generated the biggest one-year turnaround in school history and could secure its third 10-win season by beating Texas in the Alamo Bowl today in San?Antonio.

The Longhorns? They are trying to reverse a three-year slide from the days when 10 wins were just a footnote on the way to BCS?bowls.

Beating the 15th-ranked Beavers tonight would be another baby step back to the elite for Mack Brown and company, with still a long way to go. Texas followed a loss to Alabama in the 2009 BCS championship game with a shocking 5-7 record ? the only losing season in 15 under Brown ? and an 8-5 mark last year that included a Holiday Bowl win over?Cal.

Lose to Oregon State, and the Longhorns (8-4) will have a second straight eight-win season and a long offseason to think about a three-game losing streak,?too.

?I think that at Texas we want to be 13-0,? Brown said. ?The standards are higher than eight, and that?s what the kids need to understand and our coaches do understand. And we are ready to take that next step and get it back to where it should?be.?

Mike Riley has had to do a little rebuilding of his own after leading the Beavers (9-3) to 10 wins in 2006 and three more winning seasons after that. Oregon State matched Texas at 5-7 in 2010, then slipped to 3-9 a season?ago.

The Beavers are six games better in 2012, beating one Rose Bowl team ? Wisconsin ? in their opener and almost beating the other ? Stanford ? on the?road.

Source: Longhorns suspend McCoy,?Hicks

A person with knowledge of the suspensions tells the Associated Press that Texas has sent home backup quarterback Case McCoy and injured linebacker Jordan Hicks from the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio for violating team?rules.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the school wasn?t releasing the names of the suspended players. The person said the players broke?curfew.

Brown addressed the situation during a news conference Friday and referred to a KENS-TV report that police were investigating two unidentified Texas players in an alleged sexual assault at a San Antonio?hotel.

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

Source: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/dec/29/oregon-state-texas-going-opposite-directions/

bret michaels bret michaels pekingese tcu football westminster bonnaroo 2012 lineup twisted metal

The Gastronomic Meal of the French? ? a cultural heritage | BKWine ...

Do you feel cultural (or perhaps cultured?) when you sit down to a beautifully set table to enjoy a gastronomic meal? You should. Even though it is the French gastronomic meal that has been recognized by UNESCO as a cultural heritage I think all good meals deserve the honour, be they in France or elsewhere.

Baccarat glasses in a restaurant, copyright BKWine Photography

Since 2010 ?The French gastronomical meal? is included on UNESCO?s list of intangible cultural heritage. This meal, says UNESCO in its motivation, strengthen family ties and friendships. It promotes social interaction and is therefore important to pass on to new generations. During a French gastronomic meal the people around the table enjoy the art of drinking and eating well. There is a festive atmosphere which creates harmony between people and the products of nature.

?The French gastronomic meal? should follow a certain order:

It starts with an aperitif and ends with a digestif (cognac, calvados, liqueur etc). In between, at least 4 dishes should be served:

• a starter,
• a fish or meat dish with vegetables, then
• cheese and
• dessert.

UNESCO also mention the importance of matching food with the right wine and of buying good ingredients, preferably local ones.

I am sure it annoys somebody that something that actually encourages you to drink wine and spirits shall be considered as a cultural heritage. But we agree with UNESCO.

A long, good meal is on of the most civilized things in the world.

The table set for lunch at the chateau, copyright BKWine Photography

A creation with pigeon for lunch, copyright BKWine Photography

This post is also available in: Swedish

Source: http://www.bkwine.com/features/food-and-wine/gastronomic-meal-of-the-french-a-cultural-heritage/

Sylvia Kristel st louis cardinals Steelers Schedule tory burch Al Smith Dinner Herman Melville Books American Horror Story

Education & Reference 2016: Petal the Owl Colours - alyeuokbu& ...

Buy on the merchant's online shopping and browse reviews. If you're attempting to search out Petal the Owl Colours with special deals. This is the simplest price for you. Where you'll find these item is by online looking stores? Read the review on Petal the Owl Colours Now, it's the simplest value. Therefore do not lose it.

Petal the Owl Colours
Joy Findlay (Author)
(3)

Download: $1.99 (as of 12/25/2012 14:14 PST)

Education & Reference

Petal the Owl Colours is a sweet little ebook following Petal the nature owl, as she learns about colours around her. It is a great little first reader ebook for young ones learning their basics. Colours cover Brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink and white. Ages 3-6.

• Rank: #1521 in eBooks
• Published on: 2012-05-04
• Released on: 2012-05-04
• Format: Kindle eBook
• Number of items: 1

Source: http://educationreference234.blogspot.com/2012/12/petal-owl-colours.html

arizona governor patrick witt leprosy tampa bay buccaneers birdman whip it gabby giffords

Source: http://alyeuokbu.posterous.com/education-reference-2016-petal-the-owl-colour

contraband denver vs new england denver broncos vs new england patriots cruise ship sinking vernon davis starship troopers starship troopers

Source: http://gyvupori.posterous.com/education-reference-2016-petal-the-owl-colour

bone cancer hossa the cell dickclark gavin degraw gavin degraw alec

Source: http://eluyiirut.posterous.com/education-reference-2016-petal-the-owl-colour

Mother Jones cars Bacon Number Kate Middleton photos Chi Magazine Kate Middleton Nude Photos glee

Green Blog: A Discovery, Marooned in Libya's Revolution

As Adam Nagourney reports in The Times, Death Valley is experiencing a burst of civic pride over reclaiming a world temperature record: a 134-degree reading registered on July 10, 1913, at Greenland Ranch in California.

The World Meteorological Organization announced in September that it was throwing out what had previously been thought to be the global record: a reading of 136.4 degrees recorded in the Libyan settlement of Al Aziziya on Sept. 13, 1922. The revised record made headlines around the world.

Yet the back story is even more interesting. Khalid el-Fadli, a Libyan member of the meteorological team that investigated the record, found the original 1922 temperature reading in a logbook at the Libyan National Meteorological Center, where he works, on Feb. 15, 2011, when a revolution had just broken out in the capital.

Working from the logbook, the international team would eventually discover that the reading was taken by an untrained observer with an instrument that was outmoded even for its time. What is more, the temperature did not jibe with other temperatures measured in the area on Sept. 13, 1922, and it differed markedly from readings taken later at Azizia.

Yet it took it took the team six months to pursue those findings, given that Mr. Fadli got sucked into a war immediately after reporting the discovery of the notebook. ?During the revolution, it was very dangerous to call anyone outside,? he said in a telephone interview from Tripoli, the Libyan capital. And ?international calls were shut down by the government? in any case, he said.

Mr. Fadli recalled: ?From March until July, I would go to my office ? not regularly, not every day. Because there was no fuel, our life was very hard.?

?

He recalls reading the e-mails flooding in from international colleagues, at first curious in tone and then deeply concerned as weeks passed by. For a full six months he resisted the urge to reply lest he be accused of corresponding with the enemy.

?

Given the level of government monitoring, any knowledge that he was communicating with an international committee ?would have been a death sentence for him,? said Chris Burt, a member of the international meteorological team.

?

Then came a television pronouncement by Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, Libya?s longtime dictator, that NATO was using climate data relayed from Libyan scientists to plot its aerial attacks on Libyan government forces. The scientists on the meteorological team assumed the worst. ?My fear was that they had found out that el-Fadli was part of this committee,? Mr. Burt said.

?

But Mr. Fadli remained below the radar, and when the violence tapered off that August, he resumed communications with his distant colleagues, and together,?they were able to move on with their work.

and reported the discovery of the logbook.

?

He continues to work at the Libyan National Meteorological Center. ?It?s not completely normal yet,? Mr. Fadli said of his country?s situation. But a semblance of calm has returned, he added.

?

His international colleagues remain grateful. ?The records he found were really the smoking gun,? Mr. Burt said. ??He?s really ?the guy? in this investigation ? it never could have happened without him.?

?

?

?

Source: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/29/a-discovery-marooned-in-libyas-revolution/?partner=rss&emc=rss

park slope food coop anchorman sequel safety not guaranteed lifehouse al gore la dodgers lawrence o donnell

Greece uncovers tourism scam, looks for unaccounted millions

ATHENS (Reuters) - Three Greeks were arrested on suspicion of trying to defraud the national tourism board, police said on Saturday, and the finance ministry is investigating a suspected 12-million-euro hole in the state agency's books.

Tourism is one of cash-strapped Greece's few remaining money-spinners and the EOT tourism board is in charge of funding several promotion campaigns and subsidy programs for the industry.

A police statement said a former EOT adviser colluded with at least two accomplices to cash in a forged cheque of 147,000 euros ($194,400) made out to a hotel on the Aegean island of Syros. The three, arrested earlier this week, were put in pre-trial detention after appearing before a prosecutor on Friday.

"They are charged with forming and participating in a criminal organization," the statement said.

The tourism ministry said it was investigating why an EOT chequebook was handled by the 39-year old adviser, who was not a career EOT official but rather an aide to the board's outgoing secretary general, who resigned last week.

Separately, the finance ministry appointed on Thursday a team to investigate what the EOT's new secretary general has called "accounting irregularities" of 12 million euros in the EOT's books.

Cronyism, political meddling and lack of accountability are central causes for the endemic corruption that has bedeviled Greece, leading to fiscal profligacy, financial crisis and an international bailout in 2010.

Greece ranked last among the 27 European Union countries in a global corruption index compiled by anti-graft group Transparency International earlier this year.

The country's governing coalition, which took power in June, has pledged to crack down on corruption, which infuriates citizens who have seen their wages cut and taxes increased as part of its 240-billion euro bailout.

(Reporting by Harry Papachristou; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/greece-uncovers-tourism-scam-looks-unaccounted-millions-092001270.html

fireworks 4th of July Andy Griffith joe johnson scientology Wimbledon 2012 TV Schedule anderson cooper

India PM pledges action after rape victim's death

Scientologists may be facing their most daunting court case yet, and all it took was for someone to stop calling them a cult. After a years long legal battle, federal prosecutors in?Belgium now believe their investigation is complete enough to charge the Church of Scientology and its leaders as a criminal organization on charges of extortion, fraud, privacy breaches, and the illegal practice of medicine. "The decision follows years of investigation that was triggered by a complaint by the Labour Mediation Service in the Brussels Region. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/india-pm-pledges-action-rape-victims-death-020004221.html

Jill Kelley hope solo hope solo tesla model s tesla model s act Black Ops 2

Maine greets gay marriage with midnight weddings

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) ? After waiting years and seeing marriage rights nearly awarded and then retracted, gay couples in Maine's largest city didn't have to wait a moment longer than necessary to wed, with licenses issued at the stroke of midnight as the law went into effect.

Among them were Steven Bridges and Michael Snell, who held a commitment ceremony six years ago but made marriage official under state law with a simple ceremony.

"It's historic. We've waited our entire lives for this," said Bridges, a retail manager, who's been in a relationship with the Snell, a massage therapist, for nine years. Bridges, 42, and Snell, 53, wore lavender and purple carnations on black T-shirts with the words "Love is love."

With Snell's two adult daughters looking on, they exchanged vows in the city clerk's office after getting the first marriage license issued to a same-sex couple in Portland.

Voters approved gay marriage in November, making Maine and two other states the first to do so by popular vote. The law is already in effect in Washington state; Maryland's takes effect on Tuesday, the first day of 2013.

Gay marriage was already legal in New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and the District of Columbia, but those laws were either enacted by lawmakers or through court rulings.

The Maine Legislature had once approved same-sex marriage, but it was overturned by a statewide referendum three years ago, crushing couples who had already made wedding plans. Gay marriage supporters collected signatures to put it on the ballot again, and this time it was easily approved.

Gov. Paul LePage signed off on the certified election results on Nov. 29, so the new law was to go into effect 30 days from that date. In addition to gay marriage becoming legal, same-sex marriages in other states will now be recognized by the state of Maine.

Nobody knew exactly how many couples would be rushing to get their marriage licenses early Saturday. Falmouth joined Portland in opening at midnight. A handful of other communities including Bangor, Brunswick and Augusta planned to hold special Saturday hours.

In Portland, the mood was festive with the crowd cheering and horns sounding at midnight as Bridges and Snell began filling out paperwork in the clerk's office in Portland City Hall.

More than a dozen couples stood in line to wait their turn amid the festive atmosphere. There were free carnation boutonnieres and cupcakes, and a jazz trio played.

Outside City Hall, a couple hundred people cheered Snell and Bridges when they emerged newly married, breaking into an impromptu song, the Beatles' "All You Need is Love."

Donna Galluzzo and Lisa Gorney also planned a midnight wedding, and theirs had all the trappings. They dined Friday night with friends, and then took a limo to City Hall. They had their rings, flowers, wedding vows and a friend to perform the ceremony.

They ended up near the back of the line awaiting marriage licenses, but that didn't matter.

"We decided it's a historic day and we thought it would be awesome to be a small part of history, to say we got married on the first day it's legal," Galluzzo said.

Not everyone was getting married right away.

Suzanne Blackburn and Joanie Kunian, of Portland, were among those in line to get their license at midnight, but they didn't plan to wed immediately. One of their grandchildren wanted them to get married on Valentine's Day.

"I don't think that we dared to dream too big until we had the governor's signature," Blackburn said. "That's why it's so important, because it feels real."

___

Follow David Sharp on Twitter at http://twitter.com/David_Sharp_AP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/maine-greets-gay-marriage-midnight-weddings-054313237.html

mlk memorial mlk memorial heather locklear hospitalized joplin tornado extreme makeover home edition constitution day constitution day

Verizon cuts HTC Windows Phone 8X to $99.99

For a moment there, we almost believed it: Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz's radical solution for the ongoing fiscal cliff nightmare, and maybe politics entirely, was going to work. Scrawling a vaguely political message on paper cups containing overpriced coffee would deliver us from partisan politics, from disagreement itself. We were going to Come Together? while consuming a Trenta vanilla soy half-caf latte?with extra chocolate drizzle.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/verizon-cuts-htc-windows-phone-8x-99-99-130037921.html

jennifer hudson trial north korea threat brandon jacobs brandon jacobs brian dawkins emma roberts north korea news

Capitol Christmas Gifts

There are several rules that govern what members of congress can receive as holiday gifts

Photograph by Shironosov/iStockphoto.

Most Americans have finished opening their Christmas presents, but the holiday season has one Explainer reader wondering about his less fortunate representative in the U.S. Congress. Do Ethics Committee limits on gifts prevent federal legislators from participating in Christmas?

Not really. Anyone can give a single gift worth less than $50 to a member of Congress, so feel free to send stocking stuffers to your man or woman in Washington. Gifts from family members are also exempt from ethics rules, at any value, so a member of Congress (or his or her staff) can have an old-fashioned family Christmas without risking censure. There is a potential for trouble, however, when it comes to friends. A legislator?s neighbor, girlfriend, or boyfriend can give a gift of up to $250 without triggering the interest of the House or Senate Ethics Committees. For gifts in excess of that amount, the Ethics Committees decide whether the member of Congress may accept the present. Legislators must disclose how they know the gift-giver, his or her line of work, and whether anyone else might be contributing to the cost of the present. (The Ethics Committees also consider whether the donor plans to deduct the cost of the gift on tax filings?a strong indication that the donor thinks of it as more than a gift of friendship.) The gift-giving rules have a soft spot for true love: Fianc?s and fianc?es are treated as family, making it possible for a member of Congress to accept an engagement ring.

The rules might complicate the holidays for our representatives in Washington, but they?re easy enough to follow. Since 2007, when the gift-giving rules were updated, no legislator has been punished for accepting a Christmas gift. The Ethics Committees do receive dozens of calls around the holidays requesting an opinion on certain situations. (If, for example, a legislator?s childhood friend is now a lobbyist, it can make Christmas a tricky time.) Potential consequences range from private admonishment to a fine. The committees consider such factors as the willfulness and egregiousness of the violation when crafting a punishment.

The biggest challenge for members of Congress this time of year isn?t physical gifts but receptions. Lobbyists love to throw soirees during the holiday season for the legislators they?re trying to influence. A regulation known derisively among lobbyists as the ?toothpick rule? limits how ritzy these affairs can be. Legislators are not allowed to attend formal dinners but may drop in on events in which finger foods or food on a toothpick is served. So lobbyists work hard to create fancy events in which forks and knives are not required. Recently, a liquor lobbying group threw a clever party called ?Bacon and Bourbon.?

Got a question about today?s news? Ask the Explainer.

Explainer thanks Craig Holman of Public Citizen.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=3a41ba837d9181497a59364339c4aa52

mirror mirror robyn texas relays meniscus the colony kids choice awards ncaa final four 2012

Home prices rose in October, survey shows

19 hrs.

Reuters

Single-family home prices rose in October for nine months in a row, reinforcing the view the domestic real estate market is improving and should bolster the economy in 2013, a closely watched survey showed on Wednesday.?

The S&P/Case Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas gained 0.7 percent in October on a seasonally adjusted basis, stronger than the 0.5 percent rise forecast by economists polled by Reuters.?

"Looking over this report, and considering other data on housing starts and sales, it is clear that the housing recovery is gathering strength," David Blitzer, chairman of the index committee at Standard & Poor's, said in a statement.?

While record low mortgage rates and modest job growth should keep the housing recovery on track, analysts cautioned home prices face downward pressure from a likely pickup in the sales of foreclosed and distressed properties and reduced buying investors and speculators.?

Prices in the 20 cities rose 4.3 percent year over year, beating expectations for a rise of 4.0 percent.?

Las Vegas posted the biggest monthly rise on a seasonally adjusted basis at 2.4 percent, followed by a 1.7 percent increase in San Diego, the latest Case-Shiller data showed.?

"Higher year-over-year price gains plus strong performances in the Southwest and California, regions that suffered during the housing bust, confirm that housing is now contributing to the economy," Blitzer said.?

Housing contributed 10 percent to the overall U.S. economic growth in the third quarter, while the sector represented less than 3 percent of gross domestic product, he said.?

Last week, the government said U.S. GDP expanded at a stronger-than-expected 3.1 percent annualized pace in the third quarter.?

Excluding seasonal factors, however, home prices in 12 of the 20 cities fell in October from September as home values tend to decline in fall and winter, Blitzer said.?

Chicago experienced the largest non-seasonally adjusted decline at 1.5 percent, followed by a 1.4 percent fall in Boston.?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/home-prices-rose-october-survey-shows-1C7659315

bagpipes aspirin aspirin 21 jump street illinois primary results acapulco mexico hines ward

Use These SEO Tips To Maximize Your Site Traffic | Internet ...

With everyone online rallying for attention to their site, maximizing your SEO potential is the only way to effectively get traffic to your web business. Search engines are tools that a large number of people use to find information on just about anything. Put these strategies to use, and your site?s traffic will explode.

Search Engines

TIP! Join the BBB or the nearby Chamber of Commerce to boost your SEO. These organizations link to their member businesses, so you can get more local visitors.

Use good, descriptive text for your site?s title tag so search engines can figure out the relevance of your site?s content, and display your site in lots of search results. Search engines usually will not show content past 60 characters. Words past the 60-character point also tend to matter less to search engines. It should go without saying that original content beats out copied content in the SEO wars. To bring users to your site, you need content that?s unique and interesting. Viewers will stay on your site and come back often if you are giving them content that gives good info. Put yourself in the search seat and ponder as to what keywords you would use to locate your website. Then ensure these keywords are prominent throughout your web pages. Add keywords to both your title tag and main content, but keep your keyword density to a sane level to avoid getting the dreaded ?keyword stuffer? label.

TIP! If you are looking to climb up the search engine ranks, then provide a plethora of content, going across many different topics, but still staying within the niche. For instance, if your blog is on soccer, you could write about the latest developments in the MLS, player trades or a recent game.

If your site covers a topic that is similar to online magazines, try to make contributions to those magazines with a backlink to your website. A lot of the time, ezines are indefinitely archived. This means that the links are still active, even after years have passed. People who find your articles will still be able to click on the links and you will still get the benefit of their visits. SEO, or search engine optimization, is essential for internet marketing. Putting the proper keywords throughout your content will give you a higher ranking on search engines, giving you more traffic. This helps your site get found by people. Search engines are a great way to get extra site visitors. Make your website easy for spiders to crawl, in order to maximize your site?s search engine ranking. Make sure you tag the images on your site, because spiders are only able to read text. You keywords should be included in your description.

TIP! Make sure to have proper analytics software before you start your SEO campaign. You need to purchase and install analytics software in order to monitor the performance of your SEO tactics.

If you are managing a business website, encourage the CEO or the owner of the business to become involved online. This is your voice of your company, and your readers want to hear that. When you blog through your own site, it increases your search engine visibility. Then, more visitors will visit your website. Informative sites generally rank higher then product-only sites. Informational content will improve the way that both search engines and site visitors perceive you.

TIP! Include your chosen key phrases in your page title and throughout your site. When people locate your page through a search engine, they will see this title, so make it relevant to your site.

Make all of your titles unique and interesting, even if the content is similar. Keep titles short and to the point for the most effect. The first few words of a title are always the most important. Put forth the image of an expert in your field. Utilize your expert qualifications for the purpose of creating a successful Internet marketing program. Post a website that focuses on a specific aspect of a certain market, then choose appropriate keywords, and use SEO to promote those keywords. Always pay attention to your customers needs, make it about them and not you. Educate yourself on the different aspects of SEO, but be careful in trying to do too much at once. It is impossible to become the best at every technique, so be sure to focus on one that will yield the best results for your business.

Quantcast Scores

You need to get more visitors to your website and keep them there to increase your page rank. There is increasing evidence that the amount of time a person spends on a site (according to metrics like Quantcast scores, etc. There is more and more evidence suggesting that how long a visitor stays on a site affects their PageRank, according to Quantcast scores. One useful way to keep visitors hanging around longer is to offer discussion groups and forums. Each search engine?s bots constantly look for newly updated content, so posting to yoru blog on a consistent basis gives the bots a reason to stop by. Not only that, if your articles are really good, other people will publish your links. After an article is shared, it starts to bring in higher levels of traffic.

TIP! There are many different strategies to optimize your site for search engines. By tailoring your website to include search-friendly terms and tags, you will be able to increase your search rankings.

Learn about exactly how much experience they have. In order to make a thoroughly researched and informed decision, you need to be aware of the potential risks involved in your choice.

Anchor Text

Make sure when writing internal links and backlinks for your website that you use good anchor text. You should describe what the page is about and give a good reason for your reader to click on your anchor text link. Ensure the right text is used as the keyword, so you receive a rise in ranking. Spiders focus on keywords, so if you pick out the most appropriate keywords for your content, they will count your anchor text towards your overall relevancy. Websites that effectively utilize search engine optimization almost never use image links. Image links do not link your content to the search engines effectively. When generating keywords and key phrases, it is important that you place yourself in the shoes of the customer. Always include the simplest terms a customer would use to find your site. Successfully optimizing your site for search engines may seem intimidating, but as this article has shown you, it doesn?t have to be difficult. Knowing the few basic principles that determine how the search engines work, can help you tweak your site to attract more visitors than ever. Before you know it, you?ll have a slew of new customers.

Source: http://realworldbusiness.com/seo/use-these-seo-tips-to-maximize-your-site-traffic/

us open tennis us open tennis aaliyah Empire State Building shooting Republican National Convention Karlie Redd guild wars 2

Agroforestry BC: Business Development Tools For Interior ...

Agroforestry systems can be a beneficial option for small lot agricultural producers in BC, potentially providing both ?bottom line? business returns and improving land productivity.? Interest is often expressed by new and established producers to learn more about these opportunities, however, there are currently few formal resources for producers to assist them with building their agroforestry businesses.

To respond to this need, the Splatsin First Nation, with funding from the BC Agroforestry Industry Development Initiative, will develop a user-friendly, step-by-step business planning and development guide for interior agroforestry producers.? As part of developing this tool, current agroforestry producers, or those agricultural producers interested in transitioning to these production systems, will provide input via a survey.? The guide will also be ?field tested? on current agroforestry or agricultural producers in the Splatsin and Cariboo areas through two extension workshops.

These business support tools will aid in developing the business case for agroforestry in BC and enhance awareness of agroforestry opportunities, through providing producers with timely, actionable information, to those considering initiating or expanding an agroforestry venture.? The guide could be used by existing agroforestry businesses to enhance their enterprise, or by current agricultural producers who wish to learn more about the economic and environmental returns from developing an agroforestry business.? Although the guide will be a ?step by step? tool, land owners and managers will be able to use the agroforestry business template information and tailor it to their own circumstances.

Splatsin (formerly known as the Spallumcheen Indian Band) is one of seventeen communities that comprise the Secwepemc Nation. Splatsin First Nation has three reserves: IR #1 Salmon River, IR #2 Enderby and IR #3 Sicamous.? Splatsin has a lengthy history with natural resource management, agriculture and agroforestry.? The agroforestry business development tools project is being managed by the Splatsin Economic Development office.? For more information on this project or the upcoming extension workshops, please contact Splatsin at 250-838-6496.

Source: http://www.agroforestry.info/2012/12/business-development-tools-for-interior.html

brad paisley zac brown band aubrey born to run pranks pregnancy test april fools day 2012

Engadget's CES 2013 Preview: Household

With CES looming like an electrically charged storm of news and announcements, it's time for us to give you our best bets on what you'll see come January. During the month of December, we'll bring you a series of CES preview posts, forecasting what you can expect when the news deluge begins. For more of what's to come, check out our hub.

Last year, we saw the likes of Motorola, LG and Samsung continue to demonstrate their technical skills on washing machines, fridges, home automation and even cars. While some Engadget editors struggled to see even half the appeal of those WiFi-connected washing machines at CES 2012, Motorola's Connected Home gateway showed a realistic vision of how a wireless home should work, with its gateway router tying your Android devices to your thermostat, security system and lighting. However, we haven't heard much since January from Motorola when it comes to its household system, so it wouldn't surprise us if the Google-owned manufacturer has a refreshed, possibly deeper system to show us this time. But what else will the middle of Nevada have to offer the forward-looking homemaker in the next year? We have more ideas after the break.

Continue reading Engadget's CES 2013 Preview: Household

Filed under: Household

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/Cp_nOoBQDa4/

tony parker the five year engagement chris kreider correspondents dinner 2012 white house correspondents dinner 2012 whcd 2012 nfl draft

John Boehner: Fiscal Cliff Problem Requires Senate To 'Act First'

Military Health Care - $16 Billion

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

Military Retirement Program - $11 Billion

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

Federal Employee Retirement Program - $33 -$36 Billion

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

Agricultural Subsidies - $30 - $33 Billion

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

Food Stamps - $2 to $20 Billion

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

Flood Assistance - $4 Billion

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

Home Health Care - $50 Billion

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

Higher Education - $10 Billion

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

Medicaid And Other Health- $110 Billion

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

Medicare - $250 Billion +

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

Tax Reform - $800 Billion - $1.6 Trillion

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

Social Security - $112 Billion

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

Tax Loopholes And Deductions - Up To $180 Billion

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

Bush Tax Cuts For The Wealthy - $950 Billion

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

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/26/john-boehner-fiscal-cliff_n_2366716.html

Romney ray lewis Bosses Day 2012 Arlen Specter Winsor McCay Amanda Todd washington nationals

?.?????: ? ??????-???????? ???? iPad ? iPhone - ?????????? ...

???? "????? ?????????? ??????" ??????? ?????? 0.5% - ?????? ?? ????? ?? ?? ??????????, ?? 1000 ??????? 995 ?????? ???-?? ??????. ??? ????? ??????? ????????? ????? ?????? ????? ????? ???????? ??? ??????????? ????????, ????? ???????? ?????????? ?????.

????????? ?????????????? breakfr: ???????, 10:32

Source: http://forums.ferra.ru/index.php?showtopic=53694

W S B H c mitt romney mark zuckerberg

Ore. rescuers find lost snowshoers near Mount Hood

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) ? Rescue teams have found 3 snowshoers who got lost on a weekend camping trip near Mount Hood.

The trio was reported in good health, having made it through two nights under the leadership of a mountaineer.

The three set out Saturday on snowshoes and called 911 on Sunday to report they were lost. Although the cellphone connection was sketchy, they said they had food and sleeping bags, said Detective Matt English of the Hood River County sheriff's office.

There was no contact after that until searchers found them Monday.

The Oregonian (http://bit.ly/UY5kzr) identified them as Mark Kelsey, 62, a veteran mountain guide and outdoor survival instructor, Margarita Estrada, 49, and Debra Shindler, 58.

Estrada's son, Andy Ozeroff, 18, told the paper, he started contacting families of the other hikers when they didn't return Sunday afternoon as planned. The trio was celebrating Estrada's birthday.

When family members reported the party overdue, they learned the hikers had already called for help.

"We definitely would have been more concerned if the women weren't in the hands of my dad," said Alex Kelsey, 18.

Kelsey is a veteran mountaineer, associates said.

"He continues to guide and teach survival techniques," said Rocky Henderson, team leader with Portland Mountain Rescue. "He is of the utmost competence."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ore-rescuers-lost-snowshoers-near-mount-hood-000537806.html

John Orozco Garrett Reid shawn johnson Tony Sly Lauren Perdue tagged Heptathlon

What wealthy Chinese want for Christmas: a bike

23 hrs.

Donny Kwok , Reuters

HONG KONG - Rich Chinese are buying bicycles that cost more than the average citizen makes in three years, motivated by nostalgia for the days when two wheels were the primary means of transport.?

China is now the world's biggest auto market, but high-end bike sales are expected to grow by 10 percent a year as they become a status symbol for wealthy executives.?

Yu Yiqun, the creative director at an advertising company in the Chinese capital, cycles to work on his favorite bike - a 100,000 yuan ($16,000) hand-made Alex Moulton.?

"It might be the only one in Beijing. It's like the Rolls-Royce of bicycles. Very classical, purely hand-made," said the 40-year-old Yu, who has about 35 high-end bikes.?

"I remember my father used to ride me to the city in the winter - about 40 km and minus 30 degrees centigrade. Back then, it was a means of transport that fulfilled your dream of travelling afar, which was relatively cheap but required brawn."?

Yu symbolizes a new bike culture in China, where wealthy, health-conscious executives are upgrading their lifestyle, in some cases abandoning flashy cars and taking to the road on high-end bicycles that can cost more than a car.?

"Demand for mainstream luxury items such as premium cars, watches has come to a point of saturation. High-income groups now turn to high-end bikes to show off the uniqueness in taste and healthy lifestyle," said Zhou Jiannong, general manager of Rbike Networks Ltd in China.?

Analysts estimate about 10 percent annual growth in the Chinese bicycle market over the next few years, with the high-end segment forecast to grow by as much as 15 percent a year.?

Companies are also getting in on the act, with a Hong Kong-based supplier taking an order for 1,000 pricey bikes from a Chinese financial firm as a year-end bonus for employees.?

"People are sick of conventional gifts such as wines and tobacco. For mainlanders, a bike is a great gift that shows your unique lifestyle," said Adam Wong, managing director at Hong Kong's Komda Bicycles.?

Wong declined to name the bank that had ordered the bikes, but he said they had an average price tag of 3,000 yuan ($480).?

Fashion statement
Fashion label Shanghai Tang, eager for a slice of this growing pie, teamed up with Dutch bike maker Colossi Cycling to make bicycles aimed specifically at China, where bike demand is estimated at about 28 million units a year?

"The high-end sector is going to be the major source of growth in the Chinese market. In China, bikes are more than just a means of transportation. It has become a fashion," said Terry Liu, an analyst at Fubon Research in Taiwan.?

It can cost up to HK$300,000 ($38,700) for an imported limited edition of expensive brands such as Italy's Colnago or France's Look, nearly 100 times the price of a Flying Pigeon, China's official bike since it was born in 1950.?

But the cost as no object for many high-income Chinese looking for the best two-wheeled vehicle.?

"For businessmen, they are not looking at the price. They are looking at the quality. They assemble their bike with import components in accordance to their taste and needs," said Zhang Lei, a director of a Zhuhai paper products supplier, who plans to spend 10,000 yuan to upgrade his current bike.?

Yu, the advertising executive in Beijing, has orders in for four more hand-made bikes, expanding his vast collection which includes brands such as Trek, Bianchi and Colnago.?

He and his wife have two cars but he says he doesn't drive.?

"I always bring my bike when I go on a business trip," Yu said. "When I go to Harbin, I bring a small, folding bicycle since it's easier for me to get around the city. When I go to Dalian, I bring a bigger bike since it's a mountainous city."?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/what-wealthy-chinese-want-christmas-bike-1C7660218

aaron carter black history month did groundhog see his shadow soul train don cornelius rod parsley barry sanders jr nick carter sister

Political Hypocrites: A Look At Politicians Who Deserve A Lump Of ...

Mike Crapo

Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), who has touted his <a href="http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2012/12/mormon-senator-mike-crapo-gets-arrested-drunk-driving-bad-jokes-follow/60290/" target="_hplink">Mormon religion</a> in the past, was <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/23/mike-crapo-dui_n_2357148.html?utm_hp_ref=politics" target="_hplink">arrested</a> in Alexandria, Virginia for driving under the influence. Crapo released the <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2012/12/mike-crapo-drunk-driving-85451.html" target="_hplink">following statement</a> on his arrest: "I am deeply sorry for the actions that resulted in this circumstance," Crapo said. "I made a mistake for which I apologize to my family, my Idaho constituents and any others who have put their trust in me. I accept total responsibility and will deal with whatever penalty comes my way in this matter. I will also undertake measures to ensure that this circumstance is never repeated."

John Ensign

Then-Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) was a proponent of the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have banned states from recognizing same-sex marriage. "Marriage is the cornerstone on which our society was founded," he argued on the Senate floor in 2004. He also called on President Bill Clinton to resign over the Monica Lewinsky scandal, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/16/ensign-whacked-clinton-fo_n_216508.html">saying it had destroyed the president's credibility</a>. Yet in 2009, Ensign admitted that he had had an extramarital affair with a former campaign staffer who was also the wife of one of his top aides. An ethics investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee and the FBI followed, and<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/21/john-ensign-resigns-reports_n_852285.html"> Ensign resigned</a> in 2011.

Newt Gingrich

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) has a long and rich history of hypocrisy, including receiving a reported $1.6 million in consulting fees from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac before blaming the mortgage giants for the country's housing crisis and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/newt-gingrich-endorses-obamacare-individual-mandate-audio-2012-1">endorsing President Barack Obama's health care plan</a> before the 2012 presidential primary campaign, during which he hammered Mitt Romney's Massachusetts plan for being similar to Obamacare. But his crowning hypocrisy was probably leading impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton in the 1990s over the Monica Lewinsky scandal while Gingrich himself was having an extramarital affair. His ex-wife Marianne recently claimed that while they were married, Newt <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/19/open-marriage-newt-gingrich-marianne-affair-_n_1217944.html">requested an "open marriage" </a>so that he could continue the affair with his now-wife, Callista.

Charlie Rangel

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) stepped down as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee after <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/02/charles-rangel-censured-censure_n_791289.html">he was congressionally censured</a> for failing to pay income taxes and filing misleading financial statements, among other misdeeds. But that didn't stop him from hammering Mitt Romney for his lack of transparency on tax returns. "Before he judges other people about paying federal income taxes, Governor Romney should come clean about the tax returns he's hiding from voters," Rangel said.

Paul Ryan

The failed vice presidential candidate has been an outspoken opponent of earmark spending, but that didn't stop Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) from <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/27/paul-ryan-emails-stimulus_n_2027975.html">arranging a $735,000 earmark</a> to construct a transit center in his hometown of Janesville, Wis. Likewise, after slamming President Barack Obama's stimulus package, Ryan sought stimulus funds for several projects in his district.

Michele Bachmann

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) was the original sponsor of legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but her war against "socialized medicine" hasn't stopped husband Marcus from <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bachmann-20110626,0,7400031,print.story">applying for public funds</a> for his "pray away the gay" counseling practice. Bachmann, an outspoken opponent of big government, has also <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bachmann-20110626,0,7400031,print.story">personally benefited from federal farm subsidies</a>. She recently described the Internal Revenue Service, which earlier in her career employed her to sue people in tax collection cases, as <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/07/11/264991/bachmann-tax-collector-irs/">"the most heartless organization anyone knows of." </a>

John Boehner

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has loudly congratulated himself for the GOP House jobs package -- even though economists say the package's 32 bills <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/24/republican-jobs-bills_n_1687647.html">will do little to create jobs</a> -- while working hard to block President Barack Obama?s $447 billion jobs plan. A longtime critic of wasteful government spending, Boehner (along with other House Republican leaders) <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/16/doma-house-republicans_n_1971666.html">spent $1.5 million</a> defending the Defense of Marriage Act.

Al Gore

He won an Oscar for "An Inconvenient Truth" and <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21262661/ns/us_news-environment/t/gore-un-climate-panel-win-nobel-peace-prize/#.UKqNy2mMF9Q">a Nobel Peace Prize</a> for his work on climate change, but Al Gore's own carbon footprint was once an inconvenient issue. His 20-room Nashville mansion and pool house in 2006 <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/GlobalWarming/story?id=2906888&page=1#.UKqO42mMF9Q">racked up $30,000 in utility bills</a>, consuming more than 20 times the national home average, according to a report by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research. A Gore spokesperson <a href="http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/despite-home-upgrades-gore-still-%E2%80%98hypocrite%E2%80%99-energy-usage-group-says">disputed the conservative think tank's report</a> and said that renovations on the home cut its electricity and natural gas consumption about 40 percent by the next year.

Strom Thurmond

Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.), a famed segregationist, spent many of his 48 years in the U.S. Senate fighting racial integration and equality, punctuated by his 24-hour filibuster in a failed attempt to kill the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Six months after Thurmond's death in 2003, a biracial woman named Essie Mae Washington-Williams revealed that the late senator was her father. Her mother was 16 and working for Thurmond?s parents when she became pregnant.

Mitt Romney

From his opposition to President Barack Obama's health care reform, which was patterned after his own plan in Massachusetts, to his politically expedient shifts in positions on immigration, climate change and abortion, Mitt Romney has a record of hypocrisy too expansive and well documented for any Etch A Sketch to erase.

Mark Foley

During his time in office, former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) introduced a bill against child pornography, fought to expand federal sex offender laws, supported anti-gay legislation and chaired the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children. Then he was caught sending graphic sex messages to underage males working as congressional pages. He quickly resigned in 2006.

David Vitter

When Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) admitted his involvement in the "D.C. Madam" scandal in 2007, it didn?t end his career or lead to any criminal charges. It also didn't end his attempts to narrow prosecutorial discretion for others in vulnerable positions. At a hearing last year on the HALT Act, which would have suspended discretionary immigration protections, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) <a href="http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/07/sen_david_vitter_called_hypocr.html">accused Vitter</a> of "hypocrisy to seek to limit the use of discretion when one has enjoyed the benefit himself." Vitter has also advocated for abstinence-only sex education and in 2004 ran on a "family values" platform that included opposition to same-sex marriage.

Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin has been an outspoken opponent of President Barack Obama's health care plan, but a more socialized system wasn't always so problematic for her. In 2010, she admitted to having taken <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/08/palin-crossed-border-for_n_490080.html"> trips across the Canadian border</a> to receive single-payer health care long before she brought "death panels" into the war against the Affordable Care Act.

Larry Craig

Former Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) is best known for his 2007 airport bathroom trip that ended in a same-sex-sting arrest for lewd conduct after he allegedly solicited sex from an undercover officer. Craig blamed his wandering foot on his "wide stance" but resigned later that year. While in office, he had supported the anti-gay marriage Federal Marriage Amendment and voted against a measure to include anti-gay bias in hate crimes legislation. He received a rating of zero from the Human Rights Campaign for his votes on LGBT issues.

Eliot Spitzer

While serving as the Democratic governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer was brought down by a federal wiretap that revealed he patronized a $1,000-an-hour prostitute named Ashley Dupre at a Washington, D.C., hotel. Further investigation uncovered the prostitution ring Emperors Club VIP, and numerous money transfers to the club were traced back to Client 9 -- the governor. As New York state attorney general, Spitzer <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2008/03/report_governor_spitzer_involv.html">prosecuted at least two prostitution rings</a>, and as governor he forced state comptroller Alan Hevesi out of office for the comparatively minor offense of using a state car and chauffeur for his sick wife.

Scott DesJarlais

Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.) just won a second term despite <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/15/scott-desjarlais-approved_n_2140171.html">recent revelations</a> that he had sex with a patient while working as a physician and later urged her to get an abortion. Yet DesJarlais' campaign platform opposed abortion. "All life should be cherished and protected. We are pro-life," his website stated. There?s more. According to transcripts from his 2001 divorce proceedings, released after the election, the congressman and his then-wife made a "mutual" decision for her to have two abortions while they were married.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/24/political-hypocrites_n_2352328.html

bus driver uppercut Argo joe biden Alex Karras BCS Rankings 2012 the walking dead the walking dead