Pakistan judicial commission to probe memo scandal (AP)

ISLAMABAD ? Pakistan's Supreme Court set up a judicial commission Friday to investigate a secret memo scandal that threatens the government, lawyers said, dealing a blow to the country's leaders, who have argued that such a probe is unnecessary.

The government has suggested its opponents on the Supreme Court, in the military and in the political opposition are using the scandal to try to topple the country's leadership.

The political crisis centers on a memo sent in May to U.S. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff at the time, asking for help in stopping a supposed army coup following the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

The scandal first erupted in October when Mansoor Ijaz, a U.S. businessman of Pakistani origin, wrote a column in the Financial Times claiming Pakistan's former ambassador to the U.S., Husain Haqqani, crafted the memo and asked him to send it. Ijaz also claimed the memo had the support of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

Both Haqqani and Zardari have denied the allegations, but the envoy resigned in the wake of the scandal.

The army, which has denied it ever intended to carry out a coup, was outraged by the memo and supported the Supreme Court's investigation.

The government argued that a court probe was unnecessary because parliament was the more appropriate forum and was already looking into the matter.

"This is the most disappointing judgment," said Haqqani's lawyer, Asma Jehangir, after the Supreme Court ruling. "National security has been given priority over human rights."

There is long-standing tension between Pakistan's military and its civilian leadership because the army has staged a series of coups and ruled the country for much of its 64-year history.

The Supreme Court decided to set up a three-judge commission to investigate the memo scandal in response to a petition filed by a group of opposition politicians, including former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The commission will be led by the chief justice of the Baluchistan high court, Qazi Faez Isa, and must deliver its report within four weeks, said Zafar Ullah, Sharif's lawyer.

"We should have trust and confidence in this commission," said Ishaq Dar, a member of Sharif's political party and another one of the petitioners.

The court also instructed Pakistan's attorney general, Anwarul Haq, to confirm the veracity of a series of Blackberry Messenger messages that Ijaz submitted between him and Haqqani that he claims back up his allegations against the former envoy. Haq was directed to contact the maker of Blackberry devices, Research in Motion.

Haqqani's legal team has argued that the Blackberry messages are irrelevant because they do not specifically mention the memo.

Former U.S. national security adviser, Gen. James Jones, who acted as an intermediary between Ijaz and Mullen, has said in a sworn affidavit delivered to the court that he had no reason to believe that Haqqani had anything to do with the memo. He also said that he didn't find the memo "credible" and questioned why Ijaz would deliver it.

Cyril Almeida, a columnist for Dawn newspaper, said the Supreme Court's decision Friday wasn't a surprise, and unless the commission unearthed something dramatically new, the scandal could just fade away.

The worst case scenario for the government would be evidence linking the president to the memo, Almeida told The Associated Press. But even then, Zardari would enjoy immunity from criminal prosecution while in office, and impeaching the president would be difficult given the large number of seats his party has in parliament, he said.

"It doesn't look right now like the commission will be used to undermine the government to the point of where it has to go," said Almeida.

The political crisis comes at a time when Pakistan is facing a violent Taliban insurgency, a stuttering economy and troubled relations with its most important ally, the United States.

A bomb exploded outside a market in a Taliban stronghold in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, killing two people, said Tariq Khan, a local government administrator.

The apparent target of the attack in the Bajur tribal area was a member of an anti-Taliban militia. He was killed, as well as a passer-by, said Khan.

___

Associated Press writers Sebastian Abbot in Islamabad and Anwarullah Khan in Khar, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111230/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan

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North Korea Vows No Change Despite New Leadership

The Associated Press

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) -- North Korea is calling Kim Jong Un "Great Leader" as it hands another of Kim Jong Il's titles to his son and heir.

The powerful National Defense Commission on Friday said the country is "uniting around Great Leader comrade Kim Jong Un."

The commission also warned rival South Korea and the rest of the world not to expect any change after Kim Jong Il's death. The tough message comes as Kim's young son strengthens his position as supreme leader.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) - North Korea warned rival South Korea and the rest of the world Friday not to expect any change after Kim Jong Il's death, sending a tough message as Kim's young son strengthened his position as supreme leader.

North Korea's powerful National Defense Commission said that the country would never deal with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, a conservative who stopped a no-strings-attached aid policy toward the North in 2008, and that it would unite around new leader Kim Jong Un.

The stern message came a day after North Korea ended official mourning for Kim Jong Il and declared Kim Jong Un supreme leader of the ruling party and military at a massive public memorial for the elder Kim. The top levels of government have unified around Kim Jong Un, who is in late 20s, in the wake of his father's death Dec. 17.

"We declare solemnly and confidently that the foolish politicians around the world, including the puppet group in South Korea, should not expect any change from us," the National Defense Commission said in a statement. "We will never deal with the traitor group of Lee Myung-bak."

The commission said the "evil misdeeds" of the Lee administration reached a peak when it prevented South Koreans from visiting North Korea to pay respects to Kim Jong Il, except for two delegations led by a former first lady and a business leader, both of whose husbands had ties to North Korea.

The North's statement is a warning for Seoul not to take the new leadership lightly, said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Dongguk University.

"It is also raising the stakes in case the South wants better relations so Pyongyang can extract greater concessions" during any later talks, Koh said. He added that it's "too early to say the North is dashing hopes for reforms."

Indeed, the North, while blasting the South's leader, offered a bit of hope for improved ties with the South, saying it "will continue to push hard toward the path of improved relations."

But it added that any better ties won't be "based on the deceitful ploys South Korea is employing by mixing 'toughness' and 'flexibility.'" Seoul has signaled a change in its approach toward Pyongyang in recent months, saying it will be more flexible in dealing with the North.

On Thursday, a somber Kim Jong Un, dubbed the Great Successor, stood with his head bowed at the Grand People's Study House, overlooking Kim Il Sung Square, named for his grandfather who founded modern North Korea. A sea of mourners gathered below.

"Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un is our party, military and country's supreme leader who inherits great comrade Kim Jong Il's ideology, leadership, character, virtues, grit and courage," Kim Yong Nam, considered North Korea's ceremonial head of state, said in a speech.

Kim Jong Un was flanked by top party and military officials, including Kim Jong Il's younger sister, Kim Kyong Hui, and her husband, Jang Song Thaek, who are expected to serve as mentors of their young nephew.

"The father's plan is being implemented," Ralph Cossa, president of Pacific Forum CSIS, a Hawaii-based think tank, said of the transfer of power. "All of these guys have a vested interest in the system and a vested interest in demonstrating stability. The last thing they want to do is create havoc."

Still, given Kim Jong Un's inexperience and age, there are questions outside North Korea about whether he is equipped to lead a nation engaged in long-stalled negotiations over its nuclear program and grappling with decades of economic hardship and chronic food shortages.

But support among North Korea's power brokers was clear at the memorial service, which was attended by hundreds of thousands of people filling Kim Il Sung Square and other plazas in central Pyongyang.

___

Associated Press Korea bureau chief Jean H. Lee and writers Hyung-jin Kim, Foster Klug, Scott McDonald and Sam Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report. Follow AP's North Korea coverage at twitter.com/newsjean, twitter.com/APklug and twitter.com/samkim_ap.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/29/north-korea-no-change_n_1175539.html

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Cheetah the chimp from 1930s Tarzan flicks dies (AP)

PALM HARBOR, Fla. ? A Florida animal sanctuary says Cheetah the chimpanzee sidekick in the Tarzan movies of the early 1930s has died at age 80.

The Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor announced that Cheetah died Dec. 24 of kidney failure.

Sanctuary outreach director Debbie Cobb on Wednesday told The Tampa Tribune ( http://bit.ly/rRuTeJ) that Cheetah was outgoing, loved finger painting and liked to see people laugh. She says he seemed to be tuned into human feelings.

Based on the works of author Edgar Rice Burroughs, the Tarzan stories, which have spawned scores of books and films over the years, chronicle the adventures of a man who was raised by apes in Africa.

Cheetah was the comic relief in the Tarzan films that starred American Olympic gold medal swimmer Johnny Weissmuller. Cobb says Cheetah came to the sanctuary from Weissmuller's estate sometime around 1960.

Cobb says Cheetah wasn't a troublemaker. Still, sanctuary volunteer Ron Priest says that when the chimp didn't like what was going on, he would throw feces.

___

Online:

http://suncoastprimate.homestead.com/

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obits/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111228/ap_en_ot/us_obit_cheetah

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Allen commented on Kyle Hilliard's post about Anonymous Threatens Sony With Robotic Voice On YouTube .

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Perry: Abortion allowed if woman's life at risk (AP)

INDIANOLA, Iowa ? Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry said Wednesday that he has "always struggled" with his position on abortion and clarified remarks he made a day earlier to indicate he would allow abortion if a woman's life were at risk.

The Texas governor, campaigning hard in the final week ahead of Iowa's lead-off Jan. 3 caucuses, had told a pastor Tuesday that he had undergone a "transformation" on abortion rights after meeting a woman, Rebecca Kissling, who said she was conceived during a rape. She was featured in former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's anti-abortion documentary, "The Gift of Life," and Perry attended its Iowa premier.

A day later, Perry said he opposes abortion rights in cases of rape and incest, but would allow the legal procedure if the pregnancy threatened the mother's life.

"I think I've always struggled with that issue," Perry told reporters after meeting with voters in a sports bar. "After I went to see the movie a `Gift of Life' and had a conversation with Rebecca Kissling, and I really thought about this through the Christmas holidays and that's the conclusion I came to."

Asked if a mother's life was the only instance when he would allow abortion, he was concise as he boarded his bus: "That's correct."

In his push before Iowa holds its first caucuses, Perry is playing up his social conservative credentials. But his late shift on abortion drew questions about what exactly he believed on the issue many Iowans make their top priority.

A Time-CNN poll released Wednesday showed only 19 percent of those likely to caucus view cultural issues such as abortion and gay rights were unimportant to their selection of a candidate. A separate New York Times-CBS News poll earlier this month said 32 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers said they would not support and candidate who changed positions on abortion.

In Osceola on Tuesday, Perry told a voter he had changed his view.

"You're seeing a transformation," Perry said. "That transformation was after watching the DVD `Gift of Life,' and I really started giving some, some thought about the issue of rape and incest, and some powerful stories in that DVD."

He cited Kissling during that meeting at an electric co-op.

"When the lady who was in it was looking me in the eye and saying, `You need to think this through,' she said, `I am the product of a rape' and she said `my life has worth,'" Perry said. "It was a powerful moment for me."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111229/ap_on_el_pr/us_perry

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MobileSyrup: Microsoft offers a free 12 month Xbox Live Gold subscription with a new TELUS LG Optimus 7 http://t.co/4kx32NpW

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Study: Smiles on Facebook mean more than smiles in real life

By Natalie Asorey

College freshmen might want to take a look at their Facebook profile pictures for a peek at their life satisfaction once it?s time to turn the tassel.
Two longitudinal studies showed that smile intensity coded from a Facebook profile picture from participants? first semester in college predicted self-reported life satisfaction as they approached graduation.

The studies were conducted by Shigehiro Oishi and J. Patrick Seder of the University of Virginia?s psychology department, and results were published in October.

Oishi and two other research assistants coded for smiling intensity by looking at two muscles associated with smiling ? one that causes raised cheeks and squinting and another that raises the corners of the mouth ? and rated each from one to five. The scores were added to create an intensity scale of two to 10, with 10 being the most intense.

Participants with higher intensity scores were found to be more satisfied with their lives both at the end of their first semester and after three and a half years, as they were about to graduate.

According to the report, the association ?between smile intensity and life satisfaction was partially mediated by the quality of participants? first-semester social relationships.?
The research does not show the extent to which such social relationships act as a link, however.

According to the report, smile intensity may indicate that a person acts similarly in ?real life? and therefore has more positive relationships or that those who smile more intensely may elicit the same positive responses in others, thereby solidifying relationships.

Alexander Cantillo, a junior psychology major at the University of Florida, says she believes both may be valid reasons.

?The more you smile, the more positive you feel about yourself and the happier you become with life,? he said. ?The positive energy derived just by a simple smile rubs off on others, and that is why you see that trend.?

Kim McCall, interpersonal communication professor at the University of Florida, said smiling communicates positive energy, reactions and emotions.

?When we smile or see another person smile, it makes us think the other person likes us and we are much more likely to start a conversation,? she said. ?Smiling can be an asset when meeting someone new, during a job interview or even when having lunch with a friend.?

Among the studies? limitations is that the first set of participants were University of Virginia freshmen who had a Facebook profile in 2005, when the platform expanded to over 800 college networks and had more than 5.5 million users.

It?s plausible that this group of participants used Facebook in a much different way than those who use it now, according to the report.

Facebook now boasts more than 750 million users, according to the website, and has added content-sharing features throughout its years.

Marc Briz, a sophomore history major at Brown University, said he prefers artistic profile pictures rather than those with a ?straight-forward smile.?
?I feel like the study might be simplifying how students approach Facebook in the first place,? Briz said.

?Even kids who are sad are not going to put pictures of themselves with a frown,? he said. ?They?re going to put a picture that reflects well of them.?

You might also be interested in:

1. Facebook memorials a part of campus life
2. Real life: In college with my Mom
3. The Odyssey: Facebook adds a new dimension to employment
4. 5 ways to take your life back from Facebook
5. Let?s be ?Facebook Official?

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of USA TODAY.

Source: http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/campuslife/study-smiles-on-facebook-mean-more-than-smiles-in-real-life

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Felice Arenas: The Iron Lady Director on Criticism: 'Gird Your Loins'

It seems The Iron Lady director Phyllida Lloyd might have taken notes from fellow Brit Margaret Thatcher when it comes to facing her critics.

At a Los Angeles screening of Lady, which stars Meryl Streep and is based on the first and only female U.K. prime minister, Lloyd shared her thoughts with me about maintaining confidence while receiving early negative reviews for her latest project.

"Just gird your loins and know that [the film] transcends people's preconceptions," she said.

Most of the tomato hurlers, such as former conservative Member of Parliament Norman Tebbit, hadn't even seen the movie but were quick to assess its slant and Streep's highly anticipated presentation, which has already been nominated for and garnered several awards, including a 2011 New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress. She'll certainly receive her 17th Academy Award nomination for the role.

In November, Tebbit wrote in the Daily Telegraph that Thatcher was "never, in my experience, the half-hysterical, over-emotional, over-acting woman portrayed by Meryl Streep."

Mamma Mia!, which also starred Streep, was Lloyd's previous (and first) feature film after she directed the ABBA musical in London's West End and on Broadway. Its 2008 release saw worldwide profits reach more than half a billion dollars -- and it never got swiped at with sharp critical claws. But Lloyd has decidedly found humor in the fact that Lady can't and won't please everybody.

"We bring our own worlds and ourselves to art and when we come to see things. For my niece, this is a movie about female empowerment. It's about a lone woman in a sea of men and what her parents and grandparents lived through," she said. "To my generation... I have friends who have said to me, 'You're putting me in a very difficult position. I've saved up to have the party on the day she dies, how am I going to deal with this? I don't want to see it,' or, you know, 'Get over yourself.' Whatever."

She went on to say that she knew far in advance that a movie centered on the conservative Thatcher would hoist hackles.

"I think I knew a year ago, when I started, very foolishly, looking on the IMDb website for the film and saw people start to go, 'Oh, well, obviously... it's made by a bunch of lefties,'" she explained. "'I mean, there's Meryl, then that other outlaw, Phyllida; they're all left. It's gonna tear her up and rip her down,' and then people coming back and saying, 'no, Hollywood's involved here. It's going to be a total whitewash job.' Then they started tearing each other to pieces about Margaret Thatcher and her policies, and soon the film's left way behind in the discussion."

Streep told the Daily Mail that her own personal politics didn't factor into her performance.

"I still don't agree with a lot of her policies, but I feel she believed in them and that they came from an honest conviction," she said.

The film's title comes from Thatcher's nickname, which the Soviet Union gave her in 1976 in reference to her opposition to communism. Audiences watch her journey to live up to it, starting in mid-1940s Grantham, England, where Margaret Roberts (Alexandra Roach) watches her father, Alfred (Iain Glen), who owns a grocery and is mayor, fire up locals with a protreptic about individual responsibility and business principles in government. His fervor seeps into her just as she heads to Oxford.

For the era, it's rare if not considered preposterous for a woman to covet a government post, but it turns on a young, affable Denis Thatcher (Harry Lloyd), who proposes marriage.

In 1950, she throws her later-criticized blue hat into the political ring (she rarely dons anything but blue). After turning into Mrs. Thatcher (Streep) and having twins Carol and Mark, she works her way to become prime minister in 1979, the same year the Irish National Liberation Army kills Airey Neave (Nicholas Farrell), her confidant and one of the first men to believe in her political aspirations.

Prior to resigning in 1990, she makes enemies out of labor organizations, squares off with Argentina during the Falklands War in 1982, and finds herself and Denis nearly blown to smidir?n? in 1984 when the Provisional Irish Republican Army bombs their hotel in Brighton.

Thatcher's implacable approach to work and life invites contention, and in later years, Denis (Jim Broadbent), who does deeply love his wife, pecks at her lack of attention to him and her children; one scene finds her resolute and ostensibly unaffected as she pulls away in her car from a crying young Carol (Eloise Webb).

While Lady has bursts of energy in flashbacks as it explores a cool Thatcher's power grab and accentuates what a feat it is, given the swells of testosterone in which she wades and the japes she blinks off with sangfroid, it imparts a specific melancholy when depicting her days post prime minister and in old age. It's not easy to watch someone's mighty life end up in mundanity and confusion. It's handled, however, with respectful ministration.

Oftentimes blank-faced or conversing with the ghost of Denis, a pobby Thatcher wanders about in the fuzz that only dementia can swirl with cruel indiscrimination, but with Streep never veering into hapless, hopeless, or hysterical, harried territory, the awkward discomfort that comes from knowing Thatcher is still alive is eased.

Moviegoers experience what's akin to something of a miracle and not unlike a sort of trick: from one eye's wince and a crease that unfolds down to her neck while attempting to understand a grown Carol (Olivia Colman), to catching a toe on a rug and the brief skip that only an old person tries to recover from with another small skip, to, in younger years, pursing doughty lips while listening to disputatious peers, to revealing pleasure after the unveiling of her makeover in a mirror, Streep is Maggie. She doesn't just offer up her voice and mannerisms; she possesses her mental circuitry, and that's what makes her delivery genius.

When I asked Lloyd about the experience of working with Streep a second time, she said she felt "lucky."

"Her investment in a project is so total and her sphere of interest in it is so wide, it starts way before the shoot," she said. "There is a passion and an excitement and an openness, support. I've learned so much from her, and it's not just about acting."

Lloyd, like Thatcher, knows the value of having the right people on her team.

The Iron Lady opens nationwide Friday, Dec. 30.

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/felice-arenas/meryl-streep-the-iron-lady_b_1170190.html

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For Iowa, campaign brings more attention than money (reuters)

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Military Rec: Indoor soccer sign-ups under way

Jaclyn Shambaugh

Registration is open for Fort Bragg Morale, Welfare and Recreation's indoor soccer season.

The season begins Jan. 20 and ends March 4 with the conclusion of a double-elimination postseason tournament.

All games will be played at Ritz-Epps Fitness Center.

Games will be in a 7-on-7 format in 20-minute halves with a five-minute half time.

Roster numbers are unlimited, but the tournament is open to military and government ID cardholders only.

The cost per team is $50. The deadline to register is Jan. 16.

Registration is available online through fortbraggmwr.com. Teams can register in person at the Sports Office on Reilly Road.

For more information about the indoor soccer program, contact intramural sports coordinator Steve Johnson at 396-1217.

All American Trail

The All American Trail will remain closed through Jan. 3 for deer hunting season.

The trail has been closed since Oct. 1 as a safety precaution because hunters with firearms are sometimes in nearby areas.

The trail will reopen Jan. 4, but users should observe the signs posted along the trail to know if it's open or closed.

You can double-check the status of the trail by contacting the Fort Bragg Wildlife Branch at 432-5415 or 432-5427.

SKIES Unlimited

SKIES Unlimited is offering some youth programs starting in January.

Tumbling classes will be available for ages 1 to 3 with parents and ages 4 and 5 without parents.

Cheerleading-stunt classes will be offered in three age groups for 4- to 17-year-olds.

The price for the tumbling program varies by age, but each cheer/stunt session is $38 per participant.

For more information about the classes and schedule, contact the Tolson Youth Activities Center at 643-6039.

Staff writer Jaclyn Shambaugh can be reached at 609-0651 or shambaughj@fayobserver.com.

Source: http://fayobserver.com/articles/2011/12/25/1144949

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Study on the Rural Finance Service in Zaozhuang City | Economics ...

?Abstract? The construction of socialistic new country, is significant strategic decision which was made in the outline of China?s the Eleventh Five-Year Plan. In recent years, from the strategic altitude, the Central Party Committee has made a series of important deployment for the rural work, which has obtained positive result. As the finance took the core of the modern economy , the development of the economy in any nation and society cannot live without the substantial support of the financial. Therefore, investigating the rural finance service actuality, resolving the matters concerned to the insufficient financial support for the Agriculture, Ruralareas and Peasantry , which has great significance to the development of the farmer, the agriculture and the rural economy. Especially for ZaoZhuang which is underdeveloped area in the economy, the rural finance is major origin of the fund support for the rural economy.Gotted affected and restricted by lots of factors, The related data material indicates that the rural finance of ZaoZhuang still is the weakest link in the entire financial system, the service level does not fit for the need of the socialism new rural reconstruction. So, studing the problem of the rural finance service in Zaozhuang, studing how does the research banking industry enlarge to the rural finance development fund investment and the support, meets the service innovation of the rural finance, enhances the service quality of the rural finance, satisfies the need for the develop of the rural economy, which is a current urgent need solution important topic, which has important practical significance to solve the difficulties existing in the rural finance service of ZaoZhuang, expand the fund investment to the country, support the whole city rural development of the country.Along with the reform of financial system constant deepening, for adapting the competitive request of the market economy ,bank industry of Zaozhuang has carried on the large scale deepened adjustment from the organization layout, the service variety, the management and operation idea and other aspects. But this kind of adjustment has actually brought more disadvantageous influences to the rural finance service, displayed in: the shrinkage of the rural finance service points presented the tendency gradually, the outflow question of the rural finance service fund was day by day serious, the tendency competition of the rural finance service was not full, the supplies ability of the rural finance service obvious attenuated. The appearance of above phenomenon, has seriously affected the quality and the level of the rural finance service. This article uses the investigation and the real diagnosis analysis method, from geography factor, market factor, system factor, policy factor and so on to search the reason, and in allusion to these restriction factors, from the own development of agricultural industry, the organization system consummation of the rural finance service, the policy support to the rural finance, the servo system construction of the rural finance service and the extense of innovation ,to explores and optimizes the way and the procedure of Zaozhuang rural finance service.This article was divided to five parts: The first part of introduction, which introduced the background and the writing goal of the paper, have analyzed the present research situation in domestic and foreign regarding the rural finance service question , introduced the research way and the frame construction of the paper briefly; The second part has introduced the basic situation of Zaozhuang rural financial service, described the organization system and the service survey of Zaozhuang Banking industry financial organ , has analyzed the existence condition of the rural finance service; The third part of paper from four directions: change of the rural finance organization points layout, outflow of the service fund, attenuation of the supplies ability, competition of the service , carry on the analysis how to improve the rural finance service; the fourth part from geography factor, market factor, system factor, policy factor has carried on the reason analysis. The fifth part, the author carried on the analysis about the solution of the question existing in the rural finance service, described from speeding up the industrialization adjustment of the agricultural, enlarging policy support to the rural finance, consummating the organization system of the rural finance service, enlarging the credit investment to the country, speeding up the service servo system construction of to the rural finance, extending the innovation of the rural finance service and so on, in order to realize the improvement of the rural finance service and the powerful support of the rural finance to the construction of the socialism new rural.

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My Fair Wedding: Bling Bride

Over-the-top glitz and glamour is Joanne?s vision ? she wants to blind her guests with so much bling and sparkle ?to put Swarovski out of business.? But with shoes as escort cards and flashlights providing the specialty lighting, Joanne?s makeshift designs are falling short of fabulous.

Source: http://www.movieweb.com/tv/TE8PJf7zGn2Bbe

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Product :: iPad and iPhone Tips and Tricks: For iOS 5 on iPad 2 and iPhone 4/4s

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Source: www.informit.com --- Saturday, December 24, 2011
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China urges US to end 'illegal duties' on Chinese goods

A meeting of like minds at the Combined Logistics Networks annual meeting in Bangkok from May 25-30, 2010, aims to be a good start to rebounding quickly from the impacts of the Global Financial Crisis.

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Republican Presidential Candidates Embrace Granting Legal Rights ...

December 22, 2011, 1:31 pm By ERIK ECKHOLM

The ?personhood amendment,? granting legal rights to human embryos, might have seemed to be a political nonstarter after voters in Mississippi, arguably the most conservative and anti-abortion state in the nation, rejected such a proposal last month. But the idea has not faded in the Republican primaries.

Mississippi voters said they thought twice about the proposal when they heard that it would not only ban virtually all abortions but also some forms of contraception like I.U.D.?s and morning-after pills, could hamper in-vitro fertilization clinics and could, doctors warned, discourage critical medical care for pregnant women. It has also caused a bitter split in the anti-abortion movement, with traditional leaders, including National Right to Life and the Roman Catholic bishops, opposed to the idea on strategic grounds, arguing that it would end in a legal debacle that only strengthens abortion rights.

These considerations have apparently not put off some of the Republican presidential aspirants, who are polishing and trumpeting their credentials as Christian conservatives in their efforts to be seen as the leading Not Romney. This month, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum have all signed a pledge to support ?personhood? at conception that was crafted by Personhood USA, a Colorado group that has continued to push the idea in several states.

Mrs. Bachmann, Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Santorum have also agreed to celebrate the personhood concept in a ?Presidential Pro-Life Forum? in Iowa next Tuesday, Dec. 27, that will be moderated by the conservative radio host Steve Deace and broadcast live on his syndicated program. The 90-minute ?tele-town hall? is being hosted by Personhood USA and co-sponsored by several of the country?s most conservative evangelical Christian groups including The Call, Liberty Counsel and the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Coalition. ?An invitation has been extended to the remaining G.O.P. presidential candidates,? Personhood USA said in a news release.

Source: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/22/republican-presidential-candidates-embrace-granting-legal-rights-to-human-embryos/

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Family Gold Mining Poisons Children in Nigeria

Image: USGS

Large numbers of infants and toddlers have died from lead poisoning in Nigerian villages where their parents process gold ore inside their family compounds, according to a report published Tuesday by an international team of researchers.

In two Nigerian communities, 118 children under the age of 5 died in a single year ? 25 percent of the children in that age group. For the first time, the researchers uncovered strong evidence that points to lead as the likely cause for nearly all of those deaths. In addition, all of the surviving children who were tested suffered from lead poisoning, too.

?To our knowledge, this is the first documentation of an outbreak of childhood lead poisoning associated with artisanal gold mining,? the team, directed by lead experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wrote in the online edition of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. ?Extensive environmental contamination was found in both of the villages and inside individual family compounds.?

Artisanal gold mining is small-scale, subsistence mining that occurs mostly in poor, rural communities. In the Nigerian villages, people use crude, rudimentary processes to extract gold from ore, including grinding and heating the rock. In some cases, flour-grinding machines are used. These activities contaminate the air and soil with large amounts of lead and mercury, both of which cause neurological problems in children.

?

Sparked by a gold rush, artisanal mining occurs throughout northern Nigeria, as well as elsewhere in Africa and in South America, including Peru. From 13 to 20 million men, women and children from over 50 developing countries are involved in artisanal mining, according to an estimate by a World Bank group.

Word first spread of hundreds of children dying in Nigeria?s Zamfara state in early 2010, when the deaths were discovered during meningitis surveillance by the international humanitarian group M?decins Sans Fronti?res and Nigerian public health officials. The United Nations has estimated that 400 children died there last year due to lead poisoning.

Calling the outbreak unprecedented, the scientists warned that ?characterizing the full extent of the outbreak remains an urgent and ongoing matter.?

Lead poisoning is common worldwide, leading to diseases and IQ reductions, but until now, deaths have rarely been reported.

At the emergency request of Nigerian officials, researchers from the CDC and the World Health Organization visited two villages in Zamfara state where higher-than-expected numbers of children died between May, 2009 and May, 2010. They tested the blood of surviving children, took soil samples from family compounds and questioned parents about their dead children?s symptoms.

All the results were extreme. Eighty-one percent of the children who died had suffered seizures, a sign of acute lead poisoning. Of the surviving children who were tested, ?all blood samples indicated lead poisoning,? while 97 percent needed immediate chelation therapy to lower those levels, according to the report. Mercury levels were lower in the children, but still excessive ? four to eight times higher than the average U.S. child. And 85 percent of the soil samples taken from the family compounds exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency?s health standard for lead. One water well had 90 times more lead than the EPA?s action level for drinking water.

Of the 118 households where children under the age of 5 had died, ore processing occurred inside the family compound in 84 of them. Toddlers are most vulnerable to lead poisoning because they crawl or play on the contaminated ground and they have developing nervous systems.

The outbreak of deaths could have been tied to an increase in the number of grinding machines in the villages in November of 2009, ?contributing to widespread contamination,? the researchers reported.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=7eb3ae8720071214221fc0d5a6a11f72

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Samsung Illusion (Verizon Wireless)

Samsung makes some top-quality smartphones, but doesn't bestow them upon Verizon Wireless often. Sure, there's the new Galaxy Nexus?($299.99, 4 stars), but Android 4.0 aside, it lags behind Motorola's latest offering, the Droid RAZR ($299.99, 4.5 stars). The Samsung Illusion ($79.99 with a two-year contract) doesn't stand a chance against either of those two devices, but then again, it isn't trying to. Like many other Samsung phones for Verizon, the Illusion is a decent, midrange option, although it feels like it should be free with contract. It lacks 4G, and you don't have to look hard or spend more than $100 with contract to find something better.

Design and Call Quality
The Samsung Illusion measures 4.5 by 2.4 by 0.5 inches (HWD) and weighs 4.2 ounces. It's made entirely of plastic, with a textured back panel. Unlike the gigantic Galaxy Nexus, the Illusion is a comfortable size to hold for any hand. The 3.5-inch, 320-by-480-pixel capacitive touch screen is bright and vibrant, though that resolution is disappointingly low. I would have much preferred to see the 800-by-480 screens that are now becoming standard. I had no problem typing on the onscreen QWERTY keyboard with accuracy. Four touch functions keys sit beneath the display, which are suitably responsive.

The Illusion is a dual-band EV-DO Rev A (800/1900MHz) with 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi. You can also use the phone as a mobile hotspot with the appropriate plan to provide a Wi-Fi connection for up to five devices. But while there are still plenty of 3G phones coming out for Verizon, the carrier's 4G network now covers 200 million Americans; a lack of 4G is a definite minus in my book.

Voice quality is excellent. Reception is average, and incoming calls sound rich and clear, with volume that can go extremely loud. On the other end, calls made with the phone are equally clear and feature good background noise cancellation. The speakerphone sounds fine, though it's a little low for outdoor use. Calls sounded clear and natural through a?Jawbone Era?Bluetooth headset ($129, 4.5 stars) and voice dialing worked accurately. Battery life was excellent at 8 hours, 10 minutes of talk time.

Hardware, Android, and Apps
Inside, the Illusion is powered by the same 1GHz Cortex A8-based Hummingbird CPU found in the?4G Samsung Droid Charge?($199.99, 4 stars) as well as last year's Samsung Galaxy S line. It's decently fast, though it lags far behind dual-core devices like the Motorola Droid Bionic?($199.99, 4.5 stars).

The Illusion runs Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread) with Samsung's TouchWiz UI layer. It isn't as all-encompassing as HTC's Sense UI, but it adds some nice color and graphic enhancements. There are five customizable home screens that come preloaded with some useful apps and widgets. Verizon has added some undeletable bloatware to the Illusion, but no more than you find in most Android phones nowadays. There are no plans so far for an upgrade to Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich."

You get Google Maps Navigation for voice-enabled, turn-by-turn GPS directions, along with some other useful, preinstalled apps. Of course, you also have your pick of more than 250,000+ apps from the Android Market, most of which should work well on the Illusion.

Multimedia and Conclusions
There's a side-mounted microSD card slot on the left side of the Illusion, which is a big plus. Samsung includes a 2GB card, but our 32GB and 64GB SanDisk cards worked fine. You also get 990MB of free internal storage.

Music sounded good over both wired 3.5mm headphones as well as?Altec Lansing BackBeat?Bluetooth headphones ($99.99, 3.5 stars). The Illusion was able to play AAC, MP3, OGG, WAV, and WMA test files, but not FLAC. All of our video test files played back without a hitch, at resolutions up to 720p.

The 3.2-megapixel camera is disappointing. Though it snaps photos in a quick .3 second, it lacks auto-focus or an LED flash. Test photos look decent, with average color and detail, but they're no replacement for an average digital camera. The camera also captures 720-by-480 (DVD quality, not HD) video at a smooth 30 frames per second both indoors and out.

Throughout the course of my testing, I kept finding myself thinking, why isn't this phone free? The Illusion has the makings of an excellent entry-level smartphone, the kind you get for free with a two-year contract. While it's a solid starter device, there are too many other good options on Verizon in the same price range to recommend it highly.

The Samsung Stratosphere?($99.99, 3.5 stars) gets you access to Verizon's 4G LTE network along with a much nicer display and a physical QWERTY keyboard for just $20 more than the Illusion. The Pantech Breakout?($99.99, 3.5 stars) drops the keyboard, but also has 4G LTE and a better display. Then there's the iPhone 4?($99, 4 stars), which isn't 4G, but has a gorgeous display and the best app selection out there. All three beat the Illusion handily, showing that this might be the right budget Android phone, but it's being sold for the wrong price.

Benchmarks
Continuous talk time: 8 hours 10 minutes

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Top Picks: Behind the scenes with the Windsors, Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Day concert, and more

Figure out what that long string of numbers on your credit card is for, a fan's credit sequence for the 'Tintin' movie gets him a job with Steven Spielberg, Sevara Nazarkhan's new CD evokes an ancient sound with spellbinding results, and more.

Move over Toys"R"Us

Skip to next paragraph

GeekDad writer Jonathan Liu has written a tongue-in-cheek column about the five best toys of all time (wired.com/geekdad/2011/01/the-5-best-toys-of-all-time/). Tickle Me Elmo? The newest Transformers action figure? Try a box, a stick, and dirt, among others. "Disclosure," he writes. "I have received several samples of Sticks from one manufacturer for review."

Minimalist Tintin

Motion graphics designer James Curran, a huge fan of the comic series behind the new movie The Adventures of Tintin, posted a video to Vimeo (vimeo.com/30402976) of an opening credits sequence he'd created for the movie, using colorful, blocky graphics and integrating parts of each of the 24 Tintin comic books. How good are the unofficial credits? Steven Spielberg, the film's director, saw them and hired Curran for his next movie.

Modern monarchy

The Windsors: From George to Kate (Athena), out on Jan. 3, provides a window into the lives and history of the current British royal family. The DVD details the pageantry as well as intimate moments and includes a 16-page viewer's guide, clips from William and Kate's wedding, and archival footage of King George VI ? the subject of the critically lauded film "The King's Speech."

Uzbek roots

Sevara Nazarkhan is best known in the West for her two records on Peter Gabriel's label Real World Records. However, her latest CD, Tortadur, represents a giant leap backward, in the good sense that she has abandoned electronics and pop instrumentation in favor of working with masters of traditional Uzbek music, descendants of old musical families who still remember how their music used to sound. Her soft, supple voice finds a lovely, emotionally charged embrace in the sound of ancient acoustic instruments such as the nai flute, gijak fiddle, and qonun, a plucked relative of the autoharp. Mesmerizing.

A Viennese New Year

Tune in to PBS New Year's Day for an annual tradition ? the New Year's Concert with the Vienna Philharmonic from the lustrous Austrian city. (A CD and DVD of the performance will come out later in January.) The concert, a historic event dating back to 1939, will air on TV and radio in more than 70 countries. Check local listings.

Crack the code

Ever wonder what the long string of numbers on the front of your credit card is for? The financial website MintLife explains it all in an article (mint.com/blog/trends/credit-card-code-01202011/) where it identifies what each number means. Not only is it informative, but the inside knowledge could also help you spot a fake card. One cool fact: If the first number on the card is a 3, the card comes from a company that specializes in travel or entertainment.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/MkOscCKLVlI/Top-Picks-Behind-the-scenes-with-the-Windsors-Vienna-Philharmonic-s-New-Year-s-Day-concert-and-more

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Obama's New Populist Tone Gets Its First Test (Atlantic Politics Channel)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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Manning's status as gay soldier is key to defense

Lt. Dan Choi, gay veteran and activist, center left, and retired US Army Colonel and diplomat Ann Wright, right, march with others in support of Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, present on base at a military court hearing, at Ft. Meade, Md., Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. Prosecutors began presenting their case that Manning was the source of the WikiLeaks website's collection of U.S. military and diplomatic secrets. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Lt. Dan Choi, gay veteran and activist, center left, and retired US Army Colonel and diplomat Ann Wright, right, march with others in support of Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, present on base at a military court hearing, at Ft. Meade, Md., Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. Prosecutors began presenting their case that Manning was the source of the WikiLeaks website's collection of U.S. military and diplomatic secrets. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, is escorted out of a courthouse in handcuffs, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011 in Fort Meade, Md. Manning, an Army intelligence specialist accused of passing government secrets spent his 24th birthday in court Saturday as his lawyers argued his status as a gay soldier before the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" played an important role in his actions. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, left, is escorted to a security vehicle Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011 in Fort Meade, Md. Manning, an Army intelligence specialist accused of passing government secrets spent his 24th birthday in court Saturday as his lawyers argued his status as a gay soldier before the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" played an important role in his actions. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

In this courtroom sketch, an Army attorney Capt. Joe Morrow, left, questions Treasury Department Special Agent Troy Bettencourt, right, about Wikileaks as Investigating Officer Lt. Col. Paul Almanza, center, listens, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011 in Fort Meade, Md. Manning, an Army intelligence specialist accused of passing government secrets spent his 24th birthday in court Saturday as his lawyers argued his status as a gay soldier before the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" played an important role in his actions. (AP Photo/William Hennessy) TV OUT, NO ARCHIVE, NO SALES, LOCALS OUT

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, second from left, is escorted out of a courthouse in handcuffs, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011 in Fort Meade, Md. Manning, an Army intelligence specialist accused of passing government secrets spent his 24th birthday in court Saturday as his lawyers argued his status as a gay soldier before the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" played an important role in his actions. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) ? Lawyers representing the young Army intelligence specialist accused of leaking U.S. military and diplomatic secrets are arguing his personal struggles with being a gay soldier influenced his actions as a military hearing that could lead to his court martial enters its third day.

Pfc. Bradley Manning is accused of leaking hundreds of thousands of sensitive items to the anti-secrecy online group WikiLeaks, including Iraq and Afghanistan war logs, State Department cables and a military video of a 2007 American helicopter attack in Iraq that killed 11 men.

Prosecutors at the pretrial hearing are expected to call more witnesses Sunday as they build their case to connect Manning to the publication of the material by WikiLeaks. The hearing is being held at a post outside Washington to determine whether Manning will be court-martialed on 22 counts, including aiding the enemy. Manning, who turned 24 on Saturday, could face a term of life in prison as a traitor.

The Obama administration says the released information has threatened valuable military and diplomatic sources and strained America's relations with other governments. Manning's lawyers counter that much of the information that was classified by the Pentagon posed no risk.

But among the first issues to arise on Saturday was whether Manning's sexual orientation is relevant to the case against him. His attorneys maintained that his status as a homosexual in the military before the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" contributed to mental and emotional problems that should have barred him from having access to sensitive material.

The defense revealed that Manning had written to one of his supervisors in Baghdad before his arrest, saying he was suffering from gender-identity disorder. He included a picture of himself dressed as a woman and talked about how it was affecting his ability to do his job and even think clearly.

Maj. Matthew Kemkes, one of Manning's lawyers, asked Special Agent Toni Graham, an Army criminal investigator, whether she had talked to people who believed Manning was gay or found evidence among his belongings relating to gender-identity disorder. The condition often is described as a mental diagnosis in which people believe they were born the wrong sex.

Graham said such questions were irrelevant to the investigation.

"We already knew before we arrived that Pfc. Manning was a homosexual," Graham said.

Prosecutors objected several times to the questions. Kemkes responded that if the government can argue that Manning intended to leak secrets, "what is going on in my client's mind is very important."

During cross-examination of Treasury Department Special Agent Troy Bettencourt, who investigated the case, defense attorney Capt. Paul Bouchard asked if he believed Manning's military leaders failed him, given his behavior such as overturning a table and throwing a chair in episodes of rage.

Bettencourt said that in hindsight, "I would like to think that had I been in the chain of command, I would have maybe done things differently. I would have been aware of everything we now know to prevent him from deploying ? but that is with the benefit of hindsight."

Prosecutor Capt. Joe Morrow quickly asked Bettencourt if he believes people who have signed nondisclosure agreements, like Manning, "have an individual responsibility to safeguard classified information." Bettencourt replied, "Yes."

One of Manning's commanders in Baghdad, Capt. Steven Lim, said Manning should have had his security clearance suspended because of his problems. Lim said the outbursts occurred before he arrived, and that when he learned of them after Manning's arrest, he was shocked. Lim said he was also unaware that Manning believed he was suffering from gender-identity disorder.

Manning's appearances over the last two days in the Fort Meade courtroom marked the first time he has been seen in public after 19 months in detention. The Oklahoma native comes to court in Army camouflage fatigues and wearing dark-rimmed glasses. Manning sat calmly in the courtroom Saturday without appearing to react to the testimony, even when centered on his troubled mental state and homosexuality. Manning listened intently and regularly took notes.

The case has spawned an international support network of people who believe the U.S. government has gone too far in seeking to punish Manning.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-12-18-US-Manning-WikiLeaks/id-91edb4e2f08043bb9d9311367b255411

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Is Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol "the best action movie of the year"? (The Week)

New York ? Surprise, surprise. The majority of critics are heaping praise on the fourth installment in the M:I franchise, the first live-action flick directed by Pixar's Brad Bird

Star Tom Cruise may be pushing 50 and the franchise 15, but critics are finding a lot to like in Mission: Impossible ? Ghost Protocol, which opens in IMAX and select theatres Friday and goes wide the following week. In the fourth M:I flick, Cruise resumes his role as renegade spy Ethan Hunt while vaunted Pixar writer-director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) ably takes the helm of his first live-action film. One commentator calls it "the best action movie of the year." Really?

Yes! This is it, "at long last, the year's best action flick," says Andrew O'Hehir at Salon. Who knew "an aging star often viewed as a weirdo" and an animation director had it in them? Bird's stylish, energetic direction makes you wonder "why the hell" he hasn't made more movies by age 54, while Cruise embues a messy, long-haired Ethan Hunt with an easy charisma. The film "has not just one or two but four or five of the most coherent and exciting action sequences in recent history," including a "beautifully choreographed" finale in a parking garage in Mumbai. "This is pure escapist cinema at its best, without morality or apology or guilt."
"Mission: Impossible ? Ghost Protocol: At long last, the year?s best action flick"

It's impressive, but frustratingly flawed: "From a purely technical standpoint, Ghost Protocol ranks toward the top of the list of the year's best studio-made blockbusters," says Ethan Alter at Television Without Pity. Still, I expected more from Bird, given that The Incredibles is "one of the finest superhero movies ever." Not enough of his unique style comes across here. Other problems: A thin plot and a forgettable supporting cast ? from Paula Patton's "wooden" turn as the "designated hot girl" to Simon Pegg's half-hearted attempt at comic relief. Still, compared to the "obnoxious, sloppily-made" Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, also out this week, Ghost Protocol is "the second coming of Star Wars."
"Battle of the blockbusters: Mission: Impossible ? Ghost Protocol and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows"

This franchise is tired: "The seams are showing badly in this fourth Mission: Impossible movie," says Marshall Fine at Hollywood & Fine. It's a jumble of action sequences held together by that "familiar excuse for a plot: the brilliant maniac who has to be stopped before he triggers a world-wide conflagration." Though the script tries hard to be funny, it's corny rather than truly amusing. At their best, the Mission Impossible films were about the hero outsmarting the villain, not "outrunning or outgunning him." Kids might embrace this film, but for anyone craving intelligence and sublety, there's too much sensation here and too little savvy.
"Mission: Impossible ? Ghost Protocol: Stop talking"

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House passes $1T budget bill, avoids shutdown (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The House has passed a $1 trillion-plus catchall budget bill paying for day-to-day operations of 10 Cabinet departments and averting a government shutdown, while Senate talks on renewing a payroll tax cut and jobless benefits reached a critical phase.

The 296-121 vote to approve the spending measure represented a rare moment of bipartisanship in a polarized Capitol. The Senate's top Republican, meanwhile, raised the stakes in the showdown over the payroll tax cut, insisting he won't back a compromise extension unless the bill includes language aimed at forcing construction of a Canada-to-Texas pipeline.

As negotiations on the payroll tax bill proceeded Friday, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said, "I will not be able to support the package that doesn't include the pipeline."

The GOP's pipeline demands added uncertainty to efforts by McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to quickly reach a deal on a bill renewing payroll tax cuts and jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed.

Negotiators on the payroll tax measure worked behind closed doors Friday in hopes of sealing agreement on how to pay for the measure. Simply extending the current 2 percentage point payroll tax cut would cost $120 billion, while extending unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless and preventing a cut in Medicare payment to physicians would add tens of billions of dollars more.

A House-passed version of the payroll tax bill would give President Barack Obama 60 days to decide whether to build the proposed, 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline.

Obama, with the support of congressional Democrats, has announced he will delay that decision until after next year's elections, citing a need to study the impact the pipeline would have on sensitive lands in Nebraska. Obama has threatened to reject a payroll tax bill if it includes language easing work on the pipeline.

The postponement would let Democrats avoid having to choose between two of the party's core constituencies: environmentalists who oppose Keystone and some unions who covet the jobs it would produce.

But McConnell and other Republicans say the project would create thousands of jobs. The company's developer, TransCanada, says it could produce up to 20,000 jobs, while critics say the figure would be fewer than 3,500, including less than 1,000 that would be permanent.

After passing the catchall spending bill House leaders sent their members home until Monday or later, planning to return when the Senate produces a payroll tax cut measure for the House to vote on.

The way was smoother for the compromise spending bill, which passed on a 296-121 vote. It would fund 10 Cabinet-level departments, such as the Pentagon and the Department of Education, and dozens of smaller agencies. It would finance everything from U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to veterans' services, and from airport security inspections to Congress' own operations.

Reid and McConnell said that even if only the House had approved the spending bill by midnight Friday, the Obama administration agreed there would be no federal shutdown. For extra measure, the House also passed two stopgap spending bills, one to fund the government for a single day and the other for a week.

Agreement on the spending legislation was reached after Republicans agreed to drop language that would have blocked Obama from easing rules on people who visit and send money to relatives in Cuba. But a GOP provision will stay in the bill thwarting a 2007 law, passed during President George W. Bush's administration, on energy efficiency standards that critics argued would make it hard for people to purchase inexpensive incandescent light bulbs.

This year's 4.2 percent payroll tax rate will jump back to its normal 6.2 percent on Jan. 1 unless action is taken by Congress. Few lawmakers want to be blamed for a tax increase that would affect 160 million people.

Extended benefits for long-term jobless people will also expire Jan. 1 without congressional action.

That same day, a 27 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements to doctors would take effect unless lawmakers act, a reduction that could convince some doctors to stop treating Medicare patients.

Obama and congressional Democrats have proposed dropping next year's payroll tax rate to 3.1 percent, but an extension of this year's 4.2 percent rate seems likely to prevail. The payroll tax is the major source of financing for Social Security.

Obama also wants to leave in place the current maximum of 99 weeks of benefits for the long-term unemployed. A payroll tax cut bill approved by the House reduces that total by 20 weeks, which the administration says would cut off 3.3 million individuals. Democrats are hoping to soften if not reverse what's in the House version.

Even without the Keystone pipeline dispute, bargainers had still not reached agreement on how to extend a payroll tax cut through 2012, with major disagreements remaining over how to finance the package.

The spending bill advanced after Democrats blocked a series of GOP assaults on Environmental Protection Agency regulations, though the agency's budget absorbed a cut of more than 3 percent.

GOP leaders did succeed in delays in regulations of coal dust and eliminating federal funding of needle exchange programs.

War costs would be $115 billion, a $43 billion cut from the previous year.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_go_co/us_congress_rdp

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