terrarium chinless: December 2012

Saturday, December 29, 2012

White House meeting a last stab at a fiscal deal

President Barack Obama waves to reporters as he steps off the Marine One helicopter and walks on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, as he returns early from his Hawaii vacation for meetings on the fiscal cliff. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

House Minority Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer of Md., pauses during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, where he urged House Republicans to end the pro forma session and call the House back into legislative session to negotiate a solution to the fiscal cliff. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. walks to the Senate floor on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Amid partisan bluster, top members of Congress and President Barack Obama were holding out slim hopes for a limited fiscal deal before the new year. But even as congressional leaders prepared to convene at the White House, there were no signs that legislation palatable to both sides was taking shape.

The Friday afternoon meeting among congressional leaders and the president ? their first since Nov. 16 ? stood as a make-or-break moment for negotiations to avoid across-the-board first of the year tax increases and deep spending cuts.

Obama called for the meeting as top lawmakers alternately cast blame on each other while portraying themselves as open to a reasonable last-minute bargain.

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid all but conceded that any effort at this late date was a long shot. "I don't know timewise how it can happen now," he said.

For Obama, the 11th-hour scramble represented a test of how he would balance the strength derived from his re-election with his avowed commitment to compromise. Despite early talk of a grand bargain between Obama and House Speaker John Boehner that would reduce deficits by more than $2 trillion, the expectations were now far less ambitious.

Although there were no guarantees of a deal, Republicans and Democrats said privately that any agreement would likely include an extension of middle-class tax cuts with increased rates at upper incomes, an Obama priority that was central to his re-election campaign. The deal would also likely put off the scheduled spending cuts. Such a year-end bill could also include an extension of expiring unemployment benefits, a reprieve for doctors who face a cut in Medicare payments and possibly a short-term measure to prevent dairy prices from soaring, officials said.

To get there, Obama and Reid would have to propose a package that Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell would agree not to block with procedural steps that require 60 votes to overcome.

Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said he still thinks a deal could be struck.

The Democrat told NBC's "Today" show Friday that he believes the "odds are better than people think."

Schumer said he based his optimism on indications that McConnell has gotten "actively engaged" in the talks.

Appearing on the same show, Republican Sen. John Thune noted the meeting scheduled later Friday at the White House, saying "it's encouraging that people are talking."

But Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., predicted that "the worst-case scenario" could emerge from Friday's talks.

"We will kick the can down the road," he said on "CBS This Morning."

"We'll do some small deal and we'll create another fiscal cliff to deal with the fiscal cliff," he said. Corker complained that there has been "a total lack of courage, lack of leadership," in Washington.

Speaking on the Senate floor Thursday, McConnell cautioned: "Republicans aren't about to write a blank check for anything the Democrats put forward just because we find ourselves at the edge of the cliff."

Nevertheless, he said he told Obama in a phone call late Wednesday that "we're all happy to look at whatever he proposes."

If a deal were to pass the Senate, Boehner would have to agree to take it to the floor in the Republican-controlled House.

Boehner discussed the fiscal cliff with Republican members in a conference call Thursday and advised them that the House would convene Sunday evening. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., an ally of the speaker, said Boehner told the lawmakers that "he didn't really intend to put on the floor something that would pass with all the Democratic votes and few of the Republican votes."

But Cole did not rule out Republican support for some increase in tax rates, noting that Boehner had amassed about 200 Republican votes for a plan last week to raise rates on Americans earning $1 million or more. Boehner ultimately did not put the plan to a House floor vote in the face of opposition from Republican conservatives and a unified Democratic caucus.

"The ultimate question is whether the Republican leaders in the House and Senate are going to push us over the cliff by blocking plans to extend tax cuts for the middle class," White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer said. "Ironically, in order to protect tax breaks for millionaires, they will be responsible for the largest tax increase in history."

Boehner, McConnell, Reid and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi are all scheduled to attend Friday's White House meeting with Obama. Vice President Joe Biden will also participate in the meeting, the White House said.

Despite the urgency to act, the rhetoric Thursday was quarrelsome and personal.

The House of Representatives is "being operated with a dictatorship of the speaker," Reid said on the Senate floor. He attributed Boehner's reluctance to put a version of Senate bill that raised tax rates on incomes above $250,000 for couples to fears he could lose his re-election as speaker next week.

"Harry Reid should talk less and legislate more if he wants to avert the fiscal cliff," countered Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Boehner.

If a deal is not possible, it should become evident at Friday's White House meeting. If that occurs, Obama and the leaders would leave the resolution to the next Congress to address in January.

Such a delay could unnerve the stock market, which performed erratically Thursday amid the developments in Washington. Economists say that if the tax increases are allowed to hit most Americans and if the spending cuts aren't scaled back, the recovering but fragile economy could sustain a traumatizing shock.

But a sentiment is taking hold that despite a black eye to its image, Congress could weather the fiscal cliff without significant economic consequences if it acts decisively next month.

"Going over is likely because at this point both sides probably see a better deal on the other side of the cliff," Jared Bernstein, Biden's former economic adviser, wrote in a blog post Thursday.

By letting current tax cuts expire and rise, Bernstein and others say, Republicans would be voting to lower taxes next month, even if not for all taxpayers. Democrats ? and Obama ? would be in a stronger position to demand that taxpayers above the $250,000 threshold pay higher taxes, instead of the $400,000 threshold that Obama proposed in his latest offer to Boehner.

And the debate over spending cuts, including changes to politically sensitive entitlement programs such as Medicare, would have to start anew.

___

Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Charles Babington and David Espo contributed to this report.

___

Follow Jim Kuhnhenn on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jkuhnhenn

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-28-Fiscal%20Cliff/id-d2144b78ffdb4c88add874cb3e04d9ec

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Wall Street opens down before talks on "cliff" deal

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell at the open on Friday as President Barack Obama and top lawmakers planned to make a last-ditch attempt at a budget deal to prevent the United States from going over the "fiscal cliff."

The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> dropped 76.30 points, or 0.58 percent, to 13,020.01. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> dropped 8.93 points, or 0.63 percent, to 1,409.17. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> dropped 19.94 points, or 0.67 percent, to 2,965.97.

(Reporting By Edward Krudy; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-index-futures-steady-budget-talks-eyed-103953896--finance.html

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As ?fiscal cliff? deadline nears, OPM updates furlough guidelines (Washington Post)

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Friday, December 28, 2012

2012 Review: Philanthropy, nonprofit stories focus on generosity ...

A community and its citizens can be distinguished in many ways but in no way better than the culture of giving, volunteering, service to good causes and needs of the neediest among us. When good people share their resources ? money, time, talent, expertise ? we are all enriched and we have the good examples we need to make us better. Our special section on Our Philanthropy and our special understanding of its importance, celebrates the giving-back in our community and the people who provide the front line services. Here is just one of many, many stories related to this important subject that appeared on KyForward?s pages this year:
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Coach Calipari understands ?luck,? purpose,
the advice mama gave him ? and giving back

By Judy Clabes
KyForward editor
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As he approaches his fourth season as coach of the University of Kentucky basketball team, John Calipari sounds a lot like the awe-struck, wide-eyed kids who flock to his camps as worshipful followers. And the parents who tag along, hoping to get a noticing nod from the Great One.

He just doesn?t understand how he got so lucky.

He isn?t being coy. He means it.

For a kid from Pittsburgh?s Moon Township whose daddy worked the coal mines and whose grandparents came from the ?Old Country? speaking no English, the rarified air of the coach?s office at UK?s Craft Center is still a big deal.

?How could this happen? How could it happen to me?? he says, verbally pinching himself for a reality check. ?I wasn?t a great player, I didn?t go to a big school, I didn?t have the greatest coaching career. . .?

And yet, here he is, in arguably the best job in college basketball ? with the most devoted fans (or fanatics), with a legacy of great basketball, with a built-in magnet for attracting the best players and with the opportunity to ? well, win a national championship in your third year on the job. He gets it: The only place to go from that is to win the next one.

?We didn?t have much growing up,? he says of himself and his siblings, ?but our parents had expectations ? and that was that we could go to college. We all did, although our parents had only a high school education.?

It?s against that experience that he values education, though his frame of reference for what to do with a college education back then was limited. He thought he?d become a high school teacher because those were his role models.

He recalls what his mama told him: ?Don?t let your surroundings define you.?

That meant he couldn?t let himself be defined by the small, modest world in which he grew up but it also means he can?t let himself be defined by the bigger-than-life trappings around the storied head coaching job at the University of Kentucky.

?I am the coach, and that?s my job,? he says, pointing to a big sign painted on his wall, as if he might forget:

COACH YOUR TEAM.

?So, yes, I coach basketball, but if that?s all I do, I cheat the position.?

His upbringing, his mama?s advice, the influence of his wife, Ellen, his own values ? all these push him to do more than the minimum requirements of the job.

?I?ve been blessed. I want to set an example for giving back.?

And he has big plans for that, big dreams for making a difference, for being part of solutions and for playing a major role in the ?village? it takes to change the lives of children who face so many challenges in today?s world.

The kid who had nothing and now has plenty wants to help other kids dream big, to ?think beyond their surroundings,? to achieve beyond their own limited expectations.

In Memphis, his family?s last home, he and Ellen established a donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis (CFGM). It was, he said, an ?easy and clean? way to set aside charitable dollars for the community good, and it allowed the Caliparis to focus on the giving and not on infrastructure or the process or the details of management.

Through the Calipari Family Foundation for Children Fund at the CFGM, they could ask that their charitable donations go to qualified nonprofits, could respond to the CFGM?s recommendations, and could be sure all contributions were reported appropriately and met all legal standards. Primarily, they asked that their funds focus on ?children,? in the broadest sense.

In all, Calipari says the family has given a substantial amount through the CFGM fund. The grants have helped do such things as endow scholarships and support churches.

?Ellen and I consider giving a private matter; that is, we don?t give in order to draw attention to ourselves,? he said. ?In fact, one of the reasons we have given through the community foundation in Memphis is so we can quietly, anonymously help others.?

However, the Caliparis do sometimes choose to publicize their support of certain causes and organizations about which they are passionate. The reason for doing this, Calipari says, is to raise awareness, to encourage the public also to become active in supporting these same causes and organizations.

Lending their names publicly to charities often helps ?move the needle? for those groups ? which ultimately means more people will receive assistance.

Perhaps the most public of Calipari?s charitable efforts has been his pledge of $1 million, almost paid in full, to the Memphis Street Ministries a Christian ministry serving impoverished Memphis youth in what is the third poorest zip code in the nation.

Another large CFGM contribution was made to Team Focus, a charity that works with young men (ages 10-18) who don?t have a father figure in their lives. Specifically, the Caliparis? contribution has aided that group in establishing and maintaining a Lexington Team Focus chapter.

?We look for accountability ? and results,? Calipari said. ?We want to help make a difference.?

Now, the Caliparis are beginning to think about how they will deal with their philanthropy in the new home they have fully embraced. That doesn?t mean they?ll abandon Memphis ? they have special charitable interests there and expect to continue to support them. But their primary philanthropic focus will be Kentucky.

Since moving to Kentucky, they have given through their CFGM fund about $160,000 to various charities that assist Kentuckians. A majority of these groups are geared toward helping children, such as Team Focus, Christ the King School in Lexington and the School Choice Program in Louisville. Other Kentucky nonprofits that have already received support include The Jewish Community Federation of Louisville and the World Food Program USA.

The grants made through CFGM are in addition to contributions they have made from personal funds. These contributions are carefully vetted through Sandy Bell, UK?s compliance officer, to be sure there are no conflicts with NCAA rules.

In addition, he has used his ?Coach Cal? bully pulpit to leverage his ?sphere of influence? to raise funds through Hoops for Haiti, Kentucky Cares, and a Papa John?s campaign ($1 for every pizza purchased using the ?BOUNCE? code) for Children?s Hospital.

In Memphis he used his sphere of influence to assist the Jubilee Schools, eight schools and two urban education initiatives in Memphis, which opened in 1999 and now serves 1300 at-risk students. The Catholic-based schools, open also to non-Catholics and all ethnicities, outperform their counterparts on standardized tests in reading, math and science and provide a values-based environment.

He fully understands the advantage of the ?moral authority? of the UK basketball coach.

?About 98 percent of the money to the donor-advised fund was generated personally by me or my family,? Calipari said. This includes monies sent directly to the fund for his speaking engagements or personal appearances.

The first steps have been taken to establish a charitable presence in Kentucky. The Calipari Foundation, Inc. has been registered with the Secretary of State and the next step will be to apply for 501(c)3 status with the IRS ? that?s the tax-exempt designation required for public charities and foundations, making contributions to them tax-deductible to the extent defined by law.

Once the charitable status of the Calipari Foundation in Kentucky has been granted, he and Ellen will put some additional definition to its mission, make additions to the board of directors, and finalize the operational structure.

Calipari expects to be aggressive in giving-back ? and, at least initially, expects to focus on financial literacy for grade school children, a Catholic schools initiative (similar to Memphis? Jubilee Schools) ? because he believes every child should have the option of a values-based education ? and childhood obesity, which he knows is a serious problem in Kentucky.

He will also continue to hold himself accountable for being the right role model for the young men he coaches ? young men on track to lucrative professional careers where money can come early and aplenty. He believes he has a responsibility to help them understand the obligation to give back ? and to ?change the cycle of their lives.? Many of them have come from poverty, he says, and they have a chance to change themselves and their families.

?Life is all about who you are taking with you,? the Coach says, as he glances at those big letters emblazoned prominently on his wall:

COACH YOUR TEAM.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

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Check out more of Our Philanthropy stories:
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Oakley and Eva Farris: A story of love, success and a devotion manifested into giving back
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With business success, philanthropic vision, UK alum Bill Gatton still making a difference
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Central Ky. Community Foundation receives $2.42 million gift to set up scholarship fund
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Three KPI Commonwealth Awards honor extraordinary service to philanthropy
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Toyota to give away 100 Cars for Good again in 2012 to non-profit organizations and Eight Kentucky nonprofits among winners in 100 Cars for Good program
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Judy Clabes: Give because you?re part of the community and you care about good works
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Good Giving Challenge 2012 kicks off at West Sixth launch party, runs through Dec. 31
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UK?s annual DanceBlue marathon raises more than $834,000 for cancer research
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Lexington Legends? donations to Central Ky. nonprofits during 2012 top $800,000
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Holiday Wish List: A guide for charitable giving to those in need this time of year
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Lexington couple fund Haitian medical mission trips through ?Repurposed Soul?
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?Gift of Heat? given to six families in sixth year of Fayette Heating & Air Christmas giveaway
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Tates Creek High School dance team donates tips to Komen for the Cure of Lexington
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Campbellsville students raise homelessness awareness through Cardboard Nation event
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?Rebounding from Sandy? telethon already a success with online auctions ongoing
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Amazon donates 40 Kindles to broaden reading opportunities at The Learning Center
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Tates Creek Christian Church provides Julius Marks backpacks through new partnership
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High Hope Steeplechase draws big crowd, for festive day on behalf of four charities
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Adena Springs farm breeds some great horses as well as a lot of goodwill in the community
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Years in the works, plans to build senior facility in Midway get boost with new funding
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Frankfort women?s groups give back in a big way ? by supporting local cancer research
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To read all the 2012 reviews click here.

Source: http://www.kyforward.com/philanthropy/2012/12/27/2012-review-philanthropy-nonprofit-stories-focus-on-generosity-service-and-unselfishness/

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Internet Marketing Tips That Anyone Can Follow. - Maynas Eric

To attract the potential customers you need and the higher sales you want, Affiliate marketing is an essential. You?ll learn some great tips about Affiliate marketing in this article. By following these suggestions you will have an increased chance for marketing success.

Take time to learn web design basics. There is a lot of HTML information online to help you learn web design. Dedicate a certain amount of time each day to learning web design and your website will be reaping the benefits before you know it.

You can increase your success at Affiliate marketing by creating a viral video with tags and uploading it. These videos can be backlinked to your site to increase exposure. This can help boost the number of visitors on your site regularly.

TIP! Viral videos can be an enormous help for generating traffic. Viral videos can be difficult to create, but when you strike it big you?re looking at view counts in the thousands or millions.

Try asking for feedback from customers who don?t buy anything. Ask them what you can do to get their business. There are many reasons people choose not to purchase a product.

Think about hosting a one-dollar sale for new clients. These things will help people spread the word about your company, while introducing your product or service to more people. You never know, you just may sell additional products too, once they come to your site. Increasing the traffic to your website will lead to an increase in sales.

The placement of ads is one of the simplest, yet most productive forms of Affiliate marketing. You can achieve this by using Google?s AdSense. For your effort and the reasonable cost, this is one of the best bargains around.

TIP! If you are good at writing, write an article about your business and submit it to magazines that accept submissions. Make sure you include your business information and website information in your articles.

Regular blogging can really infuse your affiliate marketing with success. A blog is a convenient tool for informing customers about new products and promotions. Also, a blog makes your website larger, making it more visible to search engines and increasing the number of visitors to your site in the long run.

One way to provide high-quality content and advance your Internet promotion goals is to secure interviews with respected authorities in your website?s niche. Audio and video can be used to write or make these interviews. Your interview will increase your own reputation through osmosis, and really high-profile interviewees will bring along fresh visitors with them, boosting your website?s traffic.

Stay on track with your advertising budget. You don?t want to waste money on something that is of no benefit to your business. When investing, you need to be sure that you?re going to get what need from it. That is why advertising using banners is a wise investment.

TIP! Knowing your competition is vital in internet marketing. There is competition for every niche that you could possibly work in.

Direct marketing is complementary to any Web marketing campaign. Get in touch with customers, via phone or email, to let them know about the specials you are offering. A local phone book or online directory can be an invaluable source of information as you prepare to contact customers.

In your online advertising, use words such as ?special edition? or ?limited edition?. People are especially interested in obtaining exclusive merchandise. Using those descriptions can entice prospective customers to make a spontaneous purchase.

A press release might help you to increase traffic, and it is a fantastic way to market your brand. Informative press releases that are clear and concise can help establish what you are offering in a professional way. This can elevate the quality of your product and increase your visibility.

TIP! If using images on your site, always include captions. Search engines factor in the relevancy of your caption text when determining if your site is a good fit for the keyword.

Creating an effective user interface where customers can view your products is important for variety and overall success. Be sure to offer plenty of ways for people to check out your products, while still properly organizing your site.

If you?re writing articles to market yourself online, stay focused on your goals. Know what kind of content you want to promote and make every effort to get your messages out clearly. Directories have different needs; some might want short articles, while others require long ones. With these goals and guidelines, you will be able to have excellent submissions.

Try offering incentives for referrals! Offer a freebie for a certain number of referrals to turn that one sale into multiple sales. People love free and this can get more traffic your way.

TIP! Design your website according to the best web design principles and fill it with valuable content. Your site or blog will be at the center of your online marketing efforts.

Your website needs to be as effective as possible in order to increase your marketing success. Make sure that your site is easy to read, contains engaging information and answers to questions visitors may have. Naturally, visitors stay longer on websites that they find attractive, interesting and useful.

Consider implementing mobile marketing in your business. Let visitors sign up for text alerts that will inform them of a big sale. It is an innovative way to reach a broader audience, while they are on the go.

A spot dedicated to reviews from customers is a great idea for your site. Customers like to post their actual experiences with your products and these can provide you with new sales, too.

TIP! You always have to have the evidence ready to back up any claims that you make in your marketing efforts. A lot of people simply don?t believe what they read.

Power up your internet promotion! Always keep your primary goal in mind when creating a landing page, and make sure that objective is apparent. The landing page should be focused on sales. It should be obvious to the viewer what it is that you are selling as soon as they arrive on the landing page! If the first page a visitor sees is overly complicated and hard to navigate, they will click away in the blink of an eye.

As mentioned earlier, your company can see a great increase in visibility through Web marketing. When regular advertising doesn?t give you the exposure you desire, Website marketing is a handy tool. A well-crafted online campaign can and link you to ideal customers all over the world, and using the tips you?ve just read can help you get started.

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Source: http://www.maynaseric.com/internet-marketing-tips-that-anyone-can-follow

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UFO-shaped gas station among this year's 'Preservation Wins'

13 hrs.

A. Pawlowski , NBC News contributor

It?s a travel itinerary as eclectic as they come: From a gas station shaped like a UFO, to an inn once proclaimed one of the most magnificent hotels in the country, to mystical rock pillars that fascinated an ancient culture.

Put them all together and you have part of a collection that may make history buffs smile and explorers reach for their maps.

Behold the list of ?Preservation Wins of 2012? put together by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit organization that has made it its mission to save America?s historic sites.

?These are places that were threatened in some way ? whether it was demolishing them or (fearing they would) fail and maybe they wouldn?t be preserved ? and essentially, they ended up being maintained or restored,? said Rebecca Morgan, a spokeswoman for the trust.

The list was assembled in no particular order???Morgan declined to rank the successes, calling each a great save.

Here are the sites that made the cut:

Cesar Ch?vez National Monument???Keene, Calif.
In October, President Obama designated the property known as Nuestra Se?ora Reina de la Paz???the home, workplace and burial site of labor leader C?sar Ch?vez ? a national monument.

?This site marks the extraordinary achievements and contributions to the history of the United States made by C?sar Ch?vez and the farm worker movement that he led with great vision and fortitude,? the presidential proclamation reads.

?La Paz reflects his conviction that ordinary people can do extraordinary things.?

National Trust President Stephanie Meeks applauded the move, noting it was a big first step in celebrating the life and legacy of Ch?vez.

Howard Theatre ? Washington
This historic landmark, which helped launch the careers of Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Marvin Gaye and The Supremes, sat vacant for decades, the trust said.

But in the spring of 2012, it was restored to its original 1910 appearance after a $29 million renovation. The venue is now once again showcasing artists and drawing stars including B.B. King, Little Richard and Tracy Morgan.

Michigan Bell Building???Detroit, Mich.
Built in 1929 as the headquarters for Western Electric, this building was transformed this year from a vacant warehouse into a mixed-use space that will provide housing for the homeless, the trust noted.

The Neighborhood Service Organization, a Detroit nonprofit group, took charge of the project, creating 155 furnished, one-bedroom apartments inside the structure, along with a health care clinic, gym, library, computer room, art and music rooms, and a chapel.

'The Flying Saucer' Phillips 66 Gas Station???St. Louis.
When local preservationists found out this former gas station was threatened with demolition, they launched a public campaign to save the landmark, the trust said. Built in 1967, the glass and concrete building features a 120-foot circular roof and is a ?prized example of mid-century modern architecture,? the activists told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Their work paid off. In September, the saucer-shaped structure opened as a Starbucks and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Chimney Rock National Monument???Pagosa Springs, Colo.
Located on more than 4,000 acres in the San Juan National Forest and home to the ancestors of the modern Pueblo Indians, this area was designated a national monument by President Obama in September.

?It is a living landscape that shapes those who visit it and brings people together across time,? he noted in a statement.

The ancient inhabitants who lived here 1,000 years ago left behind more than 200 homes and ceremonial structures on the mesa overlooking the two stone spires called Chimney Rock and Companion Rock. The moon rises perfectly between the rocks every 18.6 years.

The National Trust calls the area the single most important cultural site managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

Pillsbury A Mill???Minneapolis, Minn.
Declaring the mill ?a masterpiece of industrial architecture and the largest and most advanced facility in the world at the time of its completion in 1881,? the trust included the vacant complex on its list of America?s 2011 Most Endangered Historic Places.

But this year, local lawmakers gave a thumbs-up to a plan which will convert the building into 250 low-income apartments.

Los Angeles Boyle Hotel???Los Angeles
Built in 1889, the hotel later fell into disrepair and was converted into an apartment complex. The nonprofit East Los Angeles Community Corporation bought the property in 2006 and began an extensive renovation, seeking to restore some of its grandeur. The project was completed in August, with many of the original features back in place, including the grand staircase and foyer, the brick fa?ade, and the corner cupola and cap.

Emerson School???Denver
This 1885 schoolhouse underwent a ?green rehabilitation? in May, and now features a new geothermal heating and cooling system, a complete interior rehabilitation, window restoration, and new fencing, trees and landscaping.

Wake Forest Biotech Place???Winston Salem, N.C.
Two former R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. warehouses now serve as a state-of-the-art life sciences center. Opened this year, this development enhances Winston-Salem?s rich history and architectural heritage, the trust said.

Hotel Lafayette???Buffalo, N.Y.
When it opened its doors in 1904, this inn boasted a grand lobby, enormous windows and posh rooms, prompting reviewers of the time to proclaim it "one of the most perfectly appointed and magnificent hotels in the country,? according to its biography. This year marked the completion of a rehabilitation project that converted the hotel into a mixed use building of apartments and businesses. ? ?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/itineraries/ufo-shaped-gas-station-among-years-preservation-wins-1C7751714

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Thursday, December 27, 2012

Children, many ill, would be victims of Russia ban on U.S. adoption

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Family Christmas cards and smiling snapshots of children sent by their adoptive American parents fill Galina Sigayeva's office in Russia's second city St Petersburg.

Many of them were crippled by illness and in desperate need of medical care before her agency helped organize their adoption into U.S. families, she recalls.

Children's rights campaigners say kids like these will suffer most if President Vladimir Putin approves a law barring American adoptions that has been rubber-stamped by Russian lawmakers. The act retaliates against a new U.S. law that will punish Russians accused of human rights violations.

Critics of the bill say Russian orphanages are woefully overcrowded and the fate of vulnerable children should not be used as a bargaining chip in a bilateral feud.

"These children are not even offered to foreigners until they get a certain number of (adoption) refusals from Russians," said Sigayeva, a neatly-styled brunette who heads the New Hope Christian Services Adoption Agency.

"These are children with complicated diagnoses, really complicated. They are very ill children."

She smiled as she flipped through photos of children embraced by their adoptive parents, playing with family pets and enjoying presents and other trappings of holiday cheer.

"What surprises me is that here they all look so healthy, so fantastic, but you should see what they look like when they are taken from here," Sigayeva said.

"Some had to be carried to the border. We had a girl with hepatitis whom we helped from the emergency room."

Both sides in the heated debate surrounding the bill agree Russia's orphanage system is overwhelmed, riddled with corruption and mostly failing to place children in families.

More than 650,000 children are considered orphans in Russia - though some were rejected by their parents or taken from dysfunctional homes. Of that total, 110,000 lived in state institutions in 2011, according to the Ministry of Science and Education.

By contrast, in the United States - which has more than twice Russia's population - about 58,280 children were living in group homes and institutions last year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Adoptions by Russian families remain modest, with some 7,400 adoptions in 2011 compared with 3,400 adoptions of Russian children by families abroad.

Russian politicians say it is an embarrassment that the country cannot care for its own, and supporters of the measure argue it will help stimulate reform and domestic adoptions.

"Foreign adoption is a result of the state and society's lack of attention to orphans ... It is, if you will, a result of our indifference," Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told officials at a ruling party congress last week.

American families adopt more Russian children - 956 last year - than those of any other country. Of the children adopted by Americans in 2011, 9 percent - or 89 - were disabled, according to official Russian figures.

Opponents of the legislation - who include senior officials such as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov - say politicking should not deprive orphans of this chance at better life.

"Russia is not able to provide for all its orphans," Boris Altshuler, director of the Moscow-based Rights of the Child advocacy group, said. "Although 1,000 is a small fraction - it was a help."

Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets has said the ban would violate international treaties on child rights, and the Kremlin's own human rights council called it unconstitutional.

"AMERICAN ROULETTE"

The ban responds to a U.S. law known as the Magnitsky Act which punishes Russians suspected of being involved in the death in custody of anti-graft lawyer Sergei Magnistky in 2009, and of other human rights violations, by barring them from entering the United States.

In a pointed echo of the Magnitsky Act, Russia's legislation is named the Dima Yakovlev law, after a Russian-born toddler who died of heat stroke after his American adoptive father left him locked in a sweltering car.

His death and that of 19 other Russian-born children in the hands of U.S. citizens in the last decade has helped drive support for the bill and for tougher adoption rules in a deal with the United States in June.

"It's American roulette," said Pavel Astakhov, Russia's Children's Rights Commissioner and a supporter of the ban.

"One handicapped girl from Russia got lucky. She was Jessica Long - a Paralympic champion. Another did not. She was Masha Allen ... who was raped by her pedophile adoptive father."

DISABLED CHILDREN

If Putin signs it into law, the ban will come into force on January 1, most immediately affecting the fate of children whose adoption is in the works.

The placement of 46 children with American families will be cancelled, Astakhov told the Interfax news agency on Wednesday.

Sigayeva said a six-month halt on American adoptions until a new bilateral deal entered force in November showed how it would aggravate problems in Russia's strained child-protection system.

"Hospitals were overwhelmed. There was no room in orphanages or hospitals for children whom their parents had rejected. So what's next then?" said Sigayeva, whose agency has helped place some 200 children in American families since 1992.

Advocates who work with disabled children say a reform proposal drafted by Astakhov ignores their plight. They say it calls for a reduction in the number of institutions caring for children with disabilities without explaining how they will find foster homes and medical care.

"No concrete measures are being suggested. Nothing exists but a lot of children's pain, which will only increase now," said Sergei Koloskov, a campaigner for children with Down's Syndrome.

"They are being left parentless in addition to being ill."

(Additional reporting by Alexander Chizhenok in St. Petersburg; Writing by Alissa de Carbonnel; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Peter Graff)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/children-many-ill-victims-russia-ban-u-adoption-123222651.html

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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Don't forget: enter to win one of 14 AT&T smartphones in our year-end giveaway!

We're guessing the wrapping paper is already back in your closet where it will stay till next year's festivities, but that doesn't mean more tech goodies are out of the question. Our holiday gift guide giveaway runs through December 31st at 11:59 PM ET, so be sure to leave a comment on each of our 14 guides. Depending which contest you enter -- and you should probably just enter them all -- you could ring in the new year with an AT&T smartphone such as the HTC Windows Phone 8X, LG Optimus G or Samsung Galaxy Express. In any case, here's hoping your holidays are happy and bright!

Filed under: Announcements, AT&T

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/X2lbS0PH5w8/

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Raspberry Pi - Computers, Math, Science, and Technology

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Raspberry Pi

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Tsproggy
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Joined: Jan 17, 2011
Age: 23
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Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 2:12 pm?? ?Post subject: Raspberry Pi

Anyone else tinkering with this wonderful computer for Christmas? I'm looking forward to using Minecraft's port to R-PI myself What is Raspberry Pi? _________________ I haven't failed 1,000 times, I've just found 1,000 ways not to do something.