Payroll tax cuts may boost the economy more than you think

Payroll tax cuts might play a bigger role than many thought in reversing economic slumps, Gleckman writes, according to new research by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

By Howard Gleckman,?Guest blogger / January 29, 2013

The US Capitol building is shown in Washington. A new study shows that payroll tax cuts may do a better job stimulating demand than many economists think, Gleckman writes.

Carolyn Kaster/AP/File

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Just as Congress allowed the 2011-12 payroll tax cut to expire,?new research?by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York suggests that such tax breaks may significantly boost consumer spending. As a result, raising workers? take-home pay this way might play a bigger role than many thought in reversing economic slumps.

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Howard Gleckman is a resident fellow at The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, the author of Caring for Our Parents, and former senior correspondent in the Washington bureau of Business Week. (http://taxvox.taxpolicycenter.org)

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The study by Grant Graziani, Wilbert van der Klaauw, and Basit Zafar of the New York Fed staff was based on two surveys of about 200 workers. The first (in February and March, 2011?just after the tax cut kicked in) asked what they planned to do with their extra take-home pay. The second (in December, 2011) asked the same workers what they actually did with it. The results: While workers on average said they?planned?on spending only about 14 percent of added income, they reported months later they actually?had spent?36 percent. ?

One especially interesting finding: High-income workers were more likely to spend the extra cash than their lower-paid counterparts. This contradicts the widely-held theory that cash-strapped low-income households will spend a tax cut while high-income workers will save those extra dollars. If these results turn out to be correct, they suggest that payroll tax cuts may do a better job stimulating demand than many economists think.

The Obama Administration designed the payroll tax cut as a temporary one-year stimulus (though it did extend it for an extra year). It cut taxes by as much as $2,200 per worker and by an average of about $1,000 for a middle-income household. The study found that those workers who thought the tax cut would last longer than a year were somewhat more likely to plan to spend the extra income than those who believed it was only a one-year break.?

Obama, Clinton share screen in ?60 Minutes? interview (Washington Post)

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Fragile economy, other global woes dominated Davos

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) ? The fragile state of the world economy, along with the relentless turmoil in Syria and the rocky fallout from the Arab Spring, dominated discussions during this year's annual gathering of the global elite at Davos, leaving many participants uneasy about what lies ahead as they left for home Sunday.

Even broad agreement that there are some positive signs on the economic front, at least in emerging markets, was coupled with a warning from the head of the International Monetary Fund. "Do not relax," Christine Lagarde said. There's still a "risk of relapse."

More than 2,500 of the best and brightest in business, government, academia and civic life gathered for the five-day World Economic Forum at this Alpine resort. But much of the overt glitz and glamor that is a usual feature was toned down or absent this year, a decision founder Klaus Schwab said reflected the serious issues facing the world.

Political and economic issues vie for top billing each year at Davos, and this time, the economy had the edge, with a special focus on how to promote economic growth and jobs, especially for the youth among the world's 220 million jobless.

The IMF said that China, Africa, and other emerging markets could see significant growth, but Japan, eurozone nations and the U.S. are likely to struggle with negative to low growth. Ahead of the 43rd forum, the IMF downgraded its forecast for global economic growth this year by one-tenth of a percentage point to 3.5 percent.

While the U.S. avoided the so-called "fiscal cliff" of automatic tax increases and spending cuts, and fears have abated that the euro currency union will break up, there is growing concern that governments may ease up on measures to improve growth and reduce debt that the IMF and many other institutions are calling for.

IMF chief Lagarde said the "very fragile and timid recovery" depends on leaders in the 17-nation eurozone, the United States and Japan making "the right decisions." The eurozone in particular "is fragile because it is prone to political crisis" and slow decision-making, she said.

Davos participants' uneasiness about the world economy was matched by growing concern over the political turmoil in the Arab world, terrorism in North Africa, a spate of natural disasters that have highlighted the failure to tackle climate change, and the growing inequality between the world's "haves" and "have nots."

"Two years ago, gloom around the stalled economic recovery was leavened by euphoria at the outbreak of the Arab spring," Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, told The Associated Press at Saturday night's low-key final reception. "This year, relief at the improved economic outlook is tempered by despair at the unimpeded slaughter in Syria, uncertainty about the outlook in Egypt, and frustration over the Arab monarchies' resistance to reform."

The Arab Spring uprisings have ousted dictators in Tunisia, Yemen, Libya and Egypt over the past two years. But now Islamists and liberals are wrangling over power, with Islamists mainly gaining the upper hand. Democracy is far from certain, and economic woes have left hundreds of thousands of young people jobless and frustrated that their "revolutions" haven't produced any dividends.

Former Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, a losing candidate in Egypt's presidential election last year, said there have been achievements, but warned that democracy isn't only about casting a vote.

"It is the respect of human rights, for rights of women, separation of powers, independence of the judiciary. This meaning of democracy we have not yet achieved," Moussa said.

Elsewhere in the Middle East, Israeli-Palestinian peace talks remain stalled, Arab monarchs remain entrenched, and the death toll from the escalating civil war in Syria has topped 60,000 with no end in sight.

Jordan's King Abdullah II, whose country is hosting almost 300,000 Syrian refugees, predicted that Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime will last at least another six months. He called for a transition plan involving all Syrians and the Syrian army.

He also urged stepped up international support to end the Syrian crisis, saying, "The weakest refugees are struggling now just to survive this year's harsh winter."

Abdullah told the forum that "unprecedented threats to regional and global stability and security" need international action now, not the "wait and see" response by some countries ? which he did not identify ? especially in helping governments emerge politically and financially from the Arab uprisings.

The king, considered one of the region's moderate leaders, also warned Israel to stop playing the "waiting game," and said President Barack Obama's second term offered the last opportunity to create two states ? Palestine and Israel ? that can live side-by-side in peace.

Angel Gurria, secretary-general of the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, said the focus on resolving the world's economic crisis has distracted leaders from many other important issues, including education, the social consequences of unemployment and promoting ways to deal with climate change.

Nonetheless, Gurria said, the world should be "very worried" because there aren't many "tools" left to fix the economy if things get worse.

Trevor Manuel, South Africa's National Planning Commission minister, told AP that the key message from Davos for him was a positive one ? that "many of the decisions that have been taken bring us closer to where we need to be." He warned that "a sense of an all-pervasive gloom ... frequently becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fragile-economy-other-global-woes-dominated-davos-154125358--finance.html

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Despite falls, Wagner edges Gold for 2nd US title

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) ? Flawed, but still first.

Ashley Wagner became the first woman since Michelle Kwan in 2005 to win back-to-back titles in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, managing to hold off up-and-comer Gracie Gold despite three major mistakes Saturday night.

Wagner was subdued as she waited for her marks, surely thinking she'd blown her chance to repeat. When her score was announced and she saw she was still in first, a look of shock crossed her face.

Wagner finished with 188.84 points, about two ahead of Gold. Gold won the free skate ? posting the second-highest score ever at the U.S. meet, no less. But the 17-year-old had too much ground to make up after a dismal performance Thursday night in the short program left her in ninth place, more than 13 points behind Wagner.

Earlier Saturday, Olympic silver medalists and 2011 world champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White won their fifth straight dance title, matching a U.S. record. Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir won the pairs title.

There is something about defending the title that brings out the worst in the American women. Since 1990, Kwan is the only other woman to win consecutive titles (granted, she did win eight straight). Six women have won the last seven crowns, and the reigning champion has almost always had a total meltdown. Rachael Flatt is the only defending champ who even managed to stay on the podium the next year.

Wagner, though, seems to be made of different stuff. She's been rock solid since moving to California to train with John Nicks in the summer of 2011. She won the U.S. title last year, had the best finish by an American at worlds since 2007 and won the silver medal last month in the Grand Prix final.

And she sure looked loose as she came out from the dressing rooms, clapping along with the crowd to Agnes Zawadzki's "Rhapsody in Blue" music. Her opening triple flip-double toe loop-double toe combination was gorgeous, drawing oohs and aahs from the crowd. She also did a triple loop in and out of a spread eagle ? incredibly difficult.

But she didn't have her usual fire, almost as if she was skating not to lose rather than skating to win. And then came the falls. She was off-balance in the air on the lutz, and couldn't right herself in time to save it. With the triple loop only seconds later, she didn't have time to regroup. She pulled herself together only to two-foot her last jump, the triple flip.

At 21, Wagner is a far more complete skater than Gold, and that's what made the difference. Skating to "Samson and Delilah," Wagner told a story while Gold just skated and jumped.

With blonde good looks and a made-for-the Olympics name, Gold has all the makings of that "next big thing" the United States has been craving. That she can skate only fueled the hype, and some were ready to put her on the Sochi medals stand after she won the U.S. junior title last year and finished second in the junior world championships.

But she's been wildly inconsistent this year, winning the silver medal at Cup of Russia after falling apart at Skate Canada. After botching her short program Thursday, she needed a dazzling performance just to have a chance at one of the spots on the world championships team. She came through, posting a 132.49 that was the second-highest score for a free skate at nationals. Sasha Cohen scored 134.03 in 2006, the year she won her only U.S. title.

"I stopped focusing on what was around me ? the crowd, the screaming, the other skaters, the pressure, the expectations. I let it all go," Gold said. "I just pictured myself at my rink in Chicago and even the practices here ? how I would skate if I was practicing. Just the feel of the knees, the feel of the ice, one thing at a time.

"I didn't get over my head with thoughts or expectations. I just went out there and skated like I know how to skate."

Gold's jumps are fabulous, easily the best of the entire field. Maybe the whole world. They're done with power, and her combinations are so smooth she looks like a stone skipping across the water. She did seven triples, and even Kim Yu-na would be impressed with her triple lutz-triple toe loop combination.

But skating is both sport and art, and Gold is going to have to add some substance between the jumps if she wants the prize to match her name. Her footwork was basic and most of her spins were adequate, and she didn't display that passion that makes a good program great.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/despite-falls-wagner-edges-gold-2nd-us-title-035520375--spt.html

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Be Lifehacker's New Weekend Contributing Editor

Want to write for Lifehacker? We're on the hunt for a new contributing editor to manage our Saturday and Sunday tips and tricks. Interested? Here's what you need to know.

The weekend contributing editor should be able to work a full day on Saturday and Sunday, and should be self-sufficient, because you're going to be working by yourself a lot of the time. Also, these are important qualities to have:

• The ability to check into email and chat on the weekdays. Although we're not going to be asking you to write on the weekdays or be available all day, we will often assign you items, send you notes, and want to communicate a bit during the week.
• An excellent understanding of Lifehacker. You should be a reader, at least, but also know exactly what it is that makes us tick. It's kind of an intangible quality, knowing what kind of posts we write (and which ones we don't), but it's a vital one.
• Prior writing experience. You don't need to have years and years of experience, but the experience of having written professionally is a big plus.
• The ability to write quickly and coherently.
• Willingness to take direction.

Being a weekend Lifehacker contributor editor is actually a pretty decent start to being a full-time and salaried weekday Lifehacker writer. We've hired weekend people in the past, so keep that in mind as you're applying. And, even if you don't get the weekend job, applying can still give you the opportunity to fill in for writers when they go on vacation, or other small freelance opportunities at the site.

• Send all email applications to wannabeweekend@lifehacker.com with the subject Lifehacker Weekend Contributing Editor.
• Include prior writing experience and links to them.
• In the email, a few sentences about yourself. Good things to discuss are why you want to be a weekend writer, your interests and experience that fit with Lifehacker (programming/writing/hacking/DIY experience), and your availability (when you can start). Focus on the fact that being concise is much more effective, but write as much as you need to to tell us what experience you have and what special circumstances allow you to be a great Lifehacker weekend writer.
• No attachments

We get a lot of emails, so unfortunately we can't reply to everyone. If we do contact you, it may not be immediately so please be patient. If you don't hear from us, feel free to give it another shot in the future.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/dWBZ2jd16jw/be-lifehackers-new-weekend-contributing-editor

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lteydanie: Office Ergonomics | Learn the Secrets of Good Health

Office Ergonomics | Learn the Secrets of Good Health & Fitness ...

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

Source: http://binitasharma95.blogspot.com/2013/01/office-ergonomics-learn-secrets-of-good.html

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Internet Marketing: What Does it Really Mean? | Business Tips ...

Jan 27, 2013 by Victorino Abrugar at Online Marketing

What is Internet marketing or online marketing? When we hear the word ?Internet?, the usual words that suddenly pop up in our mind are email, website, Google, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. And when we are asked about marketing, we begin thinking about business, brand, product, advertising, and customers.

So if we are to be asked what Internet marketing is, our basic answer could be the process of using the Internet which is composed of websites, search engines, and social media to promote a business, brand or product in order to attract more customers and increase revenue. And if you want to make its definition even shorter, Internet marketing could be the process of marketing a product or service over the Internet.

However, the Internet is not just all about emails and websites or about search engines and social media. The Internet is a huge online world that every business owner, entrepreneur or marketer should explore further in a consistent manner. Moreover, marketing is not all about advertising your products to attract more customers and increase your revenue. Marketing also includes ensuring your product, price, distribution, processes, and extra services to be satisfying and useful to customers.

The people on the Internet

The Internet cannot exist without people. The online world cannot exist without the people who are using it or even living on it. For example, search engines like Google are useless without the people who are using them to search information. Moreover, social media like Facebook and Twitter are dead without the people who are using them and interacting with each other every day.

Thus, when you are marketing your product or service on the Internet, you are not actually promoting it to the search engines or the social networking sites, but you are promoting it to the people who are the primary users of search engines and social media. Hence, if a person is destroying the usefulness of emails, search engines, and social media by spamming and annoying people? can we say that he is doing Internet marketing? And even if a person is using the Internet the right way through legitimate online advertising schemes but not providing the quality of the product he promised? can we call him a real Internet marketer?

The real Internet marketer

Being a real Internet marketer is not only measured by his technical expertise in website development, link building, content writing, making a web page rank higher in the search engines, and getting many likes on Facebook or retweets on Twitter. A real online marketer is not also measured by the instant profit he can generate out of his online marketing efforts. But a genuine Internet marketer is someone who can make people smile and thank him for the solution he brought to them, causing this to reward him long-lasting profits.

As you will realize, Internet marketing is for the people on the Internet. Whether it is online or offline marketing, marketing should be focused on people. And when we use Internet marketing, it only means we are targeting the people who are using the Internet. If we want to use online marketing to achieve business success, we have to focus not only on how we can use the Internet to promote our business, but we also have to concentrate on how people use the Internet to satisfy their needs.

The meaning of Internet marketing

Internet marketing is the process of using the Internet (website, search engines, social media, email, blogs, etc.,) and analyzing how people use the Internet to satisfy target customers by providing them the product or solution they need.

Internet + marketing = Internet marketing

Internet is everything on the Internet, including websites, emails, search engines, social media, online processes, web applications, and the people who are using it.

Marketing is your product, price, place (distribution), promotion (advertising), process, people (marketing team) + other elements that will satisfy customers and help you achieve your marketing goals.

Therefore, whatever type of Internet marketing you are using, whether it is social media marketing, search engine optimization, email marketing or anything else, make sure to satisfy and wow your target users or customers.

Victorino Abrugar is the founder and chief writer of BusinessTips.Ph. Vic is a social media enthusiast who loves to share his knowledge and insights through blogging. He provides business coaching to aspiring small business owners and entrepreneurs to help them reach their business and life's goals. Follow him on Twitter at @viclogic or interact with him on Facebook.

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Source: http://businesstips.ph/internet-marketing-what-does-it-really-mean/

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Obama: Tough call on letting a son play football

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is a big football fan with two daughters, but if he had a son, he says he'd "have to think long and hard" before letting him play because of the physical toll the game takes.

"I think that those of us who love the sport are going to have to wrestle with the fact that it will probably change gradually to try to reduce some of the violence," Obama tells The New Republic.

"In some cases, that may make it a little bit less exciting, but it will be a whole lot better for the players, and those of us who are fans maybe won't have to examine our consciences quite as much."

In an interview in the magazine's Feb. 11 issue, Obama said he worries more about college players than he does about those in the NFL.

"The NFL players have a union, they're grown men, they can make some of these decisions on their own, and most of them are well-compensated for the violence they do to their bodies," Obama said. "You read some of these stories about college players who undergo some of these same problems with concussions and so forth and then have nothing to fall back on. That's something that I'd like to see the NCAA think about."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-tough-call-letting-son-play-football-134811632--spt.html

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The Yeshiva World VIDEO: R' Amnon Yitzchak Speaks Out ...

[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

Following the election defeat of his Koach L?Hashpiah party, which failed to pass the minimum threshold to enter the 19th Knesset, Rav Amnon Yitzchak speaks out, in the form of a video, speaking of the ?sheker?, the lies that accompanied the election campaign and the Shas officials ?who preferred the chilonim Yair Lapid who closes kollelim and drafts Bnei Torah instead of the person who brings people back to teshuvah.

In the 17 minute video, Rav Amnon speaks of the grief caused to Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef Shlita, and the chilul Hashem and unacceptable actions of the Shas officials. He speaks of the insults to Maran and the Torah due to the actions of Shas leaders, who acted inappropriately, as well as the attacks and insults against him.

?Shas officials preferred voting for Arabs instead of me.? He explains how the Shas rabbonim never bothered to inquire, to probe and verify if indeed the harsh allegations against him were founded, which of course they were not.

Rav Amnon says he does not forgive any of them for the spilling of his blood and pain and suffering caused.

Rav Amnon speaks of many cases in which they detected voter fraud, the tricks that took place, the threats, those who saw Shas people outside asking voters ?who are you voting for?, the distribution of cash and even distribution of cell phones free of charge, all to pull people from voting Koach L?Hashpiah.

The vehicles driving around Rosh Ha?ayin and Rehovot announcing that Koach L?Hashpiah closed and that Rav Amnon instructed voters to return to Shas. The rav speaks of how Shas ignored the rulings of Central Election Committee officials, conducting a campaign that was ruled illegal and unacceptable.

Rav Amnon laments how the actions of Shas leaders and supporters actually pushed some people away from being frum, not wishing to be associated with Jews like this, citing the foul play and tactics that have become Shas, actions that are not seen among the most left-wing secular party in Israel.

Rav Amnon speaks of how 30,000 rabbonim, roshei kollel and their followers used all their energy against one man, who was simply acting upon the instructions of HaGaon HaRav Aaron Yehuda Leib Shteinman Shlita, and instead, Yair Lapid has 19 seats.

?Lapid is good for Shas while Amnon Yitzchak is very bad. Can someone please explain this to me? he adds.

Click HERE to watch this video from a mobile device.

Have you checked out?YWN Radio?yet? Click?HERE?to listen!

(YWN ? Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

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Source: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/?p=154367

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Tiger: Creative Writing Worksheet

	135 1 2 3 4 5 rated by 2 teachers by simranraj Other Adjectives, Animals | Views: 416 | Level: Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate | 5 out of 5, rated by 2 teachers Tweet
	It's a creative free writing worksheet which you can use for your elementary students, words are given - let your students use all the words and describe a tiger in their own words. You can use this worksheet also for pre intermediate and intermediate students. Similar Worksheets Tiger Woods Free As A Bird [CREATIVE W ... The Egg: Creative Writing ... Register & Download only registered users can download

Source: http://busyteacher.org/14492-tiger-creative-writing-worksheet.html

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Egyptian mourners bury 35 killed in Port Said riot

UPDATES DEATH TOLL - Families and supporters of those accused of soccer violence from the Port Said soccer club react to the announcement of verdicts for 21 fans on trial in last years Port Said stadium incident which left 74 people dead, in Port Said, Egypt, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013. Egyptian security officials say that 38 people have died in the Mediterranean city of Port Said after a judge sentenced 21 people to death in connection to one of the world's deadliest incidents of soccer violence (AP Photo/Mohammed Nouhan, Shorouk Newspaper) EGYPT OUT

UPDATES DEATH TOLL - Families and supporters of those accused of soccer violence from the Port Said soccer club react to the announcement of verdicts for 21 fans on trial in last years Port Said stadium incident which left 74 people dead, in Port Said, Egypt, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013. Egyptian security officials say that 38 people have died in the Mediterranean city of Port Said after a judge sentenced 21 people to death in connection to one of the world's deadliest incidents of soccer violence (AP Photo/Mohammed Nouhan, Shorouk Newspaper) EGYPT OUT

UPDATES DEATH TOLL - Egyptian soccer fans of Al-Ahly club celebrate a court verdict that returned 21 death penalties in last years soccer violence, which left 74 dead, inside the club premises in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013. Egyptian security officials say military to deploy in Port Said after 38 people including a senior police officer and a policeman were shot dead in the Mediterranean city of Port Said after a judge sentenced 21 people to death in connection to one of the world's deadliest incidents of soccer violence. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

PORT SAID, Egypt (AP) ? Thousands of people who have turned out for a mass funeral for 35 people killed in rioting in the coastal city of Port Said are chanting against Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

Mourners in the funeral procession were shouting "There is no God but Allah, and Morsi is God's enemy" after praying for the dead Sunday at the city's Mariam Mosque.

There were no police or army troops in sight, but the funeral procession briefly halted after gunfire rang out. The source of the gunfire was not immediately known.

Health officials say at least 37 people were killed, including two policemen, in rioting on Saturday. The violence erupted after a court handed down death sentences to 21 local fans involved in a deadly melee at a soccer game last year.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-27-ML-Egypt/id-17b28b99ec554547b0dabe14a38fa227

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Japan and Kuwait Struck Black Gold In Vietnam - Business Insider

Vietnam on Sunday inked a deal with firms from Japan and Kuwait to build an oil refinery complex worth nearly $9 billion as part of efforts to meet its growing energy needs.

The Nghi Son refinery, which is due to start operating by 2017 in Thanh Hoa province, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) south of Hanoi, will turn Kuwaiti oil into petrol and other petroleum products.

It will be able to process 10 million tonnes of crude oil a year, the government said.

State-owned PetroVietnam will own a 25.1-percent stake in the joint venture while Japan's Idemitsu Kosan and Kuwait Petroleum International will each hold 35.1 percent. Mitsui Chemicals of Japan will own the remaining 4.7 percent.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung hailed the project as "very important" for the communist country's economic and social development, according to a government statement.

Vietnam has offshore oil reserves but still spends several billion dollars each year to import petroleum products to feed its growing economy.

A ground-breaking ceremony for the Nghi Son refinery was held in May 2008 but the project has suffered a number of delays.

It is still unclear when construction will start, an official from PetroVietnam told AFP, asking not to be named.

The country's first refinery Dung Quat -- which cost around $2.5 billion and has a capacity of 6.5 million tonnes of crude a year -- opened in central Vietnam in 2009 after lengthy delays.

PetroVietnam has said that it hopes the two refineries would satisfy 65 percent of the nation's oil and gas needs. It is also preparing for a third refinery project in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/japan-and-kuwait-struck-black-gold-in-vietnam-2013-1

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Mashreq Qatar launches Majestic 2 bundled Personal Loan with a ...

Customers can now look forward to a tailor-made bundled Personal Loan that caters to their needs. With an aim to achieve that, leading regional financial institution, Mashreq Qatar announced the launch of Majestic 2 Loan proposition, which can be availed by all salaried individuals who earn QAR 5,000 or more per month.

Depending on the loan size, the customers will receive a guaranteed free iPad 4 16 GB Wi-Fi or a Samsung S3 Mini 8GB or a Blackberry Curve 9220, allowing them to keep up to date with their financials anywhere and at anytime through the bank?s award winning online banking, which allows a variety of payment solutions.

Niranjan Mendonca, Head of Retail Banking, Mashreq Qatar said, ?We continue to offer strong and solid financial products to our customers coupled with convenience and innovation. Banking with Mashreq is forever evolving and our endeavor is to extend a truly exceptional experience to our customers who are the core focus of our strategy.?

The limited period promotion offers competitive interest rates, a Platinum Credit Card loaded with unmatched benefits and a convenient Overdraft Facility.?As part of this unique package, the Platinum card also offers customers discounted balance transfer, QAR 5,000 of free offers, free shopping, discounts at leading lifestyle partners and much more!

The Majestic Loan customers can also opt for customized insurance products that protect them against any unforeseen circumstances.?

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Source: http://www.qatarisbooming.com/2013/01/26/mashreq-qatar-launches-majestic-2-bundled-personal-loan-with-a-free-ipad-4/

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Correction: Davos Forum-Algeria story

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) ? In a story transmitted Jan. 25 and Jan. 26 about Algeria's deadly hostage crisis, The Associated Press mischaracterized Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci as acknowledging that security forces made mistakes in their handling of the standoff. The mischaracterization resulted from use of an incomplete quote. The AP initially quoted Medelci as saying, "We are in the process of assessing our mistakes. In that assessment we are leaning more towards establishing that the operation was a success." The full quote, translated from French, is: "I am not sure that today we are in the process of assessing our mistakes. We are more in the process of establishing that the operation succeeded."

A corrected version of the story is below:

AP Interview: Algeria needs international help

AP Interview: Algeria needs international help fighting terrorism

By MARTIN BENEDYK

Associated Press

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) ? Algeria's foreign minister said Algeria will need international help to fight terrorism in the wake of a hostage crisis at a Saharan gas plant in which dozens of foreign workers were killed.

Algeria's decision to refuse foreign offers of aid in handling the crisis, and to send the military to fire on vehicles full of hostages, drew widespread international criticism.

While defending his government's handling of the crisis, Mourad Medelci said Algeria can't face international terrorism alone.

"It absolutely needs support," Medelci told The Associated Press in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Friday.

"This is Algeria's message: Algeria faced internal terrorism alone but it can't continue to face international terrorism alone," he said. "It absolutely needs support and this is needed not just by Algeria, but all countries need to join into the fight against terrorism. "

The Jan. 16 attack, which an al-Qaida-affiliated organization has claimed responsibility for, sent scores of foreign energy workers fleeing across the desert for their lives. A four-day siege by Algerian forces on the complex followed. At least 37 hostages and 29 militants died.

Medelci defended the government's decision to attack instead of negotiating, pointing to its years of experience dealing with Islamist extremist violence.

"Faced with such an attitude (of terrorism), it's not just words that solve the problem. It's action," he said.

"I am not sure that today we are in the process of assessing our mistakes," Medelci said. "We are more in the process of establishing that the operation succeeded."

The minister said Algeria is likely to reinforce security measures at sites where multinationals operate in the oil- and gas-rich country. But he insisted that foreign workers in Algeria "will continue to work in Algeria and that is the best way to answer the terrorists."

He argued that Algeria wasn't the target of the attack. Instead, he said, the terrorists were targeting investors and the foreigners who work for them.

An international group of militants led by a Mali-based warlord staged the attack. The extremists demanded an end to the French-led military operation in neighboring Mali, where al-Qaida-linked groups have seized and expanded control over the past year.

___

AP correspondent Angela Charlton contributed from Davos.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/correction-davos-forum-algeria-story-180335408--finance.html

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Aaron Swartz and Motel Caswell: Book ends to prosecutorial reform?

A judge this week dismissed a drug forfeiture case involving a motel owner. The prosecutor, US Attorney Carmen Ortiz, is also facing criticism for her role in the prosecution of Internet hacker Aaron Swartz, who committed suicide earlier this month.

By Patrik Jonsson,?Staff writer / January 26, 2013

U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz reacts during a news conference in Boston Jan. 17 as she speaks regarding her office's handling of the case against Internet freedom activist Aaron Swartz. Ortiz has been sharply criticized following Swartz' suicide for her office's handling of the hacking case against him.

Elise Amendola/AP

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A judge this week struck down a US government scheme to seize a Tewksbury, Mass., motel because it had become a haven for drug dealers, bolstering concerns about whether US prosecutors in some cases have too much power.

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The decision in the long-running forfeiture case comes as the US attorney in Boston, Carmen Ortiz, is already under fire for her role in the death of Internet hacker Aaron Swartz, who killed himself on Jan. 11 as he faced a potentially long prison term for what many in the technology field have noted was nothing more than a breach of a contract involving Internet documents.

The two cases are feeding a simmering groundswell among constitutional law professors and others about the inherent discretionary powers of federal prosecutors, especially in an era of books like attorney Harvey Silverglate's "Three Felonies a Day: How the feds target the innocent."

"[M]ost of the time, prosecutors can be expected to exercise their discretion soundly," writes University of Tennessee constitutional law professor Glenn Reynolds, in a Jan. 20 paper called "Ham Sandwich Nation: Due process when everything is a crime."

?Unfortunately, these limitations on prosecutorial power are likely to be least effective where prosecutors act badly because of politics or prejudice,? professor Reynolds writes.

In his article, Reynolds lists several possible solutions, including reform of the grand jury system ? a supposed check on prosecutors but where some now say a "ham sandwich" could be indicted ? as well as weakening prosecutorial immunity rules so US attorneys would have "some skin in the game." Banning plea bargains, the process by which the majority of prosecutors get their convictions, is referenced as the "nuclear option" in prosecutorial reform.

In the Swartz case, the young hacker and co-creator of the Reddit website faced 13 felony counts from Ms. Ortiz' office tied to his use of an MIT network to download millions of academic journal articles to his laptop computer. The problem, critics of the prosecution say, is that Swartz' actions constituted a breach of contract more than a felony crime.

On Saturday, the "Anonymous" hacker group announced it had infiltrated the US Sentencing Commission website in retaliation for Swartz's death. The group said it had copied sensitive documents that it may make public. The site was inaccessible Saturday.

"Anonymous has observed for some time now the trajectory of justice in the United States with growing concern," the group said in a statement. "We have marked the departure of this system from the noble ideals in which it was born and enshrined. We have seen the erosion of due process, the dilution of constitutional rights, the usurpation of the rightful authority of courts by the 'discretion' of prosecutors. We have seen how the law is wielded less and less to uphold justice, and more and more to exercise control, authority and power in the interests of oppression or personal gain."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/xQxyW29uq7c/Aaron-Swartz-and-Motel-Caswell-Book-ends-to-prosecutorial-reform

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What you need to know about cell phone unlocking

Did you know that as of Jan 26, 2013, it's "illegal" to unlock your phone? Of course you did. You've seen the "Sky is falling!" headlines

It's not quite that simple, but that's what you'll hear around the Internets today. The too-long-didn't-read simple version is that you'll likely not be affected in any way (minus the personal freedom aspect). But after seeing so many people worried, and some of the poor information they were receiving, we knew it was time to talk about it a bit. 

In 1998 Congress passed a law that provides copyright protection to the software (and software means written code, remember) that locks your cell phone to a certain carrier. This has nothing to do with rooting, or bootloader unlocking. It only covers locking your phone to a GSM carrier through software. As a provision of this law, the Librarian of Congress (which I imagined as a totally hot babe with her hair in a bun, and was quickly disappointed when I investigated) is allowed to grant exceptions, and did until his October 2012 decision to allow the DMCA to regulate cell phone locking. Fast forward to today, when the exceptions expired, and now the software used to lock phones is covered under the same copyright laws as most other software.

It sounds scary. But it's really not. Let's have a look.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/fU9cj9yVK5k/story01.htm

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Stress's impact can affect future generations' genes

For the first time, genes chemically silenced by stress during life have been shown to remain silenced in eggs and sperm, allowing the effect to be passed down to the next generation.

The finding, obtained from detailed DNA scans in developing mouse eggs and sperm, backs up mounting indirect evidence from statistical studies that the genetic impacts of environmental factors such as smoking, diet, stressed childhoods, famine and psychiatric disease can be passed down to future generations through a process called epigenetic inheritance. Many geneticists had considered this an impossibility.

Genes can be switched off by altering DNA through a chemical process called methylation, in which enzymes respond to environmental factors by marking genes with methyl groups that prevent them from working.

But the idea that genes carrying these epigenetic markings could be inherited is controversial. Previous studies had shown that as sperm and eggs develop, any markings added to genes during life are erased to provide a genetic "blank slate" from which the next generation develops. Any remaining marks were also thought to be erased when an egg is fertilised.

Now a team led by Jamie Hackett at the University of Cambridge has challenged this picture. The researchers extracted the DNA from mouse primordial germ cells ? the precursors to sperm and eggs ? at various stages of their development and used markers to spot any methylated genes.

They found that a tiny number of methylated gene regions survived unerased: an average of just 233 out of approximately 25,000 in the germ cells examined. Still, the work clearly shows that traits resulting from the surviving markings can potentially be passed on. "What we've found is a potential way things can get through, whereas before, everything was considered to be erased," says Hackett.

Unresolved issue

Do the markings survive simply because the erasure process may not always work properly, or are they deliberately spared so that the information they carry is passed to the next generation? The finding "doesn't solve this question", says Hackett. "But it's a proof of principle for one possible mechanism by which traits might be inherited epigenetically."

Those sceptical of epigenetic inheritance are adamant that even if some methylated DNA makes it through, it is likely to be because of faulty erasure. "The idea that what's left carries information about the environment is sufficiently far-fetched to demand much more evidence of its importance," says Adrian Bird of the University of Edinburgh, UK. "I'd say [the erasure] is an inefficient process, and what's left doesn't matter."

Researchers who claim to have demonstrated that epigenetic traits can be passed down were more enthusiastic. Isabelle Mansuy of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich has found that in mice, the effects of stress in infancy can be passed from one generation to at least the next two. "The paper demonstrates there are regions which do escape reprogramming," she says. "This is fundamental to the idea of epigenetic inheritance of acquired traits that so many people are reluctant to accept, because it does indicate that it is possible to maintain some marks intact from parents to offspring."

Hackett says that he and his colleagues plan to repeat the experiment in human cells, and that they hope to resolve the question of whether some genes escape demethylation through luck or design.

Journal reference: Science, doi.org/kbj

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Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/27e59270/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cdn2310A90Estresss0Eimpact0Ecan0Eaffect0Efuture0Egenerations0Egenes0Bhtml0Dcmpid0FRSS0QNSNS0Q20A120EGLOBAL0Qonline0Enews/story01.htm

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How to Buy Cabinets for Your Garage | Home & Home Improvement

You can use your garage not only to store your vehicles and machineries, but also to store many other tools and instruments that you use to do various works. You can store your gardening tools, repairing tools, and other tools that you have in your garage. You can even use your garage as a workshop if you wish. As long as you can organize the interior of your garage smartly and strategically, you can mostly transform your garage into a versatile room that you can use to facilitate various works. Therefore, if you have a garage and you want to make it versatile, you should learn how to organize it perfectly.

Your garage will be more organized if you install ulti-mate garage cabinets on it. Garage cabinets can function both as containers and instruments to carry out your works. If those cabinets have strong and durable countertop, you can use it to repair things or to put heavy equipment. Some cabinets are placed on the floor and some others can be suspended on the wall or on the ceiling. Therefore, if you can choose the right cabinets for your garage, you can mostly organize the interior of your garage strategically and smartly.

Before you buy storage cabinets for your garage, you should measure how much money that you can prepare to budget the procurement of cabinets for your garage. Afterwards, decide everything that you will migrate to your garage. If your home is stuffed with sporting and lawn equipment, include that equipment in your list. Remember that specific types of garage cabinet can only be used to store specific items. Therefore, making a list of all items that you will put in your garage is important. Make a floor plan of your garage and visit the store to buy the cabinets. Measure the size of every cabinet that you want to buy and, by referring to your garage floor plan, make sure that those cabinets can be placed inside your garage.

Source: http://www.silkmangos.com/how-to-buy-cabinets-for-your-garage/

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Opera about Nazi atrocity shown in Austria

TO GO WITH STORY BY GEORGE JAHN Robert Holzer and Katerina Beranova, from left, perform during the opera 'Spiegelgrund' by Austrian composer Peter Androsch in the imperial council hall of the Austrian parliament in Vienna, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. Androsch goes where few others have dared, with an opera depicting how Nazis methodically killed mentally or physically deficient children. The performance premieres to mark International Holocaust Day in the parliament of Austria _ a nation still atoning for its role in atrocities committed by the Nazis. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

TO GO WITH STORY BY GEORGE JAHN Robert Holzer and Katerina Beranova, from left, perform during the opera 'Spiegelgrund' by Austrian composer Peter Androsch in the imperial council hall of the Austrian parliament in Vienna, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. Androsch goes where few others have dared, with an opera depicting how Nazis methodically killed mentally or physically deficient children. The performance premieres to mark International Holocaust Day in the parliament of Austria _ a nation still atoning for its role in atrocities committed by the Nazis. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

TO GO WITH STORY BY GEORGE JAHN Katerina Beranova, Robert Holzer, Karl M. Sibelius and Silke Doerner, from left, perform during the opera ' Spiegelgrund' by Austrian composer Peter Androsch in the imperial council hall of the Austrian parliament in Vienna, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. Androsch goes where few others have dared, with an opera depicting how Nazis methodically killed mentally or physically deficient children. The performance premieres to mark International Holocaust Day in the parliament of Austria _ a nation still atoning for its role in atrocities committed by the Nazis. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

TO GO WITH STORY BY GEORGE JAHN Katerina Beranova and Silke Doerner, from left, perform during the opera 'Spiegelgrund ' by Austrian composer Peter Androsch in the imperial council hall of the Austrian parliament in Vienna, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. Androsch goes where few others have dared, with an opera depicting how Nazis methodically killed mentally or physically defficient children. The performance premieres to mark International Holocaust Day in the parliament of Austria _ a nation still atoning for its role in atrocities committed by the Nazis. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

TO GO WITH STORY BY GEORGE JAHN - Katerina Beranova, Robert Holzer and Silke Doerner, from left, perform during the opera 'Spiegelgrund ' by Austrian composer Peter Androsch in the imperial council hall of the Austrian parliament in Vienna, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. Androsch goes where few others have dared, with an opera depicting how Nazis methodically killed mentally or physically deficient children. The performance premieres to mark International Holocaust Day in the parliament of Austria _ a nation still atoning for its role in atrocities committed by the Nazis. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

TO GO WITH STORY BY GEORGE JAHN -Speaker of the Austrian Parliament Barbara Prammer smiles during an interview with the Associated Press about Austrian composer Peter Androsch's opera "Spiegelgrund" at the parliament in Vienna, Austria, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. Androsch goes where few others have dared, with an opera depicting how Nazis methodically killed mentally or physically deficient children. The performance premieres to mark International Holocaust Day in the parliament of Austria _ a nation still atoning for its role in atrocities committed by the Nazis. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

VIENNA (AP) ? Thousands of children were murdered by the Nazis because they fell short of the Aryan ideal. On Friday, a hushed audience gathered in Austria's Parliament to watch the world premiere of an opera depicting how the Nazis methodically killed mentally or physically deficient children at a Vienna hospital during World War II.

The killings were part of a greater campaign that led to the deaths of about 75,000 people ? homosexuals, the handicapped, or others the Nazis called "unworthy lives" ? and served as a prelude to the Holocaust.

Austrians played a huge role in these and other atrocities of the era ? nearly 800 children were killed at Vienna's Spiegelgrund psychiatric ward ? and Friday's premiere of the opera "Spiegelgrund" was the latest installment of a national effort to atone for such acts in word and deed.

The timing was picked to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day, which will be observed worldwide Sunday, and the performance was streamed live on the Internet for international audiences. But the parliamentary venue was chosen for a particularly Austrian reason: as a reminder of how the country's politicians fomented the atmosphere of intolerance and authoritarianism that allowed Hitler's troops to walk in in 1938, and a determination to not let history repeat itself.

Composer Peter Androsch said his focus on the era was in part born of his own family's history. His great grandfather died in a Nazi concentration camp. Androsch said the fact that that was hidden for generations "says a lot about conditions in totalitarian regimes and should serve as a reminder for me and many others."

At the premiere ? a hauntingly effective hour-long performance ? legislators were joined in the audience by diplomats, Holocaust survivors, former Spiegelgrund patients and other invited guests in an ornate chamber lined with Ionic columns and used for special legislative sessions.

Spiegelgrund survivor Friedrich Zavel was in the audience. He was brought to the clinic in 1940 after being accused of homosexuality. Now 83, he still shudders when he speaks of his ordeals: humiliation, solitary confinement and torture.

The "Wrap Treatment" consisted of orderlies binding a child first in two sheets soaked in ice water, then two dry sheets, followed by waiting for days without food and drink until the body warmth dried the sheets. There also were beatings and injections that either made the child vomit or left him unable to walk for days.

Asked Friday how he felt about the wrongs done to him, Zavel said: "I know neither revenge nor hate."

The opera itself was more of an oratory. Backlit in gloomy purple and red, and accompanied by strings, flute, percussion and a harpsichord, a trio slipped into each other's roles in an allegorical depiction of how all are victims and perpetrators.

Thus a white-coated doctor embodying "The Law" switched from vocalizing about Sparta's doctrine of letting weak newborns die to singing a child's ditty before moving to the role of "Memory" ? singing broken phrases that harken back to the horrific experiences of the victimized children. The two other singers shifted roles accordingly as a narrator dryly recited facts reflecting the atrocities committed.

"On some days, so many children were killed that the orderlies had to pile the little bodies on a wheelbarrow," narrator Karl Sibelius intones in one sequence before reading a letter from a mother addressed to an institute doctor and pleading for the return of her son.

Bass Robert Holzer was "The Law," and sopranos Katerina Beranova and Alexandra Diesterhoeft sang "Memory" and "Children's Song" respectively. All were very solid.

Parliament President Barbara Prammer said the nation could no longer focus only on glorifying its past.

"We can't choose our history," she told The Associated Press.

___

AP video journalist Philipp Jenne contributed.

___

Online: www.sonostream.tv

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-01-25-Austria-Holocaust%20Opera/id-6d5a73aac48643adb851257d4cf9dc57

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Ghana beats Mali as Congo slips up

By GERALD IMRAY

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 10:33 p.m. ET Jan. 24, 2013

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa (AP) -Ghana's Mubarak Wakaso scored, was suspended and then carried off on a stretcher yet ultimately put the revived title contender in control of Group B at the African Cup of Nations on Thursday.

Wakaso buried a 38th-minute spot kick to beat Mali 1-0, lifting Ghana to the brink of the quarterfinals when the group's two big teams were let off the hook by a 0-0 draw between Congo and Niger at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Young winger Wakaso was shown his second yellow of the group stage after lifting his shirt to reveal a religious slogan in his goal celebration, ruling him out of the final group game.

But by the time he was carried off with what didn't appear to be a serious injury, Ghana had done enough to lead Mali by a point ahead of the final group games.

"There's much more to offer," Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah said as the Black Stars began to show their potential.

Congo missed the chance to put pressure on the top teams after its goalless draw with stubborn Niger, which was saved by goalkeeper Kassaly Daouda, who redeemed himself against Congo after his glaring error gifted Mali victory when the teams met in the first round.

Ghana's relief contrasted with Congo's frustration at not being able to take advantage of a defensive Niger approach despite two glorious chances for striker Dieumerci Mbokani.

"We didn't play well. We have to be honest," Congo coach Claude Le Roy said.

After seven draws in the opening 12 games of the African Cup, the tournament finally began to take shape with Ghana joining South Africa as the likely teams to qualify top of the first two groups for a place in the quarterfinals.

Defending champion Zambia will meet Nigeria on Friday to determine who will put itself in position from Group C.

Ethiopia plays Burkina Faso in the day's other match, with Ethiopia coach Sewnet Bishaw holding out hope that his underdog team may still be able to influence the tournament beyond the group stage after a morale-boosting draw with defending champion Zambia to start.

"Even though we are new, we are here to challenge every team. As long as we are here as a strong team, why can't we go to the cup final?" Sewnet said.

With Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan choosing not to take penalties at this tournament following his string of painful misses, the 22-year-old Wakaso stepped up to sweep home for the only goal of the first game in Port Elizabeth. His celebration, when he lifted his jersey over his head to reveal the words "Allah is Great!" on a t-shirt, may still have negative repercussions for Ghana, however, because FIFA does not allow religious or political statements on the field.

The Ghanaians still had enough to hold off Mali and banish memories of their slump against Congo, when they threw away a two-goal lead.

"There was no loss of concentration during this game," Appiah said.

On Friday, 2012-winning coach Herve Renard leads his Zambia team against Nigeria after both let in late equalizers in their first games. With both under significant pressure to win, Renard still welcomed the challenge of being an international manager.

"This is why we are doing our job - because we need a challenge, we need adrenaline," Renard said.

With the host nation deliriously happy on Wednesday after its win over Angola, South Africa's joy was tempered on Thursday by more injury problems. Striker Lehlohonolo Majoro had a deep gash to his left leg to likely rule him out of Bafana Bafana's final and crucial Group A game against Morocco.

Elsewhere, Tunisia forward Issam Jemaa was out for the remainder of the tournament with a knee injury that would probably sideline him for six weeks.

---

Follow Gerald Imray at http://twitter.com/GeraldImrayAP

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

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More newsAmr Abdallah Dalsh / Reuters

Death toll from Port Said rising

PST: An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced to death 21 people found guilty of involvement in the Port Said soccer stadium disaster in which 74 people died last year. Ensuing protests have resulted in more deaths.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44828074/ns/sports-soccer/

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