#3: Coby LEDTV3216 32-Inch 720p 60Hz Slim-Bezel LED HDTV ...

Coby LEDTV3216 32-Inch 720p 60Hz Slim-Bezel LED HDTV (Black) by Coby (37) Buy new: $299.95 $229.98 21 used & new from $201.75 (Visit the Hot New Releases in Televisions list for authoritative information on this product?s current rank.)

Deal On: #3: Coby LEDTV3216 32-Inch 720p 60Hz Slim-Bezel LED HDTV (Black)
check price

Source: http://www.wiki-products.com/3-coby-ledtv3216-32-inch-720p-60hz-slim-bezel-led-hdtv-black/

tesla model s tesla model s act Black Ops 2 Secede ben roethlisberger Diwali

Checklist to see if 'fiscal cliff' deal rings true

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama and leaders of the lame-duck Congress may be just weeks away from shaking hands on a deal to avert the dreaded "fiscal cliff." So it's natural to wonder: If they announce a bipartisan package promising to curb mushrooming federal deficits, will it be real?

Both sides have struck cooperative tones since Obama's re-election. Even so, he and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, the GOP's pivotal bargainer, have spent most of the past two years in an acrid political climate in which both sides have fought stubbornly to protect their constituencies.

Obama and top lawmakers could produce an agreement that takes a serious bite out of the government's growing $16 trillion pile of debt and puts it on a true downward trajectory.

Or they might reach an accord heading off massive tax increases and spending cuts that begin to bite in January ? that's the fiscal cliff ? while appearing to be getting tough on deficits through painful savings deferred until years from now, when their successors might revoke or dilute them.

Historically, Congress and presidents have proven themselves capable of either. So before bargainers concoct a product, and assuming they can, here's a checklist of how to assess their work:

OVERALL DEFICIT CUTS

The House and Senate have four weeks until Christmas. Their leaders and the president want a deal before then. Bargainers are shooting for a framework setting future debt-reduction targets, with detailed tax and spending changes to be approved next year but possibly some initial savings enacted immediately.

Obama has suggested 10-year savings totaling around $4.4 trillion.

Passing a framework next month that sets deficit-cutting targets for each of the next 10 years would be seen as a sign of seriousness. But look for specifics. An agreement will have a greater chance of actually reducing deficits if it details how the savings would be divided between revenue increases and cuts in federal programs, averting future fights among lawmakers over that question.

Better yet would be including a fast-track process for passing next year's tax and spending bills if they meet the savings targets so they can whisk through Congress without the possibility of a Senate filibuster, in which 41 of the 100 senators could kill a measure they dislike.

Another sign of sincerity: An enforcement mechanism that imposes savings automatically if lawmakers gridlock over details. Legislators' efforts now to avert January's combination of automatic tax boosts and spending cuts underscores the effectiveness of forcing them to act.

Less impressive would be verbal pledges by the White House and congressional leaders to meet deficit-cutting goals without passing legislation inscribing the figures into law.

___

TAXES

A deal that specifies where revenue would come from would lay important groundwork for next year's follow-up bill enacting actual changes in tax laws.

The biggest clash has been over whether to raise income tax rates on earnings over $200,000 annually for individuals, $250,000 for families. Obama wants to let them rise next year to a top rate of 39.6 percent but has suggested he would compromise. Boehner and other Republicans oppose any increase above today's top marginal rate of 35 percent. Instead, they advocate lower rates and eliminating or reducing unspecified deductions and tax credits. Settling that would resolve the toughest impediment to a deal.

Raising money from higher rates, closing loopholes or a combination of the two would create real revenue for the government. The problem is many tax deductions and credits , such as for home mortgages and the value of employer-provided health insurance, are so popular that enacting them into law over objections from the public and lobbyists would be extremely difficult.

With the price tags of tax and spending laws typically measured over a decade, delaying the implementation date can distort the projected impact of a change on people and the government's debt.

Tax cuts written to expire in a certain year can put future lawmakers under political pressure to extend it. That is what Obama and Congress face today with the January expiration of tax cuts, including many enacted a decade ago under President George W. Bush.

Even more questionable are assumptions that overhauling tax laws will boost economic activity and thus produce large new revenues for the government. Many Republicans and ideologically conservative economists contend that's the case, but most economists say there is no sound way to estimate how much revenue can be generated from strengthening the economy by revamping the tax system. Many believe the amount is modest.

___

SPENDING

A serious agreement should specify how much savings would come from entitlements, meaning those big, costly benefit programs such as Social Security and Medicare. It also should say how much would come from discretionary spending, which covers federal agency budgets for everything from the military and national parks to food safety inspections and weather forecasts.

Why the need for specificity?

Because spending for entitlements occurs automatically, accounts for nearly two-thirds of federal spending and is the fastest growing part of the budget. Discretionary spending has been shackled by past budget deals and, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, is moving toward falling below 6 percent the size of the economy by 2022, the lowest level in at least 50 years.

A sincere effort to control expenditures would focus on entitlements, the true source of the government's spending problem. An agreement that envisions deep discretionary cuts risks a reliance on savings that future lawmakers could find unbearable and rescind.

Savings that come from weeding out waste, fraud and abuse, which sounds good but are difficult to find, or rely on one-time sales of federal assets should be treated with suspicion.

Deep cuts that take effect in the future, say after Obama leaves office in 2017, might be better than imposing them now and hurting an already weak economy by reducing spending.

But delayed cuts also open the door for Obama's successors and future Congresses to roll them back. In 1997, Congress voted for cuts in Medicare reimbursements to doctors; those cuts have grown so large that lawmakers now vote annually to restore the money.

Postponing the implementation of spending increases already scheduled to take effect, such as federal health insurance subsidies under Obama's health care overhaul, saves money upfront but makes no permanent changes that would ease future spending pressures.

Another debatable source of deficit reduction would be the hundreds of billions of dollars the Obama administration says the government is saving by winding down wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. While there is no question those expenditures are dropping, the government has run huge deficits while those wars were waged, so there's no money being left unspent as those wars end.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/checklist-see-fiscal-cliff-deal-rings-true-195727878--finance.html

Jordan Pruitt real housewives of new jersey Kanye West sex tape emmys emmys torrey smith torrey smith

Qatar cashes in on remaining Barclays warrants

(Reuters) - Qatar Holding LLC has cashed in on its remaining warrants in Britain's Barclays Plc , a move that still leaves the sovereign wealth fund as the bank's top shareholder while their relationship faces legal scrutiny.

Qatar Holding said in a statement on Sunday it had monetized the remaining holding of 379 million units of Barclays warrants -- instruments that convert into shares -- as part of its active portfolio management, without affecting its 6.65 percent stake.

In a separate statement on Sunday, Deutsche Bank AG and Goldman Sachs Group Inc said they would sell up to 303.3 million Barclays ordinary shares in relation to the monetization of the warrants by Qatar.

The conversion price for the warrants was not disclosed in the statements. At Friday's closing share price, the 303.3 million shares being sold would have a total market value of 771 million pounds ($1.24 billion).

"We remain a supportive strategic investor in Barclays, and maintain our confidence in the long-term prospects for the business," Qatar Holding CEO Ahmad Al-Sayed said in the statement.

Qatar had 813.96 million ordinary shares in Barclays as of October 31, making it the bank's largest single shareholder, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Barclays continues to be a long term strategic investment for Qatar Holding and an important commercial partner, the sovereign wealth fund said.

"Barclays welcomes Qatar Holding's message of confidence in its long term prospects and continues to appreciate the consistent support it has received since Qatar Holding became its largest shareholder," Barclays CEO Antony Jenkins said in one of the statements.

An accelerated bookbuild offering to institutional investors will commence immediately and will be managed by Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs International as joint bookrunners, the two banks said.

BARCLAYS INVESTIGATED

Barclays is facing a series of investigations into its business, including one by Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and Financial Services Authority (FSA), which are scrutinizing payments made by Barclays to Qatar as part of a 2008 fundraising.

Barclays disclosed the FSA investigation when it released half-year results on July 27. It relates to fees paid to Qatar on deals in June and November 2008, when Barclays raised 11.5 billion pounds, avoiding selling shares to the British government.

The SFO is investigating "payments under certain commercial agreements" between Barclays and Qatar, the bank said on August 29.

Qatar Holding received Barclays warrants as part of the 2008 fundraising. Officials from Qatar Holding and Barclays could not immediately be reached to comment on whether the warrants referred to in Sunday's statement originated in that 2008 fundraising.

In October 2009, Qatar sold a 1.4 billion pound stake in Barclays after converting warrants it had obtained in the 2008 fundraising into shares. It sold 379.2 million shares after exercising warrants at a price of 197.775 pence.

Barclays at the time was to receive 750 million pounds from the conversion of the warrants.

The bank has recently come under scrutiny regarding manipulation of benchmark interest rate Libor and could face fines over an investigation into the manipulation of power prices the United States.

(Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York; Editing by Richard Pullin and Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/qatar-cashes-remaining-barclays-warrants-012411796--sector.html

school delays joran van der sloot honey badger critics choice awards 2012 colbert president huntingtons disease rob

Going For ?Pretty First? Is Wrong: A Designer?s Take On App Development

Chloe BregmanEditor's note:?Chlo? Bregman is a product designer working on a new communications startup. Most recently, Chlo? designed DrawChat and helped ignite Changemakrs. ?Pretty first? is when a startup focuses on creating a visually beautiful design for its app before determining whether the product has purpose and is useful. It's the wrong approach.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/5tv9vDBef9w/

cruise ship sinking vernon davis starship troopers starship troopers cruise ship italy patriots broncos game saints

Make Your Michigan Home More Energy Efficient in 4 Easy Steps

Picture of an Energy Efficient HomeMost Michigan homeowners know the big issues that cause their homes to be less energy efficient than they should be ? too little insulation, for example. However, you may be losing conditioned air in ways you aren?t aware of. Perhaps one room feels colder than the rest of your home, or you?ve noticed that your energy bill is higher than usual.

At Haley Mechanical, we want to educate homeowners on what to look for and what can be done to make your home more energy efficient before the extreme cold temperatures arrive.

Whatever your situation, you can perform your own ?energy efficiency survey.? Here?s how:

1. Perform an energy audit before winter strikes. You may logically think it?s easier to determine where those drafts are coming from when winter or summer is in full blast; however, energy costs will soar if you wait until the season is upon you before checking for problems. Check the ductwork or other issues now and take the steps necessary to improve energy efficiency.

2. Perform the window test. How much heat really is ?flying? right out of your windows? Take a close look at your windows, checking the condition of panes and window frames. If your home is older, thin windows may be to blame. Consider replacing them with EnergyStar rated windows, and be sure to caulk or use weather stripping in gaps or cracks.

3. Update your heating/cooling equipment. Sure, it?s costly to replace your HVAC system or heater/air conditioner ? but how much is it costing you to continue using outdated or worn out equipment? According to the Department of Energy, homes waste about 25% to 40% of their energy due to the fact that homeowners fail to have routine maintenance performed, or to replace an underperforming heating/cooling system.

4. Calculate your energy usage online. Taking your previous energy bills, you can calculate your potential energy savings using an online calculator like the one at AC Doctor. If you don?t have past energy bills, consider having a professional energy consultant provide you with data such as SEER ratings and electricity rates to perform the calculation on how much you could save by having high-efficiency equipment installed

At Haley Mechanical, we want to help you save on energy costs this winter. Call us for more ideas on how you can save on your energy bills this season, or for expert HVAC maintenance and installation. We?ve been proudly serving customers in Ann Arbor, Dexter, Canton, Plymouth and other areas in SE Michigan since 1998!

Source: http://comfortnews.haleymechanical.com/2012/11/make-your-michigan-home-more-energy-efficient-in-4-easy-steps/

red hot chili peppers tour orange juice photos doomsday clock nate robinson sharia law sharia law

Cause of Mass. gas blast that hurt 18 being probed

Inspectors stand in debris, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, at the site of a gas explosion that leveled a strip club in Springfield, Mass., on Friday evening. Investigators were trying to figure out what caused the blast where the multistory brick building housing Scores Gentleman's Club once stood. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Inspectors stand in debris, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, at the site of a gas explosion that leveled a strip club in Springfield, Mass., on Friday evening. Investigators were trying to figure out what caused the blast where the multistory brick building housing Scores Gentleman's Club once stood. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Robert Spano, left, and Alan Hugley clean up broken glass, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, outside of Punta cana Restaurant & Bar, a few blocks from the site of a Friday-evening gas explosion that leveled a strip club in Springfield, Mass. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

People keep a perimeter, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, around the area where a gas explosion leveled a strip club in Springfield, Mass., on Friday evening. Investigators were trying to figure out what caused the blast where the multistory brick building housing Scores Gentleman's Club once stood. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Inspectors assess damage, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, around the area of a gas explosion that leveled a strip club in Springfield, Mass., on Friday evening. Investigators were trying to figure out what caused the blast where the multistory brick building housing Scores Gentleman's Club once stood. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Gas company workers stand where a building once stood, which was leveled by an explosion in downtown Springfield, Mass. on Friday, Nov. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Springfield Republican, Don Treeger)

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) ? Dozens of building inspectors began assessing homes and businesses in one of New England's biggest cities on Saturday, a day after a natural gas explosion leveled a strip club located next to a day care and heavily damaged a dozen other structures. The blast injured 18 people, many of them first responders.

Investigators were trying to figure out what caused the Friday night blast in Springfield that could be heard for miles, left a large hole in the ground where the multistory brick building housing Scores Gentleman's Club once stood and scattered debris over several blocks.

Officials had already evacuated part of the entertainment district after responding to a gas leak and odor reported about an hour before the explosion while firefighters, police officers and gas company workers were in the area filled with commercial properties and residences.

"It really is a miracle and it's an example of our public safety officials, each and every day, putting themselves in harm's way, taking what could have been considered a very routine call of an odor of gas, but they took the proper precautions," State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said. "And thanks to God that they did."

Officials also marveled how the 5:30 p.m. blast occurred when a day care center next door was closed. The center's building was heavily damaged.

Lt. Gov. Tim Murray and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno were attending a tree-lighting ceremony when the explosion occurred. Sarno said some people mistakenly thought the boom was part of the holiday event.

The explosion blew out windows in a three-block radius, leaving at least three buildings irreparably damaged and causing emergency workers to evacuate a six-story apartment building that was buckling, police said. Pieces of broken glass littered streets and sidewalks. It was unclear how many residents had been evacuated. A shelter was set up at a school.

Omar Fermin, manager of the Punta Cana Restaurant two blocks from the explosion site, found the floor-to-ceiling windows blasted out when he came to check on the property Saturday morning.

"It looks like an earthquake hit," said Fermin, a native of the Dominican Republic. "I've never seen anything like it."

He said he was waiting for somebody to come and assess the damage. He worried the restaurant would remain closed for weeks while the owner seeks to replace the massive custom-made windows.

Authorities cordoned off the center of the explosion Saturday morning as building inspectors worked to identify unsafe structures. Anxious residents gathered at the perimeter, waiting for permission to visit their buildings.

Dogs trapped in abandoned buildings barked out loudly Saturday as building inspectors fanned out across the area. One inspector said he wished he could get a ladder and permission to retrieve a dog that was barking in the upper floor of one building sealed off from residents.

Coan, the fire marshal, said his office was investigating a cause of the blast and its possible origin. The state's Department of Public Utilities was also investigating.

Sheila Doiron, a spokeswoman for Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, said the company will continue to monitor for any potential leaks within several blocks of the blast site. So far, she said, the company hadn't yet found any measurable readings.

Doiron said the company also didn't find in its records any gas odor calls to the area where the strip club was located.

The victims were taken to two hospitals in the city. None of their injuries was considered life-threatening, officials said. Those injured were nine firefighters, two police officers, four Columbia Gas workers, two civilians and another city employee.

Springfield, which is 90 miles west of Boston and has about 150,000 residents, is the largest city in western Massachusetts. It's known as the home of the Basketball Hall of Fame, which is not in the vicinity of the blast.

The city has been rebuilding from damage it sustained in a June 2011 tornado.

On Friday night, residents milled around the neighborhood where the explosion occurred, stunned by the destruction and confused by the cordoned-off area, which grew as crews continued to search for gas leaks. The mayor warned against looting, saying police would be out in force.

Wayne Davis, who lives about a block away from the destroyed building, said he felt his apartment shake.

"I was laying down in bed, and I started feeling the building shaking and creaking," he said.

The Navy veteran said the boom from the explosion was louder than anything he'd ever heard, including the sound of a jet landing on an aircraft carrier.

The blast was so loud it was heard in several neighboring communities. Video from WWLP-TV showed the moment of the explosion, with smoke billowing into the air above the neighborhood.

___

Associated Press writers Rodrique Ngowi, Bridget Murphy and Bob Salsberg in Boston and Jessica Hill in Springfield contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-11-24-Massachusetts%20Gas%20Explosion/id-1145d733d81d435cb3d91eae28b540b7

college football ncaa football brian van gorder blazing saddles lsu alabama lsu game lsu game

Samaras Sees Hope for Loan Deal - Greece - Greek Reporter

After being upstaged when Eurozone finance ministers couldn?t agree on releasing a long-delayed $38.8 billion loan installment to keep Greece?s economic alive, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said after a European Union budget meeting failed that he believes the monies for Greece could be released next week.

The finance ministers are set to meet again in Brussels on Nov. 26 after a frustrating week in which they, and European Union leaders, couldn?t reach any agreements on helping Greece or setting the EU budget.

Samaras, who was at the failed budget meeting, Samaras told journalists he felt encouraged by the discussions he had on the sidelines of the talks. ?We have stopped hearing people saying it is just Greece?s fault,? he said. ?We now have some strong supporters. The talks will go on right up to the last minute.?

Samaras had barely been able to get the Parliament that his uneasy coalition agrees to pass a $17.45 billion spending cut and tax hike plan that the Troika of the European Union-International Monetary Fund-European Central Bank (EU-IMF-ECB) demanded in return for the loan, which is the first in a series of monies in a second bailout of $173 billion. Greece had been surviving on a first series of $152 billion in rescue loans.

Eurozone finance ministers are due to hold a teleconference on Saturday to resume their discussion on how to handle the Greek problem after the failed Eurogroup meeting. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Eurogroup chief Jean-Claude Juncker expressed confidence that a solution would be found next week.

The Greek newspaper Kathimerini has seen the data that Eurozone finance ministers were studying during their meeting and it suggests that regardless of any debt restructuring, Greece will continue to need 8.4 billion euros ($10.89 billion )to cover its financing needs until 2016.

It also pinpoints that there is a need to find another 10 billion euros ($12.9 billion) ?to ensure Greek debt is at 124 percent of GDP in 2020 rather than 144 percent if no action at all is taken.

There are several proposals on the table in order to reduce Greece?s debt by 40 to 45 billion euros ($51.8-$58.3 billion) by 2020. The key element to this is a bond buyback scheme, in which Greece would be lent about 9 billion euros ($11.6 billion) to repurchase its own notes at an estimated 35 percent of their nominal value. This would lead to a debt reduction of about 18 billion euros, or $23.2 billion.

A reduction of 0.9 percent on the interest rate on 53 billion euros in bilateral loans made to Greece as part of the first bailout would reduce the country?s debt by about 4 billion euros. The European Central Bank returning the gains it has made from buying Greek bonds on the secondary market would save about 5 billion euros ($68.7 billion.) Another billion could be saved by the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) waving its fee on loans to Greece.

Source: http://greece.greekreporter.com/2012/11/23/samaras-sees-hope-for-loan-deal/

kate upton sports illustrated outback chaka khan taylor swift safe and sound delilah nevis 2012 sports illustrated swimsuit

Ad Targeting Service Chango Raises $12M To Fund Expansion, Launches New Programmatic Marketing Platform

chango-logo-largeThe Toronto-based online advertising and marketing company Chango just announced that it has raised $12 million. All of the participants in Chango's last funding round also participated in this one, including iNovia, Rho Canada Ventures, Metamorphic Ventures, Mantella Venture Partners and Extreme Venture Partners. As Chango Founder and CEO Chris Sukornyk told me earlier this week, the company plans to use this new funding to expand its team through at least fifty new hires in sales, engineering, marketing and ad operations.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Whh55gUVL1c/

helicon zac efron and taylor swift real housewives of orange county bloom energy franklin graham jambalaya taylor swift and zac efron