House Proprietor And Automotive Insurance Quote | Google Statistics

Are you searching for both a home proprietor and car insurance coverage quote? There is excellent news! Many insurance firms specialize in providing both homeowner insurance coverage policies and automotive insurance coverage policies.

Underneath are three reasons why you will have to get a quote your home proprietor insurance coverage and car insurance coverage from the similar insurance coverage company.

You shouldn?t have to deal with as many people as you could possibly for those who used other insurance companies. This will sound antisocial, however it?s if truth be told not. When you?ve got one insurance agent who can handle both your house owner and car insurance coverage policies, you can be less more likely to get at a loss for words; and, in case you do get perplexed approximately one or either one of your insurance policies, you?ll best need to contact one insurance agent to straighten issues out for you.

You?ll be able to have less forms to deal with. This is going right at the side of the above reason. In case you do all your industry with one insurance company, you?re clearly going to have less forms to learn via and sign. This also reduces the risk of signing papers dealing with your own home proprietor insurance plans while you mean to sign papers dealing with your automotive insurance coverage policy. Plus, your unmarried insurance agent will keep you arranged!

Reductions, reductions, reductions! Most insurance firms that provide a couple of kinds of insurance insurance policies, comparable to home owner insurance coverage policies and car insurance coverage policies, offer reductions to these policyholders who purchase a couple of more or less insurance policy. Except for getting insurance policies that offer the exact coverage you and your family wishes, what can beat getting a few discounts along the way in which?

When you got down to search for an insurance coverage company that offers each house proprietor and automobile insurance rates, don?t settle at the first one you find. Perform a little research: take a look at their scores, communicate to pals, members of the family, and colleagues who use the insurance company. Store sensible and start saving!

If you want other data in relation to strata insurance, drop by Louis X. Lokaphone?s web site in a flash.

Comments are closed.

Source: http://googlestatistics.com/2011/10/house-proprietor-and-automotive-insurance-quote/

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Croatian elections set for Dec. 4 (AP)

ZAGREB, Croatia ? Croatia will elect a new parliament in December, and the opposition is favored to win because of ongoing corruption scandals involving the governing party.

Croatia's 151-seat parliament last week voted to dissolve itself, and on Monday Croatian President Ivo Josipovic said the national election will be held on Dec. 4.

The vote will pit the governing conservative Croatian Democratic Union, or HDZ, against a coalition of center-left parties. The opposition parties have led by a large margin in recent polls.

HDZ has been embroiled in a spate of corruption scandals, including alleged involvement in illegal fundraising and accusations that its former leader and ex-Prime Minister Ivo Sanader pocketed millions to help an Austrian bank and a Hungarian oil giant enter the Croatian market.

Croatia's anti-graft bureau on Sunday asked a district court to freeze assets of the governing party, including its headquarters in Zagreb, because of the corruption investigation, state TV reported.

Croatia, the next in line to become European Union's 28th member, has been under EU scrutiny to fight widespread corruption.

HDZ led Croatia throughout its 1991-95 war for independence from the former Yugoslavia. It has ruled the country since, except for the 2001-2003 period when the center-left coalition took over.

The December parliamentary vote will be Croatia's seventh since its 1991 declaration of independence.

____

Associated Press writer Dusan Stojanovic contributed from Belgrade.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111031/ap_on_re_eu/eu_croatia_elections

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Tara Fass: Caught In The Middle

The bifurcated child -- shuttling between the homes of his or her separated or divorced parents -- is, by definition, caught in the middle. Imagine the child as a bird migrating from one place to another, essentially homeless until you provide a safe perch. How can you help this child glide in for a smoother landing?

Most co-parents with issues, who seek mediation and counseling, are in some version of custody hell. When they seek my guidance, I'm sometimes reminded of Alice in "Through the Looking Glass," who finds that nothing is quite what it seems. We're talking about a mirror, after all, and frequently it's a funhouse mirror, a genie all distorted and bent out of shape. How can you bring reason to a genie that won't go easily back in the bottle?

If you've acted out in shameful and betraying ways in your relationship, or you've disengaged (grown cold and distant, or worse) from your children's other parent, it's helpful to remind yourself that you are not alone. But regardless of your mood from day to day, you need to take special care of your kids. They require a safe and steady, holding environment. They're growing up, whether you're fighting with your ex or trying to heal.

You must access the core resources to bow out of your romantic relationships with your heads held high -- setting a good example for your children and clearing the path to a brighter future. Trouble is if you are still in conflict mode with your former significant other, you are still in the throes of what I call the "emotional divorce."

You may have a tendency to obsess over your past love connection in the name of justice and fairness. But the competitive, tit-for-tat, scorekeeping approach doesn't help anyone, especially not your offspring, who absorb and feed off this poison. They're continuously watching us, but when children are on high-alert, they especially watch us like hawks and parrot back what we provide for them. Be careful what role-modeling seeds you sow -- down the road it will be a version of what you reap.

If you're still wrangling after the breakup, it's time to recalibrate. Not knowing how to stop your hurtful ways -- the very stuff that got you into trouble when you were together -- is proof positive that you need to let go of the past and take new steps. If your child is trying to fix your relationship or engaging in storytelling that is keeping him or her at the center of an imbroglio, that's another sign it's time to turn your attention to getting along with your co-parent.

Try to give your ex the benefit of the doubt, and trust but verify as my teacher, Isaac Berman, Ph.D advises. Just quieting down can speak volumes. Backing up is not giving up. Feeling lost? Focus on one good thing and remember what the kinder need. After all, they light you up and are the delightful result of your relationship with the co-parent.

Focus on the knottiest problems about how to share custody in a way that benefits the child. Dr. Berman says it's an art form to acquire a taste for what is odious to you. He thinks you can downplay the pain of conflict by conceiving of it as just another way to stay in touch that has outworn its value. Additionally, your enlightened self-interest should remind you if your former partner wins you win too. It follows then, that your child wins as well.

As you prepare for a session with your mediator or therapist, have the courage to internalize the message, "I am in conflict with someone I once cherished. How can I avoid being part of the problem and improve the situation?" Such radical honesty may soften your former mate and restore him or her to a more accommodating place, which it turn can ease the process of sharing custody in a way that makes the child feels comfortable in BOTH homes.

If you allow yourself to dwell on being disgusted with your situation, you may be inciting or feeding the problem. Only by acknowledging this will you have something substantial to work with to help you keeping the solemn promise to your raise your children right.

When dealing with the Bifurcated Child, each parent can be the dreaded finger pointer as well as the one the being pointed at. Stay mindful of the bigger picture, which is that every action you take, every mood you display, has an effect on your kids. And don't punish yourself when you make mistakes, or judge too harshly when your former significant other screws up.. As Leonard Cohen sang, "There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." He could have been talking about illuminating your looking glass with that light.

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tara-fass/victims-of-success-by-tar_b_1009423.html

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Syrian president thanks Russia for support (AP)

MOSCOW ? Syrian President Bashar Assad has thanked Russia for shielding his nation from international sanctions over a crackdown on protests.

Assad, speaking to Russia's state Channel One television in an interview broadcast Sunday, hailed the Russian veto of a European-backed U.N. Security Council resolution on Syria. He added that Syria will count on continued support from Moscow.

"We are relying on Russia as a country with which we have strong historic ties," Assad said.

The measure vetoed by Russia and China earlier this month would have been the first legally binding resolution against Syria since Assad's forces began attacking civilian protesters in mid-March. The U.N. estimates the crackdown has killed at least 3,000 people.

The U.S. and European countries have strongly criticized the veto. Russia defended its stance by saying the Western-backed resolution would have opened the door to possible military action.

President Dmitry Medvedev and other Russian leaders have strongly warned the West against emulating Libya's experience in Syria. Medvedev said Russia backs international demands that the Syrian government end violence against civilians, but also believes that the opposition must disavow "extremists."

"Since the first days of the crisis we have been in constant contact with the Russian government," Assad said in the interview. "We were telling our Russian friends in detail about how the situation was developing. Russia was aware of the danger of military or political intervention into Syria's domestic affairs, so it played an important role on the international stage, including the use of a veto at the U.N. Security Council."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111030/ap_on_re_eu/syria_diplomacy

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Iowa up for grabs 2 months before GOP caucuses (The Arizona Republic)

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Celebrity Babies 2011

Polygamist reality stars Kody and Robyn Brown welcome a baby boy! Plus, see more stars who welcomed new bundles of joy

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/celebrity-babies-2011/1-b-16266

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The Guardian: HP shutdown of webOS division said to be 'imminent'

Could the writing have already been on the wall for webOS when former VP of worldwide developer relations Richard Kerris left HP for Nokia this week? While nothing is yet confirmed, The Guardian is now reporting that HP will indeed finally shut down its webOS division, which could affect up to 500 jobs (either through reassignment or layoffs -- we've previously heard that some layoffs had already begun). That word comes from some unnamed internal HP sources, who reportedly expect an "imminent closure," with one employee adding that "there's a 95% chance we all get laid off between now and November." For its part, HP remained noticeably mum on any news about webOS when it announced that it would hang onto its PC business this week, and its decision to use Windows 8 on tablets certainly didn't do much to inspire the webOS faithful.

The Guardian: HP shutdown of webOS division said to be 'imminent' originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/28/the-guardian-hp-shutdown-of-webos-division-said-to-be-imminent/

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China defines terrorism to win global support

BEIJING (AP) ? China's legislature authorized new guidelines Saturday to define and combat terrorism, inching closer to international practices as the nation grapples with a sporadically violent rebellion in Central Asian border lands.

The resolution clearly sets China's legal definition of terrorism and the steps for formally declaring groups and individuals terrorists and for freezing their assets. The measure should help law enforcement prosecute terrorists differently from other criminals and to promote international cooperation on terrorism, said Li Shouwei, a criminal law expert for the legislature.

"Our country faces a real threat from terrorist activities, and the long-term, complex and sharp counterterrorism struggle is increasingly prominent," Li told reporters after the legislative session.

Separatist sentiment among Uighurs, a Turkic and traditionally Muslim ethnic group, in China's western Xinjiang region has occasionally erupted in riots, bombings and other acts of violence. Despite pouring in billions of dollars in investment and the migration of millions of Han Chinese into the largely poor, remote territory, China has been unable to squelch the violence. A raid on a police station and an arson-stabbing attack took place in July.

Many attacks seem unsophisticated and directed against symbols of Chinese government power, like court houses or troop barracks. The government and some security experts say that the violence is becoming more indiscriminate and is being carried out by militants trained and based across the border in Pakistan and with possible links to other radical Islamic groups.

"Increasingly the Chinese government has realized it must work with international partners to fight the existing terrorist threat to China," said Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.

While Beijing has sought for much of the past decade to link the situation in Xinjiang with the broader U.S.-led efforts to fight jihadist groups, Chinese methods have often undercut its quest for wider support. Instead of prosecuting Uighurs as terrorists, authorities have preferred to accuse them of "endangering national security," charges frequently used against political dissidents.

Beijing has also restricted the practice of Islam and bandied the terrorist label against the Dalai Lama and supporters of the Tibetan Buddhist leader who oppose Chinese rule.

In a measure of its uneasiness with Beijing, the U.S. government refused to turn over Uighurs captured in Afghanistan and interned at Guantanamo Bay, though it repatriated the captured nationals of many other countries.

Pakistan, which abuts Xinjiang and is a long-term ally of China, generally assists Beijing in trying to clamp down on militant Uighur separatists. But the most radical groups, the Turkistan Islamic Party and its East Turkistan Islamic Movement offshoot, operate in Pakistan's tribal areas where Islamabad is unable or unwilling to act.

Gunaratna, the terrorism expert, said Beijing realizes it needs intelligence from Gulf coast countries, Germany and others to better deal with the Uighur threat.

The terrorism resolution is intended to bridge gaps between China and other countries. It defines terrorism as an act whose "goal is to create terror in society, harm public security or threaten national institutions and international organizations and by using violence, sabotage, intimidation and other methods to cause or intend to cause human casualties, great loss to property, harm to public infrastructure, chaos to the social order and other severe social damage."

Li, the criminal law expert, said the definition roughly aligned with those of other countries. Agencies involved in counterterrorism will apply that definition to determine which groups or individuals should be placed on terrorist lists, and once listed the government will freeze their assets, according to the resolution.

More importantly, Li said, the resolution helps to make sure that terrorists are charged as such and not with other crimes ? an apparent reference to the prevailing practice of using state security charges instead of terrorism.

"By defining terrorist activities more clearly in regulations, it makes it easier to distinguish in practice terrorist crimes from other crimes," Li told reporters.

The measure itself is unlikely to end all differences. A host of government agencies, Communist Party bodies and the military are involved in counterterrorism and Xinjiang. Li suggested that differences among competing bodies meant that "the time is not mature for enacting a full counterterrorism law."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-10-29-AS-China-Terrorism/id-48234feb11b04e928f6954ae91d6130b

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Poorer countries, those spending less on health care have more strokes, deaths

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) ? Poorer countries and those that spend proportionately less money on health care have more stroke and stroke deaths than wealthier nations and those that allocate more to health care, according to new research in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Poorer countries also had a greater incidence of hemorrhagic stroke -- caused by a burst blood vessel bleeding in or near the brain -- and had more frequent onset at younger ages.

Regardless of overall wealth, countries that spend less money proportionately on health care also had higher incidences of all four outcomes.

"Not only is the economic wellness of a country important, but also significant is what proportion of their gross domestic product is expended on health," said Luciano A. Sposato, M.D., M.B.A., study lead author and director of the neurology department at the Vascular Research Institute at INECO Foundation in Buenos Aires, Argentina. "This is very important for developing healthcare strategies to prevent stroke and other cardiovascular diseases."

In the large-scale literature review, researchers took a unique approach to identify stroke risk by correlating it to nationwide socioeconomic status.

Previous research tended to focus on the link between stroke and individual or family financial standing, said Sposato, also director of the Stroke Center at the Institute of Neurosciences, University Hospital Favaloro Foundation.

The study linked lower gross domestic product to:

• 32 percent higher risk of strokes;
• 43 percent increase of post-stroke deaths at 30 days;
• 43 percent increase in hemorrhagic stroke; and
• 47 percent higher incidence of younger-age-onset stroke.

Similarly, a lower percentage of health spending correlated to a comparable increase in the 30-day death rate and:

• 26 percent higher risk of strokes;
• 45 percent increase of post-stroke deaths at 30 days;
• 32 percent increase in hemorrhagic stroke;
• 36 percent higher incidence of younger-age-onset stroke.

Investigators analyzed 30 population-based studies conducted between 1998 and 2008 in 22 countries. They used statistical methods to link stroke risk, 30-day death rate, hemorrhagic stroke incidence and age at disease onset to three internationally accepted economic indicators. The indicators included gross domestic product, health expenditure per capita and unemployment rate. Unlike the other two indicators, unemployment rate didn't affect stroke or other outcomes.

"It is important to further discuss the health priorities for different countries," said Gustavo Saposnik, M.D., M.Sc., study co-author and director of stroke outcomes research at St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Canada. "This will provide the necessary background to help countries make the changes in how different resources and money are allocated."

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and a major cause of long-term disability. Worldwide, stroke is the second leading killer.

Dr. Sposato's participation was funded in part by the INECO Foundation.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Heart Association.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Luciano A. Sposato, Gustavo Saposnik. Gross Domestic Product and Health Expenditure Associated With Incidence, 30-Day Fatality, and Age at Stroke Onset: A Systematic Review. Stroke, 2011; DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.111.632158

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/8i1h1r3fel8/111027163109.htm

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Real Estate Investing | Rai Chertkoff Real Estate Guides

Article by Naveed_Imran

Real estate investing is not in any list of school choice. You can not get a degree accredited in the real estate investment. You will not find in high school or college guidance of a consultant, WHO recommends a career in real estate investment (in the case of guidance Counselor understand real estate investments, he or she probably will not be a leadership consultant!)In the system of public schools and educational programs in the United States is only a weak attempt to prepare students to simply ?get a job.? Unfortunately, there is no class in ?Making Money 101.? You do not have the opportunity to take in the class ?How to become financially independent.? The teacher had never taught a class in ?How to succeed if others can not.? I never knew anything about succeeding as an entrepreneur or becoming wealthy during my 10 years in the university classroom. I just became a multi-millionaire when I learned the skills of real estate investments, and I paid out of pocket and out of the classroom for learning. I learned these skills in OLE University hard blows through trial and error.

Never disparage the cost of training. There is no free lunch. You need to get this know-how, outside of class, as well as learn how to make money will cost you. But if you think spending on education is expensive, you should calculate the cost of ignorance!Nevertheless, learning real estate investment will not cost you in the arm and leg. Yes, I know real estate investing TV infomercials and the real estate investing seminars held around the country charge big bucks for those 3 day seminars and week-long camp. But this is pocket change compared to the cost they want to collect from you later. Catch this fact: all real estate investing infomercials and seminars target you as a candidate for the ?Real Estate investing coaching.? That?s where they charge you up to $ 25,000 and more than $ 50,000 a year for ?coaching.? And often you have assigned to some kid ?still wet for the ears? to call you every week or month to hold your hand and whisper in your ear what common sense and persistent drive should already tell you! I am not exaggerating the real estate investing educational system, because I know that inside and outside. I personally know many of the so-called ?gurus.? I was close to him for 25 years. My opinion is that the charges are excessive, because the promoters have found deep pockets in the market.When I began real estate investing career many years ago, real estate investing TV infomercials known real estate investment seminars and have been extremely rare. Then Mark Haroldsen followed a trend started in Al Lowry and Nick Nickerson holding occasional real estate investing seminars across the country. Later Robert Allen expanded the industry. Robert Allen promoted real estate investing conventions in major U.S. cities; he found a market for costly real estate investing information packages with tapes and note books. Potential real estate investments today aspirants who want more than an inadequate salary from employment in Dullsville often conclude that they must ?pay through the nose for real estate investing know-how.

However, a diligent search of those wanna-bees often finds that this education in real estate investing more readily available from other sources than they previously imagined.

Real estate investment is probably one of the most easily learned skills never taught in school. Real estate investment is probably one of the most prolific careers on the planet Earth. Of the families who now live in houses instead of caves, houses, you can fix it everywhere. And probably nothing contributes to upgrading deplorable housing conditions across America comparable to real estate investment to repair the properties.The entrepreneur-minded aspirant who discovers the real estate investing industry often catches a vision of life for their work. Books and online courses offer an alternative to expensive seminars and coaching.

Related posts:

1. Real Estate Investing Mistakes To Avoid
2. Real Estate Investment ? Benefits of Investing in Real Estate.
3. Investing In Luxury Real Estate Dubai Villa
4. Marketing To Real Estate Agents And Realtors

Posted in Real Estate Investing | Comments Off
Tags: Estate, Investing, Real

Source: http://www.rai-chertkoff.com/2011/10/26/real-estate-investing/

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IBM taps Rometty to succeed Palmisano as CEO (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? IBM global sales chief Virginia Rometty will take over as CEO from Sam Palmisano in January, becoming one of the most powerful women in business and technology today.

In taking the helm of the storied industry icon, she makes it the largest U.S. corporation by value to be headed by a woman.

IBM, which over the decades had a reputation of being a strait-laced, plodding, male-dominated business empire, will formally appoint the 54-year-old engineering and computer science graduate its first female CEO on January 1.

The selection went down well with Silicon Valley and Wall Street, especially because the 60-year-old Palmisano -- who helped transform Big Blue from a computer hardware company into a global services and software behemoth -- is staying on as chairman.

"Given Ginni's experience running the largest portion of the business by revenue, she was a logical choice," said Macquarie Securities analyst Brad Zelnick.

Her ascension will set up a rivalry with Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman for the mantle of most powerful woman in technology, mirroring a long-running rivalry between the two companies.

Rometty joins a relatively small circle of top female CEOs, including Whitman, Pepsico's Indra Nooyi, Xerox's Ursula Burns, Kraft Foods' Irene Rosenfeld and DuPont's Ellen Kullman.

Rometty -- who most recently served as senior vice president of global sales -- made her mark with the smooth 2002 integration of PriceWaterhouseCooper's consulting arm, a landmark move that catapulted IBM into the upper echelons of the technology consulting business.

Colleagues say that Rometty, often clad in elegant pastel-colored suits, cut a striking figure in IBM's staid hallways and impressed co-workers with both her cool-headedness and enthusiasm.

"She exudes energy," said Nelson Fraiman, professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.

Fraiman, who has known the computer science and electrical engineering graduate from Northwestern for about a decade, said she was a good strategist and an early advocate for IBM's expansion into business analytics, or tools and services that help companies quickly analyze trends.

"She thinks in a very analytical way. That's part of her engineering training," he said.

One former IBM executive said Rometty -- who sometimes carries a backpack rather than a briefcase -- worked long hours and demanded that her subordinates do the same.

"People who work for her just don't sleep," said the source. "She has a style that is very different from anybody else's, but is all her own."

THE TRANSFORMATION

In nine years as IBM's leader, Palmisano exited low-margin businesses including PCs, printers and hard drives. He expanded the company's offerings in services, consulting and software.

Since the former history major took the reins, Big Blue's stock has outperformed HP's and matched Oracle's, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Wall Street appeared to approve of the choice of Rometty, and some analysts said that Palmisano had put in place a structure that would ease the way for anyone to follow in his footsteps.

Sources told Reuters in 2010 that Rometty had rebuffed advances from arch-rival HP, which was then looking to replace the ousted Mark Hurd, to stay at the company where she was seen as a rising star.

"She has done well at IBM. She has contributed to their expansion overseas -- emerging markets -- and has done a fantastic job in that space," said Morningstar analyst Sunit Gogia. "All the public knowledge about her performance is very encouraging."

But "computing is an industry that is always evolving," Gogia said. "It's moving into an era of cloud computing. The company will have to reinvent itself for the future, stay with the times and maintain the revenue base when they do that."

Shares in IBM slipped about a dollar from their $180.36 close following the announcement.

(Additional reporting by Jennifer Saba and Liana Baker in New York and Bill Rigby in Seattle; Editing by Robert MacMillan, Gary Hill)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/enterprise/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111025/bs_nm/us_ibm

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Nintendo Reports US$923 Million Loss In The First Half Of This Fiscal Year

Not too long ago, Nintendo was printing money every month after landing two hardware smash hits in a row, the Wii and the DS. But these times are now over, it seems. The company posted their financial report [PDF] for the first six months of their fiscal year (which ends in March 2012) today, and it has registered a loss of US$923 million. To put things into perspective, the minus for the same time frame in last fiscal was just US$26 million, but the number is at least better than the US$1.3 billion The Nikkei yesterday predicted for Nintendo's earnings call. Revenue dropped by 41% to US$2.83 billion.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/AoXG45WaQ1w/

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Fleury posts 20th shutout in Pens' win over Isles (AP)

UNIONDALE, N.Y. ? Everyone in black and gold raved about the play of Marc-Andre Fleury ? everyone except for the humble Pittsburgh Penguins goalie.

Fleury sheepishly smiled every time he was asked about how he turned away the New York Islanders over and over and led the Penguins to a 3-0 victory Tuesday night for his 20th NHL shutout.

"There was some pretty good ones," Fleury said of his 33 saves, "but that's just part of being a goalie. It doesn't matter if they are simple or hard, you've just got to try to get out there and make the save and keep your team in the game. I know some other times they save (you)."

Pascal Dupuis, Richard Park and Jordan Staal scored for the Penguins, who won their fourth straight and sent the Islanders to their third consecutive loss after three wins in a row.

The teams will meet again Thursday in Pittsburgh.

"We were very fortunate to come out of that game with two points," Park said of the Penguins, who had 29 shots. "We're going to have to go home and regroup. Flower played a phenomenal game and definitely kept us in it until we found our game."

Star center Evgeni Malkin returned to the Penguins' depleted lineup after missing five games because of his sore right knee, but Pittsburgh didn't need any offense from him to win this one.

Staal sealed the victory with his sixth goal, scoring into an empty net off an assist from Dupuis, with 2 minutes left.

Malkin sat out seven of the previous eight games, and the Penguins hardly missed him. Pittsburgh is 7-2-2 through an NHL-high 11 games.

"His presence alone, I know for a fact, changes the game plan on the other side," Park said. "He's such a dominant player that even if he isn't on the score sheet he has a very big impact. Tonight was no different."

The Penguins were also without captain Sidney Crosby (concussion), fellow forward Tyler Kennedy (concussion) and defensemen Zbynek Michalek (broken finger) and Brian Strait (hyperextended elbow), but didn't miss a beat.

The Islanders were the better team in the first period, but trailed 1-0 after 20 minutes despite holding a 13-7 edge in shots.

Dupuis nearly got a puck past Evgeni Nabokov late in the period when his shot trickled behind the Islanders goalie, but it was swept out of harm's way. Dupuis had another chance moments later and cashed in.

Brooks Orpik sent a lead pass that Dupuis corralled with a long reach of his stick and carried in alone on Nabokov, beating him with 2:54 left in the first.

Park, a former Islanders forward, pushed the lead to 2-0 at 21 seconds of the middle period. Arron Asham forced a turnover just inside the New York end, and Park grabbed the puck. He made a shifty move around defenseman Steve Staios and fired a shot that bounded in off Nabokov's left shoulder.

Nabokov started for the third time in four games, and this time was backed up by Rick DiPietro, who has recovered from a concussion sustained in practice on Oct. 12 when a shot struck his mask.

New York returned home after losing both games of a Florida road trip.

Fleury shined on this night. His best moments came in the closing seconds of the first period when he turned aside in-close drives by John Tavares and P.A. Parenteau in succession.

"We've got to be better at some of the little things," Tavares said. "We had a lot of chances."

Although the Islanders trailed only 2-0 in the second period, the deficit had the feeling of being much greater. There was very little juice in the announced crowd of 10,681, who might have been looking forward to more fighting fireworks like those these teams provided last season.

It was nowhere remotely close to the record-setting mayhem from February when the clubs combined for 65 penalties, 346 penalty minutes, 10 ejections, 15 fighting majors and 20 misconducts in the Islanders' lopsided victory.

"Extremely normal hockey game," said Pittsburgh's Dan Bylsma, who coached his 200th NHL game. "The Islanders played a good game. Our goaltender probably had to be the best player on the ice to keep it from being more tilted in their favor."

NOTES: The Penguins are 20-4-2 against New York in the last 26 meetings. Fleury is 9-0-2 in that span. ... The Islanders (3-4), shut out for the second time this season, have been outscored 11-3 in their skid. ... There were only five penalties called, including a double high-sticking against Marty Reasoner in the third period. ... Nabokov was 8-1 against the Penguins with a 1.62 goals-against average in nine previous games.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111026/ap_on_sp_ho_ga_su/hkn_penguins_islanders

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Timberlake: I stole a golf cart with Ryan Gosling

Who knew Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling used to be partners in crime?

"In Time's" Timberlake, 30, recently stopped by "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," where he reminisced about his days on "The Mickey Mouse Club" with former costar Gosling, 30.

PHOTOS: Ryan Gosling through the years

"We used to do terrible things. We thought we were so cool," Timberlake recalled. "Looking back on them, they weren't as bad as I thought they were at the time. We stole a golf cart. And we were like, 'Yeah, man. We're stealing a golf cart!'"

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"We drove into MGM Studios, which is totally illegal by the way," he added. "I was like, 'What do you want to do thug? And Ryan was like, 'I don't know, cuz...because that's definitely how we talked."

PHOTOS: Justin's many women

All kidding aside, the future A-listers bonded after Timberlake's mother, Lynn Harless, became Gosling's legal guardian for six months. "His mother had to keep her job in Canada the second year that we were on the television show," Timberlake explained. "We were probably a little closer than the rest of the kids that were on the show just because we had to share a bathroom."

PHOTOS: Justin's style evolution

Though Timberlake said it's been "hard to keep up with" Gosling since their "MMC" days, he thinks Gosling has become an "unbelievable" leading man. "I think one of the best actors of our generation."

Timberlake's apperance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" airs Thursday.

Copyright 2011 Us Weekly

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45040259/ns/today-entertainment/

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Steve Jobs and Apple skewered on New York stage (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? In a sold-out theater in downtown Manhattan, two miles from where anti-Wall Street demonstrators are daily using iPhones, iPads and other devices to mobilize their forces, a performance artist named Mike Daisey is mounting a subversive attack on Apple Inc.

Sitting at a stainless steel table set with nothing but a glass of water, the actor slyly describes his geeky devotion to the perfectionist designs and operating systems of the House of Macintosh and its progenitor, Steve Jobs.

Before long, however, Daisey is recounting a trip he took to China to investigate the heavily guarded massive factories where the screens and other parts for countless Apple, Dell, Nokia, Samsung and other manufacturers' products are made.

He meets underage workers, some as young as 12, who describe 12-hour, 14-hour and even 34-hour shifts and dormitory "cubes" stocked sardine-can style with 13 beds. He shows his iPhone to workers with crippled hands, and describes an "epidemic of suicides" prompting Foxconn International Holdings, which he says manufactures more than 50 percent of the world's electronic device parts, to install nets around its massive factories in China. (It's "Foxconn's version of corporate responsibility," he says.)

The show, "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs," oscillates between Daisey's China experiences, including his misadventures posing as a prospective purchaser of both bootleg iPhones and Chinese companies, and his gradual disillusionment with his onetime hero, Jobs.

"I started to think," Daisey says, "and that's dangerous for any religion."

KNIFING THE BABY

He depicts Jobs, whom he never met, as an obsessive who divided his employees into either geniuses or bozos, who hooked the public on beautiful devices that he declared obsolete with each new product iteration ("the master of the forced upgrade," an enemy of nostalgia who was "never afraid to knife the baby") and who put business ahead of ethics.

"He knew these things," Daisey said of the China supply chain, "and he decided not to act."

Daisey is framed onstage by a rectangular structure flashing intermittently with LED-like illuminations to indicate chaos or order. When the stage lights are brightest, however, the frame is empty, opening on a bare view of brick wall and window - a metaphor, perhaps, for the void Daisey sees at the center of the consumer economy or for marketing creating an insatiable craving for new technology. "Steve Jobs," Daisey marvels, was "so good at making us need things we didn't know we needed."

The show opened in New York last week, days after Jobs's death following a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Daisey says Jobs had heard about earlier versions of the show from audience members and occasionally responded with the email: "Mike doesn't appreciate the complexity of the situation."

Recalling his own years basking in the nighttime glow of a Mac PowerBook, inhaling the burned PVC incense of a new device firing up and coddling iPod parts in their perfect packaging, Daisey asks: "Do we just see what we want to see?"

DEAR MR COOK

The actor has no illusions that people will give up on electronic devices but as the audience files out of the show, ushers distribute his one-page suggestion of "concrete steps" for what to do next.

Email Apple CEO Tim Cook (Daisey gives his address) with a "firm, polite, resolute" plea to hire independent outside auditors to verify factory conditions.

"Think different" about our need to upgrade to Apple's next amazing device. "If we weighed the human cost of each piece of technology we would become more stringent in our purchasing."

Evoking one of the show's wittiest scenes, in which Daisey despairs about mind-numbing communications tools such as Microsoft's PowerPoint that lets people in the same room avoid talking to each other, the monologist ends with this plea to spread his message about manufacturing in China.

"Talking about it, thinking about it when making purchasing decisions and understanding it is not just symbolic," he writes. "In a world of silence, speaking itself is action."

An Apple spokesman did not return calls for a comment.

(Reporting by Jed Horowitz; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111024/bs_nm/us_apple_daisey

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20% Flat Rate + Deductions + Private SS Accounts = Perry Plan (TIME)

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

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Hurricane Rina gaining strength on path to Cancun

This NOAA satellite image taken Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 at 12:00 AM EDT shows few clouds in the east as high pressure builds in the region. In the Caribbean, Hurricane Rina threatens the Yucatan Peninsula. (AP PHOTO/WEATHER UNDERGROUND)

This NOAA satellite image taken Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 at 12:00 AM EDT shows few clouds in the east as high pressure builds in the region. In the Caribbean, Hurricane Rina threatens the Yucatan Peninsula. (AP PHOTO/WEATHER UNDERGROUND)

CANCUN, Mexico (AP) ? Mexican authorities set up emergency shelters and cruise ships shifted course on Tuesday as Hurricane Rina strengthened off the Caribbean coast, following a projected track that has it whirling through Cancun and the resort-filled Mayan Riviera, Mexico's most popular tourist destination.

Rina's maximum sustained winds have increased to 110 mph (175 kph), said the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, making it a Category 2 storm. Forecasters predict it will strengthen as it nears the Mexican coast Wednesday night before rolling over the island of Cozumel, a popular dive spot and cruise-ship port, then along the coast to Cancun.

The area, dotted with Mayan ruins, also includes Playa del Carmen, another popular spot for international tourists.

Douglas Baird, 40, of Glasgow, Scotland, said he had been in Playa del Carmen for 11 days on a tour with 10 other people. He plans to stay for the five remaining days of his vacation.

"I'll go to the bar," he said about his plans for waiting out his first hurricane. "It won't be a problem."

Cancun Tourism Director Maximo Garcia said the city alone now has about 22,000 tourists even in the pre-holiday low season. Quintana Roo state, where Cancun is located, has some 83,000 hotel rooms, most in the Mayan Riviera-Cancun area.

Garcia said authorities had asked hotel managers to warn tourists of the hurricane.

But Wendy Powers, a 49-year-old from Louisiana who was taking a stroll at a shopping mall with two other friends, said she hadn't heard anything about the storm until a reporter told her about it. Still, she said she wasn't worried.

"We had Katrina and we survived it," Powers said. "If the one coming here is a category 1 or 2, we could have a beach party."

Laura Valles, a receptionist at the Hotel Jashita in coastal Tulum, said four of its 15 guests moved inland to hotels at the archaeological site of Chichen Itza, some 90 miles (150 kilometers) west, and others were still deciding what to do.

"We are letting those with a reservation know they will have to change their dates," Valles said.

Yassir Espinoza, a clerk at the small Plaza Azul hotel in Cozumel, said tourists were being warned of the impending storm.

"We told them if there is a hurricane there won't be any electricity or water for at least three days," she said.

In Cancun's hotel zone, a string of pickup trucks hauled small boats and jet skis away from marinas, while workers at shopping malls began boarding up windows.

At least eight cruise ships were changing itineraries away from the storm's path, said Carnival Cruise Lines spokesman Vance Gulliksen.

Three cruise ships from the company Norwegian and one from Royal Caribbean have canceled their Friday port of call in the area, said Hiram Toledo, Quintana Roo port administrator.

The area was badly damaged by Hurricane Wilma in 2005, when Cancun's famous white-sand beaches were largely washed away. Insurance officials estimated total damage at $3 billion.

State officials said they were readying more than 1,100 shelters that could handle nearly 200,000 people, though so far there was no word of any planned evacuations.

The hurricane was centered about 275 miles (440 kilometers) southeast of Cozumel Tuesday afternoon and was moving west-northwest at near 3 mph (6 kph), the Hurricane Center said.

Forecasters said Rina was likely to strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of about 115 mph (185 kph) by night.

The forecast track shows it curving east toward Cuba by the weekend, but senior hurricane specialist Michael Brennan at the hurricane center said it could also move toward southern Florida.

The center said the storm could produce as much as 16 inches (40 centimeters) of rain over at least parts of the eastern Yucatan Peninsula while raising water levels by as much as 5 to 7 feet (about a meter) in places.

The rainfall particularly worries authorities in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco, where about 300,000 people are still flooded following eight days of heavy rains.

In Central America, which was affected earlier by Rina's outer bands, fishermen on Monday found a Nicaraguan navy boat that had gone missing with 29 people aboard. It had been used to evacuate an island.

___

Associated Press writers Adriana Gomez Licon and Olga R. Rodriguez in Mexico City contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-10-25-Tropical%20Weather/id-3bc62da91b0f41529b2e1f993caca6ed

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Believing Is Seeing: Observations on the Mysteries of Photography

Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris explores the nature of truth in photographs.

By Tess Taylor for The Barnes & Noble Review

Skip to next paragraph

At the beginning of Believing is Seeing, an eye-opening book about how images come to have meaning, MacArthur-winning filmmaker Errol Morris reveals that he's got a strabismus, a condition that misaligns his sight. Two eye-images that normally resolve into one unified field of vision are always, for him, slightly separate. For Morris, who literally sees "both ways," sight is never simple. He uses his condition as a jumping-off point for a nuanced exploration of how photographs ? especially those we most entrust with showing us truths ? simultaneously reveal and conceal. Commenting on now-iconic photographs of soldiers and torture victims at Abu Ghraib, The New Yorker's Seymour Hersh wrote, "the photographs tell it all." But what, asks Morris, are the "it" and the "all"? How is the telling done?

Those who have had the luck to fall under the spell of Errol Morris's films already know what sidelong worlds he documents. Gates of Heaven, a classic from the late 1970s, takes on the subject of pet cemeteries, exploring the odd business of interring our beloved furry dead through the experience of a family who not only runs a pet cemetery but also buries its deceased pets there. The Thin Blue Line, a study in the fragility of human justice, re-enacts a Texas murder case that led to the wrong man spending 12 years in jail. And in the recent The Fog of War, Morris talks to Robert McNamara about the decisions he made as Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War. The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2003.

In each film, Morris displays his genius for allowing people to reveal themselves in haunting and muddy complexity. Something as seemingly kooky as watching a family-run pet-burial business turns into a profound meditation on the human search for meaning. Morris manages to take people's banalities, pedantries, and prejudices, and turn them into art. And he does so with a master's touch: Just at the very moment I think I might be bored I find, to my surprise, that I'm actually utterly fascinated.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/dvpipRJ_Bts/Believing-Is-Seeing-Observations-on-the-Mysteries-of-Photography

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Snake stores sperm for five years before giving birth

FAMILY planning campaigners looking for a mascot should consider the eastern diamond-backed rattlesnake. A female of the species can store sperm in her body for at least five years before using it.

The rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus) in question was collected in Florida in 2005 and kept in a private collection for five years, with no contact with other snakes. In late 2010, she unexpectedly gave birth to 19 snakelets. To find out what had happened, Warren Booth of North Carolina State University in Raleigh took samples of DNA from the mother and her young.

Booth studies "virgin birth", in which a female produces young without any contribution from a male. But in this case the snakelets carried genes that their mother didn't, so she must have mated before she was captured and stored the sperm (Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2011.01782.x).

Previous studies have hinted that reptiles can store sperm for several years, but this is the first case confirmed by genetics. Booth suspects other reptiles can store sperm even longer. "How long is anyone's guess," he says.

It's becoming clear that snakes have unconventional ways of reproducing, including virgin birth and long-term sperm storage, says William Holt of the Institute of Zoology in London, though so far no one knows how they do it.

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

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AP Source: Big 12 approves WVU to replace Missouri (AP)

The Big 12 has approved bringing in West Virginia to replace Missouri when the Tigers complete their move to the Southeastern Conference, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because neither the school nor the Big 12 had announced that its board of directors unanimously approved inviting West Virginia when Missouri's spot comes open.

The move would allow the Big 12 to maintain 10 members and is another blow to the embattled Big East, which already has lost two members and one member-to-be in the last six weeks.

The Big East is trying to reconfigure as a 12-team football league and has been courting Boise State, Navy and Air Force as football-only members and Central Florida, SMU and Houston for all sports. Commissioner John Marinatto met with officials from some of those schools Sunday in Washington.

Since there is no timetable for Missouri to complete its expected departure from the Big 12 ? and the league's board of directors announced that it expressed "a strong desire" for Missouri to stay during a Monday meeting ? there is no timetable for West Virginia to receive a formal invitation, the person said.

But the school will accept an invitation once it is offered, the person said.

Big 12 Commissioner Chuck Neinas has already said he expects Missouri to compete in the Big 12 in 2012, but all signs indicate Missouri is leaving and now the conference is prepared for that.

On Friday, the Missouri Board of Curators gave Chancellor Brady Deaton the authority to move the school out of the Big 12. The school has been considering a move to the SEC, where it would become that conference's 14th member and join Texas A&M, which made its move from the Big 12 official earlier this month.

The SEC has not publicly acknowledged interest in Missouri and Commissioner Mike Slive has said his conference was making plans to have 13 members next season, but there are scheduling problems ? especially in football ? that come with that number.

West Virginia has been the Big East's most successful football program since the league lost Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College to the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004 and '05. The Mountaineers have been to a bowl game every season since and won two BCS games.

Without West Virginia, only one of the original eight schools that made up the Big East's football conference when it began in 1991 will remain: Rutgers.

Last month, Pittsburgh and Syracuse announced they were leaving the Big East for the ACC, and earlier this month TCU reneged on its plans to join the Big East in 2012 to instead go to the Big 12.

Marinatto has said he plans to make Pitt and Syracuse abide by the league's bylaws and stay in the Big East for the next two years. The Big East's 27-month notification will likely be a hurdle for West Virginia to clear on its way to the Big 12.

TCU only must pay the league's $5 million exit fee.

The Big East presidents voted last week to double that fee to $10 million if the league added either Navy or Air Force, but the conference has not formally invited any new members yet.

It's unclear how the loss of West Virginia will affect the Big East's expansion plans. The Big East made protecting its status as a BCS automatic qualifying conference its expansion priority, and adding Boise State's high successful football program to the conference with West Virginia had league officials optimistic.

Boise State President Bob Kustra has said that getting into conference with an automatic bid to the BCS was one of his top priorities, but the stability of the Big East was a concern. Boise State is in its first season in the Mountain West Conference. Air Force also plays in the MWC. Navy is an independent in football.

To replace West Virginia, the Big East could turn to Temple, which was also being considered before the conference decided to try to add the two Texas schools from Conference USA.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111025/ap_on_sp_co_ne/fbc_west_virginia_big12

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Obama offers mortgage relief on Western trip

President Barack Obama gestures while speaking at a fundraiser at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Monday, Oct. 24, 2011. Obama is on a three-day trip to the West Coast. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Barack Obama gestures while speaking at a fundraiser at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Monday, Oct. 24, 2011. Obama is on a three-day trip to the West Coast. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Barack Obama greets after exiting Air Force One after arriving at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas Monday, Oct. 24, 2011. (AP Photo/John Gurzinski)

President Barack Obama waves as he boards Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Monday, Oct. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

President Barack Obama waves as he boards Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Monday, Oct. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

LAS VEGAS (AP) ? President Barack Obama offered mortgage relief on Monday to hundreds of thousands of Americans, his latest attempt to ease the economic and political fallout of a housing crisis that has bedeviled him as he seeks a second term.

"I'm here to say that we can't wait for an increasingly dysfunctional Congress to do its job," the president declared outside a family home in Las Vegas, the epicenter of foreclosures and joblessness. "Where they won't act, I will."

Making a case for his policies and a new effort to circumvent roadblocks put up by Republican lawmakers, Obama also laid out a theme for his re-election, saying that there's "no excuse for all the games and the gridlock that we've been seeing in Washington."

"People out here don't have a lot of time or a lot of patience for some of that nonsense that's been going on in Washington," he said.

The new rules for federally guaranteed loans represent a recognition that measures the administration has taken so far on housing have not worked as well as expected.

His jobs bill struggling in Congress, Obama tried a new catchphrase ? "We can't wait" ? to highlight his administrative initiatives and to shift blame to congressional Republicans for lack of action to boost employment and stimulate an economic recovery.

Later in the week, Obama plans to announce measures to make it easier for college graduates to pay back federal loans. Such executive action allows Obama to address economic ills and other domestic challenges in spite of Republican opposition to most of his proposals.

While Obama has proposed prodding the economy with payroll tax cuts and increased spending on public works and aid to states, he has yet to offer a wholesale overhaul of the nation's housing programs. Economists point to the burst housing bubble as the main culprit behind the 2008 financial crisis. Meanwhile, the combination of unemployment, depressed wages and mortgages that exceed house values has continued to put a strain on the economy.

While the White House tried to avoid predicting how many homeowners would benefit from the revamped refinancing program, the Federal Housing Finance Administration estimated an additional 1 million people would qualify. Moody's Analytics say the figure could be as high as 1.6 million.

Under Obama's proposal, homeowners who are still current on their mortgages would be able to refinance no matter how much their home value has dropped below what they still owe.

"Now, over the past two years, we've already taken some steps to help folks refinance their mortgages," Obama said, listing a series of measures. "But we can do more."

At the same time, Obama acknowledged that his latest proposal will not do all that's not needed to get the housing market back on its feet. "Given the magnitude of the housing bubble, and the huge inventory of unsold homes in places like Nevada, it will take time to solve these challenges," he said.

In spelling out the plan to homeowners in a diverse, working-class Las Vegas neighborhood, Obama chose a state that provides the starkest example of the toll the housing crisis has exacted from Americans. One in every 118 homes in the state of Nevada received a foreclosure notice in September, the highest ratio in the country, according to the foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac.

Presidential spokesman Jay Carney criticized Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for proposing last week while in Las Vegas that the government not interfere with foreclosures. "Don't try to stop the foreclosure process," Romney told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "Let it run its course and hit the bottom."

"That is not a solution," Carney told reporters on Air Force One. He said Romney would tell homeowners, "'You're on your own, tough luck.'"

The president also was using his visit to Las Vegas to promote a $15 billion neighborhood revitalization plan contained in his current jobs proposal that would help redevelop abandoned and foreclosed properties and stabilize affected neighborhoods.

The Nevada stop was the first leg of a three-day tour of Western states, blending his pitch for boosting the economy with an aggressive hunt for campaign cash.

From Nevada, Obama will head for the glamor of Hollywood and the homes of movie stars Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas and producer James Lassiter for some high-dollar fundraising. On Tuesday, he will tape an appearance on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno. He will also raise money in San Francisco and in Denver.

Before the president addressed his mortgage refinancing plan, he attended a fundraiser at the luxurious Bellagio hotel, offering a sharp contrast between well-to-do who are fueling his campaign and the struggling homeowners hoping to benefit from his policies.

The mortgage assistance plan by the Federal Housing Finance Administration will help borrowers with little or no equity in their homes, many of whom are stuck with 6 or 7 percent mortgage rates, to seek refinancing and take advantage of lower rates. The FHFA plans to remove caps that had allowed homeowners to refinance only if they owed up to 25 percent more than their homes are worth.

The refinancing program is being extended until the end of 2013. It was originally scheduled to end in June 2012.

The administration's incremental steps to help homeowners have prompted even the president's allies to demand more aggressive action.

Rep. Dennis Cardoza, a moderate Democrat from California, gave voice to Democratic frustration on the housing front last week when he announced his decision not to seek re-election, blaming the Obama administration directly for not addressing the crisis.

"I am dismayed by the administration's failure to understand and effectively address the current housing foreclosure crisis," Cardoza said in a statement that drew widespread attention. "Home foreclosures are destroying communities and crushing our economy, and the administration's inaction is infuriating."

Obama's new "We can't wait" slogan is his latest in a string of stump-speech refrains he hopes will pressure Republicans who oppose his $447 billion jobs package. He initially exhorted Congress to "Pass this bill!" then demanded "I want it back," all in the face of unanimous Republican opposition in the Senate, though even some Democrats were unhappy with the plan.

Obama has now agreed to break the proposal into its component parts and seek congressional approval one measure at a time. The overall proposal would increase taxes on millionaires, lower payroll taxes on workers and businesses for a year, pay for bridge, road and school construction projects, and help states and local governments retain teachers and emergency workers.

The proposals with the best chance of passage are the payroll tax cuts and extensions in jobless insurance to the long-term unemployed.

Countering Obama's criticism, GOP leaders say the sluggish economy and stubbornly high unemployment rate are the result of failed Obama administration policies.

"It's another day in the campaign life of President Obama, and he's bringing his re-election tour to Nevada, ground zero for the damaging effects of his failed economic policies," Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Monday.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-10-24-Obama/id-66a8448006b44154b7ce7878aa9232c1

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