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The last two Best Actresses winners are featured in the following Fashion Face-Off.
While neither Sandra Bullock nor Natalie Portman were up for any Academy Awards this time around, each beauty made an impact on the ceremony, with the former presenting Best Foreign Language Film by speaking in German; and the latter handing Meryl Streep the second-to-last trophy of the evening.
But forget all that. All that really matters is the fashion, right? Contrast Bullock's black-and-white ensemble with Portman's red gown and vote on your favorite now.
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If there is one thing kids love more than eating pizza, it?s being able to make it themselves using all their favorite toppings. Creating a ?make it yourself? pizza party is a great way to customize the meal while involving friends and family in a fun activity. Best of all, this crust recipe, which uses a surprise ingredient, is simple enough to make at home without making a mess of the kitchen.
The secret to this simple crust is the addition of potatoes. Idahoan brand flavored Mashed Potatoes were recently named the best-tasting instant mashed potato compared to major national competitors by the American Culinary ChefsBest.T Incorporating these convenient, 100 percent authentic Idaho potatoes in the crust adds moisture and rich flavor to this homemade version of one of America?s favorite foods.
The following recipe for Fresh Tomato and Zucchini Pizza uses fresh summer produce; however, when making pizza at home, each person can substitute his or her favorite toppings. With this versatile recipe, you can enjoy a delicious homemade meal that enables everyone to eat the pizza that they love.
Fresh Tomato
And Zucchini Pizza
Crust:
1/2 cup dry Idahoan Roasted Garlic flavored Mashed Potatoes
1 cup boiling water
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Topping:
3 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced and patted dry
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and ground pepper to taste
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons fresh shredded basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
Combine dry Idahoan Roasted Garlic flavored Mashed Potatoes with boiling water in a bowl, using a fork to moisten all potatoes. Let stand for one minute. Add flour, olive oil and salt to potato mixture. With hands, knead mixture until dough forms a ball. Let rest 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400? F. Press dough into 12-inch by 8-inch baking pan. Arrange zucchini slices and tomato slices over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake about 15 minutes. Top with mozzarella; bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese melts. Sprinkle with basil.
Yield: 4 main-dish servings or 6 appetizer servings
Should you wish for additional details on pos software there is plenty of details not covered in this post, take a look at Author?s website to uncover further details.
Source: http://monsterarticle.info/thrill-friends-and-family-with-a-make-it-yourself-pizza-party.html
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Creativity has always been a trait for real estate agents. It helps them when thinking of ways to bring prospective buyers to the homes they are selling. Traditionally, a couple of methods have always worked. Since there is a lot more technology available, there are many more faster and easier ways to reach prospective clients. Open minded real estate agents have begun to use a mix of new and traditional real estate marketing ideas to meet new clients and sell houses.
One of the latest trends in real estate marketing is email marketing. This method allows realtors to contact people they have met in the past as well as new with the same information. They can send newsletters filled with current market information and homes they are selling. Its an easy way to send out information and receive specific information as well. If a buyer sees something in that newsletter, its easy to send a reply back to the realtor.
Online surveys are also one of the newer real estate marketing ideas. When realtors have a website set up, they can ask the visitors to complete a survey. The survey can be a tool that gathers a number of different types of information. Clients can give feedback about the types of homes they are looking for, the serves they wish a realtor would provide or just feedback on the services of that specific realtor. Using an online survey can be useful in helping a realtor tailor their services to the buyers? needs.
A traditional marketing tool for a real estate agent is a website. An active website is one of the quickest ways a new prospective client can find an agent and make contact. it?s a way a realtor can give new information about property listings. Many people use the internet as a starting point for major purchases. Its an easier way to comparison shop, especially with homes. An agent that keeps their website updated will see more leads than an agent without one.
When a realtor gets a website established, its important to regularly update it. Adding new articles and content on a regular basis will keep the website from becoming stagnant in the internets? search engines. When writing articles, an agent should make sure the articles contain relevant search words. Good key words will help get prospects form the search engines? results pages to their website. Major search engines guide prospects to websites that are regularly updated with the best match for those keywords.
A tried and true method of real estate marketing is having an open house. Open houses always have a way of bringing serious buyers and the curious into a home. An open house allows the realtor to meet and greet those that are interested in the home. It also allows the buyers to walk through a home and ask specific questions of the realtor. Its an effective marketing idea because it a lets the buyers imagine living in that specific house.
One of the trendiest marketing strategies is the use of social media. Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn and other social media platforms are used by millions of people everyday. It can be used on the go or sitting in an office. It is also a tool that will spread news quickly to many people. It is a tool that works as effectively as word of mouth. Once a realtor has established a following or fan base, they can be recommended to others with the click of a button. Social media can be a digital business card.
With so many tools available, a real estate agent has many things to choose from for real estate marketing ideas. For agents that like technology, websites and social media are perfect for luring prospective clients. More traditional agents prefer to use flyers and open houses to meet buyers. A savvy agent can use a mixture of real estate marketing ideas to build their brand and meet more prospective buyers.
I?m a real estate professional specializing in real estate postcard ideas.
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An analyst with DisplaySearch (not exactly a household name) apparently has told CNET that Google will put its own tablet into production in April. And that's all he knows. No more. Quit asking.
However, Shim said it is not clear how Google will market the device. "I don't know how they plan on marketing it. If it's going to be a premium device, or if it's going to be a Kindle Fire type competitor," he said.
We generally don't put too much stock into reports like this for the obvious reasons. But if indeed Google is working on its own tablet, that time frame might make sense, seeing as how the Google IO developer conference was moved to the end of June from May. There also are no promises that it would be some sort of "Nexus tablet," no matter how hard the bloggers wish it to be so.
And as always, it's entirely possible it's all bunk.
Source: CNET; analyst image via Shutterstock
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/Ab5fNRc4SKM/story01.htm
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Everything Everywhere's spilled more details on its 4G hopes and dreams. That £1.5 billion investment is aiming to get a small scale LTE launch by the end of the year -- subject to Ofcom's say-so. The lucky epicenter of for the future of mobile communications in the UK? That'll be Bristol, which will begin its trial on 1800MHz spectrum from April. It's already tested out the 800MHz in Cornwall, which is apparently better suited to rural coverage. However, before we hit those dizzying fourth generation speeds, customers on the not-so-unholy union of T-Mobile and Orange will also benefit from more HSPA+ upgrades across the network. Coverage across the network-sharing carriers currently stands at around 60 percent, but Everything Everywhere aims to reach full coverage before the close of 2012. How's that London trial going, O2?
Continue reading Everything Everywhere promises 'small-scale LTE launch' in UK by the end of 2012
Everything Everywhere promises 'small-scale LTE launch' in UK by the end of 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsSource: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/l2FeN4fj-lg/
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Yesterday, I posted my planned Ash Wednesday reflection, but I left out one important part of my church-going experience: an apology for a slight long-past and already forgiven in my heart. I wrote about this encounter in August, 2010 on the old version of Fatherhood Etc. I reproduce the post in full here:
God Bless You
August 16, 2010 09:56:27 AM
Posted By David OzabI went to Mass yesterday at the Carmel of Maria Regina?a Carmelite convent about ten minutes from home. This was my second visit there in three weeks, and though I don?t see it as a permanent church home for my family it is a quiet, prayerful place that I enjoy visiting.
After Mass, I was walking through the parking lot to my van. As I walked to the driver?s side door, I heard a voice behind me.
?I?m surprised to see you here with those on your bumper.?
He was referring to the three well-worn Obama campaign bumper stickers that have adorned our van for the last two years. This wasn?t the first time I?ve heard a rude comment about them, but it was the first time I heard one in a church parking lot after Mass.
How Christian of you, I thought, but I refused to counter his comment with one just as rude. Instead, I got in the car and started backing out.
The parking lot is quite narrow so it took a few tries to pull out of the spot and straighten up without hitting someone. As I was about to drive off, I glanced over my shoulder. He stood there staring at my bumper stickers, like he could peel them off if he glared at them hard enough.
?What?? I asked, knowing the answer.
?What?? He sounded surprised that I was challenging him.
I paused for a moment, wondering what I?d say next. When I opened my mouth again, I think the Holy Spirit was guiding me.
?God bless you.?
His scowl transformed into a smile. ?God bless you too.?
It?s been over eighteen months, I haven?t thought about it much since then but he had, and as we left church yesterday morning he pulled me aside:
?I don?t know if you remember, but I made a comment a while back about your Obama bumper sticker. Well, I just wanted to apologize.?
We shook hands and chatted for a few minutes. We have very strong, and often differing opinions about many subjects, but on two things we wholeheartedly agree:
All in all, it was an excellent start to a Lenten journey.
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Source: http://fatherhoodetc.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/forgiveness-has-no-expiration-date/
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AP - Apple Inc. defended its right to use the iPad trademark in China in a heated court hearing Wednesday that pitted the electronics giant against a struggling Chinese electronics company that denies having sold the mainland China rights to the popular tablet computer's name.
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ScienceDaily (Feb. 20, 2012) ? University of British Columbia researchers have identified conservation "hot spots" around the world where the temptation to profit from overfishing outweighs the appetite for conservation.
Combining economic outlook and fisheries population growth rates for all countries currently reported to fish in the ocean, UBC fisheries researchers William Cheung and Rashid Sumaila developed a conservation risk index to reveal the economic-conservation trade-offs of fishing.
Areas with the highest risk index -- those most biologically and economically vulnerable to overfishing -- include the northeastern coast of Canada, the Pacific coast of Mexico, the Peruvian coast, the south Pacific (offshore of New Zealand in particular), the southern and southeastern coast of Africa, and the Antarctic region.
"This index is a guide for determining the appropriate conservation and fisheries management policy for each region," says Cheung, an assistant professor in UBC's Fisheries Centre, who presented his research at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Vancouver, Canada.
"The most vulnerable areas may need to be protected with special management approaches -- such as marine protected areas, while others may benefit from economic incentive instruments to better manage the ecosystems -- such as territorial use rights in fisheries, or TURFs," says Sumaila, professor and director of the UBC Fisheries Centre.
The index can also help conservation managers use scarce resources in a targeted, efficient and effective way to ensure the conservation of sustainable use of seafood and marine ecosystems, Sumaila adds.
"Fishing has a major impact on marine biodiversity, causing the depletion of many species," says Cheung, who grew up in Hong Kong and focused his earlier research on fisheries in the South China Sea -- one of the most over-exploited areas in the world's oceans. "I witnessed how overfishing can damage marine ecosystems and the goods and services they provide -- but in order to solve the problem, we need an understanding of both biology and economics. Biology determines whether a stock is more vulnerable to fishing, while economics determines how strong the incentive is to overfish the stock now."
The conservation risk index is based on the discount rates of fishers and the intrinsic population growth rates of the fish being targeted. The discount rate is a measure of how much a dollar of fish to be received in the future is worth today -- similar to the long-term lending interest rate of central banks. The intrinsic population growth rate is the difference between the birth and death rate of a fish stock.
Cheung and Sumaila used published discount rates data for all countries that are reported to fish in the ocean, and intrinsic growth rate data for major exploited fish species to calculate the conservation risk index for each half degree square area of the world's oceans (2,500 square-kilometres, roughly the size of Metro Vancouver or three times the size of New York City). The higher the conservation risk index, the more vulnerable the area is.
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/lsz6sIXYQxU/120220142643.htm
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An alarming rise in gambling-related violence in several parts of the country has prompted a senator to call for immediate action.
Senator Aquilino Pimentel over the weekend said gambling operators have become more daring, with some of them even operating casinos and setting up gambling websites with the help of corrupt government officials.
He also cited police reports that spoke of ?rivalries among big-time operators,? which could lead to a breakdown in law and order.
The senator has called on the Senate committee on games and amusement to determine the social, cultural and economic effects of unregulated gambling.
?There is a need to look into the legality of new casinos and internet gambling sites because these are in apparent contravention of the charter of Pagcor [Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation],? Pimentel said.
He demanded to know why slot machines and other gaming establishments are found in residential areas where the law prohibits them from operating.
Establishments like these, however, can be located in three-star hotels and resorts as long as they are accredited by the Department of Tourism, authorized by Pagcor and by the local government.
Senator Pimentel also wants to know whether the casinos are in accordance with local zoning laws and comply with local government rules on gambling.
According to its charter, Pagcor is tasked with regulating the operation and conduct of games of chance ?to minimize, if not totally eradicate, the evils, malpractices and corruption that are normally prevalent in the conduct and operation of gambling clubs and casinos without direct government involvement.?
National police chief, Nicanor Bartolome, recently launched an ?all-out war? against illegal gambling, and criticized local police officers for selective raids on gambling dens ?outside? their protection or those who don?t pay heavy bribes.
?We should not be selective in the campaign. We target everyone,? Bartolome said.
Source: http://www.ucanews.com/2012/02/20/senator-urges-action-on-gaming-venues/
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In April 2010, I took a day journey with my husband and kids to the Intrepid Museum in New York City. That day the Norwegian Gem cruise ship was docked proper next to the Intrepid and I was fascinated by the magic it exuded and dazzled by the beautiful gems that have been painted on the side of the ship.
This is the place my dream started. I had never been on a cruise and needed/wanted to go on one as quickly as possible. After hearing about different people I know traveling on this same ship and having great experiences, I found an image of the ship on the web, printed it out and taped it up in my office subsequent to my computer.
This pressured me to visualise about my dream cruise ship vacation every day. In November 2010, my husband was immediately downsized from his job that he had for 11 years, and discuss of a cruise was not applicable?bookbyte coupon as well as not financially wise on the moment. However I never stopped fascinated by it.
The first precedence was for him to search out one other job. Luckily, he was diligent in his search and we were always confident in ?The Secret? and ?The Energy?. We knew that the Universe would talk care of us and that a greater job can be his destiny.
In the course of the holidays of 2010, I saved up hope that my dream of taking a cruise on Norwegian Gem would come true.
After lots of networking, career counseling and believing in ?The Secret? (we?re each into the Legislation of Attraction), he was provided a job in mid-April and would start working on Might 23rd.
The cruise was going to happen! We still thought that we?d travel on the Norwegian Gem since many associates spoke highly of it. In mid-May, I visited a cruise journey agent and she or he steered me to the ship Superstar Summit, which sails from Bayonne, New Jersey to Bermuda.
She advised me of the benefits of the Celebrity ship and figured out that it would cost the identical fare to have an inside cabin on the Norwegian Gem as it would price to have a balcony cabin on the Superstar Summit. So we went with the Celebrity Summit.
I lately returned from my cruise and realized that the Regulation of Attraction truly works in case you believe. It seems that my ship was docked in the identical port subsequent to the Norwegian Gem while we had been in Kings Wharf, Bermuda.
The day we sailed house, my ship handed the Norwegian Gem and we were shut enough to it to take footage of it and wave to the Gem passengers from our balcony.
Later on, I seemed at the photos in my digicam and could not imagine that I took the very same picture of the Norwegian Gem that I had printed out from the internet and taped on my pc! I attracted the Norwegian Gem into my world and at the identical time had an incredible trip on the Celeb Summit.
Leon Edward helps people in Personal and Career Growth, leadership Development, Goal Setting, Success, Motivation, Self-Improvement, Happiness, Memory Improvement, Stress Reduction and more through his articles, blog posts and special reports . Join Leon Edwards Awesome Success Free, Get his personal success, development and growth weekly newsletter as well as success classics and tips on attracting success and wealth. Visit his Success-Leadership Library, Articles at http://www.AwesomeSuccess.org Leon Edward also helps people improve IQ, focus, memory, concentration, creativity, speed reading, public speaking , time management and reducing stress. Download his IQ Mind Brain Memory Self-Help library at his website http://www.IQMindBrainLibrary.comLeon Edward helps people improve in Leadership Development, Goal Setting, Success, Motivation, Self-Improvement, Happiness, Memory Improvement, Stress Reduction and more through his articles, blog posts and special reports . Join Leon Edwards Awesome Success Free, Get his personal development training, success and growth weekly newsletter as well as success classics and tips on attracting success and wealth. Visit his Success-Leadership Library, Articles at http://www.AwesomeSuccess.orgYou may also be interested in
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Continue reading LG Optimus Vu officially revealed ahead of MWC with stylus, 1.5GHz CPU (Updated)
LG Optimus Vu officially revealed ahead of MWC with stylus, 1.5GHz CPU (Updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Feb 2012 01:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/19/lg-optimus-vu-5-inch-4x3-mwc-2012/
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By admin on February 18, 2012
Abstract
With the economic globalization and the frequent business contacts, culture differences seem to be very important,otherwise they could cause unnecessary misunderstanding, even affect the result of the business negotiation. This means it is very important to know the different culture in different countries and the ways to avoid the culture conflicts in the international business negotiations. The article will analyses the causes of culture differences, then from the various aspects explain the impacts of culture differences on international business negotiations. Finally it analyses how to deal with the problem of the cultural differences correctly in negotiation process.
Key words: Culture ? Culture differences ? Business negotiation impacts ? Strategies
Outline
I. Introduction??????????????????????????????????????????1 ?
II. Culture differences in business negotiation?????????????????????????.1
2.1 The definition of culture????????????????????????????????.1
2.2 The causes of culture differences???????????????????????????..1
2.2.1 Regional differences???????????????????????????????1
2.2.2 Ethnic differences????????????????????????????????.2
? 2.2.3 Political differences???????????????????????????????..2
? 2.2.4 Economic differences??????????????????????????????..2
? 2.2.5 Religious differences???????????????????????????????2
? ? 2.3 The impacts of culture differences on?
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There are some people who simply want leisure and thrill in life. There are a lot of ways in which such folks go by just for excitement and thrill, which largely includes things to do with dashing vehicles and bikes. Riding a superbike at excessive speeds and doing stunts is a standard method of attracting attention and also feeling the adrenaline rush in the body. However have you each heard of automotive browsing? There are several completely different kinds of loss of life-defying stunts that excessive sports fanatics do, out of
Sports Fitness and Recreation
Source: http://sportsfitnessrecreation.blogspot.com/2012/02/car-surfing.html
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For the most part yes they are a bad combination. I personally have been in the insurance and mortgage business since 1979, while annuities and reverse mortgages are great products in and of themselves, the combination can be detrimental.
The problem comes when a Mortgage Broker/Insurance Representative tries to enhance their commission by helping a client get a reverse mortgage and then directing all of the money into a deferred annuity. Generally the reverse mortgage is a tool that is utilized to free up cash, a deferred annuity limits the access to that cash thereby hindering the very reason that a person has done a reverse mortgage.
A deferred annuity is a great vehicle to utilize if you want to protect money that you have, but it would almost never makes sense to borrow money to put into a deferred annuity, if you did, you would be paying interest on the money that you had put into the deferred annuity.
The annuity return would have to be greater than the interest that you are paying on your mortgage. With a reverse mortgage there is no interest currently due, but it is in fact accumulating against the equity in the home.
The other issue with a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage is that you have an option of leaving the money in a line of credit, that line of credit has a growth rate factor to it. So in essence, if you are going to put the money into an annuity, you would have to beat the credit line growth rate, and the interest earning against you on the borrowed money.
For example, if interest rates are currently at 5%. Then your credit line growth rate would be 5% and the interest charged against money you have taken from your reverse mortgage would be 5%.
So you?re annuity would have to beat 10%, in order to be a better deal. Money left in the line of credit would be growing at 5%, so you would lose that and you would have 5% earning against you on the money that you had borrowed.
This is very confusing for most people, and in fact, most insurance representatives don?t understand that they are really doing a disservice to the senior citizen that takes out a HECM, and then puts the money into an annuity. I think to simplify the issue it just never makes sense to borrow money and then try to invest it into something else that might give you a higher return, unless you understand the risks involved.
Most insurance agents believe that indexed annuities will provide a higher rate of return than the money costs the borrower to borrow. But after over 30 years in the insurance business and being very well educated on annuities I disagree, indexed annuities might earn 6% or 7% on average. But as I pointed out in my earlier example you?d have to earn 10% for it to be a better deal.
Not to single out annuities, I want to point out that it would not make sense to borrow the money and put it into a bank account or the stock market either. The stock market has risk, and if you?re borrowing money from your home you should probably not be putting that money at risk, and a savings account is going to perform worse than an annuity.
So what should you do with the money from a reverse mortgage? That really depends on what it is you?re trying to accomplish. If you don?t need the money right now and you?re just getting the reverse mortgage to protect yourself for any future cash needs then a credit line is the best option. If you don?t want the pressure of managing a large chunk of money then monthly payments would be a better option. If you have a specific need for a large amount of cash, then the lump sum would be your best option.
If you do take the credit line and just plan to access money when you want or need it we would still recommend that you take some cash out and put it somewhere else for two reasons: first, you?ve gone through the whole process of getting a reverse mortgage you should probably reward yourself with some liquidity immediately. Second is very simple, don?t have all your eggs in one basket, if you leave all the money in the credit line and your house is destroyed then the credit line will stop. And just to clarify, I want to make sure you understand by your home being destroyed I mean beyond your insurance coverage ability to repair it. For example, if your home was destroyed by an earthquake and you did not have earthquake insurance, your credit line would stop. The same is true for any other natural disasters where your insurance is not going to repair your home, the credit line would stop. So if you left all of the money in the credit line, thinking that were the safest thing to do and your home is destroyed then you no longer have access to any of that money.
So if your strategy is to take some of the money and put it somewhere that is safe and secure then a bank account or an annuity would be fine. But do not do this strategy thinking that you?re going to get a better return on your money, you will not. Annuities and bank accounts are designed to be safe and secure, that is why you should put your money there. So if you have a mortgage broker or an insurance agent recommending that you do a reverse mortgage and then put the money into an annuity, you should find a different mortgage company to work with.
There are currently laws in place that make it illegal for a mortgage broker to recommend you do anything with the money. All they can do is offer the loan for you and it?s up to you to choose what to do with that money. I would recommend that you talk to a financial advisor or a family member and have a clear understanding of why you?re going to do the reverse mortgage and what you?re planning on doing with the money that you get from it.
I have been in the Financial Services industry since 1979 when I started as a Loan Officer for Wells Fargo Mortgage. Since then I have acquired my Securities Registration, Investment Adviser Representative Registration, Real Estate License, Insurance License and Mortgage Broker License in 22 States.
Source: http://whatismortgagerefinancing.com/reverse-mortgages-with-annuities-a-bad-combination/
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In case you have lived in your house for any significant amount of time, you probably are thinking about remodeling your kitchen. You may have reasons to do it like increase the value of your home, or maybe it is simply getting old or maybe you just want to change it up. No matter what the reason, many people might like to do remodeling on their own. Some people have experience with do-it-yourself projects, and they might feel comfortable doing this type of remodel. If you have no working experience with DIY tasks, then you may want to get some training before you start.
You can take a course on renovating a kitchen to see if this is something you can do. For many home improvement courses, it?s possible to watch and actually participate in the remodeling of a kitchen. This sort of class provides you with the skills you will need to remodel a kitchen. It will not only show you whether or not you want to do it, but also show if you?ve got what it takes to do it. It might reveal to you that it is a much bigger project than you anticipated. You may already have guessed that san diego kitchen remodel is a vast field with much to find out. Or maybe it can provide you with the confidence to not only do the project, but do the work yourself. If you want it to be just right, do as much as you possibly can to learn about how to do it.
You can find details about these courses by going online or looking through your local newspaper. Lessons or training may be available at your local home improvement center or building supply center. Many of the instructional classes are to prepare students for jobs in kitchen remodeling, and they may cost more than you want to spend. However if you have the funds, it might be of great benefit to sign up for such a class. project that is done properly, really enhances the look of your home, but a bad remodel job has the opposite effect.
Whatever class you take for improving your kitchen can help you in one way or another. There are lots of home improvement stores that offer training classes so you really should find out. These lessons offer elementary training for tools or general home improvement jobs. Despite the fact that they may well not offer a specific kitchen remodeling course, you may discover ways to install cabinets or kitchen sinks. These lessons are usually a couple hours long but offer an abundance of useful information.
The courses these home improvement stores present are typically free for anyone to attend. retailer makes their money by getting the individuals attending these classes to buy tools and products. The principle issue with this type of instruction is that you will probably need several of the classes to understand all that you need for doing your whole kitchen.
Source: http://www.oly24.com/oly-24/taking-classes-regarding-kitchen-remodeling-can-be-worth-it
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Monica Hussing, center is handcuffed after being sentenced to eight years in prison on involuntary manslaughter charges in Cleveland Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. Their son, Willie Robinson, died from Hodgkin lymphoma in 2008. Prosecutors say he had begged his parents to take him to see a doctor but was rejected. Hussing's attorney is John Luskin, left. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Monica Hussing, center is handcuffed after being sentenced to eight years in prison on involuntary manslaughter charges in Cleveland Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. Their son, Willie Robinson, died from Hodgkin lymphoma in 2008. Prosecutors say he had begged his parents to take him to see a doctor but was rejected. Hussing's attorney is John Luskin, left. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
William Robinson Sr., left, and his estranged wife, Monica Hussing, right, stand with Hussing's attorney John Luskin during sentencing on involuntary manslaughter charges in Cleveland Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. Their son, Willie Robinson, died from Hodgkin lymphoma in 2008 and prosecutors say he had begged his parents to take him to see a doctor but was rejected. Robinson and Hussing were sentenced to eight years in prison. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Monica Hussing, right, addresses the court with attorney John Luskin during her sentencing hearing on involuntary manslaughter charges in Cleveland Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. Hussing's son, Willie Robinson, died from Hodgkin lymphoma in 2008 and prosecutors say he had begged his parents to take him to see a doctor but was rejected. Hussing and estranged husband William Robinson Sr. received eight year prison sentences. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Attorney Thomas Rein, left, speaks on behalf of William Robinson Sr. at his sentencing hearing in Cleveland Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. The parents of the 8-year-old boy who died from Hodgkin lymphoma after suffering for months from undiagnosed swollen glands was sentenced to eight years in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to denying him medical treatment. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Family member Trish Boone holds a photo of Willie Robinson during sentencing for his parents, William Robinson Sr., and Monica Hussing in Cleveland Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. The parents of the 8-year-old boy who died from Hodgkin lymphoma after suffering for months from undiagnosed swollen glands was sentenced to eight years in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to denying him medical treatment. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
CLEVELAND (AP) ? The parents of an 8-year-old boy who died from Hodgkin lymphoma after suffering for months from undiagnosed swollen glands were sentenced to eight years in prison Thursday following their guilty pleas to denying him medical treatment.
Attorneys for Monica Hussing, 37, and William Robinson Sr., 40, had said the parents had financial problems and tried to get checkups for their son but couldn't afford it.
The couple was given the maximum sentence by Cuyahoga County Judge Michael Astrab, who accepted their guilty pleas last month to attempted involuntary manslaughter in a last-minute plea deal before their trial was about to begin. They were handcuffed and taken into custody immediately. Both plan to appeal the sentence.
"I loved my son," Robinson told the judge, occasionally wiping his eyes with a tissue. He said he was sorry.
"I tried to help my son," Hussing said as family members in the courtroom quietly sobbed.
Hussing's sister, Shelia Slawinski, cried as she stood before the judge and gave voice to her nephew, Willie Robinson: "I am so in pain ... please take me to the doctor ... the last four weeks have been the most painful."
"I told my sister," Slawinski said. "I offered to help my sister."
According to the prosecution's pre-sentencing memo to the judge, at least eight family members noticed Willie's deteriorating health over a period of more than two years and most spoke to the couple about it. One relative described the boy's swollen neck glands as the size of a softball.
"Twenty-nine months he suffered," Slawinski said. "Twenty-nine months they had to do something and they chose not to."
Asked outside court why her sister hadn't taken care of Willie and hadn't enrolled him or three siblings in school, Slawinski said it was easier for Hussing to stay in bed during the day and do drugs. Both parents have abused drugs, their attorneys earlier told the judge.
Hussing's oldest daughter, Lillian, 18, defended her mother in court and said Willie was able to do the same things other 8-year-olds do. "He was able to play, go outside," she said.
The judge looked surprised and asked the teen if she would be willing to repeat her statements under oath and possible penalty of perjury. She did.
The judge compared the autopsy photo of Willie's emaciated body to concentration camp victims. "If anybody, anybody, didn't know this kid was sick, they are seriously, seriously disturbed," Astrab said.
Two doctors told the judge before the sentencing that no sick child would be turned away from a hospital.
Willie Robinson collapsed at his home on March 22, 2008. Prosecutors say he had begged his parents to take him to see a doctor but was rejected. Hodgkin lymphoma is a highly treatable cancer.
Lillian Hussing said earlier the family didn't have money for medical care when they lived in Warren, tried repeatedly to get help from social services and visited a free clinic but left when told they would have to pay $180.
The family soon moved to Cleveland and the boy died within weeks.
Prosecutors say that while the boy was suffering, the parents claimed financial hardship but paid $87 to have a pit bull treated for fleas. Hussing's defense attorney, John Luskin, said the dog belonged to Hussing's parents and her parents paid for the treatment.
Trumbull County Children Services says it had worked with the family to provide Willie health care, getting involved after receiving a phone call in July 2007. Agency officials said a case worker visited the family at least monthly and pushed the parents to have a medical follow-up on his swollen neck but they didn't.
However, Robinson's attorney Thomas Rein said previously that a social worker who visited the family in January 2008 "indicated the kids were healthy and happy." He said no one knew the boy had cancer until he died and an autopsy was performed.
And Lillian Hussing said a case worker had told the family the boy's lump looked like a swollen gland and to hold off until they could secure financial assistance before getting it checked.
About two weeks after they moved to Cleveland, she said, her brother came down with something. Her mother treated him with cold medicine and he died within three days.
She said the boy never complained about his neck.
"He played, he went outside, he wrestled, he played video games," the boy's sister said. "He was the happiest kid you could imagine. It never seemed like he was suffering."
The emotional aftermath from their son's death led the couple to split, according to Luskin.
The couple's four other children under 18 were placed in the custody of a family member. Luskin said Lillian Hussing, upon turning 18, decided to return to live with her mother.
Rein said Robinson agreed to plead guilty so his children could be spared any further grief and wouldn't have to suffer by testifying. Lillian Hussing said her mother took a plea bargain because of the uncertainty of a trial and fear she could be sent to prison for a long time.
As part of the deal, the prosecution agreed to drop four counts each against each parent, including child endangering. Prosecutors didn't agree to a sentence recommendation. Both Luskin and Rein had said they hoped the judge would consider probation.
"There's not a day my client ... starts without shedding a tear for his son," Rein said.
The coroner ruled that the boy was a victim of medical neglect and died from pneumonia due to Hodgkin lymphoma.
Hodgkin lymphoma is a highly treatable cancer, with as many as 95 percent of patients in early stages of the disease surviving for five years or more with treatment. It's one of the most common forms of cancers among children.
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Most individuals experience acne in their teenage years if they are going to get it at all. Individuals have pimples during a longer timespan and blackheads and whiteheads may be had throughout your life, not that the three conditions are related actually. The only relationship that the three issues have is that bacteria have gotten below the skin and resulted in a reaction from the immune system.
You can avoid blackheads and whiteheads by washing in hot water every day. Pimples may be kept at bay in a similar way, but it is not so simple, because the problem may come from within. However acne always comes from within and is usually related to hormones, which is why adolescents have it, but not lots of children and not lots of adults do.
Nonetheless, occasionally acne springs to life in someone who is already fully mature ? an adult. Sometimes, it just does not go away when you enter your twenties. Now why would that be? You are having trouble growing up? Improbable. The solution could be stress.
One of the foremost reasons for acne in ?older? people is stress. Numerous individuals do not comprehend what impact stress can have on the human body and the mind as well. The older you get, the more likelihood that your acne is to do with stress than hormones. Think about it. Does your acne become worse or flare up when you are under stress?
If stress is the reason for your problems, then there is no purpose trying to handle the indications (which is the breakout). You have to strive to work out what the underlying cause of your problem is.
If you do not fight the problem in this way, you will just aggravate your acne by worrying about it, which will make it worse. The vicious circle.
If you comprehend that the cause of your acne is stress, then you have to slowly extract yourself from the stressful situation, which could be your job, your spouse, your family, your residence and meanwhile strive to use destressing techniques like sport, yoga, hiking or meditation.
This is not an easy thing to do. Life style changes never are, but your body may be trying to tell you that you are not content and that you have to do something about it. If you do not listen to what your body is telling you, the consequences could get much worse that a ?couple pimples?.
The mind and the body are on your side. They look to you to steer the ship on an even keel. If you do not listen when they tell you that something is wrong, you just have yourself to blame.
Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on several topics, but is at present involved with Salicylic Acid Acne Treatment. If you have an interest in such software, please go over to our web site now at Treating Acne Scars
Source: http://newhealthandfitness.org/2012/02/15/cure-your-acne-with-yoga/
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Retirement planning software has been known to be a useful tool for people to come up with retirement plans. With the help of the software, one does not need to figure out all the details needed to be included when considering a plan as the software will ask the questions related to any retirement planner will ask, just without the need to pay for the planner?s services. Despite that, there are actually a number of drawbacks of using this software, especially when soon-to-be retirees begin to rely solely on it to come up with their decisions.
First of all, the rates of return are not very realistic. In fact, they tend to be very optimistic by default, or they allow the users to overestimate their investments. Furthermore, they tend to neglect the possibility of having an investor who does not have experience in investing, where mistakes are very likely, so the returns do not end up as much or close to as they should as predicted by the software.
Secondly, in the software?s formula, things like fees, taxes, and inflation are usually not accounted for. Fees can include the fee for calculating the retirement investment, so the overall returns given by the software will usually be higher than in reality. While taxes and inflation are included to a certain extent, different software will have different rates of tax and inflation, where some can account for very low probability of facing tax or inflation, whereby once again, overestimating returns.
Apart from that, the retirement planning software has drawbacks where life expectancy is concerned. Some software can have a standardized length of life expectancy; some may have a standard age; while others may ask you to predict your own life expectancy. The thing is, life expectancy is a difficult variable to predict, and there are actually problems when one lives shorter or longer than the life expectancy as recorded, where you may end up skimping for returns during your retirement, or overspend due to the assumption that you have enough returns to use. This can be avoided using software that includes demographics and health risks into their formula.
One of the greatest drawbacks of the software is the fact that it cannot account for life events, such as earlier-than-predicted retirement, a sudden diagnosis of a health problem, or the passing of a spouse. These factors can cause the numbers to change greatly. Other drawbacks include the lack of or inaccurate calculations of social security benefits, and the varying home equity treatment of different software. In conclusion, the software should only be used only as a guide, but not a determinant of your retirement plans investments.
Read more details about related topics retirement planning software and retirement calculator.
Source: http://phonesb.com/retirementplanning/drawbacks-of-retirement-planning-software/
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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) ? Talks between Yahoo Inc and China's Alibaba Group over the U.S. Internet giant's Asian assets have hit an impasse, throwing their plans for a $17 billion tax-free asset swap into question, according to sources briefed on the situation.
The snag in negotiations came on the same day that activist investor Daniel Loeb, of hedge fund ThirdPoint, sought to install his own slate of directors on Yahoo's board, further highlighting the turmoil engulfing the one-time Web pioneer.
Loeb, who has opposed Yahoo's previous efforts to strike a minority investment deal with private equity, disclosed plans to nominate former NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker, along with himself and two others, for Yahoo's board in a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday.
A collapse of the proposed Asian asset deal - referred to as a cash-rich split-off - would mark the latest setback for an erstwhile Internet leader struggling to turn its business around and appease unhappy shareholders.
Yahoo, whose revenue slid by more than a fifth last year, brought in former PayPal President Scott Thompson as chief executive in January, five months after Carol Bartz was fired.
Two people briefed on the situation described the deal as effectively dead in the water - noting the unreasonable terms sought by Yahoo during talks in Hong Kong and a disconnect between Yahoo's negotiating team and its strategic stakeholders.
Alibaba Group, whose Chinese e-commerce unit Alibaba.com is listed in Hong Kong, and Japan's Softbank Corp, which owns around 30 percent of Alibaba, planned to seek clarity on the matter from Yahoo's Thompson, one of those sources said.
"They (Yahoo) left town knowing how everybody felt ... Alibaba and Softbank are going to be reaching out to the new CEO to get clarity on what the heck happened," said the source.
Yahoo appeared to see things differently. The company had not been informed that the tax-free deal was officially off the table, and it remained committed to continuing negotiations, according to one of the sources familiar with the matter.
Yahoo representatives including Chief Financial Officer Tim Morse returned to the United States late on Monday after a week of negotiations in Hong Kong, and another call was set for this week, that source said.
Yahoo and Alibaba officials declined to comment.
The sources said Yahoo and its Asian partners could still strike another, simpler and taxable, deal, but there was no agreement yet on the price at which Yahoo should sell.
One of the sources close to the matter said Yahoo was not going to revisit the price of the deal, even though Alibaba's value may have risen while the talks were going on, and any increase could influence whether the deal on the table made sense for Yahoo.
None of the sources wanted to be named in this article due to the sensitive nature of the private talks.
Yahoo shares closed down 4.7 percent at $15.36 on Tuesday, the stock's biggest one-day percentage drop in 16 weeks.
"I think the deal's either dead or it's going to take a lot longer to complete, which means we don't have a near term catalyst; hence the sell-off," said Brett Harriss, an analyst with Gabelli & Co.
The deal would have seen the return of Yahoo's slices of Alibaba and Yahoo Japan back to those companies, in exchange for unspecified assets.
Investors had hoped Yahoo, after years of foot-dragging, would finally arrange for the sale of its Asian assets, considered among the most valuable parts of its portfolio.
AllThingsDigital, which initially reported the snag in the negotiations on Tuesday, cited one source as saying discussions "completely halted" after negotiators from Yahoo - whose chairman, Roy Bostock, is due to step down and whose CEO is barely a month into the job - changed tack on what they wanted from the deal. The report gave no details.
It was unclear what exactly had caused the sudden impasse in negotiations, roughly two months after the various parties had agreed to basic terms for a deal.
A third source familiar with the talks said Yahoo's negotiators had a change of heart, though it was unclear why.
"Over the last few days in Hong Kong, it became evident that they don't really have a desire to do this deal," that source said, dismissing speculation both sides might have split on valuation terms agreed in December. "A cash-rich split appears to be toast."
SPIN?
The slightly different interpretations over the current state of the deal by people familiar with the matter raised the possibility that the public airing of the latest snag could be a negotiating tactic.
"It could be a negotiating ploy by either side, or it really could be a breakdown in negotiations," said Gabelli's Harriss, noting friction in the relationship between Yahoo and Alibaba.
Alibaba founder Jack Ma has tried to buy back the 40 percent of his company owned by Yahoo several times in recent years, only to be rebuffed by Yahoo.
The rocky relationship between the companies came to a head last May when it was revealed that Alibaba had abruptly handed Alipay - one of Alibaba's crown jewels - to a company controlled by Ma, apparently without Yahoo's knowledge.
"I find it very hard to believe that Alibaba and Softbank will just walk away," said Ryan Jacob, chairman and chief investment officer of the Jacob Funds.
If the companies can't agree deal terms, Jacob speculated Alibaba might team up with private equity investors in the United States and seek to acquire Yahoo outright - allowing Alibaba to regain its shares from Yahoo, while private equity could take control of Yahoo's U.S.-based Internet business.
"Having U.S. partners just makes the most logical sense, because they're going to need help on financing, and in the long term they really don't want the core Yahoo business anyway," said Jacob, whose firm owns shares in Yahoo.
Analysts say Yahoo failed to take aggressive action in past years to reverse a decline in advertising revenue in the face of competition from Google Inc and Facebook.
This month, Bostock announced he and three other directors would step down, following co-founder Jerry Yang out the door. Yang was excoriated for turning down a rich Microsoft Corp acquisition bid in 2008.
ThirdPoint's Loeb said the recently announced changes to Yahoo's board, including Yahoo's announcement of two new board members, do not put the company on "the right track."
Yahoo fired back with a statement on Tuesday that it was disappointing that Loeb "has chosen a potentially disruptive path, just as the company is moving forward under new leadership."
In Tokyo on Wednesday, Yahoo Japan shares slumped as much as 8.1 percent, and last traded down 3.9 percent at 25,020 yen. Alibaba.com shares have been suspended in Hong Kong since last Thursday.
(Additional reporting by Nadia Damouni in NEW YORK and Melanie Lee in SHANGHAI; Writing By Edwin Chan; Editing by John Wallace, Richard Chang, Bernard Orr, Phil Berlowitz and Ian Geoghegan)
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120215/bs_nm/us_yahoo
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Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, before the Senate Finance Committee hearing on President Barack Obama's fiscal 2013 federal budget. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, before the Senate Finance Committee hearing on President Barack Obama's fiscal 2013 federal budget. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
President Barack Obama speaks to continue to push Congress to act to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance through the end of the year, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, in the Old Executive Office building on the White House complex in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Acting Budget Director Jeffrey Zients testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, before the Senate Budget Committee hearing on President Barack Obama's fiscal 2013 federal budget. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., left, and Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., the ranking Democrat on House Budget Committee, gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Feb. 13, 2012, to discuss President Barack Obama's fiscal 2013 federal budget. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, before the Senate Finance Committee hearing on President Barack Obama's fiscal 2013 federal budget. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told Congress Tuesday that the president's new $3.8 trillion spending plan would impose new taxes on only 2 percent of the nation's wealthiest families and the alternative would be to seek more painful cuts in other government programs such as defense, Social Security and Medicare.
Geithner defended the new budget plan in the face of intense attacks from GOP members of the Senate Finance Committee. Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah told Geithner that the administration's spending plan would give the country a "permanently larger, European-inspired government."
But Geithner said deeper spending cuts now would damage economic growth and push more Americans into poverty at a time when the economy is still struggling to recover from a deep recession.
Geithner told the committee that the administration hopes to send Congress next week a framework for making changes in the country's corporate tax structure.
He said the administration would not offer detailed legislative language but rather broad principles for corporate tax reform. He said the administration would propose eliminating a number of current business tax breaks in an effort to lower the corporate tax rate.
The nominal U.S. corporate tax rate is 35 percent, the highest in the world after Japan, but few companies pay that much after taking various deductions.
Obama has proposed lowering that tax rate but has not said by how much it should be lowered. The president has also proposed ending tax breaks for U.S. companies moving jobs or profits to foreign countries while suggesting tax breaks for businesses that move jobs back to the United States.
Geithner did not offer any hints about what recommendations the administration will make on corporate rates in its submission to Congress.
Congress may put off the tough decisions on the budget until after the November elections, but the spending document will certainly be used as a campaign document for Obama and a key target for Republicans running against Democrats.
Republican Mitt Romney, who is campaigning for the GOP nomination to challenge Obama in the fall, called the budget Obama released Monday "an insult to the American taxpayer." GOP candidates Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul are all advocating bigger spending cuts to control the deficits, and all the GOP candidates oppose Obama's tax increases.
"The president's budget is a gloomy reflection of his failed policies of the past, not a bold plan for America's future," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Monday after the budget was released. "The president offered a collection of rehashes, gimmicks and tax increases that will make our economy worse."
Republicans are arguing for deeper spending cuts and a frontal assault on the biggest drivers of the deficit, the soaring costs of Medicare and Medicaid, whose already sizable costs are projected to double in future years as baby boomers retire.
Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., chairman of the House Budget Committee, said Monday that he expected the Republican-controlled House would in coming weeks pass an alternative to the Obama budget that would gain control of the deficit, not by raising taxes but by curtailing Medicare and Medicaid.
"President Obama's irresponsible budget is a recipe for a debt crisis and the decline of America," Ryan said.
Obama's cuts in Medicare and Medicaid avoid cuts in benefits and instead make modest trims in payments to health care providers. In contrast, the Republican House last year approved Ryan's plan, which would essentially transform Medicare into a voucher system in which future seniors would get a fixed amount to buy medical insurance.
The Obama budget proposes spending $3.8 trillion in the 2013 budget year, which begins Oct. 1. It would achieve $4 trillion in deficit cuts in part through restraining the growth of many government programs, adhering to the agreement Congress approved in August for spending caps to achieve $900 billion in deficit reduction over a decade.
Obama's plan also proposes additional deficit reduction in order to avoid $1.2 trillion in across-the-board cuts scheduled to take effect next January.
But the president relies on $1.5 trillion in tax increases, mainly by allowing the Bush-era tax cuts to expire on families making more than $250,000 per year, imposing additional taxes on those making more than $1 million per year and eliminating various corporate tax breaks.
The tax increases all have been rejected by Republicans.
With both parties holding entrenched positions, it is very likely that no solution will be found before the November elections, with both sides preferring to use the debate to score political points.
If that occurs, Congress will probably be back in Washington after the November elections for a lame-duck session to resolve the battle over taxes and spending cuts.
Lawmakers are facing end-of-the-year deadlines when the Bush-era tax cuts on all taxpayers expire and across-the-board spending cuts will go into effect if lawmakers can't agree on $1.2 trillion in further deficit reduction over the next decade.
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