Farmer jailed in Hong Kong for burning flag

A man has been jailed in Hong Kong for burning the national flag, in the first sentence of its kind.

S Korea suspends savings banks citing weak finances

South Korea has suspended seven local savings banks citing the weak state of their finances.

Japan urges mass evacuation ahead of Typhoon Roke

More than a million people in central and western Japan have been urged to leave their homes as a powerful typhoon approaches.

Burma begins swap scheme for cars over 40 years old

Owners of some of Burma's most antiquated cars have been queuing in Rangoon to exchange their old vehicles for permits to import newer models.

Polio strain spreads to China from Pakistan

Polio has spread to China for the first time since 1999 after being imported from Pakistan, the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed.

Showing posts with label would. Show all posts
Showing posts with label would. Show all posts

Thursday, October 6, 2011

A Nobel Prize for Bob Dylan? Some Would Bet On It

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Reuters Reuters

Bob Dylan as a Nobel Prize winner likely isn't a common conversation in mainstream America.

But there is no questioning the singer's impact on pop culture, from the 1960s until now. And that is what has given the Nobel Prize for Literature an interesting option in the discussions leading up to the Thursday announcement of the winner.

(LIST: Top 10 Persecuted Artists)

The Guardian reports a sudden surge on betting for Dylan— and this isn't his first nomination, mind you. The Ladbrokes gambling company has him as the fourth favorite to win the award, with his chances now improving to 10/1. Dylan's lifetime of lyrical work has already started to gain international attention — just look at his Pulitzer Prize Special Citation and Award from 2008 and the nomination this summer for the Neustadt International Prize for Literature.

While still trailing Syrian poet Adonis, Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer and Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami as favorites for the Nobel, just being in the same conversation as them gives pop culture purists hope that words that resonate with the common man can compete with those not as well known, even in the academic world. How many of you have a working knowledge of the literary writing of the three other names in this paragraph, but could happily recite some Dylan lyrics?

LIST: Bob Dylan's Best and Worst Songs of All Time

Tim Newcomb is a contributor for TIME. Find him on Twitter at @tdnewcomb. You can also continue the discussion on TIME's Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.

Stephen Brashear / Getty Images

Amanda Knox dreamed of going home. Now she's there. She touched down in Seattle late Tuesday and was greeted by family, friends and a whole lot of reporters. Read More

Reuters Television / Reuters

"(The Rapture will) be finished out on Oct. 21, that's coming very shortly. That looks like it will be ... the final end of everything."

— HAROLD CAMPING, giving an update on when the Rapture, an event he says started on May 21, will finish (via Christian Post)



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Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Who would win the job plan under Obama

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If it were 2009, and President Obama enjoyed a comfortable margin of support in both houses of Congress, his latest jobs plan would probably sail into law, with the freshly minted stimulus money headed out of Washington tomorrow, or maybe the next day.

This time, after all, he proposed a little something for everybody. His plan includes traditional Keynesian spending on roads and bridges that engineers insist are in urgent need of repair. There are generous tax cuts for small businesses, many other companies and most which seem sure ordinary workers, to appeal to conservatives. The lift unemployed unemployment would get a, and Obama would likely keep polisher main street voters on the shoulder to remind them how he' (d) put teachers back to work and make sure cops and firefighters continue to man their posts.

[See 5 things roiling the markets.]

It's obviously not 2009, however, and the $447 billion price tag associated with Obama's latest plan to boost the economy is probably far too rich for Congress to stomach. Obama says that every dollar of new stimulus he proposes will be offset by deficit-cutting measures to be specified soon. And he wants a final bill by November, his plan will make a tangible impact in 2012. But Congressional Republicans, who want sizeable cuts in all government spending, will probably balk at efforts to simply shift money from one place to another. So here's a cheat sheet handicapping who might gain from Obama's jobs plan, go along to along with the odds that Congress:

Teachers.Obama wants to spend $30 billion to hire back laid-off teachers and prevent new layoffs. A lot of schools could use the money. The 2009 stimulus plan sent about $44 billion to states for spending on education, which kept employments levels up for awhile. But since late 2009, budget cuts have forced the loss of about 277,000 local education jobs. Obama says his plan would save the jobs of 280,000 teachers, while "supporting the hiring of tens of thousands more."

Prospects: Fair at best. Despite the main street appeal, this is the kind of spending Congressional Republicans have soured on, since it is similar to parts of the 2009 stimulus plan, which they feel has been discredited.

Cops and firefighters.The Obama plan would spend $5 billion on public safety jobs that are threatened by budget cuts in states and cities.

Prospect: Fair, just as for teachers. Republicans love cops and firefighters, but will have a hard time adding $5 billion to the national debt on their behalf.

[See how Rick Perry created jobs in Texas.]

Construction workers.No. of industry has suffered more than construction, with nearly two million workers losing their jobs since the recession started at the end of 2007. Obama back wants to hire some of them, by spending $15 billion to refurbish foreclosed homes, $25 billion to modernize 35,000 schools, $5 billion to upgrade community colleges and $50 billion to improve-roads, railways, airports, bridges and other parts of the nation's infrastructure. Hey ' (d) also use $10 billion in federal money to seed on "infrastructure bank" that would'nt draw private funds used to invest in more rebuilding projects. Economists generally applaud this kind of spending, because it fixes problems that would go unaddressed if the government didn't tackle them, while boosting the economy and helping improve the backbone of business.

Prospects: Weak. When Republicans complain that Obama's plan about contains 'more of the same,"this is what they're talking. The 2009 stimulus plan that they routinely deride contained about $100 billion in transportation and infrastructure spending, which Republicans contend did nothing to help the economy. It probably did help some, but the difficulty of being able to point to tangible results makes this kind of spending unpopular among many in Congress.

The unemployed.Obama would spend $49 billion to prolong federal extensions of unemployment insurance, which are set to expire at the end of this year. Hey ' (d), i.e. spend $8 billion on tax credits for companies that hire people who have been out of work for more than six months. And there would be new efforts to guide the unemployed unemployment back to work, through retraining, unpaid work, and other experimental methods.

Prospects: Good. The government is already spending billions on jobless aid, an expense that many economists feel is necessary to keep the long-term unemployed unemployment from falling into poverty. The reforms Obama is proposing would address concerns about unemployment insurance motivating some people to stay out of the workforce. And Obama is likely to make on extension of jobless aid one of his conditions for passing tax cuts Republicans are more comfortable with.

[See how the debt fiasco damaged the economy.]

Small businesses.They haven't gotten much help from Washington up till now, but Obama aims to fix that by halving the payroll taxes paid by companies on the first $5 million of taxable wages they pay, which would amount to "a sizable albeit temporary boost in cash flow" for small businesses, according to Mark Zandi of Moody's analytics. Another subsidy would temporarily eliminate taxes on any amount of 2012 wages that's higher than the year before, as an incentive to boost hiring and give more raises. The price tag for those benefits: $65 billion.

Prospects: Good. Republicans have been clamoring for tax relief for businesses of all sizes, and Obama has made them an offer that will be hard to refuse. If they do, Obama would be able to campaign next year by touting his own friendliness to small business, compared with the Republicans' hostility to them. That happen are unlikely to let Congressional Republicans.

Big businesses.Obama wants to structure his payroll tax cuts to help small businesses, but big companies would benefit from his proposal to extend the full expensing of business investment through 2012.

Prospects: Good. This is a business-friendly idea that Republicans like and economists say provides a meaningful incentive for companies to invest in the short term. The day $5 billion price is therefore relatively small.

[See who will benefit from the slowing economy.]

Most taxpayers.Costliest part of Obama's plan the is an extension and expansion of payroll tax cuts that are already in place, which Obama says wants to cut the typical family's tax burden by $1,500 in 2012. Paychecks would'nt simply get a bit bigger, since the federal bite would decline for one year. Since to spend many consumers would have more money, these tax cuts would indirectly boost hiring, in theory, since companies would be producing more stuff. Moody's analytics estimates that this measure alone, if it passes, would help create 750,000 jobs.

Prospects: Good. Republicans love tax cuts to start with, and with a weak economy they'd have a hard time saying no to a plan that would put more money straight into voters' pockets. Since the $175 billion price tag is steep and Obama says all of this new measures must be paid for by cuts elsewhere-the real challenge will be $175 billion in offsetting cuts coming up with, without harming the same people who are getting the tax break. That means there will be plenty of fireworks on Capitol Hill this fall.

Twitter: @ rickjnewman



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Peliculas Online

Monday, September 26, 2011

Cain Would Have Dethroned Burger 'King' Earlier

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Home > Politics & Policy > Washington Whispers > Cain Would Have Dethroned Burger 'King' Earlier

September 14, 2011 Print Burger King mascot and Herman Cain Burger King mascot and Herman Cain

President Obama isn't the only "king" GOP presidential candidate and former Burger King and Godfather's pizza executive has it out for. He also wanted the mascot of Burger King dethroned long ago.

"I never liked that mascot," says Cain, the chatty conservative candidate who was a vice president of Pillsbury's Burger King division 30 years ago.

[Vote: Who won the GOP debate?]

Now he's applauding the hamburger and milkshake chain's decision to kill the king mascot. "It didn't break my heart when I found out Burger King was dropping him," said Cain.

The King made his first debut in 1955 as a sketch, evolving throughout the years from a kid-friendly cartoon into a sarcastic, trouble-making waxy figurine featured in Super Bowl ads. Some parents complained that the mascot scared children. [See a collection of political cartoons on the 2012 GOP hopefuls.]

Burger King has discontinued the mascot and hired a new ad agency, McGarryBowen, to handle its marketing. The ad firm's known more for creating classic food ads featuring products rather than mascots or gimmicks. The firm released an ad of Burger King's new California Whopper, which depicted the slicing and dicing of fresh ingredients without any mention of a king.

Herman Cain says he supports a more conservative approach.

"I am no longer involved in the company, what I think does not matter, but I have never liked that mascot so my response is what ever they do in the future will be an improvement."

Tags:Herman Cain, republican party 2011: 2010: 2009: 2008: 2007: 2006:

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Peliculas Online

Body Language Expert Says Obama Would Clock Perry

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Just a little more than a year from the 2012 election, President Obama's strapped with a wrecked economy, an uncooperative Congress and plenty of competition from the GOP. But when it comes to good old campaigning, communication expert Peter Meyers says Obama still has the golden touch.

"We can focus on the message all we want, the election doesn't go to the candidate who's the smartest or even the most experienced," said Meyers, who has advised world leaders and politicians on how to use body language to influence their message. "It goes to the best communicator. Right now, in the White House, we've got a world class communicator. He is going to have to draw upon all of his skills, but he'd clock Rick Perry in a race."

Meyers compares Obama to former Presidents Clinton and Reagan as speakers, both of whom won re-election after a stumbling start.

He's not the only political adviser to suggest Obama's got it in the bag. Whispers recently reported  that Allan Lichtman, the American University professor whose election formula has correctly called every president since Reagan's 1984 re-election, has Obama taking a second term.

[Read: Never-Wrong Pundit Picks Obama to Win in 2012.]

Meyers doesn't totally discount the other candidates, but doesn't believe they have what it takes.

He admires Perry's presidential look, his ability to deliver memorable zingers like "Ponzi scheme" and his clear, simple answers to tough questions. Meyers even finds his deep voice appealing. Yet, he admonishes Perry's fashion sense and lack of poise when forced to speak off the cuff.

"He meanders mid-sentence and loses his way when someone kicks him off his talking points," Meyers says. "His collars are way to high on his neck; he looks like Catholic school boy, whose mother dressed him for church."

[See a collection of political cartoons about the GOP contenders.]

Mitt Romney doesn't fare much better. "He can obviously stay on point and hold his own with Rick Perry, but his voice gets stuck in his throat instead of coming from his chest, and he tends to sound like a 1970s game show host; it's inauthentic," says Meyers.

Meyers also points to Romney's stammer and rushed cadence as evidence of why he'd likely get trampled in a race against Obama. "He's a fair fighter, and he is polished, but he's almost like a community theater actor. When he makes a good point, you can see in his face that he's very pleased with himself."

Who does Meyers thinks might be able to knock Obama from his oratory pedestal?

"Newt Gingrich comes across as the best communicator the Republicans have got," he says, "It's a shame he doesn't get mentioned more. When Gingrich speaks you can hear the tone of both his intellect and his heart; it's like listening to a sleigh ride — very pleasant."



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Peliculas Online

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Albanian citizen in New York, accused of supporting terror group would have been in Pakistan

By approach Edmund published September 09, 2011| FoxNews.com

An Albanian citizen who lived in Brooklyn, New York, was charged Friday with providing material support to terrorists in Pakistan who were engaged in military operations that killed American troops, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Justice.

Agron Hasbajrami, 27, a US citizen legal, would have provided $1,000 to a person in Pakistan, with links to a terror group and said that it will provide as much money as possible.

Hasbajrami would then have to talk about the difficulties of fundraising. Muslims, said, growing apprehension "when they hear that it is for the jihad," according to the Federal detention order unsealed Friday.

He reportedly planned to Waziristan in the North, Pakistan, eventually die as a martyr and "marriage with girls in Paradise", which is identified as being the jihadist rhetoric which refers to die as a martyr while fighting the Jihad.

The authorities say the period relationship of December 2010 to February 2011. Hasbajrami sent more than $1,000 to the person and planned to meet in Pakistan, read the court documents. This person has heard would have Hasbajrami on how to access to the region by obtaining an Iranian Visa and travelling through the Turkey.

The Pakistani individual told Hasbajrami he leads Jihad in Afghanistan and helped provide travel for other fighters to participate in the conflict. Hasbajrami would have been continuing to provide funding for the group after learning he was engaged in military operations that killed US troops.

Earlier this month, a confidential source for the FBI informed Hasbajrami that he was a member of the Islamic Jihad Union, a known terror organization and that he could help his travels, according to court documents.

Hasbajrami would have informed the source that he would meet with his group of terror in Istanbul, but was arrested Tuesday last at Kennedy International Airport when he arrived to board a flight in Turkey. The authorities claim that he was carrying a tent, boots and cold gear. It was expected to be arraigned Friday.

He faces a prison 15 years of if convicted.



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