All Critics (231) | Top Critics (41) | Fresh (216) | Rotten (15)
The reasoning behind all this may not reward prolonged inspection, but Johnson is smart enough to press onward with his plot, leaving us with neither the time nor the desire to linger over the logic ...
Writer-director Rian Johnson establishes himself as an original talent who clearly believes storytelling must prevail.
A mind-bending ride that is not afraid to slow down now and again, to explore themes of regret and redemption, solitude and sacrifice, love and loss. It's a movie worth seeing and, perhaps, going back to see again.
Looper has more heart than Brick and the 2008 con-man flick The Brothers Bloom. Both fine achievements, they could also be described as viscerally cerebral.
I'm a sucker for time-travel movies.
Looper felt to me like a maddening near-miss ...
Looper is among the cleverest, most skillfully crafted and entertaining sci-fi thrillers of the past 20 years.
The smartest, most stylish and most outright entertaining science-fiction film of the year.
A thought-provoking, heart-pounding take on the applications and ethics of time travel which, oddly enough, doubles up as a lesson in the importance of good parenting.
This is one of those rare genre movies (like the original TERMINATOR) that reminds us that Sci-Fi can be smart. It's much more than just a bunch of special effects and explosions. It's what all movies should aspire to be.
While it sometimes feels like it's trying to do much, Looper manages to be a creditable and exciting sci-fi flick that homages the past while carving out a unique identity.
Much as he did in Brick, Johnson creates a carefully drawn world in Looper that exists by its own particular set of rules.
... has an irresistible energy and a don't-give-a-damn unpredictability ...
Beautifully crafted, acted and written.
Anchors high-concept thrills and captivating ideas in a world of challenging morality and intricate personal consequences.
Truly imaginative but all the twists and turns make the overall film difficult to follow. Plus Gordon-Levitt has not reached leading man status yet.
Kind of a reverse-"Terminator" without any of James Cameron's wit (or wisdom),
An endlessly creative mind-blowing film that captures everything right about the movie going experience. Johnson conjures up the most imaginative action/science fiction film since 'Inception.'
Part science fiction, part mob movie, and with a nice infusion of dark comedy at just the right moments, Looper is Johnson's best movie yet, and manages to be hugely entertaining, affecting, and thought-provoking.
takes us far beyond the film's high-concept premise into the kind of emotional terrain that too often escapes even the best genre filmmakers
Doesn't quite reach the heights of the lofty ideals that it so ardently seeks to expound, but makes up for this with the sheer thrill of the journey Rian Johnson takes us on.
Ingenious with a fine performance by Emily Blunt, but far too much cold-blooded violence.
Engaging, exciting, and successfully cross-breeding elements of Terminator and even Pet Sematary, Looper is a solid work of palatable science-fiction.
Looper's super. An action-thriller that bothers to have a brain.
Looper may not take us back to the future as satisfyingly as Robert Zemeckis' Marty McFly trilogy or James Cameron's Terminator franchise, but writer-director Rian Johnson does enough right to all but guarantee that he has a future cult film on the books.
The best time travel films play on emotion rather than logic, and once Looper realises this and drops all the tail-chasing about how time travel works it settles into the engrossing action/drama about destiny it should have been from the get go.
Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/looper/
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NEW YORK (AP) ? Shares of Zynga slumped Friday after it disclosed with its partner Facebook that they have loosened their close ties to one another.
THE SPARK: The companies said in regulatory filings Thursday that they have amended their 2010 contract to say Zynga will no longer have to display Facebook ads or use Facebook payments on its own properties, such as Zynga.com.
In addition, Zynga, which makes the games "FarmVille" and "CityVille," will no longer be required to use Facebook as the exclusive social site for its games, or to grant Facebook exclusive games. Any social game Zynga launches will also be available on Facebook either at the same time or shortly after it launches elsewhere.
Facebook, meanwhile, will be able to develop its own games after the end of March, though it said it has no plans to do so. Its deal with Zynga previously prohibited Facebook from developing games.
THE BIG PICTURE: While it's not exactly splitsville, the original 2010 contract gave Zynga special status among Facebook game developers. Zynga relies on Facebook for most of the revenue it generates even as it works to establish its independence.
Facebook also makes money from Zynga, though the portion of its revenue that the game maker accounts for has declined. In the third quarter, Facebook said that 7 percent of its total revenue came from Zynga, down from 12 percent in the third quarter of 2011.
ANALYSIS: Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter said while Zynga investors reacted badly to the news, he sees the changes as a long-term positive for both companies.
"Zynga now has an incentive to expand the reach of its most popular social games beyond Facebook and Zynga.com and be able to offer additional payment options, likely resulting in additional payers who are not Facebook users," the analyst wrote in a note to investors.
Pachter rates Zynga "Outperform" with a target price of $4.
STOCK ACTION: Shares of San Francisco'S Zynga Inc. fell 19 cents, or 7.3 percent, to $2.43 in afternoon trading. Zynga went public in December 2011 at a price of $10 per share but its stock have fallen sharply amid concerns about its ability to keep growing quickly.
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Source: http://www.dailyoilbulletin.com/issues/article.asp?article=dob/121128/DOB2012_NS0012.html
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On the afternoon of the election, I sat counting ceiling tiles at my local Planned Parenthood clinic.
?Have you ever been to a Planned Parenthood clinic before?? the receptionist asked me when I approached the front desk.
?No ma?am.?
?Please fill out these forms. All your information will be kept confidential.?
?Okay, thanks.?
I found a seat in the back corner of the waiting area and slowly raised my eyes to look around the crowded room. To my right, there was a young girl ? maybe 15 or 16 years old ? with her arms crossed rigidly over her chest. She was wearing fishnet stockings, a transparent black tank top, and dark eyeliner painted thickly along the lids under her eyes. I wondered why she was here. She looked too young for an annual pap smear.
I looked back down at the forms on my clipboard:
Name: Chelsea Roff
Birthdate: 7/30/1989
Insurance? No
To my right, I heard the door open again and in walked another woman ? probably 35 ? wearing lululemon pants and a long, flowy shirt that easily could have served as a dress. Her hair was dark and curly, her skin a sun-kissed bronze. She approached the reception desk timidly, her eyes darting rapidly around the room.
?I?m not an American citizen,? she said to the receptionist. Her accent sounded British? maybe South African. ?Will they still see me??
?Yes, of course, honey. Do you have an appointment?
?No.?
?Fill out these forms. We?ll get you in.?
I ?looked back down at the clipboard in my lap, subconsciously breathing a sigh of relief for the woman at the desk. What was she here for? Emergency contraception? Abortion? STD test? Was she pregnant? I wondered if she had a national health care system in her country of origin, and thought about how frightening it would be to have a medical emergency happen and be so far from home.
Finishing my paperwork, I re-approached the reception desk, getting in line behind a mother-daughter couple and a ?young man. To my left I saw a small framed sign on the wall adjacent to me:
THE TRUTH ABOUT TEEN PRIVACY
We encourage teens to discuss their health care concerns with their parents or other adults, but you can give us your own permission for the following:
You can also talk to us about the following and be sure they will remain private:
I thought about my younger sister, about the handful of times I?d walked her into a clinic like this. I?d forgotten what that was like? being underage and in the foster care system, Planned Parenthood the only place you knew to go.
Source: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/life-without-health-insurance.html
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2:50pm Wednesday 28th November 2012 in News By Hermione Wright
A senior Unite official has warned bus passengers to expect many more strikes until a pay dispute is settled.
Roger Dillon, Unite regional organiser for buses in north London, claims communication has broken down with employer Arriva London North over the 24-hour strike, which is due to start at 3am tonight.
He said further strikes are likely in the New Year as he does not believe the industrial action, which is set to involve 2,300 trade union members, will convince Arriva to increase drivers? pay in line with inflation.
Mr Dillon, who will join the picket line outside Enfield and Wood Green bus garages tomorrow, said: ?It has taken us a long time to get to this point and we are very disappointed because we believed that we were going to sort something out.
?We didn?t want it to come to this but now it has, we are in for the long haul.?
A total of 51 bus routes are expected to be affected with Transport for London (TfL) warning passengers to expect severe delays or cancellations to their journeys.
Extra pressure is also expected to hit Tube stations, with TfL pinpointing Wood Green, Turnpike Lane, Tottenham Hale, Seven Sisters and Victoria Tube stations as particular trouble spots.
Mr Dillon said bus drivers, who have not been given a pay rise since 2010, were offered a ?600-per-year pay increase by Arriva. However, the union is calling for a percentage increase to their annual wage, which trade union members are prepared to discuss with their employer.??
A planned strike was called off on Wednesday, November 14, but Mr Dillon claims Arriva ? which provides approximately ten per cent of bus services for TfL - is no longer in talks with the union to cancel tonight?s action.
He said: ?Nobody is in talks with us now. We have been waiting for the phone call all day thinking that someone wanted to talk to us but right now we are just getting the flags and banners ready.
?We can?t sit around waiting for the call.?
The Unite official said he believes the public will understand the industrial action because they will have noticed bus drivers have not been given a pay rise despite fares increasing annually.
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The iPhone 5 is the latest and greatest mobile phone and portable data assistant from Apple. Unbox the iPhone 5 with help from your friends at eHow Tech in this free video clip.
Hi, I'm Dave Johnson, I'm the editor of eHow's Tech Channel, and today let's unbox an iPhone 5. So, what I've here today, is the brand new iPhone Five, it just came out very recently. And with almost all Apple packaging, it looks more like a piece of art than a product that you want to open up, I love this box. So, the first thing you see, when you open up the box, is the iPhone. And in all likelihood, what you've got here, is something that has already been activated by your carrier, Sprint or AT&T. So, I'll take that out, we'll put that aside for a moment, and we can pull out the little bed that the phone was sitting on. And we find some paper work, warranty information, that sort of thing. But there's some fun stuff hiding down, underneath, this looks really awesome. You've got redesigned ear buds, so you can pop those things out and use them to listen to music, and the charger. And last but not least, you've got the charging cable. And let me point that, of course, this end is just standard USB, you've seen USB cables before a million times. But this end, is the contentious, new connector for the iPhone. It doesn't look the old one and in fact, if you have an older iPhone or an older i-device that have the old styled, wide cable. Well, it's not going to fit in your new iPhone Five. But in exchange for that, you get something really cool, and that is, it's symmetric. Have you ever taken a USB cable, tried to insert it in the computer, didn't work, flipped it over, still didn't work, flipped it back the first way. Ah, finally, it goes in. Well, this thing works either way. So, I can pop it in there, or I can flip it around, pop it in the other way, works either way. Alright, so let's go ahead and get started with our new iPhone. So, it's going to take a moment to start up. Once the phone boots, you're on the welcome screen, so I'm just going to slide. And we just walk through some basic configuration and we say, we speak English, in this case. We're in the United States, so we can tap, Next a bunch of times. And it's going to look for a Wi-Fi signal in addition to the three-G. And in this case, I am in a location that has Wi-Fi. So, I'm going to type in my Wi-Fi password. After a moment, it's going to connect to the Wi-Fi network, tap , Next, it'll take a moment to activate the phone. You're generally going to want to enable Location Services, what that's going to do is, let the phone know where it is. So, it can help you find restaurants, and show you where you are on a map, that sort of thing. Now, you have a choice, whether to set it up as a new phone, which you might want to do, if you've never had an iPhone before. Or, you can actually restore data from either the Could, if you're using iCloud, or from iTunes. Say, you've had an older iPhone-four-S. So, I'm setting this up as a new phone, so I'm going to choose that one. Tap, Next, sign in with your Apple ID. That is what lets you buy stuff from the iTunes Store, so that's important to include. After it signs in, you have just maybe one or two more things to do, Agree to the Terms of Service. You have a choice about whether you want to use iCloud or not use iCloud, If you use iCloud, it'll back-up everything on the phone, online, so you don't have to sync with iTunes. I'm going to not use iCloud for the time being, you can always go back and change that. It's going to ask you, if you want to use Siri or not. I suggest using it, it's a lot of fun, especially when you first start using it. Let me demonstrate what that's like. Now, we're actually in our phone. So, if you press and hold the Home button, Siri pops up. And so, I can say, let me restart it. Where's the nearest pizza restaurant? And it gave me a bunch of results, there are 15 pizza restaurants in the vicinity, around me, here in Santa Monica, that's pretty good, because I like pizza. So, I could choose one to give me directions to it, that sort of thing. Also, I just want to show that it's really easy to personalize this, however you like. For example, you could, once you start downloading Apps from the iTunes Store, you'll have pages and pages of these things. But you can take them and actually group them. If you tap an icon and hold it with your finger, you can then move it over another icon, and you've now, grouped them. So, now, when I tap this, I have a name for it, like this is Utilities. And I can have a whole bunch of icons hiding here. So, basically, even if you have dozens or even a hundreds of Apps that you've downloaded from the Store. You can fit them all on one or two screens, that's really cool. And also, don't forget that you're going to want to spend a lot of time, initially at least, getting setup in Settings. Settings is the place on your iPhone, where you can configure everything about your phone. Ringtones, whether you want it to not ring in the evening when you're home having dinner, that sort of thing. The background, wallpaper, all sorts of stuff. And the thing you probably most need to know, before you get on an airplane. The very top item is Airplane Mode, slide that over to On,when you get on the plane. That turns off all the radios on the phone, so you're in compliance with the FAA. And that is the brand new iPhone 5.
Source: http://www.ehow.com/video_12250622_unboxing-iphone-5.html
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Posted on November 28, 2012, 7:44 pm.
Total Lunar Eclipse or Purna Chandra Grahan will occur on November 28th, 2012. The grahan will take place during moonrise in Europe, East Africa, Middle East during moonrise. In India, Asia, Australia it will take place during the night time. In North America, it will take place during moonset.
Lunar Eclipse will start on November 28th, 2012. According to NASA, the Chandra Grahan will not be visible to the naked eye. A grey dark shade will be visible on the moon in India between 7:30 PM and 8:30 PM.
World Map showing the Path of Total Lunar Eclipse on November 28, 2012
Usually during a lunar eclipse, a fast (Upvaas) is observed by certain communities in Hindu religion. The fast begins about 9 hours before the beginning of the lunar eclipse.
As per traditional Hindu lunar calendar, November 28th is Paush Poornima and the famous Magh Mela begins at Allahabad (Sangam in Prayag).
People also take a bath in cold water and chant mantras dedicated to Lord Vishnu or Shiva like the Ashtakshara Mantra or Mrityunjaya Mantra. This is done whenever there is a Solar or Lunar eclipse. Pregnant women chant the Santana Gopala Mantra.
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Abstract deadline December 7th!!!
The Annual Meeting of the Central States Anthropological Society will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri, April 4-6, 2013. Faculty, students, independent scholars, and practitioners are encouraged to submit abstracts for papers, posters, organized sessions, workshops and roundtables in all four fields of anthropology, as well as applied. The annual CSAS conference is student-friendly and features a paper competition for both undergraduate and graduate students. It also offers an opportunity for anthropologists from throughout the central states, from institutions large and small, to meet, talk, and network. The 2013 conference will be hosted by the?University of Missouri, St. Louis? Department of Anthropology, Sociology and Languages, and most of the events will be held in the?Crowne Plaza Hotel, located in downtown St. Louis.Source: http://aapabandit.blogspot.com/2012/11/central-states-anthropological-society.html
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This once-isolated country is replacing its fleet of buses cobbled together from the shells of World War II-era Chevy trucks. ?NBC News' Ian Williams reports on this antique roadshow on wheels that is being swept away by rapid change.
By Ian Williams, NBC News
YANGON, Myanmar -- U Ming Kyi affectionately tapped the hood of his dilapidated bus.??Of course I?ll be sad to see it go. They are really reliable. The brakes are great,? he said.
But on this particular morning, bus No. 61 from North Dagon to San Pya market was not cooperating.?The engine screeched and smoked as U Ming sat behind the wheel, turning the key and willing it to life.
He gave up and glanced back at the passengers. As if on cue -- and clearly well practiced -- several jumped from the bus and began pushing until it spluttered, gasped, then finally roared to life.
Bus no 61 was on its way across the north of Yangon, as it has been for decades.
U Ming smiled gingerly. He has been driving these buses for 35 years, and keeping on the road what are possibly the oldest buses in the world still operating needs constant improvisation.
Ian Williams/NBC News
Driver U Ming Kyi at the wheel of bus number 61. He's been driving the Big Belly Chevy for 35 years.
In Myanmar they are called ?big belly? buses and the chassis of no 61 was registered in 1939.?Back then it was a military truck -- a Canada-built Chevy C-15. These were used by the United States, Britain and western allies during the "Burma Campaign" -- the southeast Asia theater of World War II.
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After the conflict, Myanmar?s military regime converted them into buses. The makeshift vehicles quickly became the mainstay of a transport system that resembled until recently an antiques show on wheels.
But in a sign of the rapid wider changes sweeping this country, they have been banned from the increasingly traffic-clogged center of Yangon, Myanmar?s main city, and are being phased out to be replaced by shiny new Japanese models.
Ian Williams/NBC News
Passengers packed on board bus number 61. Big Belly Bus.
The price of an old ?big belly? has suddenly gone through the roof -- not because of the vehicle, which is off to the junk yard, but because of the valuable operating license that goes with it.
If he had the money, U Ming would buy one himself. ?The new ones just won?t be the same,? he said. He can read every crunch, bang and hiss -- of which there are many on a bumpy, shaky ride across the city.
Like most vehicles here, the ?big belly? is right-hand drive, a legacy of British rule when traffic drove on the left. Yet the traffic in Myanmar now drives on the right, as in the United States, which means drivers like U Ming spend a good deal of their time straining to see what is coming at them.
Former dictator Ne Win made the switch after seizing power in 1962. Some say it was an anti-colonial gesture. Others put it down to his notorious superstition: Britain?s Daily Telegraph said he took the decision after consulting a wizard.
Ian Williams/NBC News
The interior of a Big Belly Bus.
That these buses operated for so long, patched together with whatever parts were available during years of isolation and sanctions, is testament to the ingenuity of men like U Ming.
All is not lost, though. Long-time Italian resident Alberto Peyre has bought three and given them a luxurious face lift to serve the country's tourism boom.
?They are a piece of history, a piece of history,? he said, as immaculately dressed attendants handed us cold towels as we sat in expensively upholstered seats for a mini-tour of the city.
?I love these buses. I just love them,? he said.
Peyre?s company, Elephant Coach, is marketing tours as ?the ultimate luxury in overland travel.? It?s a long way from the U Ming?s no 61, but it will ensure that these remarkable old machines will not entirely disappear from the streets of Myanmar.
More world stories from NBC News:
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For charitable organizations, the end of the year is no holiday. Charities need people to donate money, and now is their busiest season, as they ramp up their fundraising efforts to get generous donors to make year-end gifts.
When it comes to making those gifts, though, simple isn?t always best. Although it?s easy just to write a check to get your charitable giving marked off your to-do list, somewhat more complicated giving methods can get you even more bang for your buck. That can help you do more good while also boosting your own finances.
But how can you be smarter about donating money? Here are some ideas you may not have thought about before:
1. Give stock, not cash.
The advantage of pulling out your checkbook or donating money online or on your mobile device is that it?s easy to get done quickly. But one technique that many rich people use is to give away shares of stock rather than cash. Although giving stock is a bit more of a hassle, the benefit is that you can deduct the full market value of shares you?ve held for more than a year without having to pay tax on capital gains on those shares.
For instance, among the members of the Giving Pledge are many corporate founders who own stock worth billions of dollars. With Facebook?s (NASDAQ: FB??) Mark Zuckerberg, Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: TSLA??) CEO Elon Musk, and Reed Hastings of Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX??) among dozens of influential business leaders who?ve pledged to give the majority of their vast wealth to charity. With most of them having substantial portions of the wealth in company shares and options, giving away stock is the best way to help charity while also avoiding a big tax bill.
But you don?t have to be rich to benefit from donating stock instead of cash. On any stock that you have a long-term gain, using it for a donation saves you on taxes. Talk to your charity about whether they have arrangements to accept gifts of stock.
2. Become a long-term philanthropist.
Private foundations have become a major force in the charitable giving arena, with wealthy families financing philanthropic arms of their family fortunes to target their donations. But even those of more modest means can set up longer-term giving strategies by using donor-advised funds.
Many financial companies, including Fidelity, T. Rowe Price (NASDAQ: TROW??) , and Vanguard, allow customers to set up donor-advised funds. To set up a fund, you make a relatively large charitable gift ? minimums at those three institutions range from $5,000 to $25,000. But rather than having it all go straight to charity right away, the institution holds it on your behalf in a special fund, waiting for you to designate how much and when gifts will be made to the charities you choose.
The benefit of donor-advised funds is that you get a tax deduction when you donate to the fund, even if you wait years to use up the entire gift. That can be especially useful if you have a windfall year with a lot of income and want to maximize deductions to offset that income right away. To get more information, take a look at the T. Rowe Price, Vanguard, or Fidelity websites.
3. Double-up on Dec. 31 (or Jan. 1).
Charities are willing to bend over backward to help you get the most tax benefits from your gift. Although most charities expect to get single gifts toward the end of the year, you may get more benefit by doubling up all at once.
How it works is simple: by making your 2012 and 2013 donations at the same time, you can time your gift to choose which tax year they?ll go into. If you donate before Dec. 31, you?ll be able to claim both gifts as deductions on your 2012 return. Alternatively, giving both gifts will help you take advantage of expected higher rates in 2013. Moreover, both strategies get cash into charities? hands faster ? which is important given how much they need money right now.
Be a smarter giver
Donating money to charity is extremely important, and these tips are just a few of the strategies you can use to make the most of your charitable donations. With charities depending on your generosity, you owe it to yourself to make your money go as far as it can.
Mark Zuckerberg may be rich enough to be a philanthropist, but his shareholders aren?t all that pleased with him. After a terrible IPO, though, shares have finally hit bottom, and Facebook could be a buy right now. Find out more in our newest premium research report. There?s a lot more to Facebook than meets the eye, so read up on whether there is anything to ?like? about it today, and we?ll tell you whether we think Facebook deserves a place in your portfolio. Access your report by clicking here.
Source: http://avidinvestorgroup.com/2012/11/donate-money-the-smart-way/
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A 5-year-old girl was shot in the stomach by a stray bullet after returning home from a baby shower with her family on Sunday, the New York Daily News reports . Scroll down for video of story Haily Dominguez (pictured) is listed in critical but stable condition
Read the original here:
5-Year-Old Shot By Stray Bullet After Leaving Baby Shower With Family
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - As the debate around tax reform grows more heated, broker-dealers and other companies that service retirement plans offered by employers are increasingly concerned that the tax benefits of 401(k) plans are on the chopping block.
An industry group that normally works behind the scenes, the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries, on Monday launched a media campaign intended to educate U.S. employers and workers that the federal government might consider changing the tax benefits of retirement savings accounts.
That worries the ASPPA because Americans might end up saving less, and some smaller employers might eventually decide to discontinue their own 401(k) plans.
The "Save My 401(k)" campaign includes a website, Facebook page, Twitter feed, and even an online videogame. The budget is undisclosed but is in the six figures, according to the ASPPA's chief executive, Brian Graff.
The goal of the media campaign, said Graff, is to raise awareness among employers and employees that they may be in danger of losing some of the tax breaks surrounding their 401(k) plans.
The ASPPA has 11,000 member companies including broker-dealers and record keepers who service the retirement savings plans offered by U.S. employers.
In the wake of the November U.S. elections, the federal government is mulling a possible increase in taxes as a means of reducing the federal budget deficit.
A full-scale tax reform could cut or limit specific tax breaks as a way of lowering overall tax rates. President Barack Obama has said he will raise taxes for wealthy Americans, and trade groups representing both employers and financial services firms have voiced concerns that the tax benefits of 401(k) plans could be slashed.
"The last time Congress made major changes to the tax code, there was a drop in 401(k) contributions by more than 70 percent," Graff said in an interview.
Under the current system, investors who place money in their 401(k) plans do so on a tax-deferred basis, which means they pay no taxes on that money until they withdraw it from the plan.
At present, employees are allowed to put $17,000 a year into their 401(k) plans. In 2013, that amount is scheduled to increase to $17,500.
ASPPA officials have been in talks with members of Congress about their concerns, but the industry group believes it should now reach out to investors, given the importance of the situation, Graff said.
"Everyone we met with said we had a great story, but they said they had to hear from the constituents."
Through the "Save My 401(k)" campaign, ASPPA members - including large brokerage firms such as UBS, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and LPL Financial - intend to reach out to clients and encourage them to write letters to Congress.
Chief among ASPPA's concerns is that if 401(k) plans lose some tax advantages, small businesses may terminate their plans because the costs will outweigh the benefits, Graff said.
Currently, 84.5 percent of all 401(k) plans are offered by businesses with fewer than 100 employees, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
ASPPA's goal is to have a total of 250,000 emails sent to members of Congress over the next six months, Graff said. "We have never done anything close to this scale," he said.
(editing by Matthew Lewis)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-401-k-servicing-industry-sounds-alarm-over-140123158--sector.html
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Source: http://lesspencer73.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/kipling-seoul-laptop-large-backpack-true-blue-travel-leisure.html
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Source: http://bryantmartin56.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/kipling-seoul-laptop-large-backpack-true-blue-travel-leisure.html
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Source: http://komenalager.blogspot.com/2012/11/kipling-seoul-laptop-large-backpack.html
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November 24, 2012 at 4:00 pm PT
Venture investors still have a healthy appetite for early-stage consumer Internet companies, but those startups are having a harder time raising follow-on financing.
Overall the amount invested in consumer information services was off 42% in the first nine months as the difficulties of newly public Internet companies such as Facebook and Zynga cast doubt on the business models and valuations of social media companies.
Read the rest of this post on the original site
Source: http://allthingsd.com/20121124/vcs-still-chasing-web-companies-but-with-less-cash/
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The friends and family reunion is on! It's the most perfect opportunity to invest in scrapbooking design products throughout Millersville, MD and also preserve remembrances from a resourceful scrapbook. Dedicating the actual scrapbooking to the particular household creates an heirloom that is inherited from iteration to generation.Family not even created yet will enjoy the actual pictures and also mementos anyone include in scrapbooking design for the reason that a lot of would have been shed and also demolished gradually in any other case preserved.
The scrapbook you decide on in making may be significant as well as compact plus a lot will depend on with what number of people might be studying and what amount time you want to place into this project.The design and style can be for one event and also made to possibly be extended since upcoming family reunions are held. You can consist of photographs, signatures of family by using start dates, memory statements, souvenir waste as well as anything with which has meaning for a family.
Down Memory Lane
In preparation to generate scrapbooks, Millersville, MD scrappers will require that will acquire earlier shots ingested connected with household members.The elderly images will become supplemented along with innovative photographs taken at existing event.This not simply presents a period of time aspect to help that design and style due to penetration from the decades but in addition lets you contain relations who've handed away. In fact, an individual could bind a section for you to the family who will be not anymore along with you.
Calling close family and asking for a few pictures will internet everyone many fantastic photos for your family reunion design and style too.The design and style will be this type of beautiful location for featuring family photos, and for that reason additional interesting as opposed to standard photo album. First select a theme as well as carry that will topic during from beginning for you to end.In the design and style it is possible to add decorative variations surrounding the photographs along with use your shaded pens along with scrapbooking design products Millersville, MD shops advertise to help scrappers to be able to make fascinating remarks in addition to photograph identifications.
Use the actual Right Supplies
There certainly are a few guidelines to be able to ensure mafia reunion scrapbook was made to endure.Choose some sort of tough recording of good quality so it are going to be checked by simply numerous people. Other items have to be high quality also just like adhesives and also pens.
To insure you no longer wreck your photographs,check that all peel offs and also other items attached to the pics will not likely damages a person's pictures.The past matter you want to carry out will be place a new sticker on a well used spouse and children photograph and amounts adhesive simply leaves a indicate that will can not be removed. Old photos of beloved can't be replaced, and also it's tragic to see anyone accidently damaged an irreplaceable photo.
Great Gifts or Great Treasures
Scrapbooks is often fantastic presents for you to prize in the years.Each loved ones reunion may be a one of a kind occasion within this some individuals are generally blessed and some pass away involving events.The number of which records is a one-time assemblage.
If there is a family reunion approaching up, you should definitely take a look at the actual scrapbook keep associated with Millersville, MD on-line or maybe in person.You could get quite a few great thoughts from various other scrappers.Take those concepts and move all of them into first versions pertaining to your family.After all, your family can be one-of-a-kind plus original too!
Source: http://scrapbook-storage.blogspot.com/2012/11/family-reunion-scrapbooks-make.html
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Source: http://harttodd.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/family-reunion-scrapbooks-make-heirlooms-home-home.html
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Source: http://allisonearle.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/family-reunion-scrapbooks-make-heirlooms-home-home.html
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Source: http://victorrusso.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/family-reunion-scrapbooks-make-heirlooms-home-home.html
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Source: http://songbird-ombudsman.blogspot.com/2012/11/family-reunion-scrapbooks-make.html
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Source: http://holmescyrus.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/family-reunion-scrapbooks-make-heirlooms-home-home.html
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Well, that was quick. We started off this month with word from Samsung that its 5.5-inch Galaxy Note II passed three million in sales, and now the company is announcing it's moved two million more in less than a month. Now available on North American carriers the stylus-packing smartphone is apparently experiencing popularity in all regions, with no sign of slowing down. It's even had the rite of passage of being included in an Apple lawsuit, and a new ad focusing on using the stylus to become an internet meme. It may not be ready to challenge the smaller Galaxy S III for the company sales crown just yet, but with five million out the door and more every minute, XL-sized handsets are clearly here to stay.
Continue reading Samsung announces Galaxy Note II has moved 5 million units worldwide
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Source: Samsung Korea
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/25/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-5-million-sold/
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Though he still has many questions, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., lightened his critique of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice on Sunday.
This week, officials from the intelligence community confirmed that they changed Rice?s talking points for her Sunday show appearances in the days after the terrorist attack in Libya that left four Americans dead.
McCain, who has said he would block her nomination if Rice is tapped as Secretary of State, said on Sunday that he would give Rice a chance to explain what happened.
?I?d be glad to have the opportunity to discuss these issues with her,? he said on Fox News Sunday, adding, ?I think she deserves the ability and the opportunity to explain herself and her position.?
Rice has been the subject of fierce attacks for weeks from McCain and Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., among others, for initially saying an anti-Islamic video was the cause of the attack, and failing to mention al-Qaida. Later, Obama administration officials said her talking points were changed to omit classified information for security purposes.
President Obama and several Democrats have defended Rice in recent weeks, saying the criticism has been unfair. This week, Rice made her first public comments on the controversy.
?I relied solely and squarely on the information provided to me by the intelligence community," Rice said on Wednesday, according to NBC News. "I made clear that the information was preliminary and that our investigations would give us the definitive answers.?
On Sunday, McCain backed off his critique, focusing more on the Obama administration and the failure to prevent the terrorist attack in the first place. ?The problem is the president of the United States,? he said.
Although McCain struck a more conciliatory tone on Sunday, Graham continued his attack on Rice and the administration, saying he did not believe the intelligence officials who said they changed her talking points.
?I?m increasingly convinced that the best and current intelligence assessment on 16 September went against the video.?The video was a political smokescreen,? Graham said on ABC?s This Week, adding, ?I don't believe the video is the reason for this.?I don't believe it was ever the reason for this.?That was a political story, not an intel story, and we're going to hold people accountable.?
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., dismissed Graham?s critique, saying Rice did her job and followed the instructions that were given to her by the intelligence community.
?If this were an NFL football game, the critics of Ambassador Rice would be penalized for piling on,? he said on ABC. ?For goodness' sake, she got the report from the intelligence community.?She dutifully reported it to the public, just exactly what we expect her to do.?
Although praising Rice on ?an effective job as U.N. ambassador, especially on issues such as North Korea,? Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., still remained critical of her actions following the attack in Libya.
?On this she is wrong,? King said on NBC?s Meet the Press. ?If she is sent out to speak to the American people on what happened in Benghazi, she is obligated to do more than look at three sentences of unclassified or five sentences of unclassified talking points? She knew that the story she was giving out was not entirely true.?
McCain, along with Graham and Ayotte, called for a special, select committee to investigate the attack, much like those that examined the Iran-Contra affair and the Watergate scandal, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he would not allow the committee. Still, McCain stood firm on his position.
?Four committees in the House and four in the Senate and they are holding different hearings and turf fights going on as it usually does in these bodies,? McCain said. ?We need a select committee in order to sort it out.?
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mccain-lightens-critique-rice-111403240--politics.html
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ScienceDaily (Nov. 23, 2012) ? An unexpected source of new, clean energy has been found: the Plant-Microbial Fuel Cell that can generate electricity from the natural interaction between living plant roots and soil bacteria. The technique already works on a small scale and will soon be applied in larger marshland areas throughout the world.
On 23 November, researcher Marjolein Helder will defend her PhD research on generating electricity via plants at Wageningen University, part of Wageningen UR. She has also founded a spin-off company called Plant-e with her colleague David Strik.
The Plant-Microbial Fuel Cell draws electricity from the soil while the plants continue to grow. Plants produce organic material via photosynthesis. The roots excrete up to 70 % of this material (unused) into the soil. Bacteria around the roots break down the organic residue, thereby forming a new source of electricity. The degradation processes causes electrons to be released. Marjolein Helder and her colleagues placed an electrode close to the bacteria to absorb these electrons and generate electricity via the potential difference thus created.
The Plant-Microbial Fuel Cell can currently generate 0.4 Watt per square metre of plant growth. This is more than is generated by fermenting biomass. In future, bio-electricity from plants could produce as much as 3.2 Watt per square metre of plant growth. This would mean that a roof measuring 100 m2 would generate enough electricity to supply a household (with an average consumption of 2,800 kWh/year). Plants of various species could be used, including grasses such as common cordgrass and, in warmer countries, rice.
Marshlands
Plant-Microbial Fuel Cells can be used on various scales. Initially on flat roofs or in remote areas in developing countries and later, when larger effective surface areas become feasible, central grids can be realised in areas of marshland. The researcher thinks that green energy-producing roofs will become a reality within a few years and production on a larger scale will follow suit soon after 2015. Although the technology is promising, it is not yet fully developed. Techniques for making the system renewable and sustainable still need improvement, and ways must be found to limit the amount of material used by the electrodes. Placing the electrodes in the optimum position around the plant causes electricity production to rise and material use to drop by two-thirds. In remote areas, the current capacity of Plant-Microbial Fuel Cell is already making them an economic rival for solar panels.
Marjolein Helder's PhD research did not only focus on the technical aspects of the Plant-Microbial Fuel Cell, but also on how the technology could be integrated into society. It appears that this new renewable source is economically viable, will curb the pressure on the environment and is likely to be socially acceptable. It does not pollute the horizon (like wind turbines or ugly solar panels), does not interfere with nature (like dams) and the system does not compete with agricultural land in the debate on food and biofuels.
The Plant-Microbial Fuel Cell principle was discovered and patented in 2007 by the Environmental Technology Group at Wageningen University. Bert Hamelers conceived the concept, and David Strik carried out the first tests. Larger projects followed, such as the EU PlantPower project.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wageningen University and Research Centre.
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Nokia's cameras and imaging systems have garnered the company plenty of attention in recent years, but it looks like it's now facing something of a turning point in that area. As Amateur Photographer reports, the man responsible for leading that charge, Damian Dinning, has announced that he's leaving the company effective November 30th. According to a statement released by Nokia UK, that move is a "personal decision" Dinning made following the company's decision to relocate a number of key strategic roles to Finland. As for what's next for Dinning, he rather cryptically tweeted just two days ago that he's "incredibly excited about the 10th Dec," adding that he "can't say more than that right now other than to say it's nothing to do with Nokia directly." There's also no word yet from Nokia on who will take over his role.
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile, Nokia
Via: PureViewClub, The Verge
Source: Amateur Photographer, @PhoneDaz (Twitter)
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/q3R-Vog38LY/
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