Rate on US 30-year mortgage ticks up to 3.32 pct.

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages stayed close to record lows this week, a trend that has made home buying more affordable and helped the housing market recover.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate on the 30-year loan edged up to 3.32 percent. That's close to last week's rate of 3.31 percent, the lowest on records dating to 1971.

The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage ticked up to 2.64 percent from 2.63 percent last week, also a record low.

The average rate on the 30-year loan has been below 4 percent all year. It has fallen further since the Federal Reserve started buying mortgage bonds in September to encourage more borrowing and spending.

Low mortgage rates have helped lift home sales this year. The National Association of Realtors on Thursday said that its index measuring the number of people who signed contracts in October to buy homes jumped to nearly its highest level in almost six years.

Home prices also have increased, which makes consumers feel wealthier and more likely to spend. And builders are more confident that the market will improve and have started more homes.

Lower rates also have persuaded more people to refinance. That typically leads to lower monthly mortgage payments and more spending. Consumer spending drives nearly 70 percent of economic activity.

Still, the housing market has a long way to a full recovery. And many people are unable to take advantage of the low rates, either because they can't qualify for stricter lending rules or they lack the money to meet larger down payment requirements.

To calculate average mortgage rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country on Monday through Wednesday of each week. The average doesn't include extra fees, known as points, which most borrowers must pay to get the lowest rates. One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount.

The average fee for 30-year loans was 0.8 point, up from 0.7 point last week. The fee for 15-year loans was unchanged at 0.6 point.

The average rate on a one-year adjustable-rate mortgage was steady at 2.56 percent. The fee for one-year adjustable-rate loans ticked up to 0.5 point from 0.4.

The average rate on a five-year adjustable-rate mortgage fell to 2.72 percent from 2.74 percent last week. The fee remained at 0.6 point.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-11-29-Mortgage%20Rates/id-9b98ff5701a34db691d122d838a0eccd

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13 from UCI named American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows

Public release date: 29-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Tom Vasich
tmvasich@uci.edu
949-824-6455
University of California - Irvine

Honor is conferred for distinguished contributions to their fields

Irvine, Calif., Nov. 29, 2012 Twelve UC Irvine researchers and one administrator have been made fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world's largest general scientific society.

A total of 702 AAAS members are being honored this year for their efforts to advance science or its applications. New fellows will receive an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin on Feb. 16, 2013, at the organization's annual meeting in Boston.

The class is being formally announced Nov. 30 in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science. The 2012 UCI fellows are:

• Bruce Blumberg, professor of developmental & cell biology, pharmaceutical sciences and biomedical engineering, for his contributions to the field of developmental biology, particularly for increasing understanding of the interactions between environmental signals and the developmental origins of disease
• Andrew Borovik, professor of chemistry, for his work on developing more efficient chemical processes through molecular design inspired by biological enzymes
• Ken Cho, professor of developmental & cell biology, for his additions to developmental biology, such as identifying the mechanism of Spemann's organizer and the importance of growth factor signaling during early embryogenesis
• Ron Frostig, professor of neurobiology & behavior, for his work in using optical imaging to describe the organization and plasticity of the cerebral cortex
• David Gardiner, professor of developmental & cell biology, for his contributions to the field of regeneration research and for his role in building the bridge between phenomenology and molecular biology
• Wen-Hwa Lee, Donald Bren Professor of biological chemistry, for advancing the understanding of human tumor suppressors including the retinoblastoma, p53 and BRCA genes in the cell cycle, differentiation and genomic stability
• Jacob Levin, assistant vice chancellor for research development, for helping establish the emerging profession of research development and for outstanding leadership in the National Organization of Research Development Professionals
• Hartmut Luecke, professor of molecular biology & biochemistry, physiology & biophysics and computer science, for his contributions to the fields of structural biology and membrane protein crystallography
• Markus Ribbe, professor of molecular biology & biochemistry and chemistry, for his achievements in elucidating the biosynthetic pathways of nitrogenase metalloclusters and uncovering novel catalytic features of alternative nitrogenase systems
• Ann Sakai, professor of ecology & evolutionary biology, for her work on the evolution of plant breeding systems, mentoring undergraduates and promoting the involvement of underrepresented groups in biology
• Rozanne Sandri-Goldin, professor and chair of microbiology & molecular genetics, for her contributions to molecular virology, particularly for shedding light on how multifunctional viral proteins commandeer host cell pathways to benefit viral replication
• Thomas Schilling, professor of developmental & cell biology, for his work in vertebrate development that has provided mechanistic insight into the formation of the nervous system and skeleton in early embryos
• Gregory Weiss, professor of chemistry and molecular biology & biochemistry, for his contributions to the field of chemical biology, especially for expanding the technique of bacteriophage peptide and protein display into new interdisciplinary areas

###

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UCI is among the most dynamic campuses in the University of California system, with more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,100 faculty and 9,400 staff. Orange County's second-largest employer, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $4.3 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.

About the American Association for the Advancement of Science: The world's largest general scientific society, AAAS publishes the journals Science, Science Translational Medicine and Science Signaling. The nonprofit was founded in 1848 and includes 261 affiliated societies and academies of science serving 10 million individuals. AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission of "advancing science, serving society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education and more.

News Radio: UCI maintains on campus an ISDN line for conducting interviews with its faculty and experts. Use of this line is available for a fee to radio news programs/stations that wish to interview UCI faculty and experts. Use of the ISDN line is subject to availability and approval by the university.

UCI maintains an online directory of faculty available as experts to the media. To access, visit www.today.uci.edu/experts.
For UCI breaking news, visit www.zotwire.uci.edu.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 29-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Tom Vasich
tmvasich@uci.edu
949-824-6455
University of California - Irvine

Honor is conferred for distinguished contributions to their fields

Irvine, Calif., Nov. 29, 2012 Twelve UC Irvine researchers and one administrator have been made fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world's largest general scientific society.

A total of 702 AAAS members are being honored this year for their efforts to advance science or its applications. New fellows will receive an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin on Feb. 16, 2013, at the organization's annual meeting in Boston.

The class is being formally announced Nov. 30 in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science. The 2012 UCI fellows are:

• Bruce Blumberg, professor of developmental & cell biology, pharmaceutical sciences and biomedical engineering, for his contributions to the field of developmental biology, particularly for increasing understanding of the interactions between environmental signals and the developmental origins of disease
• Andrew Borovik, professor of chemistry, for his work on developing more efficient chemical processes through molecular design inspired by biological enzymes
• Ken Cho, professor of developmental & cell biology, for his additions to developmental biology, such as identifying the mechanism of Spemann's organizer and the importance of growth factor signaling during early embryogenesis
• Ron Frostig, professor of neurobiology & behavior, for his work in using optical imaging to describe the organization and plasticity of the cerebral cortex
• David Gardiner, professor of developmental & cell biology, for his contributions to the field of regeneration research and for his role in building the bridge between phenomenology and molecular biology
• Wen-Hwa Lee, Donald Bren Professor of biological chemistry, for advancing the understanding of human tumor suppressors including the retinoblastoma, p53 and BRCA genes in the cell cycle, differentiation and genomic stability
• Jacob Levin, assistant vice chancellor for research development, for helping establish the emerging profession of research development and for outstanding leadership in the National Organization of Research Development Professionals
• Hartmut Luecke, professor of molecular biology & biochemistry, physiology & biophysics and computer science, for his contributions to the fields of structural biology and membrane protein crystallography
• Markus Ribbe, professor of molecular biology & biochemistry and chemistry, for his achievements in elucidating the biosynthetic pathways of nitrogenase metalloclusters and uncovering novel catalytic features of alternative nitrogenase systems
• Ann Sakai, professor of ecology & evolutionary biology, for her work on the evolution of plant breeding systems, mentoring undergraduates and promoting the involvement of underrepresented groups in biology
• Rozanne Sandri-Goldin, professor and chair of microbiology & molecular genetics, for her contributions to molecular virology, particularly for shedding light on how multifunctional viral proteins commandeer host cell pathways to benefit viral replication
• Thomas Schilling, professor of developmental & cell biology, for his work in vertebrate development that has provided mechanistic insight into the formation of the nervous system and skeleton in early embryos
• Gregory Weiss, professor of chemistry and molecular biology & biochemistry, for his contributions to the field of chemical biology, especially for expanding the technique of bacteriophage peptide and protein display into new interdisciplinary areas

###

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UCI is among the most dynamic campuses in the University of California system, with more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,100 faculty and 9,400 staff. Orange County's second-largest employer, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $4.3 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.

About the American Association for the Advancement of Science: The world's largest general scientific society, AAAS publishes the journals Science, Science Translational Medicine and Science Signaling. The nonprofit was founded in 1848 and includes 261 affiliated societies and academies of science serving 10 million individuals. AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission of "advancing science, serving society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education and more.

News Radio: UCI maintains on campus an ISDN line for conducting interviews with its faculty and experts. Use of this line is available for a fee to radio news programs/stations that wish to interview UCI faculty and experts. Use of the ISDN line is subject to availability and approval by the university.

UCI maintains an online directory of faculty available as experts to the media. To access, visit www.today.uci.edu/experts.
For UCI breaking news, visit www.zotwire.uci.edu.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-11/uoc--1fu112912.php

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N. Korea rocket preparations might be a bluff

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Rocket sections are apparently being trucked into North Korea's northwest launch site, but some analysts are asking whether it's just a calculated bluff meant to jangle the Obama administration and influence South Korean voters ahead of presidential elections in three weeks.

There are questions about whether North Korean scientists have corrected whatever caused the embarrassing crackup of its last rocket shortly after liftoff in April, and whether Pyongyang is willing to risk another failure ? along with U.N. condemnation and more sanctions.

"It's possible, of course, that Pyongyang knows its preparations will be seen and discussed in the West, and they are intended to be a signal rather than signs of an imminent launch," David Wright, a physicist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, wrote on the organization's website this week. "Preparing for a launch less than a year after a failure calls into question whether the North could have analyzed and fixed whatever went wrong."

Before its last two launches, North Korea notified international organizations of its plans to send a satellite into orbit aboard a rocket. Neither the International Maritime Organization nor the International Civil Aviation Organization has responded to requests from The Associated Press for information. But South Korea and analysts say North Korea has yet to provide such notification, something that usually happens weeks in advance.

Even if a launch never comes, the mere preparations could be an attempt to influence the Dec. 19 presidential election in rival South Korea and raise Pyongyang on President Barack Obama's list of foreign policy priorities as he prepares to be inaugurated for his second term in January.

North Korea has repeatedly tried to interfere with South Korean elections, according to government officials and analysts, and there's speculation that Pyongyang's rocket work could be an attempt to raise worries as campaigning heats up.

North Korea presumably prefers the liberal candidate, Moon Jae-in, the argument goes. Another provocation, or simply heightened tensions, could be seen by voters as evidence of a failed North Korea policy by the current conservative leader in Seoul.

Both Moon and the conservative contender, Park Geun-hye, have signaled a softening on North Korea policy. But Moon has suggested a return to an accommodating policy of engagement and aid for Pyongyang that has been missing during the five years of President Lee Myung-bak's rule, which ends in February when his single term expires.

"If indeed a new satellite launch is North Korea's next provocation, it will be an early test of South Korean candidate commitments to reopen dialogue with the North," Scott Snyder, senior fellow for Korea studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote this week.

Pyongyang could also be trying to send a message to Obama following his re-election. Pyongyang has previously staged what Washington and Seoul consider provocations around elections in both the United States and South Korea. North Korea conducted a rocket and nuclear test within months of Obama taking office in early 2009.

Washington worries about North Korean launches because long-range rocket technology can be easily converted into use for missiles that could target the United States.

Analysis of recent satellite images written for 38 North, the website for the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, suggests Pyongyang could be ready to launch a three-stage rocket by the end of the first week in December.

The timing of the preparations has some analysts expecting a launch.

North Korea's April rocket firing came during celebrations of the centennial of the birth of national founder Kim Il Sung, current leader Kim Jong Un's grandfather. Pyongyang has declared 2012 a crucial year for its scientific and economic development, and there has been speculation that it could do something extraordinary to mark its conclusion.

Dec. 17 also marks the one-year anniversary of the death of Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il.

Because North Korea's missile and nuclear programs aren't transparent, said Daniel Pinkston, a North Korea analyst at the International Crisis Group, outsiders cannot determine what went wrong with the April test and what scientists are doing to address the problem.

Any launch attempt raises the specter of failure, Pinkston said, but "they call it rocket science because ... it's hard. Everyone makes mistakes ... but every time you test, you get to go back and work on those problems and fix them."

Baek Seung-joo, an analyst at the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in South Korea, said past failure could actually be a spur to try again.

"North Korea needs to redeem its embarrassing rocket failure in April," he said.

___

AP writer Sam Kim contributed to this report from Seoul.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/n-korea-rocket-preparations-might-bluff-111741845.html

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BIGFOOT HAS THREE WIVES | Weekly World News

Scientists studying Bigfoot discovered that he has three fully human wives.

Scientists studying Bigfoot discovered that he has three fully human wives.

Bigfoot is not only real and living among us, but he is married to three lovely women (pictured below).

Bigfoot reportedly ?married? the women in the last fifteen years and the women are reportedly very happy especially ?in the bedroom,? according to Wendy Goodman, Bigfoot?s first wife.

This revelation about Bigfoot?s relationship status comes just days after scientists revealed that Bigfoot is a direct relative of man and had sex with human females 15,000 years ago ? according to a new scientific study using ?real? DNA samples.

?Bigfoot has been having sex with women for a long time,? said Dr. Robert Blanton, a Bigfoot expert. ? ?And there have probably been thousands of women that have slept with, and married, ?Bigfoot and his ancestors.?

Veterinarians?say that having sex with a Sasquatch is safe and they say that if any woman fall sin love with a Sasquatch, they should not be worried about copulating with the beast.

?There is nothing wrong with making love with Bigfoot,? Dr. Blanton said.

How did the team definitively determine that Bigfoot was married?

?We suspected that Bigfoot had wives because we found some domestic huts in the woods, that suggested so,? Dr. Blanton told WWN. ??So we posted a question on Twitter looking for women (or men) who have had sex with Bigfoot and one of the wives came forward. ?And so we went an interviewed all three.?

Does that mean there are little baby Bigfoots out there?

?We believe there are,? said Dr. Blanton.

Genetically, the Sasquatch are a human hybrid with unambiguously modern human maternal ancestry. Government at all levels must recognize them as an indigenous people and immediately protect their human and Constitutional rights against those who would see in their physical and cultural differences a ?license? to hunt, trap, or kill them.?

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Source: http://weeklyworldnews.com/headlines/52940/bigfoot-has-three-wives/

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Mellow Lunch for Romney, Obama (WSJ)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/267379628?client_source=feed&format=rss

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This Is What Team Building Is All About : Home Business Blogs

Posted by Blog Author

Nov 28

Mary Coones?
FREE Advertising Website?
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Article Tag(s):??Vitel, Benefits, Network, cell phone, cable, banking, legal protection, roadside assistance?
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Filed under: Member Blogs

Source: http://www.homebizblogs.com/2012/11/this-is-what-team-building-is-all-about/

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52 leading international figures call for a Military Embargo on Israel

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Occupied Palestine - On the eve of the International Day of Solidarity with the People of Palestine, 52 international notables issued a statement calling for "urgent ... international action towards a mandatory, comprehensive military embargo against Israel." Though directly motivated by Israel's latest war of aggression against the 1.6 million Palestinians in the occupied and besieged Gaza Strip, the statement is also a reaction to Israel's decades-old military occupation and persistent denial of the UN-sanctioned rights of the Palestinian people. Expressing horror at Israel's latest bloodbath in Gaza which claimed 160 Palestinian lives, including 34 children, the statement argues that this recurring brutality has been allowed to continue due to the impunity Israel enjoys. It highlighted the particular complicity of the US, the EU, India, Brazil and South Korea, as Israel's key military partners and enablers.

The statement signed by Nobel Peace laureates Mairead Maguire and Adolfo Perez Esqu?vel, former Pink Floyd front man Roger Waters, Directors Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, Pulitzer Prize winner Alice Walker, international best-seller Naomi Klein and co-drafter of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Holocaust survivor St?phane Hessel, among others, adds that "Israel's attempt to justify this kind of illegal use of belligerent and disproportionate military force as "self-defence" does not stand up to legal - or moral - scrutiny, as states cannot invoke self-defence for acts that serve to defend an unlawful situation which they have created in the first place."

This appeal echoes the Palestinian civil society call for a military embargo on Israel issued last year and draws parallels to the effective action taken against apartheid South Africa as a practical means to pressure Israel to fall in line with international law.?

The full text of the Statement follows.

"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." --Nelson Mandela

Horrified at the latest round of Israeli aggression against the 1.5 million Palestinians in the besieged and occupied Gaza Strip and conscious of the impunity that has enabled this new chapter in Israel's decades-old violations of international law and Palestinian rights, we believe there is an urgent need for international action towards a mandatory, comprehensive military embargo against Israel. Such a measure has been subject to several UN resolutions¹ and is similar to the arms embargo imposed against apartheid South Africa in the past.

Israel's unchecked belligerence and persistent denial of basic human rights and self-determination to the Palestinian people call for a concerted effort by international civil society to force world governments to end the links of complicity. This impunity has allowed Israel to continue its occupation, colonization and denial of Palestinian refugees their UN-sanctioned rights.??

While the United States has been the largest sponsor of Israel, supplying billions of dollars of advanced military hardware every year, the role of the European Union must not go unnoticed, in particular its hefty subsidies to Israel's military complex through its research programs. Similarly, the growing military ties between Israel and the emerging economies of Brazil, India and South Korea are unconscionable given their nominal support for Palestinian freedom.

Military ties with Israel have fueled relentless acts of aggression. Israel continues to entrench its subjugation of Palestinians while provoking or initiating armed conflict with its neighbors in the region.

Israel's attempt to justify this kind of illegal use of belligerent and disproportionate military force as "self-defence" does not stand up to legal - or moral - scrutiny, as states cannot invoke self-defence for acts that serve to defend an unlawful situation which they have created in the first place².

We therefore support the call from Palestinian civil society for an urgent and comprehensive military embargo on Israel as an effective, non-violent measure to stop Israel's wars and repression and to bring about Israel's compliance with its obligations under international law. This is now a moral and legal imperative to achieve a just and comprehensive peace.

Contact: Zaid Shuaibi, mobile: 0599.830.322

---

¹ See, for example UN General Assembly Resolution 3414 (1975): "[the UNGA] Requests all states to desist from supplying Israel with any military or economic aid as long as it continues to occupy Arab territories and deny the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people". http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=43376#.UKEIxYdyGSo
² According to the basic tenet of international law, ex injuria non oritur ius (a legal right or entitlement cannot arise from an unlawful act ) http://www.definitions.uslegal.com/e/ex-injuria-jus-non-oritur/?

?

Initial List of Signatories (alphabetical order):
??
Udi Aloni, filmmaker, Israel
Anthony Arnove, editor and writer, US
Etienne Balibar, academic, France
Robert Ballagh, artist and president of the Ireland Institute for Historical and Cultural Studies, Ireland
Walden Bello, academic, author and member of Senate, Philippines
Shyam Benegal, director and screenwriter, India
John Berger, author, critic, UK
Howard Brenton, playwright and screenwriter, UK
Judith Butler, academic, United States
Clayborne Carson, Director, Martin Luther King, Jr. Research & Education Institute, Stanford University, USA
Noam Chomsky, academic, USA
Caryl Churchill, dramatist, UK
Angela Davis, scholar and author, US
Raymond Deane, composer, Ireland
Danilo Dolci, sociologist, Italy
John Dugard, professor of international law, South Africa
Felim Egan, artist, Ireland
Adolfo Perez Esqu?vel, Nobel Peace Laureate 1980, Argentina
Dror Feiler, musician and artist, Sweden
Don Andrea Gallo, presbyter, Italy
Charles Glass, journalist, US
Margherita Hack, astrophysicist, Italy
Denis J. Halliday, former UN Assistant Secretary-General (1994-98), Ireland
St?phane Hessel, diplomat, Holocaust survivor and co-author of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, France
Tor B J?rgensen, Bishop, Norway
Christian Juhl, member of Parliament, Denmark
Ronnie Kasrils, politician, South Africa
Aki Kaurism?ki, screenwriter and film director, Finland
Marcel Khalife, musician, Lebanon
Naomi Klein, writer and activist, Canada
Paul Laverty, filmmaker, UK
Taeho Lee, Secretary General, People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, South Korea
Ken Loach, filmmaker, UK
Vibeke L?kkeberg, actress and director, Norway
Mike Leigh OBE, Director, UK (Palm D'Or 1996)
Jean-Marc Levy-Leblond, academic, France
Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate 1976, Ireland?
Michael Mansfield, lawyer, UK
Miriam Margolyes, actress, UK
Cynthia McKinney, politician, United States
Saeed Mirza, filmmaker, India
Luisa Morgantini, former president of the European Parliament
Bj?rnar Moxnes, member of Oslo city council
Suzanne Osten, writer and director, Sweden
Nurit Peled, professor of language, Israel
John Pilger, journalist, author, filmmaker, Australia
Ahdaf Soueif, writer, Egypt/UK
Alice Walker, author, US
Roger Waters, musician, UK
John Williams, musician, UK
Vincenzo Vita, senator, Italy
Slavoj Zizek, philosopher, Slovenia

Source: http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/4740-52-leading-international-figures-call-for-a-military-embargo-on-israel

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Gabrielle Bernstein: A Meditation for Busting Through Your Blocks

Hey Spirit Junkies! Today I have a radical vlog for you! Many folks have been asking me to share more Kundalini meditations. Well, you're in luck! The theme for this video is the Kundalini Sutra for the Aquarian Age: There is a Way Through Every Block. To help you embody this message, I teach the Kundalini meditation called ego eradicator. This meditation busts through the ego's littleness and opens you up to your inner awesomeness and faithful intuition. As A Course in Miracles says, "Peace without faith cannot be attained." Therefore, we must use our prayer and meditation to heighten our faith so we can truly enjoy a state of peace. Get your ego eradicator on! Watch now.

Check out my ego eradicator Spotify playlist here.

Gabrielle Bernstein is the author of Spirit Junkie, Add More ~ing to Your Life and the forthcoming book May Cause Miracles. She is also the founder of HerFuture.com. For more about Gabrielle visit www.gabbyb.tv/home.

For more by Gabrielle Bernstein, click here.

For more on meditation, click here.

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?

?

Follow Gabrielle Bernstein on Twitter: www.twitter.com/gabbybernstein

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gabrielle-bernstein/guided-meditation_b_2192047.html

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Software License Optimization: The Power of Software Licensing ...

By Martin Kurzinski

I was just speaking with a customer the other day about optimizing their software spend while mitigating the risk of license compliance audits.? The customer then asked about taking this process to the next level.?How can they project savings from software license optimization moving
forward?? IT environments are always changing.? We discussed several factors that make managing software licenses a continued challenge, including:

• Changes in technology? e.g. application virtualization, Software as a Service (SaaS) and cloud computing
• Changes in license models? e.g. SQL Server processor based to core based licensing, changes in roaming use rights, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and Virtual Desktop Access (VDA) licensing changes, etc.
• Optimizing hardware dependent license models?how do I choose the most cost effective hardware/software combination?
• Time and cost to implement a change to the environment?organizations need to evaluate the licensing impact of a change, prior to completing work, to minimize cost and risk
• Determining the effect on multiple software licenses due to a change to the environment ? e.g. operating system, application, and infrastructure software licenses
• Moves/Adds/Changes?support both Planned and Urgent ?Request For Change? service requests
• Planning for future growth?the need for trend analysis information to understand the cost impact of growth

Decisions made today can impact your software license position without you being aware until it is too late or you incur significant time and cost to revert the changes.? The concept of a license simulation is to provide you with a software license position prior to invoking any change.? This
?What If? analysis allows you to simulate the changes you plan to make and understand the impact on software licensing. For example, you may consider moving several Microsoft SQL database instances to a virtual farm ? the move can obviously reduce hardware cost, but what will that change do to your SQL Server license cost?? A processor based license may increase the per instance cost, so much so, that it can cost more than the savings in hardware.? However you may also reduce operating system costs.?Does the change make financial sense?

With a software licensing simulation capability, you can model your changes and instantly see the impact on managed licenses.? Changes include:

• Changes to hardware, for example, adding additional processors, logical partitions, etc.
• Adding/moving/removing hardware from your environment
• Adding/deleting software from existing computers
• Moving software from one computer to another, including movements of virtual machines
• Server clustering, active, passive, non-production, and backup roles, etc.

In the figure shown below, the impact of any of the described changes will be reflected in the license summary report.? This license summary details the changes from original license consumption, proposed new consumption, change in consumption, financial impact in dollars and the license compliance position itself (in breach vs. compliant).

Figure 1: What If Analysis License Summary Report

The simulation report provides you with the information needed to make the best business decisions and optimize your software spend while maintaining license compliance.? License simulations can help you better manage:

• Organizational growth
• Changes in the IT environment
• Technology advances

and assist in minimizing the impact of new software license models.

What changes do you foresee in your environment?? Is your organization moving to application virtualization?? Do you support server clustering?? Have you calculated the financial impact on licensing?? Hardware can be relatively inexpensive compared to software costs, yet many organizations do little analysis on how future changes will affect their software license position.? Now you can be proactive about software license management and optimization.

***

To learn more, please visit our website.

Source: http://blogs.flexerasoftware.com/elo/2012/11/the-power-of-software-licensing-simulations-and-what-if-analysis.html

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?Thank You, Iran!? (Powerlineblog)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/266705379?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Alcohol and automotive industries create the most engagement on ...

Posted on November 27, 2012, 4:05 pm.

From examiner.com

Social media networking platforms like Facebook are an important destination to reach new customers for practically any industry. In recent report released by Socialbakers, an analysis looked at pages with more than 10,000 Fans for the third quarter with Alcohol and Automotive related companies as the leaders for engagement on the site.

The amount of content generated daily on the largest social network has allowed each industry to tailor, package and tailor posts in a way that best reaches its clients. In the report, nine industries were closely examined from most to the least engaging. The following industries accounted for were: Alcohol, Automotive, FMCG, Finance, Electronics, Telco, Fashion and Retail.

To determine the success of a page on Facebook it depends on a large number of factors, but overall the quality in content is usually the best place to start. Inside Mark Zuckerberg?s social site there is an algorithm called EdgeRank, developed by Facebook and determines what stories appear in each user?s newsfeed, which looks at an essential Factor known as Affinity.

?The Affinity score is based on all the interactions a user can initiate, which is why it?s so important to reach a high Engagement Rate, a metric based on the three most important interactions on Facebook: Likes, Comments, and Shares,? according to Socialbakers.

Below is a list of the industries and their Average Post Engagement Rate:

1. Alcohol 0.40 percent
2. Automotive 0.39 percent
3. FMCG 0.27 percent
4. Airlines 0.26 percent
5. Finance 0.19 percent
6. Electronics 0.19 percent
7. Telco 0.18 percent
8. Fashion 0.15 percent
9. Retail 0.14 percent

The more organic the posts are for the page and refrain from a hard sales pitch the better off you are. People?s interactions will be higher and extremely much more visible on a page if there is less of a focus on forcing people to adopt the product or service. You are more likely to attract more eyeballs to your company?s page if you create a unique dialogue with the information you put together on your social media space.

How did Automotive and Alcohol come out with a higher average engagement rate? In the blog post for the Social Media Analytics and Digital Company (Socialbakers) the excerpt pasted below can illustrate how the top two on the list increased their presence online:

?Both industries have the advantage of promoting their products with strong visuals, stories, and emotions without pushing a sale?s pitch. Both cars and alcohol are often associated with the different kinds of lifestyles that fans are proud to identify with since they can easily express their personality and individuality to their friends on Facebook.?

Source: http://alcoholireland.ie/2012/alcohol-and-automotive-industries-create-the-most-engagement-on-facebook/

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Japan suspends dubious reconstruction projects

TOKYO (AP) ? Japan's government has suspended 35 projects included in a budget for reconstruction from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami after criticism the spending was not directly related to recovery from the disasters.

As much as a fourth of the 11.7 trillion yen ($148 billion) budget had been earmarked for unrelated projects, including subsidies for a contact lens factory in another region and research whaling.

However, the 35 projects put on hold during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda involved spending of only 16.8 billion yen ($210 million).

No specific reason was given for each project, though Noda and other officials have vowed to cut spending not directly for reconstruction. Many of the projects in the budget were included on the pretext they might aid Japan's economic revival.

"Some of the projects are being deferred to 2013," Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura told reporters in a regular briefing. "But Prime Minister Noda said the spending really must be committed to reconstruction."

Among the projects put on hold was a plan to boost the Japan "brand" through lecture tours, money earmarked to pay for Cabinet-sponsored discussions on "social inclusiveness," and quake-resistance renovations for various government ministries.

Minutes from a committee meeting held last month showed Cabinet ministers concluding that while projects unrelated to the disaster were legal, it would be better to focus spending on the disaster zone.

The committee adopted new guidelines this week requiring that reconstruction funds be disbursed through a special government account devoted to programs in the disaster area, which includes much of Japan's northeastern coast.

A notice on the website of the Reconstruction Ministry said the Finance Ministry and other government agencies would work to "strictly rectify" the budget, and may suspend other projects.

The government decided to boost spending on reconstruction from the 19 trillion yen ($237.5 billion) meant to be spent by the end of March 2015.

Progress on reconstruction has been hindered by a lack of local government staff and other experts, disagreements over how and whether to rebuild some towns obliterated by the tsunami, and the sheer scale of the destruction.

A report issued Tuesday showed only 47 percent of planned projects had begun work. About 60 percent of the 9.6 million tons of tsunami debris has been cleared, but only 11 percent of it processed. Reconstruction of fisheries and fishing ports and rehabilitation of farmland has also lagged.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-11-28-Japan-Disaster%20Reconstruction/id-15986c4a8b6a47c3aff736f37a6430db

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Mortgage Delinquencies and Foreclosures Decline in U.S.; St Louis ...

By Dennis Norman, on November 27th, 2012

In October 7.03 percent of homeowners with a mortgage were delinquent on their loan payments, this is a decline of almost 5 percent from the month before and 7.19 percent less than the year before, according to Lenders Processing Services? First Watch report.? Foreclosure pre-sales (borrowers somewhere in the foreclosure process but have not yet lost their homes) declined 6.77 percent from the month before and was down 15.99 percent from a year ago.? LPS does not break out data specific to St. Louis but recent data from RealtyTrac showed that St Louis foreclosure activity increased over 10 percent in October from the month before and was up over 7 percent from a year ago, so St Louis may be lagging behind the national trend in terms of improvement in foreclosure rates.

Total U.S. loan delinquency rate (loans 30 or more days past due, but not in foreclosure):	7.03%
Month-over-month change in delinquency rate:	-4.91%
Year-over-year change in delinquency rate:	-7.19%
Total U.S. foreclosure pre-sale inventory rate:	3.61%
Month-over-month change in foreclosure presale inventory rate:	-6.77%
Year-over-year change in foreclosure presale inventory rate:	-15.99%
Number of properties that are 30 or more days past due, but not in foreclosure: (A)	3,500,000
Number of properties that are 90 or more days delinquent, but not in foreclosure:	1,543,000
Number of properties in foreclosure pre-sale inventory: (B)	1,800,000
Number of properties that are 30 or more days delinquent or in foreclosure: (A+B)	5,300,000
States with highest percentage of non-current* loans:	FL, MS, NJ, NV, NY
States with the lowest percentage of non-current* loans:	MT, WY, SD, AK, ND

Source: Lenders Processing Services

Related posts:

1. Mortgage delinquencies decline in October; ? Foreclosures on the rise
2. Mortgage delinquencies increase in November; ? Foreclosures decline from month before
3. Mortgage delinquencies decline in August; down almost 12 percent from year ago
4. Mortgage delinquencies continue to decline; good news for the real estate market!
5. Mortgage deqlinquencies decline in September; Foreclosures on the rise

Source: http://stlouisrealestatenews.com/st-louis-foreclosures/mortgage-delinquencies-and-foreclosures-decline-in-u-s-st-louis-may-be-lagging-behind/

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Eagles lead Panthers 22-21 after 3rd quarter

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? Bryce Brown had touchdown runs of 65 and 5 yards to help the Philadelphia Eagles take a 22-21 lead over the Carolina Panthers after three quarters Monday night in a matchup of teams with the worst records in the NFC.

Cam Newton threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter and ran for another in the third, but the struggling Eagles kept answering in their quest to snap a six-game losing streak.

Brown, filling in for injured running back LeSean McCoy, surpassed Correll Buckhalter's team rookie record of 134 yards rushing midway through the third quarter. He had 150 yards on 15 carries in his first start since his senior year in high school in 2008. But Brown also lost two fumbles, including one in Panthers' territory.

Fellow rookie Nick Foles made his second straight start for Michael Vick, who also is out with a concussion. The injury-depleted Eagles lost wide receiver DeSean Jackson (sternum) and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (tail bone) in the first half.

Newton led a 95-yard drive to open the third quarter, finishing it off with a 1-yard leap to give the Panthers a 21-15 lead. Newton hit Louis Murphy for a 55-yard gain on a second-and-11 from Carolina's 16.

A 51-yard pass interference call on Haruki Nakamura on Foles' deep pass to Jeremy Maclin put Philadelphia at the Panthers 5. Brown then ran in for the go-ahead score.

Brown broke loose early in the second quarter to get Philadelphia within 14-12. Brown started up the middle, cut outside and outran the defense down the right sideline for the seventh-longest TD run by a Philadelphia rookie. The Eagles inexplicably tried a 2-point conversion and failed.

Alex Henery's 45-yard field goal gave them a 15-14 lead.

Newton, who hasn't played up to his sensational rookie season, showed no signs of a sophomore slump against Philadelphia's porous pass defense. Newton completed three passes for 47 yards on the Panthers' first drive, including a 24-yard toss over the middle to a wide-open Gary Barnidge for a 7-3 lead.

Newton connected with Brandon LaFell on a 43-yard pass to make it 14-3. LaFell was wide open on the play, taking advantage of another breakdown in coverage in the secondary.

Since Todd Bowles replaced Juan Castillo as defensive coordinator, the Eagles have allowed 13 passing touchdowns and haven't had an interception in five games.

Henery's 36-yard field goal gave Philadelphia a 3-0 lead. Henery kicked a 41-yarder to cut it to 14-6. It was his 18th straight field goal, setting a team record.

The Eagles haven't won since beating the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants to go 3-1, leaving fans and media to speculate about coach Andy Reid's job. Owner Jeffrey Lurie already has said that an 8-8 record would be "unacceptable" this year. The Eagles would have to finish 5-1 just to get there.

Fans known for their hostile behavior have become apathetic toward their beloved Eagles. The Linc was about one-third empty for pregame introductions and plenty of seats remained empty.

The Panthers aren't quite as bad as their 2-8 record. They have lost six games by less than a touchdown, including a 2-point loss at Atlanta and a 1-point loss at Chicago.

___

Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobMaaddi

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eagles-lead-panthers-22-21-3rd-quarter-035832181--spt.html

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Dramatic rise in autism prevalence parallels research explosion

ScienceDaily (Nov. 26, 2012) ? This month's issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry features an editorial commentary by Autism Speaks Chief Science Officer Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D. In it, Dr. Dawson describes how the dramatic progress in autism research has paralleled increased recognition of autism's prevalence and financial impact.

"This issue of the journal features three articles on autism," she writes in her editorial. "A decade ago, the journal published about the same number of autism articles per year."

Dr. Dawson also notes that, while the funding for autism research has dramatically increased over the last decade, it hasn't kept pace with the increasing scale of the public health challenges posed by autism.

Despite an increase in research and funding, "we yet to fully describe the causes of ASD or developed effective medical treatments for it," Dr. Dawson writes. "[This issue's] articles point to an urgent need for more research on prenatal and early postnatal brain development in autism, with a focus on how genes and environmental risk factors combine to increase risk for ASD."

In one of the three articles, scientists report a three-fold increase in autism risk associated with exposure to traffic-related air pollution during pregnancy and the first year of life. The study's lead author, Heather Volk, Ph.D., M.P.H., is the recipient of an Autism Speaks research grant to study autism risk and gene-environment interactions involving air pollution. (Free full text here.)

A second report confirms an association between autism and changes in immune function. The study is the first to use new brain imaging techniques to demonstrate immune function changes in adults with autism. Specifically, it looked at microglial activation in the brain. Microglial cells are the brain's first and primary immune defense.

The third study used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine the size of the cerebral cortex (cortical volume) in ASD. It compared the cortical volume of young men on the autism spectrum with that of their unaffected peers. The study's key finding is that autism-associated differences in brain volume reflect differences in surface area, not cortical thickness. This sheds light on mechanisms that might account for early brain overgrowth in individuals with ASD.

"More research is needed to develop strategies for preventing or reducing the disabling symptoms associated with this highly prevalent and costly neurodevelopmental disorder," Dr. Dawson concludes.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Autism Speaks.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Geraldine Dawson et al. Dramatic Increase in Autism Prevalence Parallels Explosion of Research Into Its Biology and CausesAutism Prevalence, Research Into Biology/Causes. Archives of General Psychiatry, 2012; : 1 DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.488

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/2E8Mz1pV-ew/121126164308.htm

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Socialcam, Viddy User Numbers Implode - Business Insider

Remember Socialcam and Viddy?

The two stars of social video sharing once had more than a 100 million users combined. Everyone?including Business Insider?was saying that one or the other would be the "Instagram of video."

Perhaps we should rephrase that.

Stripe business-development executive Cristina Cordova points out, they have less than 5 million monthly users.

That's a drop of more than 95 percent in six months.

The plummet comes because both services depended on Facebook for viral growth, and Facebook changed both the rules and its counting methods.

AppData, a service which gathers Facebook usage figures, says that video players in particular have seen "fluctuations" because of changes in what Facebook considers a "user." But far more importantly, Facebook cracked down on spammy apps like Viddy and Socialcam which essentially tricked users into installing the app in order to watch a video.

Regardless, it's clear that whatever generated those eye-popping numbers, which persuaded reporters and investors alike that something amazing was happening in video sharing, is gone.

Socialcam is fine. It sold to Autodesk for $60 million this summer, and Autodesk seemed less interested in the service's user base than in the idea that it had figured out a good way to let content creators?Autodesk's target market?easily share their videos online.

Viddy, on the other hand, has a problem. Instead of selling, it raised $30 million at a $370 million valuation. That sounds great, right? Except that Viddy's investors extracted exceptionally tough terms, allowing them to double their money if Viddy does well, and wipe out founders and employees if it does poorly.

After Facebook announced it would buy Instagram, the photo-sharing site, in a deal valued at $1 billion at the time, Instagram's user base continued to explode, from 30 million users to 80 million users in August and 100 million users by September.

Viddy now has 660,000 monthly users.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/socialcam-viddy-user-numbers-2012-11

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Business Blog / Interview with GelaSkins Artist Sylvie Demers by ...

We're currently running a contest with the awesome folks at GelaSkins to see who will join them as their next artist. Earlier this year, we ran a similar contest and the talented COLOURlover that won was Sylvie Demers. Since her winning design was selected, Sylvie has become an artist with GelaSkins, and you can now buy her designs on their website.

She was kind enough to answer a few questions for us and we're excited to share our conversation with you guys. Thanks Sylvie!

How has the experience been as an artist for GelaSkins?

Exciting for sure! I was so surprised to win this contest. I didn't know what to expect. I can say, couple of months later, that working with Gelaskins is smooth and easy. Every one of the team has been so nice and helpful. They took me by the hand and took care of every detail. The only thing I had to do was to propose some patterns, let them choose what they thought was more likely to sell and wait for the royalties!

Where do you go to find inspiration?

First, within! I meditate every day to let the creativity flow, and then, seeing beauty around you comes easily... Books, magazines, and Pinterest are part of my daily routine for inspiration. Travels also help. I was in Nevada two months ago and the colors and textures of the desert are still in my mind.

What are the apps and/or tools you can't live without?

I'm in love with my new Bamboo tablet from Wacom. I use it with Inkscape (a free program that allows you to draw directly in .svg) or Corel draw. The Seamless Studio is so convenient, too, for creating patterns... inexpensive and user-friendly!

How has the COLOURlovers community helped you as a designer?

It keeps me going! The instant feedback that is given when I put a new template online is priceless. People are so generous. Comments, "likes" or "faves" give me the pulse about my creations. I'm sure that I'm not the only one having experienced the addictive nature of COLOURlovers! I crave for people's reactions... I like to make the other COLOURlovers enthusiastic when they play with my templates. Thanks to everyone who makes this community so vibrant.

What most excites you about what you're working on right now?

I've always being attracted to colors and forms... I've experimented with acrylic painting since summer and I'm having so much fun! After working with watercolor for a long time, I found a new way to express my love of colours! When I sell a painting and see happiness in the buyer's eye, it fulfills me completely.

Creating new patterns for Gelaskins after Christmas will be a lot of fun too.

Check out the rest of Sylvie's work available on GelaSkins.

Want a shot at becoming the next GelaSkins artist? Enter your designs here until Monday, 12/3.

Team creativemarket.comBlog & Social Media Editor ~ COLOURlovers
Community Builder ~ Creative Market
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Source: http://www.colourlovers.com/business/blog/2012/11/26/interview-with-gelaskins-artist-sylvie-demers

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African presidents urge Congo rebels to abandon war

GOMA/KAMPALA (Reuters) - African leaders called on eastern rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday to abandon their aim of toppling the government and leave the city of Goma they captured this week.

The appeal came from heads of state of the central African Great Lakes region who fear that if left unchecked the offensive by the M23 rebels could drag the volatile, ethnically-diverse and mineral-rich region back into another bloody conflict.

Meeting in the Ugandan capital Kampala, they urged M23 to abandon its threat to overthrow the elected government in Kinshasa and to "stop all war activities and withdraw from Goma".

The rebels responded by saying that the Congolese army was reinforcing in the east in preparation for launching counter-offensives on their positions.

"M23 warns the government forces against this new military adventure. We must react with vigour to discourage this new war-like initiative," the movement's political wing said.

The regional leaders' plan proposed deploying a joint force at Goma airport comprising of a company of neutral African troops, a company of the Congolese army (FARDC) and a company of the M23.

The leaders told M23 to withdraw from current positions to not less than 20 km (12 miles) from Goma town within two days, but did not say what the consequences would be if the rebels did not comply.

A spokesman for the Congolese army, known as FARDC, said M23 was illegally occupying territory in the east of the vast country and started the conflict.

"We'll defend ourselves and let's see what the final result is," Colonel Olivier Hamuli told Reuters by phone from Bukavu, the next major city in the rebels' sights.

The rebels, who say they intend to "liberate" all of Congo, have often accused the government of aggression as a pretext for their own attacks.

"NO OTHER OPTIONS"

Regional and international leaders are scrambling to halt the fighting in eastern Congo, the latest bout of violence fuelled by a mix of local and regional politics, ethnic rifts and competition for large reserves of gold, tin and coltan.

The meeting in Kampala brought together Congo's President Joseph Kabila and the heads of state of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

But Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who has vehemently denied accusations by Congo and U.N. experts that his government is supplying, supporting and directing the M23 rebellion, did not attend the summit, although he sent his foreign minister.

The Great Lakes heads of state also proposed that U.N. peacekeepers present in and around Goma should provide security in a neutral zone between Goma and the new areas seized by M23.

They said police that were disarmed in Goma by the rebels should also be re-armed so they can resume working.

Congolese Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo indicated there was no scope for negotiation over the proposals.

"There are no other options other than an acceptance, pure and simple," Matata Ponyo told Reuters, adding Kinshasa would fight to the end to defend its territorial integrity.

GOMA SITUATION "A MESS"

In the Congolese capital Kinshasa, authorities banned protests, citing the need to keep order in what national police chief Charles Bisengimana called a "undeclared state of war".

Goma was calm on Saturday, but the charity Oxfam said the city was feeling the strain as more than 100,000 people fleeing the fighting took refuge in schools and churches.

"The Goma situation is a mess," Tariq Riebl, Oxfam's humanitarian program coordinator, told Reuters.

Riebl said M23 was allowing Oxfam to operate.

"The main thing is access, and we have that. They (the rebels) are not al Shabaab or the Taliban," he said.

Congolese government troops attempted a counter-offensive against the advancing rebels this week but were forced to pull back to the town of Minova on Lake Kivu, leaving a trail of soldiers' bodies and abandoned equipment in their wake.

M23 forces moved south through the hills towards Minova, in a strategic position on the road to Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province.

While Kabila's armed forces are on the back foot, analysts remain sceptical the rebels can make good on their threat to march on Kinshasa in the west without significant, overt support from foreign backers.

"Militarily there's a status quo. The M23 can't advance but the FARDC will have big difficulty retaking the territory they have lost. I fear for the population," a senior Congolese military source said.

Kabila, who has said he is willing to hear the rebels' grievances, appointed a new interim head of ground forces late on Friday.

General Francois Olenga Tete takes over from former army boss General Gabriel Amisi, who was suspended on Thursday over charges he had sold arms to other eastern rebels.

(Additional reporting by Richard Lough in Goma; Writing by Joe Bavier and Pascal Fletcher; Editing by Myra MacDonald)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/congo-rebels-push-repelling-counter-attack-104602257.html

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'Fiscal cliff' talks loom over Wall Street

5 hrs.

Patti Domm , CNBC.com

Holiday shopping could be a bright spot for the stock market, but both could soon stall if lawmakers don't make progress on the ?fiscal cliff? when they return in the coming week.

Congressional leaders and President Barack Obama have said they expect compromise when making a deal to stop the $500 billion wave of higher taxes and automatic spending cuts from hitting the economy early next year.

But many on Wall Street are betting Congress will resort to its fractious ways before a deal is reached, and that could upset the stock market ? and holiday shoppers, particularly those at the high end.

?This is part of the thesis for some of us who are talking about a fourth-quarter slowdown,? said Daniel Greenhaus, global market strategist at BTIG. ?Part of that thesis is consumers are on the verge of seeing their taxes adjusted in January. Is it going to affect their behavior? As you get closer to Christmas, and spending accelerates, how much of that spending will be curbed??

There is a batch of consumer-related data in the coming week, most of it housing data, with home prices on Tuesday, new-home sales Wednesday and pending home sales on Thursday.

As housing has improved, so have consumer attitudes, but the impact of Super Storm Sandy could make data look temporarily weaker. Consumer confidence and durable goods are reported on Tuesday.

?It?s going to be all fiscal cliff. There?s going to be a lot of housing data, but there will be leaks and unconfirmed quotes, and how the conversations are going will matter,? said Greenhaus.

Black Friday, and in fact, late Thanksgiving Thursday, was the start of the Christmas holiday shopping season, and early reports were strong.

Wal-Mart said it had its best Black Friday events ever this year, starting at 8 p.m. ET Thursday. Between 8 p.m. and midnight Thursday, it said its stores rang 10 million register transactions and nearly 5,000 items per second.?

Stocks rallied Friday, the first positive Black Friday since 2008.

The Dow jumped 172 points, and was 3.4 percent higher for the week at 13,009, its highest close since election day. The S&P 500 jumped 3.6 percent for the week, to 1409, and the Nasdaq was up nearly 4 percent at 2966.

Consumer discretionary stocks were up 4.4 percent for the week, one of the best performers, and the sector was the best performer since the start of November, up 2.3 percent against declines in most other sectors. Chain stores will provide a look at the holiday sales in their November sales reports, expected to be released Thursday.

Dana Telsey, CEO and chief research officer at Telsey Advisory Group, said she expects holiday sales to be up 3.5 to 4 percent this year.

?If you have to say will it be better or worse than expected, it will be better,? she said, adding there are more ?must have? gifts at higher price points this year.

While Black Friday shopping is important, she said the real make-or-break period is the last 10 days before Christmas, which accounts for 40 percent of sales. The key day, then, is the second to last Saturday before Christmas.

The timing of that is just about when Congress should be in the throes of fiscal cliff talks, and it could be a dramatic time. Telsey said the way the talks are covered in the media could have an influence on shoppers.

?There?s much more effect on the high end,? she said.

Taxes are going to go higher for the wealthy, no matter what kind of deal is reached.

There is an automatic 3.8 percent tax, resulting from the Affordable Care Act, on investment income for those couples earning $250,000 or more, and another 0.9 percent tax on each dollar earned above that threshold. The 2 percent payroll tax holiday is expected to expire for all tax brackets.

?Everybody?s paycheck goes down 2 percent next year," said Greenhaus. "That really hits home.?

What?s not clear is whether the top tax rates will be raised, as sought by Democrats, or whether other revenue sources will be found, such as reduced deductions, a path suggested by some Republicans.?

The expected increase in capital gains and dividend taxes are still unknowns, but they have already hit some stocks. The dividend-paying utilities sector was the only negative major S&P sector this past week, down close to 1 percent, and it?s the worst performer since the beginning of November, down more than 8 percent.

Analysts are split on whether the market will be able to keep rallying, and they say whether there will be a ??Santa Rally? this year depends on Congress.?

Greenhaus said the uncertainty makes it impossible to predict the outcome, and therefore stock reaction. ?You just don?t know what form and what shape this takes,? he said. ?If it drags on as I expect it to, another five percent on the downside is a fair assumption."?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/fiscal-cliff-talks-loom-over-wall-street-1C7227558

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