In 'fiscal cliff' deal, Joe Biden upstages President Obama (+ video)

With 'fiscal cliff' talks teetering, Vice President Joe Biden ? a former longtime senator ? stepped in to broker a deal with his old colleagues and and stave off big tax hikes for most Americans.

By Gail Russell Chaddock,?Staff writer / January 1, 2013

Vice President Joe Biden speaks to reporters after a Senate Democratic caucus meeting about the 'fiscal cliff' on Capitol Hill on Monday.

Alex Brandon/AP

Enlarge

?The Senate deal to avert the fiscal cliff ? or, at least, the harshest elements of it ? owes much to the outsize, 11th-hour role of Vice President Joe Biden as ?dance partner? to Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R) of Kentucky.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

The deal extends Bush-era tax rates for all Americans except those with individual incomes over $400,000 and families with incomes over $450,000, which will be taxed at a maximum 39.6 percent rate, up from 35 percent.

The measure also extends Bush-era tax credits for families with children, the tuition tax credit, business tax credits, college tuition tax credits, and stimulus tax credits, such as credits for clean-energy companies. It extends unemployment insurance at the current 99 weeks. (Had Congress not acted, jobless coverage would have reverted back to 24 weeks.)

But it delays until next year a decision on what to do about the $110 billion in "sequester" cuts to government spending mandated by the debt-ceiling deal of 2011.

The Senate passed a bill to avert the fiscal cliff early Tuesday morning, 89-8. Now, the bill goes to the House, where Speaker John Boehner (R) of Ohio said in a statement after the vote that the House will "honor its commitment to consider the Senate agreement if it is passed."

"But decisions about whether the House will seek to accept or promptly amend the measure will not be made until House members ? and the American people ? have been able to review the legislation," he added.

As recently as about 7 p.m. Saturday night, prospects for a deal looked in doubt. Talk between Senate majority and minority leaders had ceased.

Years of gridlock take a toll on Senate leaders, especially veterans like Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D) of Nevada and Senator McConnell, who have been battling each other on the front lines of arcane Senate procedure for years.

By Saturday night, McConnell had made his latest offer, but Senator Reid never countered back. That?s when McConnell asked Mr. Biden to step in to jump-start the negotiations.

Unlike President Obama, Biden had spent 36 years in the Senate and is a seasoned negotiator. He and McConnell worked together to break an impasse over extending the Bush-era tax cuts in December 2010. With Reid gone silent, Biden looked like McConnell?s best option for a way out.

?Yesterday, after days of inaction, I came to the floor and noted we needed to act, but that I needed a dance partner. So I reached out to the vice president in an effort to get things done,? McConnell said on the floor of the Senate mid-afternoon on Monday.

By contrast, Mr. Obama played ?tough cop? in the negotiations ? or, critics say, inept cop. As negotiations hung by a thread, the president taunted Republicans in a campaign-style event at the White House Monday.

A deficit deal was ?within sight,? the president told cheering middle-class voters, but added that Congress could be counted on to delay finding it, ?if there?s even one second left.?

Moreover, he laid down an ultimatum to congressional Republicans.

"Now, if Republicans think that I will finish the job of deficit reduction through spending cuts alone ? and you hear that sometimes coming from them ... then they've got another thing coming,? Obama said. ?That's not how it's going to work at least as long as I'm president, and I?m going to be president for the next four years." ?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/hD5VePS4uF4/In-fiscal-cliff-deal-Joe-Biden-upstages-President-Obama-video

national championship calipari national archives brock lesnar kentucky jayhawks wwe wrestlemania

Smokers who quit could reduce anxiety levels - Health X Pert Articles

Last week, we asked you which healthy resolutions were on your to-do list for 2013. Your number-one resolution? Unsurprisingly, the top resolution for many was to lose weight in the new year; perhaps just as predictably, eating healthier and exercising more rounded out the top three. In fact, most of you said that your resolutions included a combination of our resolutions list. While making a healthy resolution is the first step, many times it?s easier said than done. If you?ve been wondering how to tackle your new goals, then check back here this week for our tips on how to lose weight, eat healthier, manage stress, and more! If you haven?t finalized your new year?s resolutions, then plan right by staying away from these healthy new year?s resolutions that are bound to fail .

Source: http://healthxpert.org/smokers-who-quit-could-reduce-anxiety-levels/

dj am bully bohemian rhapsody bohemian rhapsody spike lee carson daly heejun han

GLHFCasting ? Car, Homeowners, and Life Insurance Rates

Having auto insurance is not only a law, but it will also help save you tons of money. Auto insurance includes many advantages. Auto insurance will protect you in the case of an accident by covering damages, financial loss, legal responsibilities, and medical expenses for you or those you are responsible for. Despite it?s importance, it can be hard to choose the right auto insurance policy. Rather than spending hours researching brands and prices, why not let us shop around for you and provide you with all your options? Get the best auto insurance prices, in addition to homeowners, health, and business insurance quotes, by using our site. Buying car insurance doesn?t have to be a stressful experience; by using our quote service, it never will be. Insurance Quotes car Elizabeth NJ

Source: http://www.glhfcasting.com/car-homeowners-and-life-insurance-rates-4/

josh powell madonna halftime show linsanity the alamo anencephaly tesla model x lou gehrig

Letter: Jesus can't be pushed out of our society ... - The Salem News

January 2, 2013

Letter: Jesus can't be pushed out of our society

Anonymous The Salem News The Salem News Wed Jan 02, 2013, 04:30 AM EST

To the editor:

Some people spend a lot of time and energy trying to get God out of our society. At Christmastime, it was especially noticeable with Christmas trees now being called holiday trees, the lack of playing Christmas carols in the malls, and the lack of Nativity scenes in malls and other public places.

In spite of that, when a tragedy hits, such as that in Newtown, Conn., on Friday, Dec. 14, people flock to the churches. Many do so knowing that God, in the person of Jesus Christ, is real and He will give comfort, and others go to church SENSING that He is real and they will find comfort there. Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, who came to this Earth, not only to save us from our sins, but to heal us. The truth is Jesus is real, and He cannot be pushed out of our society.

Sue Johnson

Beverly

Source: http://www.salemnews.com/opinion/x1525001289/Letter-Jesus-cant-be-pushed-out-of-our-society

cnn yahoo news nbc news cnn news Connecticut shooting Nancy Lanza school shootings

Christ Before the Cause: The New Evangelical Politics

Peter Wehner?s recent guest post here at Philosophical Fragments ? ?The Callous Theology of James Dobson?? was shared on Facebook and Twitter over 40,000 times. It helped to provoke an important conversation about the Christian response to the Sandy Hook school massacre and the responsibilities of those who represent evangelical opinion in the public marketplace of ideas. Mr Wehner is a friend and an influential political thought-leader who is both a committed evangelical and a principled conservative who has served in three Republican administrations. A central part of the vision of Patheos? Evangelical Channel has always been the cultivation and promotion of new generations of evangelical leaders ? so I?m honored now?to publish this follow-up reflection.

*

By Peter Wehner

In a piece?I wrote for Patheos a few weeks ago, I referred to the ?callous theology? of James Dobson, whom I correctly identified as the founder of Focus on the Family. What I didn?t say then, but I believe is worth saying now, is that several years ago Dr. Dobson severed his ties with Focus on the Family. The organization is therefore quite different now ? and I would argue a good deal more winsome and effective ? than it was.

The reason has to do with institutional leadership. Jim Daly is now president and CEO of Focus on the Family. It still devotes a huge amount of its work to strengthening marriages and offering parental counseling ? something at which Dobson was quite accomplished and for which he deserves credit. But there has been a fairly dramatic shift in style, away from the ?culture war? mentality to a more irenic approach. Mr. Daly has shown a much greater willingness than Dobson to engage in dialogue with those who disagree with him. And it?s fair to say, I think, that Daly ? while theologically orthodox and socially conservative ? is a person who is cut from a different temperamental cloth from Dobson. Mr. Daly is less abrasive and combative than his predecessor.

Beneath their stylistic differences, however, lies something important. One of the things I?ve noticed over the years is that some of the most prominent Christian figures in politics radiate a sense that their work is essential if the Lord is to accomplish His goals on earth. Because they believe so much depends on them, they develop an aggressive, anxious, even desperate spirit. They seem to believe that only they and a few others are strong enough to resist compromising with evil. And over the years they have demonstrated a barely contained disdain toward those who do not share their zeal for their cause. This can create its own set of problems.

I?m reminded here of the cautionary tale of Sheldon Vanauken, who in A Severe Mercy wrote about his days in the anti-Vietnam war movement. ?I was one of those caught up in the mood and action oft the 1960s,? Vanauken wrote:

Christ, I thought, would surely have me oppose what appeared an unjust war. But the Movement, whatever its ideals, did a good deal of hating. And Christ, gradually, was pushed to the rear: Movement goals, not God, became first, in fact ? not only for me but for other Christians involved, including priests. I now think that making God secondary (which in the end is to make Him nothing) is, quite simply, the mortal danger in social action, especially in view of the marked intimations of virtue ? even arrogant virtue ? that often perilously accompany it. Some may avoid this danger, perhaps. But I was not obeying the first and greatest commandment ? to love God first ? nor it is clear that I was obeying the second ? to love my neighbour. Hating the oppressors of my neighbor isn?t perhaps quite what Christ had in mind.

Over the years, some politically active Christian leaders seem to believe that at stake in their work is nothing less than the influence of Christianity in America, as if Christ depends on them instead of the other way around. There are multiple effects to such a mindset, including apocalyptic rhetoric and absolutism. At some point, though, characterizing every election and every important piece of social legislation as a moral tipping point for America begins to wear thin.

My own sense of things is that an increasing ?number of evangelicals, particularly younger evangelicals, want their brand of politics to be less partisan and bitter than in the past, as well as more high-minded and more firmly rooted in principles. They want their leaders to display a lighter touch, a less distraught and angry spirit, a more gracious tone. In short, they seem to be looking for a politics that is both moral and civil. And they are thirsting for more serious Christian reflection on human society and the human person ? on first principles.

Which brings me back to Jim Daly and his impressive efforts to Re-Focus on the Family in a manner that strikes me, at least, as principled and effective. He carries himself and his institution in a way that seeks the welfare of the city to which we have been exiled ? and understands that while the City of Man is our residence for now, the City of God is our ultimate home.

Peter Wehner co-authored?City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era?with Michael Gerson, and?Wealth and Justice: The Morality of Democratic Capitalism?with Arthur C. Brooks. After serving in the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations, he served as head of the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives under George W. Bush. Presently he is a Senior Fellow at the?Ethics and Public Policy Center?and writes frequently for?Commentary.

Source: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/philosophicalfragments/2013/01/02/christ-before-the-cause/

Diwali elmo nascar Kevin Clash Walmart Black Friday 2012 Paula Broadwell Tilted Kilt

SME Advisor Middle East ? Positive outlook for UAE construction

After going through a slowdown during the global financial crisis in 2008 and with the current recovery in GCC economies, the UAE construction industry is projected to exhibit sustainable growth prospects in the next few years, finds out a recent Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry study.

In its analysis of the recent trends of the UAE construction industry, the study links the importance of UAE construction industry to the domestic economy stating that as one of the most rapidly growing economies in the Middle East, the UAE has experienced enormous investments in the construction industry from public and private enterprises during the past few years.

Specifically, construction sector as a percentage of GDP of the UAE reached 10.6% in 2008 and 10.3% in 2011 while for 2015 and 2021 the sector?s contribution as a percentage of UAE GDP is projected to record 11.1% and 11.5% respectively (Figure 1).

Figure 1: UAE construction industry outlook

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the population of UAE is expected to reach 6 million by 2015 from 5.4 million in 2010 while the increase in expatriate population, which accounts for more than 80% of the country?s population, constitute the main growth drivers for increasing demand for residential and commercial property units in the country.

Added to that, the growth in real GDP is projected by the IMF to reach 4.4% in 2015 from 3.3% in 2011, signifying a revival of the overall economy which augurs well for the construction industry, says the study.

In 2011, the UAE recorded the highest construction project value, reaching USD 319.1 billion accounting for 51.1% of the total construction project value in top 100 projects in the GCC region. Indicative of the above statement is the list of the key construction projects both commercial and residential (Table 1).

Table 1: Ongoing UAE major construction projects

The UAE was followed by Saudi Arabia at USD 218.9 billion (accounting 35% of the total construction project value). Additionally, Qatar accounted for 8.9% of the total construction project value followed by Oman and Kuwait accounting for 3.2% and 1.8% of the top 100 projects respectively.

According to Meed Projects, there were 46 construction projects (in oil and gas, real estate, infrastructure, transport and petrochemicals) recorded across the GCC region in 2011. The total value of these projects reached USD 625 billion last year compared to USD 756 billion in 2010.

In its quest to become an international investment hub, the UAE has pushed forward major construction projects in infrastructure and residential/non-residential segments. Namely, extraordinary growth in transport infrastructure has been observed, especially in significant leading projects such as the USD 7.8 billion expansion of Dubai International Airport, and the USD 6.8 billion Abu Dhabi International Airport re-development project.

According to Business Monitor International, the majority of projects in the UAE?s construction industry involve 38% of the total projects to be finalised in energy and utilities, 31% in construction, 29% in transport and 2% in social infrastructure.

The study informs that favourable government policies, such as permitting non-UAE/GCC national freeholds and leaseholds in designated areas of the UAE, will prospectively attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in construction as an increasing number of foreigners will focus on acquiring properties across the country.

Added to that, as of 2010, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council has engaged multi-unit building developers to allocate 20% of residential gross floor area to middle income population groups. This is expected to increase housing supply for the middle and low income population groups.

Last but not least, in 2011, UAE?s federal government extended visas of real estate investors from six months to three years offering a significant boost for new investments into UAE?s construction industry.

Challenges facing the industry

In 2011, the UAE residential construction industry showed limited signs of recovery, struggling to reach its pre-crisis levels, while putting on hold a number of significant big projects across the country.

However, from the beginning of 2012, the residential construction industry revealed some signs of stability (particularly in Dubai) driven mainly by the repercussions of the regional Arab Spring, reinforcing UAE?s reputation as a safe haven in the MENA region.

In the short term, the outlook of the UAE construction residential industry may be affected due to the prevalent oversupply of residential units in the market but, in the long term, it will gain momentum based on the optimism of a rising population and a more stable economic growth path.

The UAE commercial office construction sector has historically witnessed robust growth leading to an oversupply of commercial office units. In turn, this oversupply led to high vacancy rates finally resulting in a moderate decline in UAE property prices.

The study indicates that rental yields in the short term will continue to be under pressure due to declining rentals and high vacancy rates. However, the commercial construction industry will continue to benefit from the premium on rental yield as compared to US and EU markets attracting significant FDI?s in the long term.

In the near future, favourable government policies of the GCC countries, particularly that of the UAE, are projected to attract more overseas companies to the country?s construction sector. This trend is expected to continue over 2013 as a stream of new construction and infrastructure contracts and ongoing projects will further boost UAE?s construction industry growth, concludes the study.

Related posts:

1. Construction outlook: MENA region
2. Positive outlook for UAE small business
3. Positive outlook for UAE in 2013
4. Positive outlook for print industry
5. GCC construction on the rise

Source: http://www.smeadvisor.com/2013/01/positive-outlook-for-uae-construction/

new apple tv sun flare love hewitt new ipad solar flare joseph kony 2012 arian foster

Private space travel to make giant leaps in 2013

Private companies building new spaceships to soar through orbital and suborbital space are looking forward to an action-packed year in 2013, with new flight tests, launches, wind tunnel tests and rocket technology trials all planned during the new year. ?

Of the many spacecraft being developed only one has already flown in space, the Dragon capsule built by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) in Hawthorne, Calif.The unmanned cargo ship has flown in space three times so far, and carried supplies to the International Space Station twice in 2012 ? first in May during a test and then again October.

SpaceX?s next cargo flight to the station is set for May 2013. But a new astronaut-carrying version of Dragon is also in the works. The crewed capsule will be different from its robotic predecessor in several key areas, with SpaceX set to advancing technology for the new ship in 2013.

SpaceX?s new Dragon
?Dragon Version 2 won?t look like [today?s Dragon]. I think it looks pretty cool. Dragon one, we didn?t really know what we were doing so that?s why Dragon looks similar to things that have happened in the past,? SpaceX founder Elon Musk told an audience during a talk at the UK?s Royal Aeronautical Society in London on Nov. 21. Musk described Dragon version 2 as having ?legs that pop out? and added that it uses parachutes and its eight SuperDraco thrusters for a ?propulsive landing.? [SpaceX?s Dragon at the Space Station (Photos)]

The SuperDraco thrusters, located around the base of the Dragon, also act as the pusher launch abort system to move the capsule (and crew) clear of its rocket during a launch emergency.

While Musk was unavailable for to discuss SpaceX?s plans for 2013, company officials did provide SPACE.com details on its expected activities.

In March the company will review its Dragon pad abort test that is planned for later in the year December; in May SpaceX will perform its human certification plan review for the capsule; in June the crewed Dragon on-orbit and entry design review is expected to occur; July would then see an in-flight abort test review;

A safety review is slated for October; and before the December pad abort test, November will see a flight review of an upgraded version of SpaceX?s Falcon 9 rocket, which launches Dragon capsules into orbit.

NASA needs private space taxis
SpaceX is developing the seven-person Dragon 2 capsule to compete for NASA?s International Space Station (ISS) crew transportation contract. NASA?s commercial crew program is helping industry develop competing space transportation systems to win this ISS contract. Ed Mango is the commercial crew program manager.

?2013 will be a huge year for us. In the first couple of months we?ll kick off work for our certification contract and we?ll award that shortly,? Mango told SPACE.com.

Companies selected for the certification contract will get $10 million each and have 15 months to demonstrate, with data, that their rockets and spacecraft can be considered for the space station transport mission. ?The [contract winners] are not just making spacecraft and launch vehicles they are also doing it to meet a NASA mission, our mission to the [ISS],? Mango said. [NASA?s Private Space Taxi Plan (Video)]

In the second half of 2013, NASA will start the bidding process for its commercial crew contract that will lead to the certification of one transportation system to take astronauts to the space station. That contract will not be awarded until early 2014, and a few years later NASA astronauts could travel to the station on the successful launch system.

1. Space news from NBCNews.com

   1. How Neil Armstrong planned his moon speech

      Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Neil Armstrong's brother tells the BBC that he gave the late astronaut feedback on his history-making speech months before it was uttered on the moon.

   2. First meteor shower of 2013 peaks this week
   3. 13 new space missions to watch in 2013
   4. Space may accelerate Alzheimer's in astronauts

Private spaceship contenders
In theory, while any U.S.company can bid for those two contracts, Mango suggested that the three companies that have won funded space act agreements under the commercial crew program will be the likely contenders. Those three companies are: SpaceX; Boeing; and Sierra Nevada Corporation.

Boeing?s spacecraft is the Commercial Space Transportation 100 (CST-100) capsule and is designed to launch atop the Atlas 5 rockets built by the United Launch Alliance?s (ULA). The CST-100 capsule can carry up to seven astronauts and, like Dragon 2, it is expected to land on land. Its design includes airbags to cushion landing, as well as a pusher abort system.

Sierra Nevada?s Dream Chaser space plane is based on NASA?s HL-20, a spacecraft the agency studied 25 years ago. It is also designed to launch on an Atlas 5 rocket.

In 2012 a Dream Chase prototype was used for a captive carry flight test using a helicopter. In the first half of 2013 an unmanned Dream Chaser will fly low speed approaches and landing tests at NASA's DrydenFlightResearchCenterin California. [Dream Chaser Space Plane in Photos]

?These flight tests are similar to the approach and landing tests that NASA conducted on the Space Shuttle prior to the first launch of the Shuttle.? The [Dream Chaser] program is also continuing significant hardware testing throughout 2013 to continue to advance the design of our subsystems," John Roth, Sierra Nevada Space Systems vice president of business development told SPACE.com.

Because the Atlas 5 is the launcher for CST-100 and Dream Chaser, the rocket?s provider ULA is heavily involved with the Boeing and Sierra Nevada work.

?We?re contracted to support Boeing and Sierra Nevadato support their milestones, we?re directly supporting almost all of them,? George Sower, ULA?s Human launch Services vice president, said in an interview.

In 2013, ULA will be continuing to develop the dual engine Centaur upper stage its Atlas 5 needs for launching these manned spacecraft. For satellite launches, the unmanned Atlas 5 has only used a single engine powered Centaur. In April and May, ULA will test ducting to provide propellant for the new Centaur?s two engines. ULA is also planning wind tunnel tests to understand the different aerodynamics of having Boeing?s capsule and Sierra?s winged Dream Chaser on top of the Atlas 5.

Rise of suborbital space planes
While the orbital commercial human spaceflight providers are aiming for operational missions after 2015, the suborbital tourism companies are seeking revenue flights well before then. These suborbital spacecraft are designed to launch beyond the Earth?s atmosphere, but not to enter orbit around the planet. Instead, they will return to Earth to be readied to fly again.

In 2013, XCOR Aerospace is building its Lynx I, which will not fly beyond the 62-mile (100 kilometers) border line between the atmosphere and space. This Lynx rocket plane is a prototype for the planned Lynx Mark 2, which will fly into suborbital space.

?We?re looking at 2013 as the time for our test flight program and in early 2013 we?ll get started. For the Lynx Mark 1, our prototype craft, we?ll be doing test fights throughout the year from early 2013 and then go into commercial flights,? XCOR spokesman Bryan Campen told SPACE.com.

After 2013, the Lynx Mark 2, which will fly higher than 62 miles, will be manufactured in Floridaat or near the KennedySpaceCenter, XCOR officials said. The company is also setting up its new headquarters and research center in Midland, Texas.

Virgin Galactic?s SpaceShipTwo
After 22 gliding tests between October 2010 and August 2012, Virgin Galactic?s SpaceShipTwo has been edging closer to having its hybrid solid rocket motor added and making its first rocket powered flight. In May 2012 Virgin Galactic was awarded an experimental launch permit by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees commercial human spaceflight. At the time Virgin Galactic was anticipating a rocket-powered SpaceShipTwo flight by the end of the year.

By Sept. 20, the SpaceShipTwo rocket motor had been fired on the ground 17 times. On Oct. 19, Virgin Galactic released an image of the oxidizer tank being fitted to the first SpaceShipTwo, called the VSS Enterprise.

The oxidizer flows through the hollow center of the solid fuel rocket and when ignited will burn with the fuel to generate thrust. The first rocket-powered SpaceShipTwo flight is now expected in 2013.

Follow SPACE.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+.

? 2012 Space.com. All rights reserved. More from Space.com.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50338607/ns/technology_and_science-space/

Chi Magazine Kate Middleton Nude Photos glee glee boxing news Coptic Christian saturday night live