stunned sobbed: November 2012

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

COUNCIL PUTS ADDED BURDEN ON HOMEOWNERS, GIVING BUSINESSES HARDLY A BREAK ? ?NO TALK? ZONE WILL BE VIOLATED MANY TIMES, AS IT SHOULD BE ? GOP: ?WOMEN LACK THE NECESSITIES?

PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 28, 2012) ? At the council meeting last night, our Right Honorable Good Friends set the new tax rates, nearly six months after approving the budget. Are you sitting down for this:

For both residential property owners and the commercial-industrial-business sector, taxes are going up again, 3.6% for homeowners and 5% for businesses.

We know. THE PLANET was there, on the scene of the accident.

The Triple Whammy

The tax classification hearing, an annual song-and-dance, was especially funny this year. The council got into an anguished debate on how to split the tax rates between homeowners and businesses, but in the end, homeowners got screwed and, despite ?the break? given to business, the commercial rate stands at an astronomical level, high enough to continue to deter growth, development, and investment. The council brought the rock to the table, and Mayor Dan Bianchi furnished the hard place.

In the end, residential taxpayers will have to cough up $16.70 for every $1,000 of value (up from the current rate of $16.11), with the commercial rate tabbed at $34.48. Though councilors dubbed the new commercial rate at benign (?business friendly,? as Ward 6 councilor John Krol put it), it means the current rate of $32.85 will increase by $1.63 per thousand. See, that?s what tax happy politicians mean by giving out ?tax breaks.? They mean your rate will still increase, but not as much as we first wanted it to do.

The vote was 10-1 on the new split (Ward 2?s Kevin Morandi siding with Bianchi, wanting to put more of the extra burden on the business side).

What No One Tells You ? but THE PLANET

What no one tells you, of course, is that each time taxes go up ? this year marks the 40th consecutive increase for Pittsfield, in what has to be an unofficial state, and perhaps even national, record ? taxpayers experience The Triple Whammy. They get hit three times:

* First, taxpayers get hit with the increase itself.

* Second, year after year, with raises on top of raises, the rate of increase compounds, the way interest does in the bank.

* Third, the increase is made even steeper when assessments go up, as they have recently for many Pittsfield property owners.

Seeing is Believing What Should Not be Tolerated But Is

THE PLANET saw it with our own four eyes, or we wouldn?t have believed it (not). At each tax classification hearing, we hear a number of truisms, the least true of which is:

* No one likes to raise taxes.

No one likes to do it, but they do it anyway. After the usual hand-wringing over how to divide the split between residential and commercial (the council opting to dump more of the burden on homeowners this year), after the speechifying, the vote gets cast, and Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski, as well as small- to medium-sized business owner Sir Tiberius Fruitjuice?will have to dig deeper to fund an increase in spending, mainly for the school department (or didn?t you hear of the 10%-16% pay raise the teachers just won over three years?).

There are several topics that should be part of the discussion but aren?t. They include:

* Non profits ? Why does Pittsfield have so many, and why are they allowed to retain that status? You mean to say that each and every so-called ?non-profit,? especially the one that dish out six-figure salaries, deserves to be ranked with The Little Sisters of the Poor?

* Free cash ? More on this later, but with $5 million in ?free cash,? what is going on budgetwise? ?THE PLANET refutes the ?conventional wisdom? that having such an amount is a sign of financial stability and secures the city?s bond rating. This ?accepted wisdom? needs to be challenged, no matter who gets ruffled by it.

* Unfunded liability ? This is a nearly $400,000,000 bill that will come due in the next 20 years.

The winner of the next mayoral election will be that person who will have the gonads to stand up to this mindless string of tax hikes that are strangling homeowners and destroying the economic competitiveness of the city.

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DON?T SAY IT, SPRAY IT

There are some provisions that our Right Honorable Good Friends put before us that will not simply slip quietly into the good night. One such is the recent open meeting hubbub involving the Pittsfield city council.

After Melissa Mazzeo threatened to go to the Attorney General with a complaint that colleagues Kevin Sherman, John Krol, Barry Clairmont, Christine Yon, and Jonathan Lothrop violated the state?s open meeting laws, Sherman signed a resolution letter with Mazzeo, basically saying an amazing thing: That city councilors did not possess First Amendment rights of free speech.

The council voted 9-2 (Krol and Churchill Cotton objecting) to accept this embarrassing restriction, even though Clairmont and Lothrop said it would not affect how and what they discuss?prior to council meetings, particularly concerning agenda items. Most neutral observers (if there are any) and disinterested Radar Men from the Moon read Mazzeo?s actions as revenge for the Oct. 9 Noconfidencegate, when Yon and Sherman cosigned a request calling for a no-confidence vote in city solicitor Kathy Degnan.

?Censorship is No Antidote?

Clairmont has said he would ignore the agreement not to discuss agenda items in the media ? or any other topic. Krol and Yon said as much as well, Krol putting it well when he said to our good friend, the Eagle?s Dick Linsday, ?Censorship is no antidote for our ills.? At least he?s admitting to ?ills.?

Yon thought it would ?be the end of it? when she withdrew her petition on Oct. 9. Mazzeo and Sherman hope the compromise letter would ?be the end of it? several weeks later. Though it may not be readily apparent, the ?end? has not come and will not come until the municipal elections next year. That ?end? shall only be the ?beginning of the end.?

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?LACKING THE NECESSITIEIS?

When House Republicans announced their list of recommendations yesterday for committee chairmanships in the upcoming new Congress, they put forth an all-male list. The list included returning Paul Ryan to head the budget panel and Ed Royce of California to replace long-time Foreign Affairs chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida.

Asked about the lack of women, Michael Steel, mouthpiece for House Speaker John Boehner, said three women have been selected for party leadership for 2013. Boehner didn?t have it in him to explain the real reason (borrowing from Al Campanis): ?Women are pretty and cute to look at and all that, but they lack the ?necessities? to handle the duties of chair.? This item prompts two questions: Gee, do you think UN Ambassador Rice (she?s a ?she?) will face a grilling by Republicans if President Obama nominates her as Secretary of State? And do you wonder why Obama outscored Mitt Romney among women voters?

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THE AGE OF LOVE IS AS WISE AS THE SERPENT AND HARMLESS AS THE DOVE.

?OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.?

LOVE TO ALL.

Source: http://planetvalenti.com/2012/11/council-puts-added-burden-on-homeowners-giving-businesses-hardly-a-break-no-talk-zone-will-be-violated-many-times-as-it-should-be-gop-women-lack-the-necessities/

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Wallabies pillory Campese for sexist tweet

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Former Australia international David Campese has been pilloried by current and former Wallabies for suggesting a woman should not report on rugby for one of Australia's biggest newspapers.

Campese, 50, won 101 caps for his country as a fullback and winger in one of the sport's most glittering careers but has been almost as controversial a commentator since retirement as he was a great player before it.

His tweet, later deleted, was a comment on the Sydney Morning Herald's appointment of Georgina Robinson to replace their long-standing rugby correspondent Greg Growden, who took redundancy earlier this year.

"Why does the smh get a girl to write about rugby. Growden who was a great jornio and now we have someone who has no idea about the game!" he wrote.

The comment provoked a stormy response on Twitter with David Pocock, curent Wallabies flanker and sometime Australia captain, among those offering a withering retort.

"Really sad to see journos attacked based on their gender. Or a grown woman referred to as a 'girl' #destroyingthejoint," Pocock wrote.

Former Wallaby winger Wendell Sailor also chipped in.

"Well good morning to u Campo & I have to say r are on ur own with this comment it's 2012 champ," he tweeted.

Campese earlier this month called for Wallabies coach Robbie Deans to be sacked for "destroying" Australian rugby by failing to produce a team with the traditional attacking flair of the Wallabies.

Campese later attempted to clarify his Tweet.

"I was trying to say is that the coach is under pressure and sometimes males give it to the coach as some females go a lot easier on them," he wrote.

Pocock previously bucked the idea that rugby players are largely socially conservative when he and his partner Emma Palandri announced they would not be getting married until gay people in Australia enjoyed the same right.

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Amlan Chakraborty)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wallabies-pillory-campese-sexist-tweet-053958558--spt.html

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Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Some Tips to Improve Your Credit Scores ? Bnr.Co

Credit scores are essential to any person. They can help you get less expensive bargains on loans and credit contracts. Basically, the better your scores the much better the chances of you getting better offers. Bad scores can do nothing at all excellent to you particularly when dealing businesses that want to look at these scores and assess you from them.

Some would believe that it is difficult to repair or fix credit scores. This is not really that tough to do. There are numerous methods to increase your credit card scores and all that is needed is a little discipline and perseverance on your component. Here are some methods in which you can improve it.

The best way to increase your score is to spend your dues on time. This could seem straightforward and unhelpful to numerous but this is really the greatest way to improve it. Credit scores reflect your credit and your paying behavior that is why paying on time should be your priority.
Keeping track of your credit reports and score is also a way to increase on them. Understanding about them lets you know exactly where you stand financially. Also, you can maintain track of inconsistencies and discrepancies that would give you unfavorable comments that would affect your credit scores and credit reports.
You must use older credit accounts. An older credit card background is good factor when it comes to credit scores. Active accounts give a good effect it.
You require to be aware of the way you use your credit cards and your credit limits. Both of them are typically used to assess you as this ratio also affects the assessment of credit scores. The decrease this ratio, the better your scores.
Decide accounts that you have no use of. If you have accounts that you no longer use take the initiative of closing them yourself. This would look far better in credit reports and scores than if the businesses themselves had been the ones who closed your account for you.
Challenging faulty and unfavorable figures in credit reports could assist your scores. Credit reporting institutions get their data from credit agencies. If there is some thing wrong in the credit reports do your very best to appropriate it immediately.

There are several other things that could help your scores. There are also several other businesses that would supply to do this for you. Even though it is not impossible to do this, there are those that are simply taking advantage of your want. You want vigilance and the understanding that only you can alter it.

Source: http://www.bnr.co/finance-2/credit-tips/some-tips-to-improve-your-credit-scores/

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Man charged after dynamite joke at Miami airport (Providence Journal)

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Markets nervous as euro ministers meet on Greece

People stand in the rain in front of the electronic stock board of a securities firm in Tokyo, Monday, Nov. 26, 2012. Asian stock markets posted slight gains Monday after the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season in the U.S. topped expectations, offsetting concerns about Greece's financial crisis. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

A woman stands in the rain in front of an electronic stock board of a securities firm in Tokyo, Monday, Nov. 26, 2012. Asian stock markets posted slight gains Monday after the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season in the U.S. topped expectations, offsetting concerns about Greece's financial crisis. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

LONDON (AP) ? Concerns that European finance ministers will again fail to reach an agreement on handing over more bailout cash to Greece weighed on markets Monday.

Most attention will focus on the finance ministers meeting in Brussels though election results in the Spanish region of Catalonia that saw separatists gain ground have also added to investor worries at the start of the week.

For weeks, the eurogroup of finance ministers have failed to agree a strategy that will allow them to release some ?44 billion ($56.8 billion) for the cash-strapped country.

The expectation is that Greece will get the money and an extra two years to make the reforms that are a condition of the bailout. But an extension would cost the eurozone several billion more and finding that money has lain at the heart of the current stalemate.

Several proposals to plug the financial gap have been proposed, including reducing the interest rate Greece pays on loans it is getting from euro partners and the International Monetary Fund. Time is short as Greece is running out of the money it needs to pay its day-to-day running costs.

"Clearly any decision by the eurogroup to kick the Greek issue further down the road will stand to unsettle markets globally," said Fawad Razaqzada, market strategist at GFT Markets.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was down 0.4 percent at 5,795 while Germany's DAX fell 0.2 percent to 7,291. The CAC-40 in France was 0.6 percent lower at 3,509.

The euro meanwhile lost some of its shine but remains near multiweek highs against the dollar. Europe's single currency was down 0.1 percent at $1.2964.

Wall Street was poised for a retreat at the open too. Dow futures and the broader S&P 500 futures were 0.5 percent lower.

The expected falls in the U.S. come despite signs that the crucial holiday shopping season has got off to a solid start.

Surveys showed that Americans visited stores and websites in record numbers last Friday, the day after the Thanksgiving holiday. That day is dubbed "Black Friday" because U.S. retailers traditionally turn a profit as millions of Americans rush out to stores in search of gifts for Christmas and other celebrations.

The surveys showed a record 247 million shoppers visited stores and websites between Thursday and Sunday, up 9.2 percent from the year before.

Earlier, Asian markets failed to make much headway, if any.

While Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 0.2 percent to 9,388.94, Hong Kong's Hang Seng was sapped of momentum by lethargic mainland Chinese markets, closing 0.3 percent lower at 21,857.77.

In China, the Shanghai Composite Index was down 0.5 percent to 2,017.46 while the smaller Shenzhen Composite Index lost 1.4 percent to 789.49.

Oil prices tracked equities lower, with the benchmark New York rate down 56 cents at $87.72 per barrel in electronic trading

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-11-26-World%20Markets/id-0650fed0d2664ebe8fe06de8c34500e1

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Syrians want to know: 'Are you okay after Superstorm Sandy?'

With the sound of mortars in the background, Syrians in Aleppo express concern for our American correspondent and his storm-battered homeland.

By Tom A. Peter,?Correspondent / November 18, 2012

Syrian women work on their field in the village of Tarafat, Syria in October. Many Syrians have expressed concern for Americans hit by hurricane Sandy.

Manu Brabo/AP

Enlarge

I had just sat down to interview a commander of the Free Syrian Army in Aleppo and we were exchanging the normal pre-meeting pleasantries as some distant gunfire cracked in the background. After 20 months of conflict here, most artillery and gunfire goes unnoticed unless people are close enough to be directly affected.

Skip to next paragraph Tom A. Peter

Correspondent

Tom A. Peter is a journalist based in Kabul, Afghanistan where he covers news and features throughout the country. He has also reported for The Monitor from Iraq, Yemen, Jordan, and throughout the United States.

Outbreak-Tied Peanut Butter Plant Shut

Nov 26, 2012 7:37pm

The Food and Drug Administration today shut down the country?s largest organic peanut butter processor following a salmonella outbreak that sickened scores of people nationwide.

For the first time the FDA has utilized new power granted by the 2011 food safety law and shut down Sunland Inc.?s New Mexico processing plant.

In a statement on their website, the FDA said that the link between the company and the salmonella outbreak that sickened 41 people in 20 states along with ?Sunland?s history of violations led FDA to make the decision to suspend the company?s registration.?

Between June 2000 and September 2012 eleven product lots of nut butter tested positive for presence of Salmonella. And, according to the FDA, between March 2010 and September 2012, Sunland Inc. distributed at least a portion of eight product lots after they had tested positive.

The FDA also found the presence of Salmonella in 28 environmental samples during a September and October 2012 inspection.??FDA inspectors reported that employees of Sunland Inc. failed to wash hands, improperly handled equipment used to process food as well as providing ??no records? to document cleaning of equipment. Additionally, the building housing the production and packaging had no hand-washing sinks even though employees had ?bare-handed contact? with the product.

?The super-sized bags used by the firm to store peanuts were not cleaned despite being used for both raw and roasted peanuts.? There was a leaking sink in a washroom which resulted in water accumulating on the floor, and the plant is not built to allow floors, walls and ceilings to be adequately cleaned.

Finally, investigators found that raw materials were exposed to potential contamination.? Raw, in-shell peanuts were found outside the plant in uncovered trailers. Birds were observed landing in the trailers and the peanuts were exposed to rain, which provides a growth environment for Salmonella and other bacteria.? Inside the warehouse, facility doors were open to the outside, which could allow pests to enter.?

In a November 15 statement the president and CEO of Sunland, Jimmie Shearer, emphasized that at ?no time? did the company distribute products they knew to be contaminated. The company has submitted a response to the FDA outlining their response to the recall and contaminated product testing.

?We believe that drawing any inferences much less conclusions about the Company?s practices based solely on the observations as set forth in the Form 483 without considering the Company?s response would be wholly premature and unduly prejudicial to Sunland.?

Food Safety Modernization Act, which the FDA acted under to shut down the plant, grants the agency the authority to suspend manufacturing when there is ?reasonable probability of causing serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals, and other conditions are met.?

Sunland Inc., can request an informal hearing to lift the suspension. ?However the 24-year-old company will only have its registration returned after the FDA decides the company has safe manufacturing practices.

SHOWS: Good Morning America World News

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/11/26/fda-closes-peanut-butter-plant-linked-to-salmonella/

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Pack your bags for a move to Mars

Elon Musk, the billionaire founder and CEO of the private spaceflight company SpaceX, wants to help establish a Mars colony of up to 80,000 people by ferrying explorers to the Red Planet for perhaps $500,000 a trip.

In Musk's vision, the ambitious Mars settlement program would start with a pioneering group of fewer than 10 people, who would journey to the Red Planet aboard a huge reusable rocket powered by liquid oxygen and methane.

"At Mars, you can start a self-sustaining civilization and grow it into something really big," Musk told an audience at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London on Nov. 16. Musk was there to talk about his business plans, and to receive the society?s gold medal for his contribution to the commercialization of space.

Mars pioneers
Accompanying the founders of the new Mars colony would be large amounts of equipment, including machines to produce fertilizer, methane and oxygen from Mars? atmospheric nitrogen and carbon dioxide and the planet's subsurface water ice.

The Red Planet pioneers would also take construction materials to build transparent domes, which when pressurized with Mars? atmospheric CO2 could grow Earth crops in Martian soil. As the Mars colony became more self sufficient, the big rocket would start to transport more people and fewer supplies and equipment. [Future Visions of Human Spaceflight]

Musk?s architecture for this human Mars exploration effort does not employ cyclers, reusable spacecraft that would travel back and forth constantly between the Red Planet and Earth ? at least not at first

"Probably not a Mars cycler; the thing with the cyclers is, you need a lot of them," Musk told Space.com. "You have to have propellant to keep things aligned as (Mars and Earth?s) orbits aren?t (always) in the same plane. In the beginning you won?t have cyclers."

Musk also ruled out SpaceX's Dragon capsule, which the company is developing to ferry astronauts to and from low-Earth orbit, as the spacecraft that would land colonists on the Red Planet. When asked by Space.com what vehicle would be used, he said, "I think you just land the entire thing."

Asked if the "entire thing" is the huge new reusable rocket ? which is rumored to bear the acronymic name MCT, short for Mass Cargo Transport or Mars Colony Transport ? Musk said, "Maybe."

Musk has been thinking about what his colonist-carrying spacecraft would need, whatever it ends up being. He reckons the oxygen concentration inside should be 30 to 40 percent, and he envisions using the spacecraft?s liquid water store as a barrier between the Mars pioneers and the sun.

A $500,000 ticket
Musk?s $500,000 ticket price for a Mars trip was derived from what he thinks is affordable.

"The ticket price needs to be low enough that most people in advanced countries, in their mid-forties or something like that, could put together enough money to make the trip," he said, comparing the purchase to buying a house in California. [Photos: The First Space Tourists]

Space news from NBCNews.com
1. Mars rover snaps spooky self-portraits
  Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: It looks as if someone is taking portraits of NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars from a few feet away ? but who's the photographer?
2. Countdown to a total solar eclipse
3. Light from first stars in universe spotted
4. Spacewalkers troubleshoot leaky radiator

He also estimated that of the 8 billion humans that will be living on Earth by the time the colony is possible, perhaps one in 100,000 would be prepared to go. That equates to potentially 80,000 migrants.

Musk figures the colony program ? which he wants to be a collaboration between government and private enterprise ? would end up costing about $36 billion. He arrived at that number by estimating that a colony that costs 0.25 percent or 0.5 percent of a nation?s gross domestic product (GDP) would be considered acceptable.

The United States' GDP in 2010 was $14.5 trillion; 0.25 percent of $14.5 trillion is $36 billion. If all 80,000 colonists paid $500,000 per seat for their Mars trip, $40 billion would be raised.

"Some money has to be spent on establishing a base on Mars. It?s about getting the basic fundamentals in place," Musk said. "That was true of the English colonies (in the Americas); it took a significant expense to get things started. But once there are regular Mars flights, you can get the cost down to half a million dollars for someone to move to Mars. Then I think there are enough people who would buy that to have it be a reasonable business case."

The big reusable rocket
The fully reusable rocket that Musk wants to take colonists to Mars is an evolution of SpaceX's Falcon 9 booster, which launches Dragon.

"It?s going to be much bigger (than Falcon 9), but I don?t think we?re quite ready to state the payload. We?ll speak about that next year," Musk said, emphasizing that only fully reusable rockets and spacecraft would keep the ticket price for Mars migration as low as $500,000.

SpaceX is already testing what Musk calls a next-generation, reusable Falcon 9 rocket that can take off vertically and land vertically. The prototype, called Grasshopper, is a Falcon 9 first stage with landing legs.

Grasshopper has made two short flights. The first was on Sept. 21 and reached a height of 6 feet (2 meters); the second test, on Nov. 1, was to a height of 17.7 feet (5.4 m). A planned milestone for the Grasshopper project is to reach an altitude of 100 feet (30 m). [Grasshopper Rocket's 2-Story Test Flight (Video)]

"Over the next few months, we?ll gradually increase the altitude and speed," Musk said. "I do think there probably will be some craters along the way; we?ll be very lucky if there are no craters. Vertical landing is an extremely important breakthrough ? extreme, rapid reusability. It?s as close to aircraft-like dispatch capability as one can achieve."

Musk wants to have a reusable Falcon 9 first stage, which uses Grasshopper technology, come back from orbit in "the next year or two." He then wants to use this vertical-landing technology for Falcon 9?s upper stage.

Musk hopes to have a fully reusable version of Falcon 9 in five or six years, but he acknowledged that those could be "famous last words."

A rocket stepping stone
Another stepping stone toward the planned reusable Mars rocket is SpaceX?s Falcon Heavy launcher. With a first flight planned for next year from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Heavy is a Falcon 9 that has two Falcon 9 first stages bolted on either side.

Musk expects the Falcon Heavy to launch from Florida's Cape Canaveral eventually. This triple-first-stage rocket will be able to put 116,600 pounds (53,000 kilograms) into a 124-mile (200 kilometers) low-Earth orbit. But the Falcon Heavy is still much smaller than Musk?s fully reusable Mars rocket, which will also employ a new engine.

While Musk declines to state what the Mars rocket?s payload capability will be, he does say it will use a new staged combustion cycle engine called Raptor. The cycle involves two steps. Propellant ? the fuel and oxidizer ? is ignited in pre-burners to produce hot high-pressure gases that help pump propellant into the engine?s combustion chamber. The hot gases are then directed into the same chamber to aid in the combustion of the propellants.

Because Raptor is a staged combustion engine ? like the main engines of NASA's now-retired space shuttle fleet ? it is expected to be far more efficient than the open-cycle Merlin engines used by the Falcon 9.

While the Falcon 9?s engines use liquid oxygen (LOX) and kerosene, Raptor will use LOX and methane. Musk explained that "the energy cost of methane is the lowest, and it has a slight ISP (specific impulse) advantage over kerosene and doesn?t have any of the bad aspects of hydrogen." (Hydrogen is difficult to store at cryogenic temperatures, makes metal brittle and is very flammable.)

Follow Space.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook? and??Google+.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49967348/ns/technology_and_science-space/

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Monday, November 26, 2012

Chapter 13 Auto Interest Payments - New Jersey Bankruptcy Attorneys

By on November 24, 2012

In a chapter 13, a person has options as to how they may pay their auto payments. They may make their payments, as follows:

A. Make payments monthly payments directly to the finance company;
A. If they are behind with payments, they may cure their pre-filing arrears through the bankruptcy payments and make their regular future monthly payments directly to the finance company;
C. Pay the entire balance due through the bankruptcy plan; and,
D. Under certain situations, pay to the finance company only the amount equal to the value of the vehicle, at the time of the filing, through the bankruptcy plan.
Please note that the debtor may only apply scenario D under specific situations.

Under scenarios A and B, the monthly payment to the finance company is the same, as if the person is not in bankruptcy. The interest payment is the same, as well. Under scenarios C and D, the interest rate is determined by the prime rate at the time of the filing, plus an additional interest of 1% through 3%, based on the risk that the debtor will not make the payments. The risk is based on the circumstances of each debtor. This means that the interest rate will be a total of 3% at the lowest and 6% at the highest.

Under scenario C, the debtor will pay the balance due, plus the interest rate explained above. Under scenario D, the debtor will pay the retail value of the vehicle, at the time of the filing, plus the interest rate explained above. At the time this blog is written,finance companies are permitting an interest rate of 4.25% to 4.75%, for first time chapter 13 debtors, under scenarios C and D above.

Robert Manchel, the NJ. bankruptcy lawyer, is available to discuss your bankruptcy questions at(866) 503-5655.

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Source: http://www.bankruptcylawyer-nj.com/blog/auto/chapter-13-auto-interest-payments/

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Sunday, November 25, 2012

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Leaders call for end to Congo rebel advance

Congolese policemen gather at the Mugunga police training center near the eastern Congolese town of Goma, Friday Nov. 23, 2012. The officers were called by M23 rebel officials to receive an ideological briefing. Platoons of rebels were making their way across the hills from Sake to the next major town of Minova, where the Congolese army was believed to be regrouping. The militants seeking to overthrow the government vowed to push forward despite mounting international pressure. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Congolese flee the eastern Congolese town of Sake, 27-kilometers west of Goma, Friday Nov. 23 2012. Thousands fled the M23 controlled town as platoons of rebels were making their way across the hills from Sake to the next major town of Minova, where the Congolese army was believed to be regrouping. The militants seeking to overthrow the government vowed to push forward despite mounting international pressure. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Congolese flees the eastern Congolese town of Sake , 27kms west of Goma, Friday Nov. 23 2012. Thousands fled the M23 controlled town as platoons of rebels were making their way across the hills from Sake to the next major town of Minova, where the Congolese army was believed to be regrouping. The militants seeking to overthrow the government vowed to push forward despite mounting international pressure.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Congolese rebels walk in the eastern Congolese town of Sake , 27kms west of Goma, Friday Nov. 23 2012. Thousands fled the M23 controlled town as platoons of rebels were making their way across the hills from Sake to the next major town of Minova, where the Congolese army was believed to be regrouping. The militants seeking to overthrow the government vowed to push forward despite mounting international pressure.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Congolese rebels man a toll station in the eastern Congolese town of Sake , 27kms west of Goma, Friday Nov. 23 2012. Thousands fled the M23 controlled town as platoons of rebels were making their way across the hills from Sake to the next major town of Minova, where the Congolese army was believed to be regrouping. The militants seeking to overthrow the government vowed to push forward despite mounting international pressure.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

SAKE, Congo (AP) ? Regional leaders meeting in Uganda on Saturday called for an end to the advance by M23 rebels toward Congo's capital, and also urged the Congolese government to sit down with rebel leaders as residents fled some towns for fear of more fighting between the rebels and army.

The leaders called on M23 rebels to vacate the city of Goma within two days and for local police recently disarmed by the rebels "to be rearmed so that they resume duty," according to a statement issued by the regional bloc called the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.

M23 is made up of hundreds of officers who deserted the Congolese army in April. Since then the rebels have occupied vast swaths of territory in mineral-rich eastern Congo. The rebels accuse Congo's government of failing to honor the terms of a 2009 peace deal that incorporated them into the national army. The rebels took Goma without much of a battle, with the Congolese army fleeing in disarray and U.N. peacekeepers holding fire.

M23 leaders insist they will attempt to capture the Congolese capital of Kinshasa if Congo's President Joseph Kabila does not negotiate directly with them.

The regional bloc encouraged Congo to "listen, evaluate and resolve the legitimate grievances of M23," according to the statement out of Uganda's capital, Kampala.

Leaders for the rebel movement said they were in Uganda on Saturday, however, Ugandan officials said M23 representatives were not invited to the summit and denied reports that Jean-Marie Runiga, the M23's political leader, was in the country for separate negotiations with the Ugandan government.

"This is a summit for regional leaders, not a negotiation meeting. The rebels cannot be in the summit," said Okello Oryem, Uganda's deputy minister of foreign affairs.

The Rwandan president was also not at the summit, despite reports by the U.N. that the country, along with Uganda, is helping to back the rebel movement. The two countries deny the charges.

In eastern Congo, hundreds of residents in the towns of Sake and Minova walked toward a nearby village on Saturday to avoid more fighting between rebels and the army, who they accuse of looting and rapes.

A resident making the eight kilometer (5 mile) walk to Kirotshe said that soldiers from the U.N. peacekeeping group in Congo, known as MONUSCO, told them to leave Sake.

"They told us the army might attack again at Sake," said the resident who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of her safety. "Soldiers from MONUSCO told us all to go to the hospital."

The U.N. soldiers, however, would not confirm that they had told locals to take refuge in Kirotshe or whether they thought the army would attack.

A surprise attack by the Congolese army on Thursday afternoon pushed the M23 rebels out of Sake for a few hours. By the evening, however, M23 fighters had recovered the town and forced the government troops to flee 25 kilometers (15 miles) south to Minova, on the shore of Lake Kivu.

Locals in Minova on Saturday reported that the retreating army troops had gone on a rampage on Thursday and Friday nights.

"Things are not at all well here," said Mousinganga Siprian, an elderly resident of Minova leaning unsteadily on a makeshift crutch. "There are very many soldiers here now. They have looted, they have killed, they are raping our women."

A U.N. source in Minova confirmed that the government soldiers had looted and raped on both of the nights they had spent in the town since their retreat from Sake, but spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak to the press.

The soldiers milled in the streets of Minova, drinking black banana beer and standing on grassy banks or walking among the local population. Many were drunk and aggressive, and the atmosphere between fighters and civilians was extremely tense.

The army commander, Gen. Lucien Bahuma, would not comment on the behavior of his troops when contacted by telephone.

Sake residents settled in for their third evening away from their homes on a road running into Goma.

A World Food Program distribution was taking place, but the displaced people on the roadside said they were unsatisfied with the support they were getting.

"They are giving out food but only bit by bit," said Jacqui Nadaje, clutching a bright orange washing bowl full of clothes. "This is the first time (the WFP) has come here. We need more support from these agencies and the international community. We need shelter and water, but above all we need food. We are all very hungry."

The regional leaders in Uganda's capital said The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, or MONUSCO, is to occupy and provide security in the "neutral zone between Goma and the new areas occupied by M23." It also called for the creation of a "composite force" to guard Goma's strategic airport that would feature soldiers from other African countries as well as M23 and the Congolese national army. Regional governments are considering dispatching a "natural international force" to eastern Congo, but it remains unclear when it would materialize.

South Africa offered Saturday to contribute some money toward the force, but only Tanzania has offered troops so far. Angola and Kenya, which are eligible to contribute troops, have not announced their offers.

___

Muhumuza reported from Kampala, Uganda.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-11-24-Congo-Fighting/id-1dfe358b3f584932bc2a6dd41e4d2dfb

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Source: http://business.wordwd.com/2012/11/22/change-management-30-second-management-training/

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Source: http://kiperemerson.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/change-management-30-second-management-training-business.html

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Susan Rice battles critics as abrasive style takes toll (reuters)

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Thursday, November 22, 2012

Xbox TV: New rumours detail AAA game-less Xbox 360 - Pocket-lint

Microsoft is rumoured to be working on an Xbox set-top box that would offer casual gaming and all the entertainment functions of the current console, but without the capability of playing traditional AAA games like Halo 4 or Assassin's Creed III.

According to "multiple sources" talking to gadget site The Verge, the console, which Pocket-lint suggested Microsoft should make and sell back in June, would be a smaller low-cost alternative to its Xbox console and allow the company to expand on its home entertainment offering to non-core gamers.

"We're told that the set-top box is part of a two-SKU strategy for Microsoft's next-generation of Xbox hardware that will be unveiled in 2013, with a release date ahead of the holiday shopping season," claims the site.

According to the site and its sources, the?Xbox 360 TV?will?"run on the core components of Windows 8 and support casual gaming titles rather than full Xbox games typically found on a dedicated console."

Supposedly, hardware specs aren't fully locked down.

On the rumours, Microsoft has issued the following statement: "Xbox 360 has found new ways to extend the console lifecycle by introducing controller-free experiences with Kinect and re-inventing the console with a new dashboard and new entertainment content partnerships. We are always thinking about what is next for our platform and how to continue to defy the lifecycle convention."?

The rumours tie in with a lengthy blog post from the firm that it published in June?ahead of the annual gaming conference, E3, in LA.

In it, Yusuf Mehdi, chief marketing officer for the company's Interactive Entertainment Division,?said the console would move away from being just that.

READ:?Nintendo Wii U, Xbox SmartGlass and PS Vita: second screen entertainment explored

"To date, our success with Xbox has been led by a box in the living room. Moving forward, Xbox will go beyond the box to reach all new families of devices. Just as Xbox has grown to mean more than just games, it also is more than just a console. This year, Xbox becomes the premium entertainment service for Microsoft.

"Whether on your PC, tablet, TV or phone, Xbox will be a gateway to the best in music and video, your favourite games and instant access to your friends. With the launch of Windows 8, we?ll bring Xbox entertainment to everyone. With Xbox on Windows 8 devices, we rapidly accelerate the reach of Xbox entertainment from more than 60 million people to hundreds of millions of people worldwide."

Mehdi went on to say, "We understand that entertainment has become a multi-screen experience where you and your friends are watching TV, listening to music, and playing games while interacting with your tablets and phones in new ways. We?ve got ideas for making all the entertainment you love more personal, interactive and social across the devices you love - and on the phenomenal Windows 8 devices that are to come."

READ:?Xbox Entertainment: Games, Video, Music, SmartGlass on all your Microsoft devices

Shortly after those comments, Microsoft launched among other things, Xbox SmartGlass, its tablet and smartphone app that allows users to interact with the console.

We suspect that?SmartGlass?would be a key element of a set top Xbox TV box and save Microsoft needing to include a controller with the TV only device, and allow it to drive prices down even further.

Currently in the US there are two TV on-demand boxes that dominate the market; Roku and Apple TV, although Google is also trying to gain market share with Google TV. Roku, which launched in the UK in January this year, sees it as a core business, while Apple still sees the miniature set-top-box as a sideshow.

If Microsoft is about to enter the market, things could get a lot more interesting.

Source: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/48506/xbox-tv-2013-planned-launch

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Nebraska schools, students show improvement on state tests (AUDIO)

Nebraska public schools and students seemed to be making progress, according to a report issued today by the Nebraska Department of Education.

Nearly three of every four public school districts graduated 90% or more of their high school seniors. Most school districts demonstrated improvement and growth under the new state accountability results.

?First of all, as we reported last August, the overall story is that Nebraska public school students are making progress and we attribute that to Nebraska teachers and administrators who have consistently demonstrated this trend over the last decade,? Nebraska Education Commissioner Roger Breed stated during a news conference today at the Department of Education offices in Lincoln.

More than 152,000 students from all 249 public school districts took the standardized tests, from elementary schools to middle schools as well as juniors in high school.

The new accountability report uses student scores to measure the progress of their school districts, whether the districts demonstrated both improvement and growth; whether test scores this year exceeded those the previous year.

?On this measure, 185 of 248 school districts demonstrated improvement across the grades on the reading tests,? according to Breed. ?177 of 248 school districts demonstrated improvement across the grades on the math tests.?

This year, 180 or 249 Nebraska public school districts graduated 90% of more of their high school seniors. More than 50 school districts graduated all of their seniors. Statewide, 88% of the high school seniors graduated, up from 86% last year.

As for student scores, 74.2% of the state students passed the reading tests, up from 71.8% the year before. Math scores improved from 62.8% to 67.4%. In science, 66.9% scored proficient and in writing, 73.3%.

AUDIO:?Nebraska Education Commissioner Rober Breed releases accountability report. [23 min.]

Source: http://nebraskaradionetwork.com/2012/11/20/nebraska-schools-students-show-improvement-on-state-tests-audio/

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United found not liable for alleged 9/11 security lapse

NEW YORK (Reuters) - United Airlines bears no responsibility for the collapse of a third World Trade Center building on September 11, 2001, stemming from suspected airport security lapses that allowed hijackers to crash an American Airlines plane into the complex, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein granted a request by United and its parent, United Continental Holdings Inc, to dismiss negligence claims by Larry Silverstein, the leaseholder of the World Trade Center property, over the destruction of 7 World Trade Center.

Tower 7 collapsed several hours after being pierced by debris from the crash of AMR Corp's American Airlines Flight 11 into the nearby 1 World Trade Center, one of the Twin Towers.

Two of the Flight 11 hijackers, Mohammed Atta and Abdul Aziz al Omari, had begun their trip to New York at the Portland International Jetport, in Maine. There, they boarded a flight by US Airways carrier Colgan Air to Boston's Logan International Airport, from which they connected onto the American Airlines plane.

Silverstein said that because United was among the carriers that ran Portland's only security checkpoint, it was legally responsible for the screening of all passengers and had missed a "clear chance" to prevent the hijacking.

Hellerstein, a judge in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, in Manhattan, concluded that United did not owe "a duty of care" to Silverstein. He said that United, which is currently the largest U.S. carrier, could not have foreseen events that led to the destruction of Tower 7.

"It was not within United's range of apprehension that terrorists would slip through the security screening checkpoint, fly to Logan, proceed through another air carrier's security screening and board that air carrier's flight, hijack the flight and crash it into 1 World Trade Center, let alone that 1 World Trade Center would therefore collapse and cause Tower 7 to collapse," Hellerstein wrote.

In 2009, Hellerstein had dismissed claims against other airlines for damages caused by United Flight 175, which also crashed into the Twin Towers. Hellerstein has presided over almost all U.S. litigation over the September 11 attacks.

SILVERSTEIN TO PURSUE SEPARATE CASE

Bud Perrone, a spokesman for Silverstein Properties, said the firm was disappointed with Wednesday's ruling, but said it continues to pursue a similar negligence case over United's Flight 175.

"We are determined and look forward to presenting the facts before a jury, which will decide whether the defendants' insurance companies should finally be forced to pay up in order to finish the rebuilding of the World Trade Center," he said.

A United spokeswoman, Mary Ryan, declined to comment.

The September 11 attacks killed more than 3,000 people in New York, at the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C., and in Pennsylvania.

Silverstein is building three office towers at the 16-acre World Trade Center site, which is owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, though redevelopment has been hobbled by political battles and cost overruns.

The total project cost was recently estimated at $14.8 billion. Silverstein completed a $700 million, 52-story building at the 7 World Trade Center site in 2006, and it is now fully leased.

Silverstein has also sought to hold AMR, which now operates in bankruptcy, liable for the loss of property and business.

His $8.4 billion lawsuit filed in 2008 also named Boeing Co, the Massachusetts Port Authority, which manages Logan Airport, and security companies as defendants.

Hellerstein has limited potential recovery to the $2.8 billion that Silverstein paid for his leases.

The September 11 attacks prompted the creation of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, which now oversees security at airport checkpoints.

The case is World Trade Center Properties LLC et al v. American Airlines Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 08-03722.

(Reporting by Basil Katz and Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Gerry McCormick, Bernadette Baum and Leslie Adler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/united-airlines-not-liable-alleged-9-11-security-160209026--finance.html

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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

How Linden Lab Hopes To Find Second Life In Mobile Creative Play

The timing is likely right for Linden Lab to change direction: reports recently indicate Second Life is shedding users, with passive viewing becoming the dominant interaction method. Gaming industry notable Rob Humble, who previously worked with EA on the Sims franchise, took the reins at Linden Lab as CEO in 2011, however, and now the company is putting out mobile products that look vastly different from its intriguing, sometimes sordid past with Second Life.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/DK1pmLBPI6o/

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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Buying a house? Bank loan is your best bet - Real Estate India

??|?? November 20, 2012 ?? 07:16pm ??|Contributed by manoja

The lender not only conducts due diligence for the property, but you can also avail of tax deductions.

Hariprasad Nair, a sales representative with a reputed multinational company, has saved enough money to buy a small house in a suburb of Mumbai. However, he has decided to take a bank loan to fund a part of his purchase. ?The 1-BHK house I want to buy costs around 15 lakh. Though I can arrange for the money through my savings and by borrowing from friends, I prefer to take a loan worth 5-6 lakh,? says the 36-year-old.

Nair?s reasoning is that since he doesn?t have the time to check on the property title and documentation, and doesn?t want to trust the broker implicitly, it will be better for him to pass on this job to a bank. ?I don?t have the information or the time to exercise due diligence as far as the property is concerned. As the bank needs to safeguard its money, it will carry out a more detailed scrutiny, and furnish me the loan only after it is fully assured,? he adds.

Safety checks

A loan is often the only financially viable method for a person to fund a massive purchase like a house. However, as Nair has discovered, there are other advantages of taking a loan. Real estate experts believe that buying property through a home loan ensures some level of safety to the property buyer. Says Sandeep Sadh, chief executive officer of mumbaipropertyexchange.com: ?The potential buyer is saved the time and hassle required to check the authenticity of the title and the various documents of the property.?

Anuj Puri, chairman & country head, Jones Lang LaSalle India, cautions that though banks exercise due diligence for any property that a prospective home loan borrower intends to purchase, it?s depth often varies among banks. ?Taking a home loan does provide a reasonable safety net for the buyer most of the times. However, it is prudent for the buyer to examine the property?s antecedents himself if he has any doubt,? adds Puri.

Financial/tax benefits

Ganesh Vasudevan, chief executive officer of Chennai-based , explains that purchasing a property through a bank loan also provides financial efficiency to the buyer. ?Today, home loans are available at 10.5-11% interest rate. If you factor in the inflation of 7-8% a year, which will push up the property prices much higher in the future, taking a loan now seems to be a win?win situation for the buyer,? he says.

Apart from the fact that a bank?s due diligence amounts to a legal check for the property, there are significant tax benefits available on a home loan. The mortgage payments by the borrower help him get tax deductions from his total taxable income. The equated monthly instalment (EMI) comprises two components?principal and interest?both of which qualify for tax deductions.

Under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, a borrower can get a deduction for a maximum of 1 lakh for the principal amount paid each year, irrespective of his tax bracket. Under Section 24(b), the borrower can claim tax deduction of up to 1.5 lakh a year for the interest paid.

If the buyer books a house that is still under construction and gets partial disbursement of loan according to the stages of completion, he can still claim tax benefits. Though he is not eligible for tax deductions till he actually gets the possession (even if he has begun repaying the loan), the interest paid can be claimed as deduction after receiving the possession. Under Section 24, the interest paid during the construction phase can be claimed as deduction in five equal instalments, subject to the upper limit of 1.5 lakh.

In case two people are buying a house jointly, they can opt for a home loan together. The benefit is that both of them will be able to avail of the tax benefits on the joint loan. Since the maximum tax deduction available to a single borrower is 1.5 lakh and this applies to each borrower, the total deduction will be 3 lakh. If the interest paid for that assessment year is less than 1.5 lakh, the couple can share the benefit according to the amount contributed by each for the mortgage payment.

Disadvantages

Though taking a home loan from a bank seems to be a beneficial move there are some pitfalls that borrowers should be aware of.

? Better discounts on lump-sum deals

When it comes to negotiating the price of a property, buyers with ready cash always have an edge over those who fund their purchase through a home loan. This is because the former can expect an additional discount of 5-10%.

? Five-year sale restriction

If you sell the property within five years of the end of the financial year in which you purchase it, all the deductions claimed under Section 80C with respect to the property will be added to your taxable income in the year that you sell it. This means that the deduction in terms of the interest and principal will be added to your taxable income. Suppose you sell the property after four years of buying it and avail of the maximum deduction in terms of the principal amount and interest repaid, then 10 lakh ( 2.5 lakh deduction each for four years) will be added to your taxable income. If you are in the highest tax bracket you will end up paying an additional tax of 3 lakh.

What if the bank rejects the house?

?One reason that the bank may not approve of the house is that it is not satisfied with the revelation from its due diligence of the property, or that the price stated is excessive. If this is the case, the aspiring buyer should take heed of the implications and perhaps not invest in the house,? says Puri.

Another reason could be that the buyer?s credit worthiness has come into question. ?In such a case, the borrower should check his credit score and try to repair it (in terms of the outstanding credit card bills, existing loans, etc) before approaching the same bank again or taking a loan from another lender,? adds Puri.

Before you take a home loan

? While selecting a home loan lender, check for the various terms and conditions, and charges regarding the loan.

? Don?t choose a lender till you have identified a property.

? You should be able to fund 25-35% of the cost of the house yourself.

? Approach at least three lenders, get their figures for all fees and charges, and then bargain.

? Apart from the interest rates, check up on the various charges, such as processing fees and valuation fees.

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U.S. Officials Emphasize 'De-escalating' Gaza Violence

As news reports emerged Tuesday of a cease-fire or truce to end the crisis in Gaza, American officials made it a point not to use either of those terms.

Instead, U.S. officials were talking about "de-escalating" the violence in Gaza as a step toward a long-term resolution.

Briefing White House reporters in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes repeatedly said "de-escalation" was the goal for ending the violence in Gaza and Israel.

When asked if he was avoiding using the term "cease-fire," Rhodes said, "No, I mean, there are many ways that you can achieve the goal of a de-escalation." He added, " Our bottom line is, is an end to rocket fire. We're open to any number of ideas for achieving that goal. We've discussed any number of ideas for accomplishing that goal. But it's going to have to begin with a reduction of tensions and space created for the situation to calm. "

At the State Department briefing earlier in the day, spokesperson Victoria Nuland was also using "de-escalation."

Nuland was asked several times why she was using that term instead of "ceasefire" or "truce." She indicated it was because the State Department did not want to get into characterizing acceptable terminology. "I'm not going to characterize X is acceptable, Y is not acceptable. That's a subject for negotiation," she said.

Furthermore, she said, "because the parties are talking, we're going to be part of that, and we're not going to negotiate it here from the podium. We're not going to characterize it here from the podium."

The message she did want to get across was that "any de-escalation is a step forward."

Of the long-term aims of Secretary of State Clinton's last minute mission to Jerusalem, Ramallah and Cairo, Nuland said you "obviously start with a de-escalation of this conflict." From there, "we have to see an end to the rocket fire on Israel. We have to see a restoration of calm in Gaza. And the hope is that if we can get through those stages, that will create space for the addressing of broader issues, but I don't want to prejudge. This is obviously ongoing and live diplomacy."

Before her meeting in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Clinton too avoided using the term "cease-fire."

After describing America's commitment to Israel's security as "rock-solid and unwavering," Clinton said, "That is why we believe it is essential to de-escalate the situation in Gaza."

Clinton said that the rocket attacks into Israel from Gaza "must end and a broader calm restored." She added that the focus was on "a durable outcome that promotes regional stability and advances the security and legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians alike."

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