Thursday, July 19, 2012

Incorporation of Celonas knowledge and information control computer

WordPress ? Installation

Welcome to the famous five minute WordPress installation process! You may want to browse the ReadMe documentation at your leisure. Otherwise, just fill in the information below and you?ll be on your way to using the most extendable and powerful personal publishing platform in the world.

Please provide the following information. Don?t worry, you can always change these settings later.

Source: http://answers.apostoliccm.com/2012/07/incorporation-of-celonas-knowledge-and-information-control-computer-software-makes-it-possible-for-enhanced-data-lifecycle-administration-from-source-system-to-risk-and-regulating-assessment/

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Microsoft to launch Windows 8 on October 26

USA EditionYou are located: Home > All News > Operating Systems News > Microsoft to launch Windows 8 on October 26

Well, it looks like the wait is nearly over, folks. Microsoft have just slated in Windows 8's release on their Windows Team Blog for October 26. This means that the OS is just two and a bit months away from being in our grubby little hands.

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Microsoft stated on the blog:

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?October 26th, 2012! That's right! Just a few minutes ago, Steven Sinofsky announced at Microsoft's annual sales meeting that customers will be able to get Windows 8 - whether in upgrade fashion or on a new PC - starting on October 26th. Earlier this month at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, Tami Reller told attendees Windows 8 would be available in October. But now everyone has a specific date to mark on their calendars. It's on mine!

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Will you grab Windows 8 on release? I'm personally going to grab a copy, because I'm just a tech addict, but I'm thinking it will really shine on touch-based systems. I wouldn't mind seeing a high-res Ultrabook to keep up with the Retina MacBook Pro, but be touch-based, too.

Thanks: NEWS SOURCE #1

Further Reading: Read and find more Operating Systems news at our Operating Systems news index page.

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TechFeed: Apple must advertise Samsung didn't copy iPad, orders UK judge: Reports of uncontrollable laughter from Samsung'... http://t.co/IqB270tk

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://twitter.com/TechFeed/statuses/225689485252382720

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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Personal Finance + Consumer Confidence & the Real Estate Market ...

July 18th, 2012 Posted in Florida Real Estate

Although many Americans have began to notice the improvement in the housing market, confidence in the general economy and personal finances continues to decrease. This is based on the results of June?s National Housing Survey from Fannie Mae and also outlines that current economic conditions have began to diminish their beliefs regarding the status of their personal finances.? Record low interest rates and lower prices of homes in the U.S. has been the source of influence for those excited about the growth in the housing market.

?

An economist of Fannie Mae shared that although consumers are still weary of the status of our economy, the mental outlook on the housing market in the United States has began to thrive. If the condition of the economy declines, it may have an effect on the outlook of consumers in the real estate market.? Regardless of the state of the economy as a whole, with the cost of rent risings, record low interest rates for home loans and low housing prices, now is an excellent opportunity for those interested to buy.

Respondents from the survey conducted by Fannie Mae expect home prices in the United States to increase by 2% within the next year. 35% of those surveyed believe that home prices will increase which is the highest percentage gathered since the beginning of the survey two years ago. The amount of those surveyed who indicated that they would purchase a home if they were forced to move has increased by 6% which is also the high percentage recorded since the survey was conceived in June of 2010.

?

36% of respondents believe that the economy is on the way to recovery and 57% of those surveyed indicated that they believe the economy is still declining. 42% of Americans believe that their financial conditions would not change and would remain the same.? Last month?s results show that 46% of people indicated that their financial situations would change which is 4% decrease for this month. 18% of those surveyed indicated that their combined household income has shown signs of improvement.

?

Homeowners and Renters

??35% of those surveyed indicated that they believe the costs of homes to increase with the next 12 months which is the highest amount recorded since the survey was put together in June 2010.

??37% of respondents believe that mortgage rates will increase within the next which is 4% less than last month?s?survey.

??73% of those surveyed believed that now if an ideal time to buy a home which matched a record high.

??15% believe that now is an ideal time to sell your home

??Those surveyed believe that median home rental costs will increase by 4% within the next year.

?? 48% of respondents believe that the price of home rentals with increase within the next year

??5% of those surveyed believe that the price of home rentals will decline within the next year.

??69% of those surveyed indicated that if they were forced to relocate, they would purchase a home. This is a 6% increase compared to last month?s survey and the high percentage recorded since the survey was conceived.

??27% of those surveyed indicated that if they were forced to relocate they would rent. which is a 5% decrease from last month?s survey and the lowest amount recorded since the survey began.

?

Personal Finances

?? 36% of respondents indicated they believe that the economy is on the proper path to recovery

??42% of those surveyed stated that their personal financial conditions would remain the same over the next year. This is a 4% decrease since last month.

??43% of respondents expect their personal financial situation to improve within the next 12 months.

??18% of those surveyed believe that their household income has improved over the last 12 months which is a 4% increase since last month?s results and the lowest amount recorded since last November.

??55% of those surveyed reported that their household expenses have remained the same over the last year.

Source: http://henrifrank.com/real-estate-news/economy-impacts-south-florida-real-estate-market

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States saying no to 'Obamacare' could see downside

FILE - In this June 7, 2012 photo, Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks during the Texas Republican Convention in Fort Worth, Texas. For Perry, saying "no" to the federal health care law could also mean turning away coverage for up to 1.3 million people. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

FILE - In this June 7, 2012 photo, Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks during the Texas Republican Convention in Fort Worth, Texas. For Perry, saying "no" to the federal health care law could also mean turning away coverage for up to 1.3 million people. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

(AP) ? For Gov. Rick Perry, saying "no" to the federal health care law could also mean turning away up to 1.3 million Texans, nearly half the uninsured people who could be newly eligible for coverage in his state.

Gov. Chris Christie not only would be saying "no" to President Barack Obama, but to as many as 245,000 uninsured New Jersey residents as well.

The Supreme Court's recent ruling gave governors new flexibility to reject what some Republicans deride as "Obamacare." But there's a downside, too.

States that reject the law's Medicaid expansion risk leaving behind many of their low-income uninsured residents in a coverage gap already being called the new "doughnut hole" ? a reference to a Medicare gap faced by seniors.

Medicaid is a giant federal-state health insurance program for the poor, now mostly covering children, mothers and disabled people. The expansion in Obama's health care overhaul was originally expected to add roughly 15 million uninsured low-income people, mainly adults without children, who currently are not eligible in most states. Washington would pick up the entire cost for the first three years, with the federal share then dropping to 90 percent. The Medicaid expansion accounts for about half the total number of uninsured people projected to get coverage under the law.

If every state were to reject that Medicaid expansion ? as the Supreme Court ruling now allows ? some low-income people would still be picked up by other coverage provisions meant to help the middle class.

But nearly 11.5 million uninsured people below the federal poverty line would be left behind in a new coverage gap, according to recent estimates from the Urban Institute. That brings to mind the infamous "doughnut hole" in the Medicare prescription drug benefit, in which seniors with high drug costs find themselves paying out of pocket much of the year.

Those who fall into the new gap would neither qualify for Medicaid in their states under current rules nor be eligible for subsidized private insurance in new state marketplaces that Obama's law calls exchanges.

Low-income children and mothers would continue to have insurance through Medicaid. Then, starting in 2014, millions of people over the poverty line would have subsidized private coverage through the new exchanges. "And then this group in the middle has nothing," said Matt Salo, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors. His organization takes no position on what states should do.

Things only get trickier from there.

Many states might actually go along with the Medicaid expansion.

"This is a lot of federal dollars that will lead to a lot of people having health care," said Salo. That means federal taxes from states opting out would be helping to subsidize coverage elsewhere.

And hospitals in opt-out states would still get hit with cuts programmed in the law under the assumption that every state would take the Medicaid expansion and fewer uninsured people would be needing charity care.

"You are still paying for that coverage expansion but not getting the benefit of it," said Herb Kuhn, president of the Missouri Hospital Association. "So you as a state are exporting your dollars to another state. If you have some adjoining state that accepts (the Medicaid expansion) then you are basically sending your dollars to your neighbor."

Kuhn's state is leaning against the expansion. Since the Supreme Court ruling last month, Republican leaders in at least 10 states have indicated they will reject or lean toward rejecting the Medicaid expansion. They cite a combination of reasons, including strained budgets, lack of confidence that Washington will honor its financial commitments in the long run and years of frustration with Medicaid mandates that limit state choices and shift costs from the federal government.

But other state officials are saying they will study their options and wait until after the November elections to decide. If Republican Mitt Romney wins the White House and starts dismantling Obama's law, opt-out states might not have to face the Medicaid doughnut hole. But the whole calculation changes if Obama is re-elected and his overhaul starts looking more and more like a done deal.

If that happens, some experts expect that states now refusing will try to cut deals with the federal government, angling for concessions on the expansion itself or the rest of their Medicaid programs.

"One of the things that happens in cases like these is negotiated settlements with specific states," said Dan Mendelson, president of Avalere Health, an analytical firm serving health care industry and government clients. "What I expect to happen here is that the federal government is going to be more flexible and allow states to do the expansion in ways that suit them."

It's hard to see that happening now. Opponents of the health care law are as adamant as ever, even after the Supreme Court upheld most of it, including the mandate that most Americans carry health insurance or pay a fine.

"I will not be party to socializing health care and bankrupting my state in direct contradiction to our Constitution and our founding principles of limited government," Texas Gov. Perry said last week. About one-fourth of Texas residents are uninsured, the highest percentage of any state.

But John Hawkins, top lobbyist for the Texas Hospital Association, says his group isn't dropping the subject.

"We have told the governor we are willing to continue the discussion," said Hawkins. "It's hard to imagine how you get from here to there without accessing federal funds at some level."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-07-17-Saying%20No%20to%20Obamacare/id-a3522e9ba754458287915f9ed05e473a

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Your Home Buying Questions And Concerns Here | Real Estate and ...

Like everything else in life, you must learn about real estate before purchasing it. Knowledge can help you make beneficial decisions for your family that will last for many years. Read this article for useful tips about buying a piece of real estate.

When trying to make a good investment for your real estate, think about remodel or repair work. The value of your property will go up quickly. In fact, the value of the home may even go up more then you actually invested in it.

Learn as much as you can before you jump into the property market. Lots of people are too eager to get into the real estate market and end up making bad purchasing which causes them to lose a great deal of time and money. So, before buying any property, make sure that you find out about the surrounding area, the local crime rate, the age of the property, etc.

If you are buying a foreclosed home, you should assume that it will need repairs. If you decide to buy one of these bargains, be sure to get a thorough inspection done before purchasing it. If you are buying a foreclosed home, it will probably need new heating and air conditioning systems, as well as pest control services.

If you are looking to purchase real estate as an investment, you should seek the help of a real estate agent or broker. These professionals have access to more research and other useful information that you may not be able to get directly. The most important tools these professionals have are sorting programs that can do advanced searches on MLS. These tools can help you find what you need without having to look through the MLS yourself, and you may find better deals.

Consider the long term picture when you are shopping for a new home. Even if you currently do not have children, if you are planning to have kids in the future, it is a good idea to find out if the area schools are of high quality.

Before you move in your furniture and family and start turning your new house into a home, you should first purchase insurance. If you don?t buy insurance right away, you may not be covered if something were to go wrong. And of course, Murphy?s Law also seems to occur when you least expect it.

Remember that you aren?t all in a war and it can be beneficial to stay in touch with the more experienced real estate investors in your area. There are always properties available, and not every property is a good match for every investor. Utilizing all your resources, you might even find yourself looking at a property that is undervalued, or a bargain deal.

Get a professional inspector to look over any home you are thinking about making an offer on. Buying a house that requires renovations is a decision that can cost you a lot of money if you don?t know what you are getting into. This can be a serious problem if there are structural issues after you buy the home that you will be responsible for and you may have to leave your home while it is repaired.

Getting educated about real estate, and learning what the buying process is like, is a smart decision. An agent can help you, but there is a limit as to what they can do, you have to have the ability to make decisions yourself. By keeping in mind the information in this article, you should now be capable of making the correct decisions with confidence.

Source: http://www.riversidenjhistory.com/your-home-buying-questions-and-concerns-here/

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Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Report: Next iPhone to have extra-thin screen

6 hrs.

Like a celebrity who's?frequently splashed across tabloid covers, the next iPhone?? an unannounced product the press can't stop writing about?? is now rumored to be going through a bit of a slim-down.

A report in the Wall Street Journal?explains that "people familiar with the matter" say that the next-generation iPhone will "use a new technology that makes the smartphone's screen thinner."

For reference: The current iPhone model is 9.3?millimeters, according to Apple's website.?

According to DisplaySearch analyst Hiroshi Hayase, who spoke to the WSJ, the technology supposedly being used in the next-generation iPhone "integrates touch sensors into the LCD, making it unnecessary to have a separate touch-screen layer."?Skipping that layer, which is described as being about half a millimeter thick, means that a screen will be thinner?? and potentially offer higher quality images.

Like any report based on anonymous sources and speculation from industry analysts, this one should be taken with a hefty serving of salt. After all, until there's word straight from the gods of Cupertino themselves, nothing's for certain.

Want more tech news, silly puns, or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts,?or circling her?on?Google+.

Source: http://www.technolog.msnbc.msn.com/technology/technolog/report-next-iphone-have-extra-thin-screen-889453

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Top Paying Jobs in Australia 2012 | Additional Business

Top Paying Jobs in Australia 2012

Are you looking for a job in Australia? Or you still have difficulty to decide which career to choose in the down under? To make you choosing task a little bit easier here we will provide some list of top paying jobs in Australia 2012 as a reference whether the career you choose has great financial prospect in the future.

Well, let?s straightly get down to the list, shall we?

The first on our list of top paying jobs in Australia 2012 is various medical professions. The jobs such as Anesthesiologists, surgeons, oral surgeon, obstetricians and gynecologists rewarded with high revenue due to its high responsibility that might decide one person life or death, especially the surgeons. In addition to get to choose this career one has to endure years of demanding formal medical education, training as well as residency. Besides in Australia, the job also placed in first place as top paying job indicating the importance of this profession.

Next on our top paying jobs in Australia 2012 are business careers. One can be forgiven thinking that CEOs earn the biggest money over all other jobs in Australia. Well, actually the pinnacle of business career only make to the ninth spot after the aforementioned medical profession. However it?s still a very lucrative career with the ability to earn over $100,000 a year. To get to the top of business career you should prepared yourself with advanced degree in business, or you can also build your own company and make yourself a CEO.

Third on our list of top paying jobs in Australia 2012 is engineering career. After medical professions and business careers, the field of engineering offers the most lucrative jobs in the continent. The job that offers the highest paycheck in engineering fields is the manager. The future prospect of this career path is strong as reportedly the growing rate of industry and engineering in Australia is really promising. To get in the engineering field you should at least earn a bachelor in engineering and work your way up to the managerial position to earn a very lucrative paychecks.

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Tags: highest paying job for women, Part time jobs, salary for women

Source: http://www.additionalbusiness.net/top-paying-jobs-in-australia-2012.html

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Concrete Pouring Tips and Facts ? Learning about Home ...

Posted: July 16, 2012 ? 5:08 pm. Dean

hometips.gregvan.com If you haven?t ever poured any concrete, you should watch this video to find out a little more about the process. If you?re planning on building a room addition or even a new house isn?t actually that easy. Sometimes watching people on TV and watching professional concrete finishers is going to be a little different than doing it yourself. If you don?t know much about pouring concrete, I suggest that you get a little more information and maybe some experience before tackling this type of project. You only have one shot at concrete, it?s not like framing a house, where you can disassemble your mistakes, with a little elbow grease. Once the concrete is poured and it?s dried, you?re stuck with it. Watch some more of our videos on home construction and don?t forget to visit our website at gregvan.com

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You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://family.infotechboy.com/home-improvement/concrete-pouring-tips-and-facts-learning-about-home-improvement/

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Monday, July 16, 2012

In modern scandal, an e-mail is forever

LONDON (Reuters) - When ousted Barclays CEO Bob Diamond says he felt "physically ill" reading e-mails of his traders crowing over interest rate manipulation, he is almost certainly telling the truth.

The veteran banker says it was the first he knew that employees had worked to artificially inflate the London interbank rate LIBOR. Whatever the reality, he must have realised that the saved messages - with employees glorifying in their activities and promising each other champagne - could only add to the damage.

Businesses, governments, individuals and institutions around the world are all gradually waking up to the same realisation. In the 21st century anything written down electronically, even in confidence, can be stolen or subpoenaed and come back to haunt the writer - and others - years later.

The Barclays scandal which cost Diamond his job seems only the tip of the iceberg.

"E-mail, Twitter, texting and the rest all intuitively feel like short fuse ephemeral communications - a quick word in passing, if you will," says John Bassett, a former senior official at British signals intelligence agency GCHQ and now a senior fellow at London's Royal United Services Institute.

"Yet as soon as we push the send button, these communications take on an enduring digital permanence that means that in effect they never quite go away."

As the US government discovered with WikiLeaks, huge volumes of information can be lifted in a single go by one determined and skilled computer user. Sophisticated algorithms and search programmes can strip through millions or more files in seconds rather than the weeks it might have taken for a team of human specialists.

Alternatively, the whole dataset can simply be dumped on the web or handed to newspapers and other media outlets, as WikiLeaks did this week with thousands of Syrian government e-mails including negotiations with Western arms firms.

The danger does not just come from hackers or criminals. Plenty of companies have been legally required to surrender huge volumes of electronic documents to national authorities or legal adversaries.

Already, practices are changing as a host of professionals learn what it takes to stay off the grid.

Telephone calls, they realise, may well be safer than e-mail - although in many companies, landline calls are already recorded. Even if mobile phone calls are not, the service provider meticulously records who dials who and how long the conversation may last.

Even the simple act of signing a visitor into a building is often now stored for ever in an electronic vault, easily extracted by law enforcers, legal challenge or, for some governments at least, a "Freedom of Information Act" request.

But there are always new techniques.

In Washington DC, political operatives say a branch of Caribou Coffee near the White House has become the standard location for administration staffers to meet lobbyists they would rather not sign in to the West Wing.

Around the world, cafes, trade fairs and the corporate areas of major sporting events have all become venues for frenetic, serious - and largely unrecorded - conversations.

When traders and others in large financial institutions now want to discuss a matter privately, insiders say they often use a simple code: "LDL", or "let's discuss live", a request for a face-to-face meeting.

"We work with a daily awareness that email archives are legally recoverable ," says Kevin Craig, managing director of London-based company Political Lobbying and Media Relations (PLMR). "We tell clients that e-mails are incredibly vulnerable... If your communication is not legally privileged (such as between a lawyer and client), think very carefully about writing it down."

REPUTATIONAL, WIDER DAMAGE

Some companies offer ways in which staff can communicate electronically without any record being kept. The US firm Vaporstream, for example, offers systems that guarantee messages cannot be forwarded, saved or later recovered.

Others offer to wipe databases and make sure e-mails are truly permanently deleted - although the deliberate destruction of evidence can be distinctly legally dubious. Even then, companies will often find e-mails have been already forwarded outside company systems to personal e-mail accounts.

"The ability of e-mails to surface at a later date is, for a variety of reasons, increasing," says Anthony Dyhouse, a cyber security expert for British defence firm QinetiQ. "They are not transient. They have no half life and they do not degrade... when viewed after a period of several years - and (with) changing politics, the original content can suggest an entirely different meaning."

The cost of being caught out by the contents of one's electronic footprint can go well beyond simple reputational damage - although that alone can be considerable.

Diplomatic sources say U.S. officials are still working to reassure their contacts that confidential discussions will remain so. Cables released by Wikileaks named hundreds of foreigners who had spoken to U.S. officials under what they believed was a guarantee of permanent anonymity.

In the case of Barclays, the LIBOR scandal has already cost more than $450 million in fines and the company has seen its share price fall by roughly a fifth since June. There may be further pain to come as the company faces what could prove to be a vast number of lawsuits from those who lost money as a result of heightened interest rates.

Britain's News of the World Sunday tabloid could well still be in existence if it were not for the existence of a handful of e-mails between senior managers at News International on phone hacking.

British Prime Minister David Cameron too found himself drawn into the story in part because of his text messages to former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks.

It is hardly a coincidence, however, that many of the scandals and awkward e-mails currently coming to light are from several years ago - before many in the business and government world realised how long a data trail they were leaving.

When it comes to hacking and information theft, the mere revelation that a company has been a victim can be just as damaging as any particular item lost.

Millions of e-mails belonging to publishing company and private intelligence firm Stratfor released last year by WikiLeaks, for example, contained relatively little seriously damaging in itself.

Through avoiding referring to them by name, the firm was even able to keep the identities of its many confidential sources secret.

The greatest harm to the company, experts in the sector say, was that a firm that prided itself on its spy-like tradecraft and security was such easy prey for "hacktivists" from Anonymous.

"ELECTRONIC EXHAUST"

For many sensitive matters - such as company insiders talking to journalists - mobile phones, text and Blackberry messaging long ago replaced using company e-mail or landlines.

Personal e-mail addresses or even facebook pages can also offer ways to bypass company accounts sometimes monitored by compliance departments and easily searched in the event of suspicion.

But in the event of a criminal investigation or even civil lawsuit, even their records can be swiftly seized. The days of traders using mobile phones on a dealing room floor to get tips ahead of the market, industry insiders say, appear largely over - or at the very least, very much reduced.

Militant groups and criminal networks too have discovered to their growing cost the sheer amount of information available to those tracking them and speed with which it can inform police raids or drone strikes on remote hideaways.

"Technology has played a major role here," Nigel Inkster, a former deputy chief of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and now head of political risk and transnational threats are London's International Institute for strategic studies, told Reuters earlier this year.

"The electronic exhaust left by terrorists when they communicate has made them easier to track and sophisticated relational software has made it much easier to identify connections between people who don't want to appear connected."

The greatest security, experts say, is simply for a small number of people - ideally no more than two - to meet in person in a place they cannot be overheard. But with work diaries ever more crowded and time at a premium, the days of the "long lunches" and drinking sessions over which deals could quietly be done have largely gone.

Even if everyone in the world tightened their act today, billions of cached electronic records of personal, business, political and sexual indiscretion would almost certainly remain.

"Human behaviour hasn't adapted yet to be cyberspace environment," says former GCHQ official Bassett. "There are already enough electronic communications in existence that if revealed that would embarrass a significant minority of the global population, both in the office and at home."

(Reporting By Peter Apps; editing by Ralph Boulton)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/modern-scandal-e-mail-forever-042531554--finance.html

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Arab Spring on campers' minds in Maine

In this Wednesday, July 11, 2012 photo, Daniel, of Israel, right, swings at a ball during a game of cricket at the Seeds of Peace summer camp in Otisfield, Maine. Eitan, a camper from London, center, and counselor Marcus Goldman of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, look on. The camp is celebrating its 20th anniversary of bringing together kids from countries of conflict. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

In this Wednesday, July 11, 2012 photo, Daniel, of Israel, right, swings at a ball during a game of cricket at the Seeds of Peace summer camp in Otisfield, Maine. Eitan, a camper from London, center, and counselor Marcus Goldman of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, look on. The camp is celebrating its 20th anniversary of bringing together kids from countries of conflict. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

In this Wednesday, July 11, 2012 photo, Zahra, left, of Pakistan, and Marwa, of Afghanistan, work together to traverse a high ropes course at the Seeds of Peace summer camp in Otisfield, Maine. The camp is celebrating its 20th anniversary of bringing together kids from countries at conflict. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

In this Wednesday, July 11, 2012 photo, Andrew, of Egypt, runs during a game of cricket at the Seeds of Peace summer camp in Otisfield, Maine. The camp is celebrating its 20th anniversary of bringing together kids from countries at conflict. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

In this Wednesday, July 11, 2012 photo, Toka, of Egypt, serves during a game of volleyball at the Seeds of Peace summer camp in Otisfield, Maine. The camp is celebrating its 20th anniversary of bringing together kids from countries at conflict. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

In this Wednesday, July 11, 2012 photo, campers from the Middle East play a game of volleyball at the Seeds of Peace summer camp in Otisfield, Maine. The camp is celebrating its 20th anniversary of bringing together kids from countries at conflict. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

(AP) ? The Arab Spring uprisings have brought a new sense of optimism to young people from troubled nations as they spend time at a special camp nestled in the hills of western Maine where they confront and resolve their differences.

"It gives me the feeling that everything is possible and nothing is impossible," said 17-year-old Lina, who witnessed the regime change in her home country of Egypt, on a sunny afternoon at the lakeside Seeds of Peace camp. "We believe that with change, peace is possible. We believe we are the leaders of the future."

Seeds of Peace is now in its 20th year of bringing together children from countries in conflict. The more than 200 campers this summer ? the most in the camp's two decades ? include Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians, Egyptians, Indians, Pakistanis and Afghans.

The 3 1/2-week session also comes as a regime change in Egypt concludes, invigorating the optimism that young campers like Lina can carry their message into the world. Out of security concerns, the camp has a policy against campers revealing their full names.

"The media and politicians make it seem impossible for 'enemies' to want to live together," said Hatem, 16, also from Cairo. "Camp doesn't end when you leave. It begins when you leave."

The pine-shaded camp features outdoor activities such as soccer, volleyball, cricket and swimming, interspersed with dialogue sessions, the core of the program. Campers, working with facilitators, are encouraged to voice their views that reflect conflicts and seek to resolve their differences.

"We're not here to shy away from the conflict. We're here to confront it," said Eric Kapenga, communications director for the nonprofit camp.

The camp was founded by John Wallach, a foreign news correspondent and co-author of two books about the Middle East; Wallach died in 2002. Since its founding, more than 5,000 campers and educators from 27 countries have attended Seeds of Peace.

Other states and countries also have children's camps and programs based on similar culture-sharing themes. The Manhasset, N.Y.-based nonprofit Tuesday's Children, for example, creates programs that bring together children and families whose lives have been dramatically altered by terrorism.

The Maine camp's activities are designed to build trust. Youngsters from different countries and varied backgrounds are paired up on the camp's ropes course, where teammate trust can be crucial in keeping safety-harnessed participants 30 feet aloft.

The New York-based peace program has also branched out to a new venue ? the sea ? to promote its goals. A 125-foot schooner this summer made a Portland, Maine-New York-Boston voyage with 18 camp graduates, or "seeds," working cooperatively as crew members. It's the second year of the Seas of Peace program, said Leslie Lewin, the organization's executive director.

The Seeds program is committed to keeping connections active with campers after they graduate, through a variety of seminars and other gatherings all over the world. More than 65 Seeds graduates are currently meeting in Ireland for a program on conflict resolution.

"Given what's going on in the world today, our work is probably more important than it's ever been," Lewin said. Conflicts remain to be resolved in a number of regions. With the Arab Spring, "we've seen real results from young people who want to make a difference in the world, and that gives us more motivation to support these talented and committed young people."

Among the graduates are a filmmaker whose video went viral and became an anthem for the Egyptian revolution, a Palestinian who is working through the United Nations for Mideast peace and a news anchor on Israeli TV, Kapenga said.

Majib, a 24-year-old Seeds counselor who first came to the Maine camp in 2002 and is a news correspondent in his country, said the program opened his eyes for the first time in his life to "a huge spectrum of views."

"Even if I don't agree with different opinions, at least I can tolerate them," he said.

Liav, a 26-year-old counselor from Haifa, Israel, said lessons from Seeds of Peace can be transmitted through all kinds of contacts graduates will have in their professional lives. Liav is eyeing an environmental career that could bring her into contact with Palestinians over issues such as water rights.

"I feel the main thing I've gained here is the ability to talk and listen," she said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-07-15-Seeds%20of%20Peace/id-a499da5f96d54ae8b39d4d38e565d1b1

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Wife of football coach killed in crash tries to move forward

story image Sandra Yi??|? posted Jul 14th - 10:54pm

Debbie Gallegos fondly remembers her first date with her late husband.

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Dave McCann??|? posted Jul 14th - 10:47pm

It's no secret comedian Jay Leno loves fast and authentic cars. He talks about it all the time on the Tonight Show.

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Emiley Morgan??|? posted Jul 14th - 10:24pm

A 61-year-old woman was killed in a rollover crash near the mouth of Ogden Canyon Saturday.

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Jasen Lee??|? posted Jul 14th - 8:25pm

Although gasoline prices continue to fall in most parts of Utah, some areas have seen pump prices bounce up and down. According to AAA, every metro area in Utah saw a drop in its average price over the past month.

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Pat Reavy??|? posted Jul 14th - 6:47pm

A registered sex offender, who was released from the Utah State Prison just two months ago after serving a 10-year sentence, has been arrested again for investigation of sex- related charges.

story image Alex Cabrero??|? posted Jul 14th - 6:39pm

After five hours of waiting in line, he could finally see the doors that could lead to a new life. Jason Conrow was one of hundreds hoping that a casting director from the TV show "Biggest Loser" would notice him.

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Pat Reavy??|? posted Jul 14th - 6:35pm

The Utah Highway Patrol is still investigating a head-on collision that killed two people and left one in extremely critical condition Friday.

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Jeff Finley??|? posted Jul 14th - 6:34pm

Power was restored to all but a few early Saturday after strong winds downed a transmission line and left thousands in Salt Lake and Summit Counties without power Friday night.

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ksl.com??|? posted Jul 14th - 5:43pm

The body of a 31- year-old Salt Lake City man was found by park rangers in Grand Teton National Park Friday.

story image Stephanie Grimes??|? posted Jul 14th - 4:23pm

It seems to be every young performer's dream: to move to New York City, attending school while auditioning every free moment. To finally make a career out of an art they've been practicing their entire lives.

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Associated Press??|? posted Jul 14th - 3:46pm

A former Utah State official has been arrested after authorities say she improperly awarded $190,000 in scholarships to family members.

story image Julian Reyes??|? posted Jul 14th - 3:18pm

A groundbreaking Wednesday for a new community learning center between an elementary school and a middle school brings with it the promise of health and education services for students in Salt Lake City.

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Benjamin Wood??|? posted Jul 14th - 2:22pm

Beginning in 2013, Utah State University will offer Master of Business Administration degrees through courses taught on the Brigham Young University-Idaho campus, the two institutions announced Friday.

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Jasen Lee??|? posted Jul 14th - 12:07pm

The rate of homes falling into the foreclosure process is declining in Utah. But the Beehive State still ranked among the 10 states with the highest foreclosure rates in the nation, according to a report.

story image Geoff Liesik??|? posted Jul 14th - 10:46am

A Duchesne man accused of fatally stabbing his wife in what investigators say was intended to be a murder-suicide has been committed to the Utah State Hospital.

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Jennifer Hardman??|? posted Jul 14th - 10:06am

The Matsiko World Orphans Choir brings together orphans from around the world to sing and dance, and raise awareness for orphans throughout the world.

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Pat Reavy??|? posted Jul 14th - 9:39am

A man who investigators say took out his frustrations over bad school grades on his cat, killing the animal, was arrested Sunday and booked into jail.

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Andrew Wittenberg??|? posted Jul 14th - 8:53am

Almost 99 years old, Ina Seeley Morgan ikes to get out for a good old-fashioned rodeo every year, and this year was no different.

story image ksl.com??|? posted Jul 13th - 11:29pm

Salt Lake City police are asking for help in locating a man who went missing on a train from California to Colorado and may be in Utah.

story image Geoff Liesik??|? posted Jul 13th - 11:27pm

Carbon County prosecutors have determined that a Price man was defending himself when he stabbed another man to death in May.

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Source: http://www.ksl.com?nid=148&sid=21260930&s_cid=rss-148

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Sunday, July 15, 2012

Oak Hill Baptist Church celebrates 100th birthday



Church members , Glenn Perkins, left, Louvenia Walker, center, and Garry Lamb participate in a pie eating contest during centennial celebrations on Saturday at Oak Hill Baptist Church in Loughman. Saturday July 14, 2012.

Paul Crate / News Chief

Published: Sunday, July 15, 2012 at 8:32 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, July 15, 2012 at 8:32 a.m.

DAVENPORT - Two things haven't changed in 100 years at Oak Hill Baptist Church: fellowship and food.

The congregation celebrates its centennial Saturday and today with some old-fashioned fun. Saturday was family day, when folks cooked barbecue, hamburgers and hot dogs.

There was a pie-baking contest followed by a no-hands-allowed pie-eating contest.

Mae McLaud's Mill Pie tied with Patty Brown's Peanut Butter Pie for top pie-baking honors.

"Church ... are you ready to rumble with the pies?" shouted Pastor Mitchell Johns in the fellowship hall.

The younger and older contestants, sporting towels doubling as bibs, devoured their choice of pies as cheers rang out while competitors gobbled them down.

Following today's 11 a.m. service, a big spread with ribs, pulled pork, chicken and an assortment of covered dishes is planned.

The present church was built in 1978. Before that, worshipers gathered at Providence Baptist Church located on Church House Lake. It was built in 1912 from the plentiful supply of cypress in the area.

The church was moved in sections to its present location in 1936 and was renamed Oak Hill Baptist after the neighboring cemetery.

Johns has an old photo of the original fellowship hall? a pole barn complete with outhouses.

"When they finally did get indoor plumbing, the pastor at the time did not want restrooms inside the church," he said.

Now, restrooms with running water are inside and outside.

Betty Mendenhall, of Haines City, doesn't mind the drive to the church on a hill just south of Interstate 4 near Champions Gate. Her parents brought her there as a child.

Her late husband and her brother-in-law took down the old wooden church and recycled the cypress.

"My sister has a room added on to her house that they built," she said. "So we still have the old church with us."

Church minutes reveal the 1930s church was funded with $5 down and $5 whenever they could pay it. First services were held in 1939 at the church in clear weather and at a church founder's home when it was raining because the church had no roof for awhile.

Sunday school started in 1942 and the first homecoming was held; the ceiling was installed in 1943.

The church got electricity in 1946 but kept its lanterns in case of power failure. In 1947, ceiling fans and glass windows were installed.

It was a simpler time back then.

"You know, if we ran things today like they did back then, we wouldn't have so many problems," Johns said. "If somebody was caught drinking, they were brought up before the congregation. If they didn't repent, they were removed from the fellowship until they did repent. They meant business with the Lord. They followed the word of God to a tee."

Mendenhall said the congregation is a true fellowship and that's what she appreciates most about her church.

"There's so much love and fellowship," she said. "We know no strangers. If a church member gets down, we're all here to hold them up. Next to salvation, that's what Christianity is all about."

news@newschief.com

Source: http://www.newschief.com/article/20120715/news/120719983

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Do tax breaks for rich really 'create jobs'?

President Obama played a good political hand last week -- one that contains some economic merit -- by calling for Congress to let the Bush tax cuts expire at the end of this year for all Americans but the less than 2 percent with federally taxable income of more than $250,000 a year, after deductions and credits.

The president's economic themes appear to resonate with a growing number of voters, according to a poll from the Pew Research Center on Friday. Obama was seen by 48 percent as the candidate most likely to improve the economy, while Mitt Romney's share dropped to 42 percent.

Obama, who's running a populist campaign, agreed to extend the 2001 cuts for all in late 2010 for two years under a compromise with the Republican leadership. Not this time. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and his troops charge that Obama's plan will hurt the "job creators" and amounts to "class warfare."

As billionaire investor Warren Buffett has said, his class won.

Moreover, the wealthiest are not necessarily the job creators. The seven-figure paydays of the past decade have gone to investment managers, hedge fund and buyout jockeys. Their No. 1 job, as it was for Romney when he ran LBO firm Bain Capital, is making a return for investors, not adding workers.

And the chief executives at many of the United States' largest public companies are heading for their third year of record profits and paydays. In Minnesota, businesses on the Star Tribune 100 list of the largest public companies employed fewer workers in 2011 than in 2007. Leaner companies have profited hugely from higher worker productivity since 2009.

Meanwhile the income gap between the rich and the working class has accelerated. Real wages for workers have barely budged for 30 years.

"Even Romney says he's not worried about the rich," quipped David Cleveland, the retired CEO of Riverside Bank, who made his money staking small-business entrepreneurs for 30 years before he sold to Associated Bancorp a decade ago. "The wealthy are not even close when it comes to being entrepreneurs.

"The entrepreneur got an exit slip from another job, or they're immigrants or somebody with a passion to try something and they would pledge their house and a 12-foot fishing boat, not a yacht."

Entrepreneurs drive Fords

Cleveland said he made business loans to people "in Fords and Chevies, not Jaguars." In his experience, he said, "the best entrepreneurs don't have toys, but they have passion and they want to build something and grow."

Speaking of Fords, Alan Mullaly, the CEO of resurgent Ford Motor Co., said recently his biggest fear is that the middle class in the United States and Europe will wane. Ford, which plans to add thousands of U.S. production jobs, needs middle-class customers with growing incomes and confidence to buy cars.

Mark Sellner, adjunct professor of taxation at the University of St. Thomas and a small-business tax consultant, said, "Some of my wealthiest clients started out eating dog food in the basement and got their business going by charging on their Visa card. I don't begrudge them their success. And I'm not worried about them."

Income and capital gains tax rates generally were higher in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, Sellner noted. He doubts Obama's plan will "stifle job creation."

Mark Haveman, executive director of the nonpartisan Minnesota Taxpayers Association, said both parties tend to overstate their cases. He and Cleveland said dynamic job creators tend to be disaffected former employees and other innovators who start their own business with their own equity or help from family or "angel" individual investors. And sweat. They have a vision that they can provide a better wingnut, pizza or business service than their former boss.

At the end of the day, Cleveland, a banking entrepreneur himself, and Sellner say that the biggest inhibitor to business confidence and expansion is the no-compromise tactics between the two parties in Washington.

What's needed? Compromise

McConnell pledged to make Obama a one-term president. And that seems to matter more than anything.

"The Republicans should be willing to compromise and get this tax matter settled at $500,000 [in taxable income]," Cleveland said. "I also blame Obama. He needs to try and bring us together."

Sellner added that Obama failed by not championing his own Simpson-Bowles long-term deficit-reduction commission recommendations of 2010. He's right.

That bipartisan group of former legislators, economists and businesspeople recommended a fair mix of reductions in entitlement and defense spending, along with revenue hikes. But don't count on Obama, who tried to revive his version of Simpson-Bowles last summer, bringing up those issues before the election. Mandatory spending cuts that kick in at the end of this year are going to gore a lot of oxen, including the Pentagon. A bipartisan deal would feel better.

Todd Rapp of public affairs firm Himle Rapp & Co. Inc. polls Minnesota businesses on their political-economic concerns every year for the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.

"Minnesota businesspeople know we have relatively high taxes, but they also believe we have a good business climate," Rapp said. "If Congress could come forward with one tax plan, which might cost some businesspeople something, and say we're going to keep it like this ... a lot of businesspeople would say, 'OK, I know the rules for five years.' And they would plan and make investments.

"But politicians make one-year decisions. And businesses like to plan for five years."

Neal St. Anthony ? 612-673-7144 ? nstanthony@startribune.com

Source: http://www.startribune.com/business/162417666.html

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Holistic health practitioner salary - HEALTH, BEAUTY & FITNESS

holistic health practitioner salaryfinance # 3 image by Adam Borkowski from Fotolia. com Medical health insurance is among the most typical kinds of insurance policy. Remember, the impact of health education on women could be an optimistic one. However, it is crucial that you want to do these yoga practices underneath the supervision of yoga experts of spiritual retreat Hawaii. Then remember to have a look at SharePoint Health Analyzer. However, it can save you money by using these pointers: Build Healthy Habits Individuals who avoid tobacco, get some exercise regularly, and keep a proper weight pay less for his or her medical health insurance. The primary objective of Ayurveda would be to cleanse your environment body of substances that induce disease, helping maintain harmony and balance. Among the wisest things you can do following a cold is implement wiser drink and food options. It may cause you problems with memory, logic, reasoning and concentration. Regardless health of this fact, a large number health of us do not have healthcare coverage. While internet affiliate marketing is really a relatively recent and area and it has acquired a lot of momentum in the last 10 years approximately, because the Internet continues to be easily available to individuals within the privacy that belongs to them houses, Health Ripper tools has put a distinctive spin around the industry by developing a working atmosphere that? s productive, fun, professional, and effective. For those who have dog health questions, a veterinarian is the greatest person to request. If this involves selecting an insurance plan thats best for you, confusion develops. The flow of bloodstream towards the skin and also the limbs could be directly experienced like a enjoyable tingling whenever colorado you relax. Although many individuals believe that medical health insurance covers medications, prescription coverage is actually an optional holistic benefit. 3) Have more details about other condition programs in the health department office. Holistic health is usually connected using the subject of alternative treatment, but it? s gaining popularity holistic health practitioner salary today. We offer inspiration for meals, allowing you to tempt individuals junior tastebuds with healthy, appetising foods and snacks. 3 Fish & Your Mental Health 4 Why seafood is known as brain food? While of talking about the colorado department of public health and environment advantages of eating beets, we can not forget remarkable ability to lessen the potential risks of getting cataracts because of their high- content of beta- carotene. Speaking about this, a senior executive with the organization said, ? We have customized our website based on the needs of those, supplying them comprehensive specifics of medical health insurance possibilities in Florida. We guarantee you that techniques feature comprehensive terms and situations for further clarifications. It? s been performed for nearly 2000 years by all noblemen yet others holistic health practitioner salary thinking about it. Thus, they purchase many forms of insurance to ensure that their loved ones people could possibly get the needed coverage in occasions of need. Allografts may either be from the living or cadaveric source. Family Education also practitioner provides free e- mail news letters and blogs and discussion boards. Detoxing continues to be recognized to have wonderful recent results for centuries. 1. The significance of Risk Assessment in Mental Health Mental health care professionals face many challenges and something of individuals challenges is making certain the security of the patient. Based on Katyal, the Affordable Care Act, public such as the individual mandate, are essential to prevent the growing price of health care costs. That signifies to department some medical salary health insurance underwriter you could be considered a dangerous wager. The teachers, the technique training and also the equipment employed for training are a handful of elements you need to look into selecting a college.

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Saturday, July 14, 2012

The Search for J Street: Dinner at Towne Food & Drink

Admittedly there were a few hiccups during our dinner at Towne (the pace of drink and dessert service could be described as glacial), but since the restaurant had only opened 24 hours earlier, I'm going to chalk that up to the normal kinks that need to be worked out in any new business. I'd rather highlight how delicious the food was, how enthusiastic the service was, and how beautiful the space is!

We tried a lot of their small plates since everything looked so amazing, and almost all of it lived up to or surpassed expectation. The best ones were the roasted carrots, which is actually a full on salad with avocado and honey comb and whole carrots, and the lobster pig in a blanket, which replaces the hot dog with a sausage made of shrimp and lobster. They were both absolutely fantastic. Also incredibly tasty was the lobster mac'n'cheese (though don't expect much lobster, it's more for a cheese lover) and the pretzels rolls with mustard butter that come complimentary. The only small plate that I wouldn't order again was the tuna tartar. There was nothing wrong with it, but it didn't live up the other dishes.

For entrees I tried the artichoke pizza, Katie tried the scallops, and my boyfriend tried the burger. The burger and scallops seemed to be winners based on the fact that my dining companions left nothing on their plates. I thought the pizza was fine, but I wasn't in love with the toppings I chose. The crust is great, though, so I would order the pizza again but just choose different toppings. The squash blossom and burrata pie, in particular, is calling my name.

As for desserts and drinks, we had a mixed experience. Here's a thorough review of the ups and downs of the macarons, and in addition we tried the espresso chip cookie sandwich. No complaints about that! Katie went 50-50 on her cocktails. The first one, the CoCo Punch, was underwhelming. It just tastes like you dumped bourbon into your kids chocolate milk. The flavors did not mix well. She followed that up with the Eastern Mule, which she liked much more. I, on the other hand, was impressed with their liqueur and wine selection. They had my new favorite aperitif, Aperol! And they had the 2010 Kali Hart pinot noir that I tried at Corkbar! The only downside was the price; almost all the drinks are $12 and up.

Overall the meal was really enjoyable. When service was slow (or when or waiter forgot to order the tuna tartar), the annoyance was made up for by the staff's positive attitudes. Towne definitely left me wanting to come back to try more.

Source: http://searchforjstreet.blogspot.com/2012/07/dinner-at-towne-food-drink.html

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These Are the Best Programming Skills to Have if You Wanna Be Rich [Programming]

Everyone knows that having tech expertise can net some big bucks. But what skills specificially will get you on the path to an early retirement? Better start learning how to code database and security software. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/jvSHiVFiPFI/these-are-the-best-programming-skills-to-have-if-you-wanna-be-rich

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Obama Faces Tough Challenge in Virginia over Energy

Virginia isn?t usually considered an energy state. But this year, the 2012 battleground is home to high-stakes political fights over the so-called ?war on coal,? offshore drilling, and green jobs. And strategists from both parties say energy issues ? particularly coal ? could prove decisive to the state?s electoral results in November.

President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney ? and the energy industries ? will invest heavily in Virginia in the coming months.

Romney?s team sees in Virginia an opportunity to challenge Obama?s economic record by citing controversial coal regulations blamed by industry for killing jobs. The Interior Department?s decision last month to block new drilling off the coast of Virginia ? a move that puts the president at odds with many Virginia voters, including Democrats ? also offers Romney an opening, his team believes.

While Obama won Virginia in 2008, his campaign recognizes just how difficult a repeat could be. And it?s counting on energy ? not coal or drilling, but renewable energy ? as a winning issue, especially in the state?s military communities.

?We are going to be actively campaigning in every part of the commonwealth, and we?re going to?lean heavily into energy -- it?s an important topic for us,? said Frank Benenati, a spokesman for the Obama campaign.?

Obama this morning begins a two-day, five-city tour of the state. He?ll mostly talk about middle-class tax cuts ? the campaign?s lead talking point this week. But campaign staffers from both parties say Obama?s visit precedes an intense push on energy and job issues.?

?Coal is a big problem for Obama,? said Larry Sabato, a political scientist at the University of Virginia. ?It?s a much bigger issue this time around. As badly as they lost coal country in 2008, I suspect Romney is going to run up a lot more votes there this year.?

Sabato said there weren?t enough votes in the coal regions of Virginia to cost Obama the election statewide. But he cautioned, ?You never can tell when you reach a tipping point.?

Obama?s re-election team appears to agree. While the president stands no chance of winning that part of the state, his campaign said he?ll need to preserve something close to the numbers he had in 2008 in order to carry the state.?

That would mean approximating the roughly 40 percent of the vote Obama won in 2008 in Virginia?s ninth district, which encompasses most of the state?s rural southwest where coal mining is central to the economy and poverty rates are among the state?s highest.

He will try to maintain that level of support by telling voters there that Romney isn?t a true friend to coal.??While he now claims to support coal, Romney has been a critic of coal-fired power plants,? Benenati said, referring to a 2003 speech Romney gave in Massachusetts charging that coal plants kill.

But Romney?s team and the coal industry are pushing hard to whittle away at what support for Obama remains in the southwest region. The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, the country?s biggest coal lobby, has been running an aggressive campaign there against Obama?s coal regulations, including radio ads and events at NASCAR races. The group has written a letter to the Roanoke Times, expected to be published Saturday, the same day the president makes his appearance in the city.?

Last month, in an appearance in nearby Salem, Virginia, Romney criticized Obama?s "avalanche of new regulations" on the coal and oil industries. "He's made it harder to mine coal, harder to use coal, harder to get a reliable supply of natural gas, harder to get drilling for oil," Romney said.

And in Congress, the GOP-led House Energy and Commerce Committee will soon hold a field hearing in Abingdon, Virginia ? the heart of the state?s coal county -- on the EPA?s new greenhouse gas regulations on coal plants.?? ?

All of those efforts could be enough, strategists say, to help tip the balance in the GOP?s favor in November.

?On the western side of the state, coal is a major issue and a way of life,? said Dave Rexrode, executive director of the Republican Party of Virginia. ?Obama?s policies on that are a huge issue. There?s a lot of?Democrats out there that voted for Obama in 2008 that aren?t going to do it again.?

OFFSHORE CHALLENGE TOO

Obama faces another tough challenge in Virginia over offshore drilling.

Along Virginia?s seaboard, support is growing to make the state the first on the East Coast to open up to offshore drilling ? a push backed by the state?s Democratic representatives on Capitol Hill, including Sens. Mark Warner and Jim Webb.?But last month, the Interior Department issued a five-year offshore drilling plan that shut Virginia?s coast off to drilling.

Republicans intend to pounce on the difference between Obama?s policy and Virginia voters? position. Romney?s first Virginia campaign ad referenced offshore drilling, promising that ?by day 100, President Romney reverses Obama?s offshore drilling ban, creating thousands of new jobs for Virginians.?

The oil industry has jumped in to help him. ?The only high-level politician that?s out of synch on this in Virginia is the president,? said Jack Gerard, president of American Petroleum Institute, the oil industry?s lobbying arm. (Gerard, a personal friend of Romney?s, has also been mentioned as a likely candidate to be chief of staff under a Romney administration).

API has launched a nationwide ?Vote 4?Energy? campaign aimed at backing candidates who support increased drilling. In February, the group commissioned a poll finding that 80 percent of Virginians support new offshore drilling, and Gerard said the group plans to hold events in Virginia in the coming months.?

OBAMA?S ENERGY ARGUMENT

The White House sees Virginia as one of the most promising places for renewable energy and green jobs due to the heavy presence in the state of the U.S. Navy.

The naval facilities in Norfolk are at the head of an aggressive Pentagon push to expand renewable-energy use. And next Tuesday, with much fanfare, the Navy will launch its ?Great Green Fleet? ? battleships powered with renewable fuels and hybrid engines.

In the districts around Norfolk, which Obama won in 2008, support is high for the initiatives. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has been a consistent advocate on the issue and supporters say the Navy?s?new initiatives could bring renewable energy jobs to Virginia?s coast.

But even here, Republicans ? including the Romney campaign -- have criticized Navy contracts to purchase biofuels that are more expensive than traditional fuels as the Pentagon prepares for spending cuts.

Speaking on Thursday to reporters on behalf of the Romney campaign, Former Navy Secretary John Lehman said, ?If the president wants the taxpayer to subsidize alternative fuels, it shouldn?t be done on the Navy?s back.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-faces-tough-challenge-virginia-over-energy-120437620.html

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