U.S. aerospace industry sees 10th straight growth year

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. aerospace and arms companies are poised for 2.8 percent overall sales growth next year to about $224 billion, which would mark their 10th straight year of growth, barring steep Pentagon budget cuts, the industry's chief trade group said on Wednesday.

The forecast does not factor in so-called sequestration, a process that would lop about 10 percent off Pentagon arms purchases starting next month if Republicans and Democrats fail to agree on a new plan to pare federal deficits.

Exports of civil aircraft, engines and parts - which represent about 88 percent of all aerospace exports - are expected to account for most of the industry's sales growth in 2013.

The U.S. military aircraft sector, on the other hand, continues to shrink even as foreign sales of U.S. warplanes are booming.

Aerospace and arms companies, one of the economy's perennial bright spots, continued to lead the United States in the net export of manufactured goods, buoyed by strong civil aircraft sales, the Aerospace Industries Association said in its annual year-end review and forecast.

Exports rose 12 percent to an estimated $95.5 billion this year from $85.3 billion last year and are likely to grow during "at least the next several years" based on order backlogs, the AIA said.

Order books for civil aircraft makers such as Boeing Co , the world's largest maker of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined, now contain a six- to seven-year backlog, the report said.

U.S. military purchases of hardware may decline slowly or be hit with indiscriminate, sequester-related cuts that could cause major disruptions in the supply chain, especially for smaller manufacturers, the AIA said.

Sequestration clouded the outlook for 2013 and was hard to factor in because of unknowns about how mandated cuts would be carried out, Marion Blakey, AIA's president and chief executive, told an industry luncheon.

"It's an industry that remains healthy despite the obstacles," she said.

For 2013, overall sales are projected to rise 2.6 percent to $223.6 billion from an estimated $217.9 billion this year. In 2012, the estimated total was up 3.4 percent from $210.8 billion the year before.

Leading U.S. aerospace companies and top Pentagon suppliers include Lockheed Martin Corp , Boeing, Northrop Grumman Corp , BAE Systems Plc , Raytheon Co and General Dynamics Corp .

Roughly $600 billion in combined U.S. tax increases and spending cuts are to take effect in January for fiscal 2013 alone - the so-called fiscal cliff - unless President Barack Obama and Republicans in Congress strike an alternative debt-reduction deal.

The across-the board spending cut, known as sequestration, would cull about $54 billion from U.S. national security spending with purchases of weapons nipped, the trade group said, an estimated 10.3 percent.

Demand for U.S. military exports is anticipated to remain strong for the few years, AIA said, citing concerns about Iran's disputed nuclear program as contributing to large purchases by oil-rich Gulf states, among other factors.

Similarly, growing Chinese defense budgets have led to significant new U.S. sales in Asia - deals that should more than offset ebbing sales to European countries that are trimming military spending, the report said.

The U.S. military aircraft sector continues to contract, falling 2.4 percent over the past year. It is projected to sink more than 10 percent in 2013.

Closure of Lockheed Martin Corp's F-22 fighter production line and decisions not to fund additional Boeing Co C-17 military transport plane purchases or development of a future strategic lifter, each took a toll.

As of 2012, no fewer than three key military production lines - for Boeing's C-17 military transport aircraft, its F-15 tactical fighter and Lockheed's F-16 multi-role fighter - are being sustained largely by international export demand.

(Reporting By Jim Wolf; Editing by Alden Bentley and Steve Orlofsky)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-aerospace-industry-sees-10th-straight-growth-234736953--finance.html

jacoby ellsbury jacoby ellsbury lionel richie kenny rogers avatar the last airbender david wright cory booker

South Africa makes progress in HIV, AIDS fight

In this photo taken Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 an unidentified patient prepares to be tested for TB, at the US sponsored Themba Lethu, HIV/AIDS Clinic, at the Helen Joseph hospital, in Johannesburg. In the early 90s when South Africa?s Themba Lethu clinic could only treat HIV/AIDS patients for opportunistic diseases, many would come in on wheelchairs and keep coming to the health center until they died. Two decades later the clinic is the biggest ARV (anti-retroviral) treatment center in the country and sees between 600 to 800 patients a day from all over southern Africa. Those who are brought in on wheelchairs, sometimes on the brink of death, get the crucial drugs and often become healthy and are walking within weeks. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

In this photo taken Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 an unidentified patient prepares to be tested for TB, at the US sponsored Themba Lethu, HIV/AIDS Clinic, at the Helen Joseph hospital, in Johannesburg. In the early 90s when South Africa?s Themba Lethu clinic could only treat HIV/AIDS patients for opportunistic diseases, many would come in on wheelchairs and keep coming to the health center until they died. Two decades later the clinic is the biggest ARV (anti-retroviral) treatment center in the country and sees between 600 to 800 patients a day from all over southern Africa. Those who are brought in on wheelchairs, sometimes on the brink of death, get the crucial drugs and often become healthy and are walking within weeks. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

In this photo taken Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 Christinah Motsoahae, has blood taken for testing, at the US sponsored "Right to Care", Themba Lethu, HIV/AIDS Clinic, at the Helen Joseph hospital, in Johanneburg. In the early 90s when South Africa?s Themba Lethu clinic could only treat HIV/AIDS patients for opportunistic diseases, many would come in on wheelchairs and keep coming to the health center until they died. Two decades later the clinic is the biggest ARV (anti-retroviral) treatment center in the country and sees between 600 to 800 patients a day from all over southern Africa. Those who are brought in on wheelchairs, sometimes on the brink of death, get the crucial drugs and often become healthy and are walking within weeks. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

In this photo taken Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, Tshepo Hoato, left, and colleague, Mongezi Sosibo, pose for a photo in Johannesburg. The two help run a support group for teens at the US sponsored Themba Lethu, HIV/AIDS Clinic, at the Helen Joseph hospital, in Johannesburg. In the early 90s when South Africa?s Themba Lethu clinic could only treat HIV/AIDS patients for opportunistic diseases, many would come in on wheelchairs and keep coming to the health center until they died. Two decades later the clinic is the biggest ARV (anti-retroviral) treatment center in the country and sees between 600 to 800 patients a day from all over southern Africa. Those who are brought in on wheelchairs, sometimes on the brink of death, get the crucial drugs and often become healthy and are walking within weeks. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

In this photo taken Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 Christinah Motsoahae, back receives her medication from a pharmacist at the US sponsored Themba Lethu, HIV/AIDS Clinic, at the Helen Joseph hospital, in Johannesburg. In the early 90s when South Africa?s Themba Lethu clinic could only treat HIV/AIDS patients for opportunistic diseases, many would come in on wheelchairs and keep coming to the health center until they died. Two decades later the clinic is the biggest ARV (anti-retroviral) treatment center in the country and sees between 600 to 800 patients a day from all over southern Africa. Those who are brought in on wheelchairs, sometimes on the brink of death, get the crucial drugs and often become healthy and are walking within weeks. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

In this photo taken Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012, Dr. Dave Spencer, a physician who treats patients at the US sponsored Themba Lethu, HIV/AIDS Clinic at the Helen Joseph hospital in Johanneburg, talks during an interview with the Associated Press. In the early 90s when South Africa?s Themba Lethu clinic could only treat HIV/AIDS patients for opportunistic diseases, many would come in on wheelchairs and keep coming to the health center until they died. Two decades later the clinic is the biggest ARV (anti-retroviral) treatment center in the country and sees between 600 to 800 patients a day from all over southern Africa. Those who are brought in on wheelchairs, sometimes on the brink of death, get the crucial drugs and often become healthy and are walking within weeks. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

(AP) ? In the early '90s when South Africa's Themba Lethu clinic could only treat HIV/AIDS patients for opportunistic diseases, many would come in on wheelchairs and keep coming to the health center until they died.

Two decades later the clinic is the biggest anti-retroviral, or ARV, treatment center in the country and sees between 600 to 800 patients a day from all over southern Africa. Those who are brought in on wheelchairs, sometimes on the brink of death, get the crucial drugs and often become healthy and are walking within weeks.

"The ARVs are called the 'Lazarus drug' because people rise up and walk," said Sue Roberts who has been a nurse at the clinic , run by Right to Care in Johannesburg's Helen Joseph Hospital, since it opened its doors in 1992. She said they recently treated a woman who was pushed in a wheelchair for 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) to avoid a taxi fare and who was so sick it was touch and go. Two weeks later, the woman walked to the clinic, Roberts said.

Such stories of hope and progress are readily available on World AIDS Day 2012 in sub-Saharan Africa where deaths from AIDS-related causes have declined by 32 percent from 1.8 million in 2005 to 1.2 million in 2011, according to the latest UNAIDS report.

As people around the world celebrate a reduction in the rate of HIV infections, the growth of the clinic, which was one of only a few to open its doors 20 years ago, reflects how changes in treatment and attitude toward HIV and AIDS have moved South Africa forward. The nation, which has the most people living with HIV in the world at 5.6 million, still faces stigma and high rates of infection.

"You have no idea what a beautiful time we're living in right now," said one of the doctors at the clinic, Dr. Kay Mahomed, over the chatter of a crowd of patients outside her door.

President Jacob Zuma's government decided to give the best care, including TB screening and care at the clinic, and not to look at the cost, she said. South Africa has increased the numbers treated for HIV by 75 percent in the last two years, UNAIDS said, and new HIV infections have fallen by more than 50,000 in those two years. South Africa has also increased its domestic expenditure on AIDS to $1.6 billion, the highest by any low-and middle-income country, the group said.

Themba Lethu clinic, with funding from the government, the United States Agency for International Development and the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, is now among some 2,500 anti-retroviral therapy facilities in the country that treat approximately 1.9 million people.

"Now, you can't not get better. It's just one of these win-win situations. You test, you treat and you get better, end of story," Mahomed said.

But it hasn't always been that way.

In the 1990s South Africa's problem was compounded by years of misinformation by President Thabo Mbeki, who questioned the link between HIV and AIDS, and his health minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who promoted a "treatment" of beets and garlic.

Christinah Motsoahae first found out she was HIV positive in 1996, and said she felt nothing could be done about it.

"I didn't understand it at that time because I was only 24, and I said, 'What the hell is that?'" she said.

Sixteen years after her first diagnosis, she is now on anti-retroviral drugs and her life has turned around. She says the clinic has been instrumental. To handle the flow of patients, they're electronically checked in at reception, several nursing stations with partitions are set up to check vital signs and a new machine even helps dispense medicine to the pharmacists.

"My status has changed my life, I have learned to accept people the way they are. I have learned not to be judgmental. And I have learned that it is God's purpose that I have this," the 40-year-old said.

She works with a support group of "positive ladies" in her hometown near Krugersdorp. She travels to the clinic as often as needed and her optimism shines through her gold eye shadow and wide smile. "I love the way I'm living now."

Motsoahae credits Nelson Mandela's family for inspiring her to face up to her status. The anti-apartheid icon galvanized the AIDS community in 2005 when he publicly acknowledged his son died of AIDS.

Motsoahae is among about a hundred people waiting in a room to see one of about 10 doctors or to collect medications. A woman there rises up, slings her baby behind her back in a green fleece blanket, and tries to leave by zigzagging through the intercrossing legs of those seated.

None of Motsoahae's children was born with HIV. The number of children newly infected with HIV has declined significantly. In six countries in sub-Saharan Africa ? South Africa, Burundi, Kenya, Namibia, Togo and Zambia ?the number of children with HIV declined by 40 to 59 percent between 2009 and 2011, the UNAIDS report said.

But the situation remains dire for those over the age of 15, who make up the 5.3 million of those infected in South Africa. Fear and denial lend to the high prevalence of HIV for that age group in South Africa, said the clinic's Kay Mahomed.

About 3.5 million South Africans still are not getting therapy, and many wait too long to come in to clinics or don't stay on the drugs, said Dr. Dave Spencer, who works at the clinic .

"People are still afraid of a stigma related to HIV," he said, adding that education and communication are key to controlling the disease.

Themba Lethu clinic reaches out to the younger generation with a teen program.

Tshepo Hoato, 21, who helps run the program found out he was HIV positive after his mother died in 2000. He said he has been helped by the program in which teens meet one day a month.

"What I've seen is a lot people around our ages, some commit suicide as soon as they find out they are HIV. That's a very hard stage for them so we came up with this program to help one another," he said. "We tell them our stories so they can understand and progress and see that no, man, it's not the end of the world."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2012-12-01-AF-South-Africa-AIDS-Clinic/id-943ab2b06b5e47829cd641c813801cb3

notorious big biggie smalls lyrics azores emmylou harris disco inferno b.i.g 1000 words

MobilePeople Sends Call Volumes Sky High and Drives Quality ...

6th December 2012 - Leading mobile solutions consultancy and development company, MobilePeople is using the Communications Portal from Enghouse Interactive to drive up call volumes and deliver high-quality service offerings.?

Click here to join the UK Contact Centre Forum ? the no.1 LinkedIn group for UK customer management professionals

MobilePeople is a leading privately held mobile solutions consultancy and development company based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1989, the company originally concentrated almost exclusively on providing voice response systems to a broad target market, principally encompassing public sector organisations, financial services businesses, telcos and large enterprises across a range of verticals.

Over the last decade, MobilePeople has expanded its focus to also incorporate conferencing and more general communications as well as high-quality mobile applications to accommodate a growing and ever more sophisticated user base.? Today, it manages around 350 separate services for around 240 customers in Europe.

A key element in MobilePeople?s success over this period has been the company?s use of the Communications Portal from Enghouse Interactive, an open standards-based platform with integrated application development and management components that significantly reduces the time, cost and complexity of deploying voice and IP communications solutions.

Communications Portal has supported a vast array of applications at MobilePeople from interactive voice response (IVR) to credit card clearance, caller identification and verification and text-to-speech applications. Today, the Communications Portal is principally designed to support two platforms at MobilePeople: one is a large conferencing phone system, primarily targeted at telcos, the other a huge platform, predominantly used for voice recognition.

Supporting a Diverse Customer Base
?
MobilePeople has recently used Communications Portal to implement a system for Denmark?s rail operator, Danish Rail to support blind passengers. Using Communications Portal, MobilePeople has supplied Danish Rail with a 30-channel pilot system which allows a blind person the freedom to talk to the system, request train details and automatically receive relevant timetables.? It also supplies travel agencies with a system enabling them to handle all of their clients? travel requirements including payments quickly and efficiently, keeping customers happy and boosting agencies? cashflows at the same time. In addition, it provides an innovative solution for Danish farmers, allowing them to enquire about the costs of livestock and arrange shipping details, all through the use of an interactive voice response (IVR) system.

MobilePeople?s other main application ? a powerful conferencing solution has grown rapidly both in size and popularity over time and is now one of the largest of its type which Enghouse Interactive has ever installed and supported. Used by a broad range of telco customers, including Norwegian giant Telenor, one of the largest mobile operators in the world, the system is capable of running 480 channels of conferencing at any one time.

Assessing the Benefits
?
The support Enghouse Interactive has been able to supply on this conferencing application has been invaluable to MobilePeople.

As Gavin Pickets, business development manager, Enghouse Interactive, points out:? ?The success MobilePeople has achieved with the solution is such that they have stretched usage to the limit. It is so heavily loaded that they needed support because when you have? a server running 480 channels of conferencing you may get some teething problems in the beginning. Working in conjunction with hardware supplier and business partner Dialogic, we helped them debug the system and ensure it was of a quality that met their customers? exacting expectations.?

MobilePeople has found Communications Portal to be easy and intuitive to use. According to CEO Jens Hammering, ?Communications Portal has a first class graphical user interface (GUI) which we can leverage in order to develop new services. We have an excellent understanding of how the system works in-house which makes it relatively easy for us to develop complex and innovative new applications. We can effectively drive the system ourselves.?

?The flexibility of the system is also key as it allows us to use the same basic template for many customers and services and tweak it to meet specific requirements,? adds Hammering. ?We can therefore save money by using the same basic technology for a range of different applications. Without Communications Portal and the support we receive from Enghouse Interactive, developing these kinds of applications for clients would be a much more costly and time-consuming process.?

The support that Enghouse Interactive offers also gives Mobile People great peace of mind, especially as the company?s usage of the system intensifies. ?Mobile People is an extremely intensive user of Communications Portal. On a typical day, we manage around 200,000 calls and this can sometimes increase to as many as one million, so having a contract in place with Enghouse Interactive gives us that security of having an expert partner to call on as and when we need to,? Hammering continues.

The flexibility of both system and support is likely to continue to be a key benefit to Mobile People in the future as the communications landscape evolves.

Hammering? acknowledges that the market is likely to remain challenging. ?There is a likely to be a drop-down in the short-term at least, but I see this more as a challenge rather than a problem. Going forward, to tap into new business opportunities we need to find new ways of using the system. One way will be by branching out more into the mobile applications area.

?People lead increasingly busy lives these days and they want and expect to be able to use services and solutions at a time and a place that suits them,? he adds. ?They want to use applications in their home, car or on public transport but they need to have a system they can talk to.? I?m confident that Enghouse Interactive and the Communications Portal will be able to help us fulfil this evolving need.?

Category:?Technology

Added By: Sam Collins on 06th Dec 2012 - 12:38
Number of Views: 70

Source: http://www.callcentreclinic.com/news/technology/mobilepeople-sends-call-volumes-sky-high-and-drives-quality-service-with-enghouse-interactive---47489.htm

Seaside Heights nj transit PSEG hocus pocus hocus pocus mta schedule PECO

Greek jobless rate hits record 26 percent

ATHENS, Greece (AP) ? Greece's unemployment rate rose to a new record of 26 percent in September, underscoring the economic plight in the country as it heads toward a sixth year of recession.

The Greek Statistical Authority said Thursday that 1.295 million people ? more than one-fourth of the workforce in this nation of 10 million ? were recorded as unemployed in September. Unemployment rose from 25.3 percent the previous month and 18.9 percent a year earlier.

Greek unemployment has surged to the highest since the 1960s as a result of harsh austerity measures imposed in return for vital international rescue loans.

The conservative-led coalition government is finalizing a major tax reform bill, demanded by international rescue creditors as one of several conditions for continued payments. It has promised to try to stem the country's recession, despite being forced last month to introduce another round of deeply unpopular austerity measures that are part of Greece's bailout commitments.

These measures include raising ?3 billion ($3.9 billion) in extra tax revenue.

A draft of the new tax bill presented to the conservatives' two center-left coalition partners late Thursday calls for cuts in corporate tax rates from 40 to 33 percent, a move meant to provide relief to employers struggling to cope with the crisis while maintaining a sufficient flow of tax revenue.

The draft also lowers the top income tax rate from 45 to 40 percent, but it expands the number of people who would have to pay that rate by including all incomes over ?40,000 ($52,000) a year.

Finance ministry officials said the draft bill also provides for a rise in the tax-free threshold to ?9,000 ($11,700) ? from ?5,000 ($6,500) ? linking family benefits with income, and higher taxation on farmers.

The tax bill must be submitted to Parliament for approval by Tuesday, two days before Greece is due to receive a new ?34 billion ($44.4 billion) rescue loan installment.

Earlier this week, the Bank of Greece confirmed government forecasts that the economy would contract by more than 6 percent this year, and by a further 4-4.5 percent next year. By the end of 2013, the economy is expected to have shrunk by 25 percent in six years.

The effects are most visible in the unemployment rate, which stood at just under 10 percent just before Greece's financial crisis began in late 2009. Since then, jobs have been vanishing at a pace of almost 1,000 a day.

The largest labor union, the GSEE, has predicted the jobless rate will reach 29 percent next year.

"According to our calculations, the recession next year will be between 5 and 5.5 percent ... The money being taken out of the economy due to higher (taxes) is driving the recession," Savvas Rombolis, head of labor research at the union, told private Skai radio.

"So more businesses will close, more people will lose their jobs, and fewer graduates will find work."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/greek-jobless-rate-record-26-percent-202423471--finance.html

tornadoes in dallas anchorman 2 kentucky basketball oaksterdam the fray national anthem dallas tornado ncaa basketball

Our 9 Year Wedding Anniversary: There's No Faux About It

Scott?s and my 9 year wedding anniversary fell on Thanksgiving this year so we put off celebrating it because while turkey is adorable, it is not romantic. And we know romance.

UsForeheadWeddingChurch

We still put our foreheads together to remember each other.

First Dance

Our first dance as husband and wife.

Team Awkward photo

Last Christmas

Before I met Scott, I was the girlfriend who didn?t like her significant other to have friends. Gross, right? I had friends although I was a pretty crappy when I was dating. Friends were for when the boyfriend was in class. All those relationships did not end well for me or the person I dated and after a long look at the many mistake I made, I decided with God?s and some friend?s help, I would be different.

Along came Scott. I did so many things to have our relationship different and in many ways the opposite of how I had treated people in my past. One important point was we kept our friends. In fact, the first year we dated, my Christmas gift to him was a plane ticket to see his college friends. Without me.

Of course, the years have gone on and with children and jobs and life, any time with friends has to be planned and negotiated and after work and after bedtime and on the weekend but not the weekend of the dance recital. I?m a better planner than Scott so I was seeing my friends so much more often than he was. After pointing this out (a few times), we rectified our lopsided calendar, but I wanted Scott to see that his friends are as important as they were all those years ago so for OUR anniversary I bought him a plane ticket to attend his friend?s birthday party in NYC. Without me.

Scott?bought me a hilarious and awesome faux rabbit vest.

Me in faux rabbit

A faux rabbit HOODIE vest no less.

Hilarious because when I was trying to get my crazy less crazy I decided that a full-length rabbit fur coat from the local thrift store would really jazz up my style.?While I kept getting happier and less crazy, the coat turned out to be a magnet for men,?who had were 30 years older than me and had just left rehab, to ask me out. You win some, you lose some, on this journey of life.

While the vest Scott bought me is much more stylish and I?ve since developed a look that scares anyone from asking me out anymore, which is the best part of being a little older, a lot wiser and much less crazy,?I felt like the vest needed more faux so I designed faux pins on Zazzle in black and brown.

While there?s nothing faux about 9 happy years, I?d like to keep my cats from worrying that they?re next.

I love you, Scott. Thanks for the best times of life.

Source: http://www.lateenough.com/2012/12/our-9-year-wedding-anniversary-theres-no-faux-about-it/

pat buchanan slither slither naacp glen campbell jerusalem artichoke bud shootout

What happened in Budget 2013 - Westmeath Independent

PrintEmail

Updated: Wednesday, 5th December, 2012 5:30pm

Mairead O'Grady, Tax Partner, Russell Brennan Keane outlines some of the main financial change in the budget.

Budget 2013 continues the trend started in recent years where there is a joint presentation both the Minster for Finance and the Minster for Public Expenditure. Also many of the provisions were well flagged in advance by the media but it does however contain some welcome surprises especially on initiatives that effect the SME sector.

The financial adjustment has been well known for some time with a total of ?3.5billion with ?1.25billion coming from increased taxation. Whilst this is the fifth austerity Budget and the cumulative effect of previous measures is beginning to have serious impact on business, the economy and on society in general.

The Minister this time has stayed away from direct taxes. Income Tax, and Stamp Duty all of which remain unchanged. The emphasis has been on broadening the tax base so the focus has been on areas such a property tax, PRSI reforms; specific measures aimed at restricting relief for pensions and a Ten Point tax plan designed to assist with employment initiatives in the SME sector. Given the targets that had to be achieved the budget overall is regressive but on a positive note the Minster was reassuring that he will not have to take such similar tax measures in future years

A summary of the main changes introduced in the Budget 2013 are as follows:

A new 10 point tax plan for SMEs specifically designed at encouraging employment

The measures include increasing the cash receipts threshold to ?1.25m; reform of the start up relief; amending R+D credits and extending the foreign earnings deduction

Simplify procedures for start up businesses coupled with a number of initiatives to assist in accessing credit.

Specific measures for the Agri-Food Industry such as the continuation of stock relief to 2015 for farmers; the extension of the enhanced stock relief for farm partnerships and specific CGT relief on the disposal of farms for farm restructuring purposes

On the propety side the establishment of a Real Estate Investment Trust to encourage investors to finance property investment in a risk diversified manner.

Targeted incentives for already identified regeneration areas.

Special reliefs to be introduced in the aviation sector for both construction and the financing of airlines

Marginal rate tax relief on pension contributions to pension funds to be capped at a level which will generate pension fund income of ?60,000 p.a. which would take effect from the 1st January 2014

Limited withdrawal up to a value of 30% from AVCs but will be taxed at marginal tax rate

Increase in the minimum annual PRSI for self earners to increase from ?253 to ?500 per annum and the employee annual allowance to be abolished

The extension of PRSI to rental income and other income earned by certain individuals

Local Property Tax (LPT)

A summary of the key provisions is as follows:

To be introduced with effect from the 1st July 2013

To be collected by Revenue Commissioners and will apply to PPRs and all other forms of residential accommodation

Market value based on the self assessment system with the Revenue Commissioners giving valuation guidance or alternatively the option of a competent valuer

The tax will be set in bands with the rate struck at the midpoint of the band

Once the valuation is struck for 2013 it will continue for 3 years to 2016

The rate of tax point 0.18% up to first ?1million and 0.25% for valuations above ?1million

Household Charge will cease with effect from 1st January 2013

NPPR to cease with effect from 1st January 2014

Local authority will have a certain discretion in that they can charge up to 15% plus or minus the national rates

Voluntary deferral for individuals below a certain income and gross income less mortgage interest. Interest will apply to deferral amount

The deferred amount will be payable on sale or transfer

Outstanding household charges to be collected by the Revenue Commissioners which will increase to ?200 with effect from 1st July 2013

Specific exemptions for any new or previously unoccupied homes bought up to the end of 2016; homes bought by first time buyers in 2013 and residents of unfinished housing estates.

Other Changes

Capital Gains Tax and Capital Acquisitions Tax to increase from 30% to 33%

The capital acquisitions tax thresholds to decrease by 10%. For a parent to a child this means a decrease of ?25,000 in the lifetime tax exempt threshold

Deposit Interest Retention Tax (DIRT) to increase to 33%

A key objective of the Minister is to provide stability and confidence to business generally. This has been achieved somewhat in the property market and building on this confidence is a primary objective of the Budget. The Minster, despite on the dire predictions beforehand, has made an effort to encourage the creation of jobs especially in the SME and Agri Food Sector and the announcement of consultation process on micro business and Real Estate Investment Trusts. All of these are to be welcomed. However the proof of these initiatives will be judged on the employment and improvement / stabilisation in the domestic economy over the next twelve months. The Minster commented on the tax system being one of the most progressive tax systems in the developed world with over 30% of the overall adjustment being borne by richest 10% of the population and 70% by the top 40% of income earners.

Source: http://www.westmeathindependent.ie/news/roundup/articles/2012/12/05/4013606-what-happened-in-budget-2013/

Lauren Perdue tagged Heptathlon London 2012 shot put London 2012 Track And Field Jordyn Wieber michael phelps

'Teen Mom 2's' Jenelle Evans gets married

MTV

By Bruna Nessif, E! Online

Sorry fellas, Jenelle Evans and all that comes with her is off the market. E! News has learned that the troublesome "Teen Mom 2" star tied the knot in a quickie courtroom wedding to her fiance Courtland Rogers Tuesday in Brunswick County, N.C. (no word on whether or not Jenelle's "idol" Ke$ha was in attendance), but the new bride doesn't seem too happy about the news getting out.

"Feel so violated now. Thanks a lot, no one can just be happy," Evans tweeted

Jenelle Evans is engaged!

Despite reports that the rush to get married was because Jenelle is pregnant, the source tells us, "It was not a 'shotgun wedding' and she is not pregnant. They wanted to do it privately. They are planning a ceremony in the spring for their family and friends." And Evans made sure to clear that up on Twitter, too.

16 and Pregnant's teen moms: Where are they now??

"I'm not pregnant. Jesus, still only weighing 100 lbs over here... Lol," she wrote shortly afterward, and then remained coy when fans asked her about the wedding by replying to questions about whether or not she is now Mrs. Rogers with just a happy face.

After two months of dating, the reality TV star and mother of little Jace announced her engagement on Twitter. "I said yes," she tweeted, along with an Instagram photo of her ring. "Tomorrow we r going to start planning!!" Evans shared on Facebook. "OMG I've never been this happy in my life. It's like a fantasy coming true."

--Reporting by Holly Passalaqua

Related content:

More in The Clicker:

Source: http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2012/12/05/15696728-teen-mom-2s-jenelle-evans-gets-married?lite

rupaul drag race walking dead comic kratom broncos broncos lehigh walking dead season finale

Sen. Marco Rubio just finished paying off student loan debt

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON--Florida Sen. Marco Rubio announced Tuesday that he had finally finished paying off his student loan debt this year using proceeds from sales of his autobiography.

Rubio was honored Tuesday night at the Jack Kemp Foundation Awards dinner, where he made a case for broad policy reform, including changes to the nation's education system.

"We need to reform our federal college grant and loan programs. To me college affordability is an issue that is very personal. Because the only reason why I was able to go to college--the only reason--was because of federal grants and loans.? But when I graduated from law school, I had close to $150,000 in student debt," Rubio said after accepting the award. "That's a debt I just paid off just last year with the proceeds of my book 'An American Son,' the perfect holiday gift and available on Amazon for only $11.99."

As late as this summer, Rubio said he was one of the few members of Congress still paying off loans. The 41-year-old Republican senator graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida in 1993 and received his law degree from the University of Miami in 1996.

According to his latest income disclosure form filed in 2010, Rubio still had between $100,001 to $250,000 in debt when he was elected.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/sen-marco-rubio-just-finished-paying-off-student-020750024--election.html

helicopter crash matt jones whitney houston in casket photo resolute national enquirer whitney houston casket photo

Dealing with postpartum hair loss - Fit Pregnancy

Are your lustrous locks falling out now that baby is here? Find out why, when it happens and when to start worrying.

You may be prepared for a body in flux post-pregnancy, but did you know that hair loss is also part of the postpartum experience? Here's what to expect:

WHEN IT STARTS: Two to four months after you give birth.

WHEN IT STOPS: Three to six weeks after the initial onset.

WHY IT HAPPENS: In most non-pregnant people, up to 10 percent of hair follicles are in the resting phase, or not producing hair, at any given time.

Hormonal changes during pregnancy, such as a boost in estrogen, drastically reduce these rest periods (essentially extenging the growth cycles), giving moms-to-be lush, full hair because fewer strands are falling out. (Additionally, when estrogen is high, androgen ? the male hormone that causes oil production ? is low, so your hair feels drier. Hydrate your locks with a deep moisturizing conditioner twice a week.)

When estrogen drops post-pregnancy, the rest mode kicks into overdrive, causing up to 30 percent of the follicles to not produce hair, when hair falls out, it takes longer to replace.

CAN YOU PREVENT IT: "Eating a healthy diet rich in B vitamins and protein will give you healthier hair, but it won't stop post-pregnancy hair loss," says Michael Reed, M.D., associate professor of clinical dermatology at NYU Medical Center.

WHEN TO GET HELP: See a dermatologist if your hair is noticeably thinner by your baby's first birthday.

Most experts say that it takes most new moms up to a year to get back to their old selves. From hair loss to soreness down there, our Post-Baby Body Guide helps you handle seven new-mom complaints.

? Nancy Ripton

Source: http://www.fitpregnancy.com/motherhood/health/bad-hair-days

quinton coples a.j. jenkins riley reiff david decastro aj jenkins shea mcclellin nfl draft 2012

Stern: Spurs rested too many players too early

NBA Commissioner David Stern talks to reporters before a basketball game between the New Orleans Hornets and the Los Angeles Lakers in New Orleans, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

NBA Commissioner David Stern talks to reporters before a basketball game between the New Orleans Hornets and the Los Angeles Lakers in New Orleans, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? NBA Commissioner David Stern said Wednesday his $250,000 fine of the San Antonio Spurs was justified because the club went beyond what league owners agreed was a reasonable approach to resting healthy players.

Stern said coaches should have the authority to rest players at the end of the season, but that teams should not rest four starters little more than a month into it, and the team made matters worse by not notifying the league beforehand.

Last week, the Spurs sent home Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green before a game in Miami. Stern points out that Green is 26 and Parker 30, and that he doubted any of the players needed rest this early in the season in what was also their only visit to Miami.

"In the case of San Antonio, they didn't just come into town and rest healthy players, they sent a 26-year-old and a 30-year-old, plus Manu and Tim home virtually under cover of darkness ... and without notifying as our rules require for injury and illness," Stern said before watching the Hornets play the Los Angeles Lakers.

Stern said owners discussed resting healthy players at a meeting in April 2010, and that the Spurs would have remembered it.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich often rested healthy players last season after the lockout and there was no punishment, but Stern decided to act after this game, which was televised nationally by TNT.

"Maybe it's my mistake not to think that injury and illness when you're secreting someone away should also include deciding to move them out," Stern said. "So in all of the circumstances, I thought that if we didn't do something this time, there would never be a reason to do it.

"(It was the Spurs') only visit to Miami, practically the first month of the season. Notifying nobody and sending home young and healthy players merited a rebuke and I did it."

Stern said the punishment had nothing to do with his feelings about Popovich but solely the actions of the Spurs, who ignored NBA rules that teams must notify the league, opposing team and media when players won't travel because of injury.

They have not appealed the fine.

"This was a team decision," Stern said. "This was not me and Pop. Pop is a great coach, Hall of Fame coach, and this decision was made by the entire senior management of the San Antonio Spurs. And I felt that they were doing what they perceived as their job and I was doing what I presume as my job and that's what happens.

"I would suggest to you if we had been notified it wouldn't have happened, so maybe from their perspective they did the right thing."

Stern was making a regularly scheduled visit with first-year Hornets owner Tom Benson, who is also the owner of the NFL's Saints, to see how Benson's plans for the NBA franchise were taking shape. Stern visited Saints headquarters, where new construction has begun on additions that will also accommodate Hornets offices and practice courts.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-12-05-BKN-Sitting-Spurs-Stern/id-8e367c70cbbe4b959a80fae67e4e0286

old navy walmart black friday walmart black friday Target Black Friday PacSun apple store bestbuy