Monday, January 28, 2013

The Reese Family: Baby Shower #2

I have some amazing friends. I knew that. But you didn't, or maybe you did... hmmm. Anyway, I digress.

Colleen and I have been friends for a long time. But when became very close a few years ago. I think it probably started when she and I started going to country concerts together. I don't know if she knows this, but at one of our first concerts I got sick from not eating, drinking, and the insane heat. I think I must have passed out in the shade, because I remember strangers bringing me water.? But again I digress. Now we are lucky enough to work together. I look forward to that part every day.

So Colleen hosted a Baby Shower for me and Baby Girl at her lovely Mom's house. No matter how many times I asked if I could do anything to help out, she shot me down. She made a diaper cake that I am still amazed by. I refuse to take it apart.?

No lie. I was nervous beforehand. I had friends coming from college as well as local and work friends. I was overwhelmed by the number of people who love us. Not the worst thing in the world to be nervous about. But in the end, it was perfect. I was surrounded by people I love and who love Baby Girl & I.?

The whole shower was my idea of heaven. From the games to the food. We played Bingo, trivia, categories, and they all put bets on when Baby Girl will arrive and how big she will be. I hope they bet small and early. I mean, a girl can hope right?!?!?! And let's talk food! Macaroni & cheese, sandwiches, fruit, and butternut squash!!! My Mom made it for us! And?unfortunately, there weren't any leftovers. Sad face. And Jen made CUPCAKES!!! I love POPPYCAKES! Dark chocolate with salted caramel buttercream and fudge icing. And champagne cupcakes. How could a girl complain at all?! I loved eating them for the last week!

The best present we got? All the BOOKS! I know you thought we had enough books. But we don't. No such thing!?

  • Pat the Bunny
  • Llama Llama Red Pajama
  • Sammy Spider (2)
  • Where the Wild Things Are (EN)
  • Barnyard Dance
  • My Little Pony Throws a Party
  • Where the Wild Things Are (SP)
  • Eric Carle Books (2)
  • Good Dog Carl
  • I Ruff You
  • Belly Laughs (Jenny McCarthy)
  • Snow Day for Jingle
  • Too Purple
  • Dr. Suess books (ABC & Sleep)
  • Love You Forever
  • Going to Bed Book
  • Caterpillar & Butterfly book
  • Baby Care Bible
  • Cat & Butterfly book
  • Good Night Gorilla
  • Classic Storybook
  • Terp book
  • Winnie the Pooh stories
  • The Bro Code for Parents
  • Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

We also got a lot of other very useful presents. I think we are set on bath time supplies. Almost. And we have a few diapers now. I should do a show and tell on our diapers. We did at the shower. And we got some amazing homemade quilts. They are getting their own post. No worries. But I know that there are two more in the works, so I thought I would wait on that post.?

So THANK YOU!!! To my friends and family! We feel so very loved!


Source: http://thereeseadventures.blogspot.com/2013/01/baby-shower-2.html

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Sunday, January 27, 2013

French urgency, U.S. caution collide in Mali operation

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - France's military intervention in Mali has revived trans-Atlantic tensions over security issues, this time involving a key counterterrorism battlefield, along with dismay from critics who see U.S. President Barack Obama as too reluctant to use military force.

According to interviews with officials from both sides, the French have privately complained about what they see as paltry and belated American military support for their troop deployment, aimed at stopping the advance of militants allied with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

The Americans question whether French President Francois Hollande's armed intervention, which is entering its third week, was coupled with a thought-through exit strategy.

Hollande called Obama on Thursday, January 10, and in a brief conversation about Mali, told the U.S. leader that France was about to mount a major military operation in the north African country.

Hollande was in a hurry and called Obama to inform, not to consult, according to French and U.S. officials. France's ambassador to Mali had sent an urgent message to Paris, warning that if the strategic city of Mopti fell to armed Islamic militants, there would be nothing to stop them from capturing the capital, Bamako, and controlling the entire country.

France launched its military operation on January 11.

"Had we not intervened, the whole region would have become a new 'Sahelistan'," said a senior French official, referring to the Sahel region of Africa south of the Sahara Desert.

But France's sense of urgency ran headlong into American concerns about whether Paris had a long-term plan for Mali, and about getting the U.S. military deeply involved in a new foreign conflict as Obama begins his second term in office, the officials said.

'MINIMAL' U.S. SUPPORT?

The United States has given what U.S. officials say is significant intelligence support to French forces in Mali, and has helped to airlift French troops and equipment into the country.

France wants more U.S. and European help to move its soldiers and materiel. More urgently, it wants U.S. aerial refueling capability for its planes, French officials said. That would help France conduct airstrikes to relieve pressure on French troops should they encounter trouble in northern Mali, they said.

A U.S. official said France's refueling request is under active consideration.

U.S. support has been "minimal" in practice, one U.S. official acknowledged on condition of anonymity. Washington, this official said, gave France a "hard time" when they asked for increased support, and the French will "remember us for that."

Obama, who took office when the United States was mired in two costly wars, has shown himself to be cautious - too cautious, mostly Republican critics say - about foreign military interventions. He limited the U.S. role in the campaign that helped oust Libya's Muammar Gaddafi and has resisted months of pressure for more muscular support for rebels fighting to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

There are disagreements within the White House and Congress about U.S. support for the Mali mission, said Republican Representative Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

"This is not new ... We're seeing an ongoing debate about our participation level in Syria. We saw that same level of debate about our participation in Libya, and now we're having that exact same philosophical stalemate and debate on what we do with the French in Mali," Rogers said in an interview.

Obama and his aides "don't want their hand forced by French action," said Todd Moss, vice president of the Center for Global Development think tank and a former top official in the State Department's Africa bureau.

"There is very little, if any, political support in the U.S. for military action in a place like Mali," Moss said.

Obama spoke to Hollande by phone on Friday and "expressed his support for France's leadership of the international community's efforts to deny terrorists a safe haven in Mali," the White House said in a statement.

The White House said Hollande thanked Obama for the "significant support" provided by the United States.

LOOKING FOR AN EXIT STRATEGY

France has 2,500 soldiers in Mali, which it sent to block a southward advance on the Malian capital by Islamists occupying Mali's north. While French and Malian troops have appeared to make progress in recent days, the Islamists have proven to be better trained and equipped than France anticipated.

The U.N. Security Council last month authorized deployment of a 3,300-member African military force, known as AFISMA, to Mali. The full force was originally not expected to be ready until at least September. It now appears that the Africans will be contributing many more troops with a sharply accelerated deployment schedule, although there are questions about how well trained and equipped they are.

Even before Hollande acted, the United States had been reluctant for months about supporting international intervention in Mali, causing French-U.S. frictions at the United Nations.

Remembering that it took the Americans weeks to decide on their level of support for the aerial mission over Libya in 2011, France decided to act immediately when Islamist forces in Mali began moving south, the French officials said.

One French official described Obama's policy as almost "isolationist" - very reluctant to intervene, especially without a clear, easily sellable U.S. strategic interest at stake.

The Obama administration has said it will do whatever it can to ensure France is successful in disrupting the militants' progress.

Tommy Vietor, a White House spokesman, said, "We continue to share the French goal of denying terrorists a safe haven in the region, and we support the French operation."

The United States, Vietor noted, is working to accelerate the deployment, training and equipping of the African force.

Privately, U.S. officials are more skeptical, suggesting that Paris has developed its plans on the fly, and has no clear exit strategy.

"I don't think it's a secret that the French military effort has evolved and developed over time, and as that's happened we've worked with them to get the clearest-possible picture of not just their short term planning but also how they view this operation looking in three months or three years," an Obama administration official said.

France has not specified how long its troops will stay in Mali, where they hope to split local Tuareg rebels away from AQIM militants and into talks with the Malian government.

"The longer we stay, the bigger the risks," the senior French official said.

(Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed and David Alexander, Louis Charbonneau at the United Nations, David Lewis in Dakar, and Catherine Bremer in Paris; Writing by Warren Strobel; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/french-urgency-u-caution-collide-mali-operation-060813620.html

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Scientists See Big Rewards (and Risk) in Private Spaceflight

Private spaceflight should create many opportunities for scientific progress, though risk will have to be minimized for the field to really take off, a panel of experts stressed earlier this month.

The burgeoning commercial spaceflight industry should help develop new technologies and bring launch costs down, allowing more people and more scientific experiments to go up into space, panelists said Jan. 11 during an event at Caltech in Pasadena called "Science and the New Space Race: Opportunities and Obstacles."

Space policy expert John Logsdon, for example, noted that current launch vehicles are still based on intercontinental ballistic missiles ? which is 1950s-era technology.

"Private industry can be the driving force in creating new capabilities," said Logsdon, a professor emeritus at George Washington University. [NASA?s Private Space Taxi Plan (Video)]

A growing industry

Steve Isakowitz, executive vice president and chief technology officer at Virgin Galactic, observed that developing new technologies is not the highest priority for his company.

"We?re being as conservative as possible," he said, noting that the company is seeking to build on existing technology. Virgin Galactic aims to develop space tourism, and has already taken more than 500 deposits for suborbital flights.

Pioneering companies such as Virgin likely won?t have the private spaceflight field to themselves for long.

"Once the frontier opens up, we hope other people will join us," Isakowitz said.

Along with carrying passengers on suborbital flights, Virgin Galactic also intends to carry satellites into space aboard its LauncherOne rocket, for $10 million per ride.

Virgin Galactic isn't the only company looking to enter the market. Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, is one of the top contenders to take over the role of the space shuttle in ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

SpaceX is already carrying cargo into space for NASA with its Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket, having completed its first contracted resupply mission for the space agency late last year.

"We are looking to expand Dragon beyond cargo and crew," SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said, discussing the possibility of attaching scientific payloads to the craft.

Risky business

Both Virgin Galactic and SpaceX acknowledge the risks inherent in the spaceflight industry. Failure comes in two types ? the loss of scientific opportunities and the loss of human life.

The riskiness of unmanned scientific missions is a simpler challenge to grapple with. John Grunsfeld, NASA's associate administrator for science and a former space shuttle astronaut, referred to the switch in paradigms the agency made in the 1990s.

After several costly failures, NASA switched to a "better, faster, cheaper" strategy of sending several smaller, less expensive scientific missions every few years, rather than large costly ones once or twice a decade. The new scheme helped mitigate the financial and scientific costs of failure.

Such a strategy will likely be continued as space travel became more privatized. NASA could continue to schedule larger missions as necessary, but major undertakings will probably be interspersed with smaller projects.

The trick is balancing cost and risk, experts say.

"The private sector is free to take those risks," Grunsfeld said, pointing out that it doesn't have to deal with government bureaucracy.

A work in progress

Because private industry doesn't spend taxpayers' money, it also faces less public scrutiny. Grunsfeld pointed to Felix Baumgartner's recent supersonic jump, which was privately funded, noting that the public accepted the risk taken by Baumgartner and his mission team, known as Red Bull Stratos.

But that doesn't mean that outrageous risks will be taken when it comes to astronauts.

"No one ever wants to lose a life," Shotwell said.

NASA has mandated that spacecraft carrying people contain an astronaut escape system to be used in the event of an emergency. At the same time, the Dragon spacecraft is outfitted with redundancies in its propulsion system, since loss of propulsion is the primary cause of failure in a launch.

"If you fail, it should be because you pushed to the frontier," Grunsfeld said. "Failure due to poor craftsmanship is not an option."

Still, space travel is inherently risky. How might the public respond if one of the first private flights results in a tragic loss of life?

"It would be really difficult for the industry to pick up after that," Shotwell said. "It would pick up after that, but it would be hard."

"Science and the New Space Race: Opportunities and Obstacles" was supported by the Keck Institute for Space Studies and the Caltech Y, a nonprofit organization that seeks to broaden the perspectives of the university's students.

Follow SPACE.com on Twitter?@Spacedotcom. We're also on?Facebook?&?Google+.

Copyright 2013 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/scientists-see-big-rewards-risk-private-spaceflight-131334368.html

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Is a Franchise for you? ? Buying or Starting a Business?

We were contacted by a news organization the other day, to ask our opinion on several issues regarding Franchises.? One of the fundamental questions that came up is whether franchising is really worth it?

The answer is ? as in many questions ? it depends?? In the case of franchising, it depends on you, the Buyer; and it depends highly on the Franchise, itself.

As far as you are concerned, what are your skills?? If, for example you are contemplating a Fast Food Franchise, do you know cooking?? Do you know Food Costs?? How adept are you in Estimating Food Supply questions?? How much Waste do you need to estimate?

How many Employees do you need at any one time?? Do they all need to be there at once, or can you bring in some people early and the majority of them at other times?? And what kinds of skills do they need?? (A Food Prep person does not have the same skills as a Server, who in turn is not the same as a Bartender, and so on.)

Designing the Restaurant is key.? We consulted with an Architectural Firm that was designing spaces for an intended, multi-location Restaurant chain.? The Architect put together a wonderful design for the seating area, but the Kitchen area was a mess!? He had placed equipment in such a manner that the Prep Area was at one end of the Kitchen, but when his/her foods were finished, the Prep Cook had to take physically transport the products to the Main Cooking area, which was almost at the opposite end of the Kitchen.? Then, the finished plates had to be moved to another area of the Kitchen for delivery to servers, so that people were constantly crossing each other with hot platters and knives at a rapid pace, potentially on wet and sometimes even greasy floors?if you charted it, the traffic pattern looked like a plate of linguini!

Even food presentation systems sometimes need to be thought out carefully, in terms of need and progression.? We recently saw a buffet, where the Diners were directed to one end of a food line.? The rolls and butter were at the beginning of that line, then silverware, then a huge salad bowl, THEN plates.? A diner was left either to cross in front of people who putting salad on their plates in order to get a clean dish, or stuffing rolls and butter into his/her pockets in order to free his/her hands to fill them with salad, and finally arriving at the available plates.

These sound like simple, common sense issues, but unless you have been in the business, they can escape your notice until you actually become operational, in your own Restaurant.? And then, it can be too late:? You have already designed your Restaurant, spent a lot of money on equipment and space build-out, and to change it can be cost prohibitive.? Moreover, every space you lease can be different; so even if you have owned a place before, the next one can have its own challenges, due to the amount of square footage and shape of the location.

Most Franchises can help you with all of those decisions and provide the training and support that helps you through these decisions.? They can guide you with Cost of Goods, Pricing suggestions and Expense planning and containment.? They normally even have the kind of Software and certain customized Equipment, specific to your business that can save you thousands of dollars, compared to researching, designing and buying such equipment and services on your own.? If you do not need that kind of support, then maybe franchising is not for you.

Not all Franchise Companies are created equally.? Some profess to have great training and ongoing support, when in fact they do not.? In Food, some require the Franchisee to order specific brands and ingredients, which may be far higher than the norm.

(In some cases of that kind, the Franchise Company gets a percentage of the purchases you make, from the Manufacturer or Distributor; that?s one of the reasons your Food Costs can be so high.? The same can be said for your Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment ? known collectively as FF&E. The Franchise Company may demand specific equipment that is the Rolls Royce of such equipment, when you only need a Hyundai to get you where you want to go.? And the demand may be because the Franchise Company, again gets a slice of your pie.)

Many Franchises would seem to offer innovative products and services that would appear to offer incredible earning opportunities for the Franchisee, but those earnings never seem to bear fruit.? And to be fair, sometimes the failures are the fault of the Franchisee.? The Franchisee can take a great idea and screw it up, if he/she thinks you do not have to do anything at all, in order to make it successful.? Or, the Franchisee can decide he/she knows more than the Franchisor, and ignore the Franchise proven practices, thus destroying some of the very real advantages the concept offers.? The fact that is it a Franchise does not guarantee success.? Just as with any other business, you need to critically analyze the Business Plan offered by the Franchisor, and then adapt your own to the local area you plan to serve.? Even McDonald?s has had periodic failures, due to location.

A lot of what you pay for, as a Franchisee, is the BRAND.? Brands like McDonald?s are worth an incredible amount, to a new Franchisee.? Compare the opening of a McDonald?s, where kids start screaming at their parents for a Happy Meal immediately upon seeing the Golden Arches from at least a block away, to something (as an example, we will call) Buford?s Burgers, with a poster-board sign, (because Buford did not understand how long it takes to order and install electric signage,) in the window of a small shop at the back corner of some shopping center ? and those same kids are too young to read.? Make a difference?

Brands can hurt, as well.? We know of one Franchise that suffered a scandal in one area of the Country, and it hurt all of the remaining Franchises, as a result.? The Law requires full disclosure of any legal action against a Franchise Company, and it is found in the publication the Franchisor is required by Law to provide you, in advance of any discussions you have with them.? READ THAT CAREFULLY!

And read not only that part of the disclosure, but all of it.? Know what you are agreeing to.

There is one, very successful Franchise Company that does not really sell one (1) unit.? When you sign up, you are contractually agreeing to develop one (1) location, then another three (3) over the next five (5) years.? One person we know bought into that Franchise in 2007; he could not get funding for additional locations when the recession hit and had to forfeit his Franchise to the parent Company, for defaulting on his expansion requirements.? Another chose poor locations, which then did not do well; she also had to close shop then the poor performance of the two (2) original locations did not allow her to launch the required third, which was to be located in an area that may have actually saved the others.

In another, extremely prominent and successful Franchise, the Franchisees? territory protection was threatened by the demands of the parent Company, and eventually led to costly damages to the Franchisees.

The Franchisor decided that a cooperative venture with another organization was a great idea, and the new venture operations would be located within a number of current Franchise territories.? The affected Franchisees were told they HAD to open these new locations, or the Franchisor had the right to put someone else in place, legally destroying the territorial protection ? not only in those specific locations, but completely.? The Franchisees felt they had no choice, despite attempts in court.

The problem is that the expansion was a terrible idea!? The Franchisees knew that, going into it.? But the Franchisor insisted?then four (4) years later said, ?Maybe that was not such a great concept??? But it was not the Franchisor that lost its shirt; it was the Franchisees that were coerced into the expansion that never should have been!

The moral of that story is that you need to retain an Attorney that specializes in Franchise Law, BEFORE you sign anything!? Franchisors literally have teams of Attorneys on their side.? You need at least one.? You may not be able to change the Franchise Agreement, but you at least need to know exactly what you are signing.

The Franchise Company does not have all of the offers, and is not infallible.? We know of several Franchising Companies, and one, superlative Franchisor that bought Franchises back from their Franchisees, when the Franchisees decided to retire and voluntarily sell.? In these cases, the Franchisor bought the operations back because they were particularly profitable, and the Franchise Company felt it could run the sites itself, getting far more than the 6% it had been receiving from the Franchisee, in return.

?Crash and burn?, is the best way to define the Franchise Companies management of these terrific sites.? It was so bad, they could not even re-sell the locations to another Franchisee, in order to salvage them.? They had to drag the previous Franchisee back from retirement, sell these locations back to his at a radical discount, and give him the opportunity to turn them around and then, finally sell them to another Franchisee.? The work ethic of the individual location Owner is sometimes just as important as the Brand, itself.

Moreover, in many Franchise Companies, new innovations and improvements in service are derived not by the Corporate or Franchisor Offices, but by individual Franchisee, themselves.? That does not mean the value of the Franchisor is diminished; the Franchise Company can serve as a critical link to other Franchisees, telling them of these improved methods of operation.? Or, helping the Franchisee in improving such operational techniques and perfecting new methodologies.

Finally, there are some Franchises that are simply, terrible!? There are some we refuse to list or recommend.? Invariably, these are companies where the Franchisee is never going to build any value that he/she can later sell for much of a profit.? The Franchise, in these cases, legally demands that the vast majority of the re-sale value belongs to it, and at the time of sale, the Franchisee finds that he/she is turning over the majority of the sales proceeds to the parent Company.? In buying that kind of operations, all the prospective Franchisee can hope for is to spend a lot of money in buying him/herself a job.? Nothing more.

Our perspective is that, if you took the risk going into the deal and put your own sweat and blood into the operation, you should damn well get the lion?s share of the benefit coming out of it!? Otherwise, why bother?

So again, is franchising a good thing?? Generally, we believe in franchising.? But it really depends on a lot of variables.? It can provide you with a proven product or service which CAN, but does not necessarily guarantee a much better chance for success.? The Franchise can offer training, support, advertising, branding, product/service enhancements over time?lots of advantages.

But some disadvantages also exist.? Research, research, research ? that is the only way to either validate such an opportunity, or determine it does not meet your fundamental need.

The real question for each individual is whether the cost is worth the benefit.? Those of you who have read our other blogs know:? This comes back to the Business Plan!!!

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Source: http://combrokerbusiness.wordpress.com/2013/01/27/is-a-franchise-for-you/

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Saturday, January 26, 2013

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Awards $1.68 Million to ...


Fri Jan 25, 2013 11:19am EST

(Reuters) ? Procter & Gamble Co?s (PG.N) quarterly profit soared past expectations as the world?s largest household products maker used higher prices and new products to drive sales growth, the strongest indication yet that turnaround efforts are paying off.

The results, along with improved forecasts for the fiscal year, follow months of criticism from analysts and most notably from activist investor William Ackman, who blamed P&G?s top brass, led by Chairman and Chief Executive Bob McDonald, for earlier missteps.

Shares of P&G, the maker of Pampers diapers and Gillette razors and a component of the Dow Jones industrial average .DJI, jumped as high as $73.25 in morning trading, their highest level in all of McDonald?s 3-1/2 years at the helm.

?They?ve been stuck in the mud for years and this is kind of a ray of hope for the company and they should be commended on the quarter,? said Channing Smith, co-manager of the Capital Advisors Growth Fund (CIAOX.O). P&G represents 2 percent of that fund.

The results, with profit and sales ahead of analysts? expectations, come after months of efforts by P&G to reignite growth in sluggish markets such as the United States while also expanding in emerging markets, where it typically sells lower-priced merchandise.

Back in April 2012, analysts took McDonald to task on a tense conference call after P&G cut its outlook. That summer, Ackman?s Pershing Square Capital Management bought the company?s shares and began pushing for more change.

Profit has exceeded analysts? expectations every quarter since, helped by new products such as Tide Pods single-dose laundry detergent.

Still, P&G?s growth lags that of peers such as Unilever Plc (ULVR.L) (UNc.AS).

P&G?s organic sales, which strip out the impact of divestitures and foreign exchange, grew 3 percent in the latest quarter, while Unilever posted 6.9 percent sales growth on Wednesday.

P&G?s rivals such as Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive Co (CL.N) and Kimberly-Clark Corp (KMB.N) have done well in recent years while Procter struggled, and now perhaps it has the firepower to bounce back, said Edward Jones analyst Jack Russo.

?Procter?s been left out of the party a little bit, so it?s nice to see them reappear here and kind of exert their influence on the group,? he said.

P&G has seen U.S. volume growth continue in January, said Chief Financial Officer Jon Moeller. At the same time, it believes it can improve market share in Europe over the next few months with products such as a new Ariel detergent based on the successful U.S. Tide Pods, McDonald said.

Still, analysts would like to see more improvement in other areas. Stifel Nicolaus analyst Mark Astrachan called the results ?solid and encouraging,? particularly the sales growth, but said P&G continues to lag in categories with strong growth trends, such as beauty.

Meanwhile, rival Kimberly-Clark also posted a better-than-expected profit on Friday.

ANSWERING ACKMAN

P&G has been under pressure to improve performance since Ackman bought a stake of about 1 percent, making his Pershing Square the company?s eighth-largest shareholder. Ackman has said many of the company?s problems were the fault of top management but said in the fall he understood the board wanted to give McDonald more time to repair years of damage.

?When the company is performing, obviously the pressure from Ackman will probably fade somewhat,? said Capital Advisors? Smith, adding that while he does not know Ackman?s intentions, it is clear that Ackman?s investment in P&G is worth a lot more today than when he bought the shares.

Ackman could not immediately be reached for comment.

Even before Ackman took a stake, P&G was going through a $10 billion restructuring and other changes. It cut 5,500 nonmanufacturing jobs through December, near its goal of reducing 5,700 positions by the end of June, Moeller said on Friday.

Competitors such as Colgate and Kimberly-Clark are also trimming their ranks.

P&G earned $4.06 billion, or $1.39 per share, in the fiscal second quarter ended in December, up from $1.69 billion, or 57 cents per share, a year earlier.

Stripping out unusual items such as restructuring charges and acquisitions, P&G earned $1.22 per share. That topped the company?s own forecast of $1.07 to $1.13 per share and analysts? average target of $1.11, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Net sales rose 2 percent to $22.18 billion, topping analysts? forecast of $21.91 billion.

P&G expects fiscal 2013 core earnings of $3.97 to $4.07 per share, up from an earlier forecast of $3.80 to $4. The fiscal year ends in June. Analyst estimates were at the bottom of that new range.

It expects organic sales to rise 3 to 4 percent this year, narrowing a prior forecast of 2 to 4 percent growth.

P&G also said it now plans to repurchase $5 billion to $6 billion in stock after calling for $4 billion to $6 billion in buybacks.

For the current quarter, P&G forecast core earnings per share of 91 to 97 cents, with sales up 3 to 4 percent. Analysts? average forecast was 95 cents per share.

Shares of P&G were up 3.7 percent at $73.00 late on Friday morning, off an earlier high at $73.25.

(Reporting by Jessica Wohl in Chicago; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe, Nick Zieminski and Matthew Lewis)

Source: http://www.redliontrader.com/streamingnews/the-leukemia-lymphoma-society-awards-1-68-million-to-improve-outcomes-for-patients-with-acute-promyelocytic-leukemia/

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Numark NS7 II Serato DJ controller hands-on (video)

Numark NS7 II Serato DJ controller hands-on

Like buttons? Numark at NAMM evidently thinks they are this season's DJ must have. The latest bit of kit to get the manual-input makeover? Its NS7 II Serato DJ controller. The second iteration of its motorized-platter DJ tool lands augmented with 16 "MPC-style" pads. Of course, when you are part of the same corporation that also makes the MPC, swinging these sort of add-ons must be a little easier. Those pads will be assignable to a host of features (cues, loop, roll, sampler, and slicer) in the Serato DJ software (sadly not ready for a demo with the hardware at this time). Of course, the NS7 II is all MIDI compatible, so if your software of choice is something else, then you are free to map and a buse as you wish. That's not all, you might notice in the picture above that the pads have some jazzy colors going on. They are have RGB illumination which can be set and customized to your choice by MIDI data. It's not all about the pads though. Numark has also added touch functionality to a lot of the rotaries. So, if you have one set to control a filter, you can just tap the tip of the control to trigger it on / off. The last of the big news is that with the NS7 II, you can also control four virtual decks. A nice addition for the fast-fingered DJs out there. We ran into the device on the show floor and spent some time with it. Head past the break for more.

If you ever got your hands on the original NS7, you'll know that it is quite the machine. Big, heavy, covered in controls, and most famously, sporting fully motorized 7-inch platters. It's this curious mix of new and old methodology that pretty much sums up the Serato DJ software it is designed to work with. With the NS7 II, it's basically more of the same. The hardware is built like a tank, the platters feel authentic enough to bring back nostalgia (even if it's in smaller, 7-inch form). The MPC buttons look and feel great too. Intense mashing and finger / thumb abuse? These look more than capable at taking it by the bucket load. The color effect is pleasing to the eye. We're not sure how important it will be in real world application, but if you like to mark out your triggers and samples, this will let you do that. And what the heck, it just looks pretty sweet -- never a bad thing. As for the touch-enabled rotaries? Well, sadly we'll just have to imagine how they work, as there was no connected software for us to test them out. We're imagining it to be a handy feature, none the less. The same applies to the four deck functionality. We were unable to test it, but it's utilitarian enough that we welcome the addition. Each of the two hardware platters has a pair of buttons beneath it letting you switch between decks easily. These buttons are again, solid and firm, letting you get carried away without damaging your new pride and joy.

Prospective buyers will be pleased to know that as Numark has done before, the unit also contains a full independent mixer. This means you can plug in CDJs, turntables and more and bring them into your set without problem. That mixer is also somewhat larger this time around, thanks to the extra two channels it sports for the four decks. This also serves to enhance its chunky, no messin' look and feel. We'd love to have spent some time actually using it, but alas it wasn't to be. We did manage to grab some video of the hardware though, so head south to take a look of that, while we patiently wait for price and availability information.

Billy Steele contributed to this report.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/26/numark-ns7-ii-serato-dj-controller-hands-on/

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Shannon Kringen Public Speaking 5 minute speech

Shannon Kringen
Public Speaking 5 minute speech
1/25/13

Visual and Performing Arts is as important as math, science, sports, and all other subjects taught in school.

Personally I think the arts have saved my life. As a child I felt left out, excluded and in my own world. I was very shy and yet had a strong desire to connect to something beyond myself. I was socially awkward but excelled in the arts.

Creativity is a language. Music and Visual art have a way of tapping into parts of the brain that may otherwise remain dormant.

The amazing Temple Grandin who is herself autistic and yet has earned a PHD in animal science is an example of someone who is very gifted in her unique way of processing information in her brain- and yet she had major problems in school as a child being autistic. Thanks to a wise mother and teachers who saw she had gifts she is able to translate her photographic memory into words and communicate those to others.

People who are gifted in one area may have deficits in other areas. The arts often provides a doorway into minds of unusual people who can otherwise not be reached.

I agree with Temple Grandin who said something to the effect of ?There is not enough building up of the talents and there is too much of trying to make people learn things they are not good at so they can be ?normal?.

Each person has a unique voice and art is a way to tap into that. I encourage people to find their gifts. Nurture your talents and build on those. I agree with Joseph Campbell who coined the phrase ?Follow your bliss?. It's not just about your own personal ?fun? following your bliss is like riding on a river current that connects you with all the other people you need to meet and have community with. If you focus on doing what you truly love and not what others think you should do you will attract synchronicity into your life and have experiences you would never otherwise have.

I have found making art is balancing to my brain. It calms me down when I'm upset and it wakes me up when I have low energy.

I suggest listening to the voice within you and seeing what attracts you? Visual art, music, theatre, dance? Do you want to create or express something? Or do you love watching or listening to others who create art/music/theatre/dance? I think people thrive when the arts are kept lively.

Write a poem, take a photo, draw a picture, sing, dance, play! Life is about creating. Problem solving in other areas of life are enhanced when one engages in creative expression. Art is about so much more than the arts. Making art develops the ability to solve problems. This is very nourishing to the brain.

Ask yourself what you want to create and make a list on paper right now and try at least one thing on your list! Listen to your heart on how this makes you feel when you create something new.

Source: http://shannonkringen.livejournal.com/2646727.html

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How social media helped promote a scholarship program for ...

SMO

Hello again! I?m Sara Aisenberg, and you might remember me from a guest post I wrote for Social Media Optimization about five common problems with SEO back in June. Today, I?m back here at SMO not only as a guest blogger but also as the associate director of educational outreach at SuretyBonds.com, a nationwide surety bond producer. As such, I?d like to do two things.

  1. Announce SuretyBonds.com?s first annual Small Business Success Student Scholarship Program
  2. Explain how our company has used social media to promote the scholarship across the Internet

What is the SuretyBonds.com Small Business Success Student Scholarship Program?

Just like other scholarship programs, the SuretyBonds.
com Small Business Success Student Scholarship Program was created to help deserving students reach their full collegiate potential. What sets this program apart from others, however, is that students who apply must have small business experience, whether it be personal or through a parent, grandparent or legal guardian. Three students who can articulate their experiences in a short essay will be selected to win a $1,500 scholarship to put toward education expenses.

You might be wondering, ?Why small business?? The answer is simple: SuretyBonds.com is a small business, and we?re proud to serve small business owners from across the country on a daily basis. We realize the value small businesses add not only to the economy, but also to the communities we live and work in, so we want to give back to those individuals who are living the American dream day in and day out. If you know anyone eligible for the scholarship program, be sure to recommend them to SuretyBonds.com/scholarships.

How have we used social media to promote the scholarship program?

A major component of this scholarship program will take place on Facebook. Once all applications have been received, ten finalists will be selected by our panel. The finalists will submit photographs that represent their respective small business experiences, and these photos will be posted on our custom SuretyBonds.com scholarship Facebook app. From May 1-31, 2012, the public will vote for their favorite contestants, and the three finalists with the most votes will each be awarded a scholarship.

Once our scholarship website went live, it was time to start promoting. That meant reaching out to colleges, universities and scholarship sites across the country. Of course, cold emailing was a necessary part of the process, but we also spent time searching for the social media platforms managed by the schools. These days, most schools have well-maintained Twitter accounts and Facebook profiles. (Many also have blogs; some even have several blogs for different departments within the institution.)

As any online marking professional knows, social media is crucial for almost every online promotional campaign. My team has been working to connect with schools via any social media outlet available. In the past, social media was an overlooked component of our online marketing campaigns, but this isn?t the case anymore. We were able to get the word out about the scholarship program not only via traditional but also non-traditional methods.

What tips and tricks do you have for promoting a scholarship online? Sound off in the comments!

This post was provided by Sara Aisenberg. Sara is the associate director of educational outreach at SuretyBonds.com. Keep up with Sara on Twitter and Google+.

Source: http://social-media-optimization.com/2013/01/how-social-media-helped-promote-a-scholarship-program-for-entrepreneurial-students/

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Canada sets start-up visa to attract entrepreneur immigrants

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Foreign innovators who want to set up new companies in Canada will be able to immigrate under a new start-up visa program that Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said on Thursday was the first of its kind in the world.

The new program, to be launched on April 1, is part of a government push to better align the immigration system with Canada's economic goals. Last year, the government revamped the skilled worker program to try to make it meet employers' needs more nimbly.

"Our new start-up visa will help make Canada the destination of choice for the world's best and brightest to launch their companies," Kenney said in a statement.

"Recruiting dynamic entrepreneurs from around the world will help Canada remain competitive in the global economy."

Under this program, would-be immigrants would require the support of a Canadian venture capital fund or angel investor group, which would invest in new companies started by the immigrants.

Once candidates for the program are identified by these groups, the government would try to clear them for entry into Canada within weeks.

The goal is to unite Canadian money and foreign brains. An initial source of candidates could be frustrated foreigners in the high-tech sector in the United States who have not been able to land resident status there.

The Canadian start-up visa would grant permanent resident status, which can then lead to citizenship.

For now, Ottawa will work with two umbrella groups that will identify which members of their associations will be eligible to participate in the program. They are Canada's Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (CVCA) and the National Angel Capital Organization.

"Through this program, we want to attract high-quality entrepreneurs from around the globe and help build best-in-class companies in Canada," said Peter van der Velden, president of CVCA and managing general partner of Lumira Capital, which helps build health and life-science companies.

Kenney has put a moratorium on issuing on Canada's existing entrepreneur visa, which only required an immigrant to hire one person for one year.

(Reporting by Randall Palmer; Editing by Peter Galloway)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/canada-sets-start-visa-attract-entrepreneur-immigrants-192433280.html

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North Korea Vows Nuclear Test 'Aimed' at US (Voice Of America)

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Friday, January 25, 2013

Sundance: 'American Promise' offered filmmakers unusual access ...

(Courtesy photo) Idris Brewster and Oluwaseun (Seun) Summers in ?American Promise.?

Sundance: ?American Promise? offered filmmakers unusual access ? to their son

Sundance ? The film chronicles two Brooklyn boys over 12 years.

Few people wait longer to star in a Sundance film than Idris Brewster. It?s been 13 years since his parents, Joe Brewster and Mich?le Stephenson, began filming the documentary that turned into "American Promise."

"From when I can first remember, I had a camera around me. So I don?t think I had a choice," Idris Brewster said.

?

?American Promise?

The documentary screens Wednesday, Jan. 23, 7 p.m. at Redstone Cinema 2, Park City; Thursday, Jan. 24 at 2:45 p.m., Broadway Center Cinema 6, Salt Lake City; Friday, Jan. 25, 11:15 a.m., the MARC, Park City; Saturday, Jan. 26, 3 p.m., Yarrow Hotel Theatre, Park City.

The documentary will air either later this year or in early 2014 on PBS?s ?P.O.V.?

Shot over 12 years, "American Promise" follows Idris and his best friend, Oluwaseun "Seun" Summers ? a couple of Brooklyn kids ? as they attended the prestigious, historically white Dalton School on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Gifted students, Idris and Seun soon faced new challenges, as did their parents.

Joe Brewster, a Harvard- and Stanford-trained psychiatrist, and his wife, Mich?le Stephenson, a Columbia Law School graduate and filmmaker, began working on the project in 1999. It?s about growing up, as well as class, gender and generational issues, with a particular focus on African-American boys. "I think when we started, we didn?t really know what this journey was going to be," Stephenson said.

And they didn?t really begin to decide when they began the editing process, about a decade after they began filming. They had acquired 800 hours of footage, and the first draft of the film came in at about 32 hours. Now it screens at 142 minutes.

The filming took place over a dozen years, but sporadically. "It?s not like we had the camera on [on] a consistent or constant basis," she said. "It was a very structured thing and as discreet as possible."

But not always discreet enough for her son once he hit high school."I didn?t want to be that kid with the camera following me around," Idris Brewster said. "But now, in retrospect, I?m really glad. And I?m coming to terms with people knowing me from the movie, and I?m ready to enjoy it."

This isn?t a look back through rose-colored glasses. Joe Brewster and Stephenson aren?t perfect parents, and the film reflects that.

"There were times when we were looking at the footage and wondering, ?Did I really say that to my son???" Joe Brewster said. "And then to have the editors tell you that you need to improve on your parenting skills, that was a bit much."

According to Idris Brewster, a lot was expected of him by his parents and the Dalton School. "My parents have always been hard on me, so I was sort of used to it," he said. "But there were a lot of sobering moments where it was just hard and I didn?t want to do it anymore. But I stuck with it."

story continues below

It couldn?t have been easy when your father "went into this process thinking that our son would graduate summa and become president of the United States of America," Joe Brewster said. "And only after a number of years into the process we began to tamp down on our expectations."

Brewster?s and Stephenson?s feature film "The Keeper" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1996, and they?re elated to be back with "American Promise." They rented a house, and about 20 people who participated in the film in one form or another are joining them to celebrate. "It?s really a validation of this long process, and we are just beside ourselves with this opportunity," Stephenson said.

spierce@sltrib.com

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/entertainment2/55659319-223/brewster-film-idris-stephenson.html.csp

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Monday, January 21, 2013

Review: OEMP Exec Management Program for Entrepreneurs | The ...

2012 OEMP participants on the last day of the courseThanks to Sanderyn Amsberg for this review of the?OEMP Program. If you've been to an event our community should know about, let us know!

Big businesses have plenty of programs to upgrade and update their managers' knowledge, but small business owners and entrepreneurs usually have to shop around to acquire new skills and professionalism. Up until now! The leading business school IE, based in Madrid and on a tie with top schools such as Harvard, LBS and INSEAD started a program for business owners and entrepreneurs this year. I attended the Executive Management Training and tested the waters.?

Of course there is a big advantage to doing a business course in Madrid: there are tapas, lovely people and plenty of sun. And, they were there, in abundance. But, there was really very little time for sunshine: the program runs from early morning to late in the evening at an intensity that gets you to shift to the highest gear. It is packed with highly advanced courses offered by top professors from around the world. In small groups you work on complicated business cases, the newest marketing successes are analyzed and of course there is plenty of attention for new technology, in marketing and in operations.?

Unique in this program is the focus on entrepreneurialism. We were trained in understanding interactions with partners, clients, employees, in decision-making and in negotiating.

Running a business can be a lonely place where you notice lots of areas that qualify for improvement and finding the right training courses isn't always easy. Thus it was great to find top quality professors coaching on a variety of things. For me the situational leadership course was great. As an entrepreneur you deal with different people very frequently and it is not always easy to assess them quickly. Marta Williams had us practice with different types of personalities in a class and in a quiz. It was a great way to learn to see beyond was is being said and learn how to approach different people. On a similar note there were a variety of leadership courses where you design and sell a product to a client, negotiate a good deal, learn where your strengths are using the strengths finder or how to market yourself via social media.?

It was not only leadership development on offer, but also courses that are normally available on an executive MBA, such as marketing, organizational development and business management.

Participants running larger businesses were profiting more from organizational development sessions or classes that taught you how to break from the pack. When you are running a successful business you don?t always have time to think about succession planning, or you might not think about new areas of entrepreneurship.

The OEMP program is designed for people in businesses with a revenue of 2 million or over. This is where business usually shifts from becoming small to becoming mature and organized - and this is where a top quality business school can help to attain extra quality in work processes. Hence the very challenging Corporate Finance classes, which you will only need if you have a larger company and the very useful supply chain management classes that help you design the supply chain and business process so that you can maximize profits. For example: only once you are up and running can you choose to design your turnover cycle in such a way that your income is earned before your costs are paid for.

Very insightful knowledge for any entrepreneur, but crucial if you are running a business that is maturing. In short, most topics that are run in an executive MBA were on offer here, in a concise way.?

But, it was not only established businesses that were served here. A large part of the program is made to enhance entrepreneurialism and new ventures. There are plenty of networking events with successful entrepreneurs and amazing lunches with some leading investors. IE has a reputation for being a school where entrepreneurialism is given a priority. The Venture Lab sessions and venture days, where investors come in and students pitch their ideas are an important and recurring part in the school?s curriculum. The ?investment readiness sessions? are also an important part of the OEMP program. Two afternoons and evenings per module are dedicated to understanding what a good business model is, how to pitch it and how a valuation works. In addition, there are investor-speakers who reflect on student?s work and there is plenty of opportunity to work out your own business plan in between modules.

An the end of the training, the pitch is for real and some of us indeed got funding to start or continue a business!?

It is not only exposure to top quality professors, pitching for real investors, being in a highly professional environment that is so great about this program, it is working with a small group from all over the world and exchanging ideas and making plans. After a year of training, the group of eleven people I worked with became a very close knit, yet global group. When discussing your own business and passion and pitfalls in such an intense container with so few people, not much is left unshared.

From how to stay fit and young whilst running a business, to how to balance life and career, everybody is facing the same or similar challenges and the Spanish tapas culture helps to joke about it after a very busy day.?

The school is offering all the knowledge and access to key business people on a silver plate for participants: we had amazing lunches and afternoon drinks to dress the events and even the breaks. IE makes an outstanding effort to help anyone involved to join as many valuable activities within or outside the school: venture labs, lectures, networking events and even investor trips. To those entrepreneurs who want to broaden or even stretch their boundaries I can highly recommend the training.

IE's next Owners and Entrepreneurs Program (OEMP) is starting in February 2013. For more information contact Adam Stephenson, associate director of executive programs at IE Business School, stephen[dot]adamson[at]ie.edu.

Sanderyn Amsberg is the CEO of SpaceXS. She was previously a principal at San Francisco-based music start-up Bamm.tv and London based digital media firm Openthread.com. Starting her career with Deloitte, she moved on to smaller international boutique firms specialising in organisational strategy and spatial, creative and workplace strategies. During her years as a consultant she gained Executive Management Degrees from Harvard Business School and IE Business School, adding to her original Masters degrees in Architectural Engineering and International Political Economy. She loves designing and writing, but always investigated into the nature of the design world in the context of global socio-economic phenomena, aiming to make a difference in it. This is the mission of SpaceXS, with the website launching in the next few months.

Source: http://www.thenextwomen.com/2013/01/21/review-oemp-exec-management-program-entrepreneurs

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Saturday, January 5, 2013

'Downton' star: Lord Grantham is 'a dinosaur'

Joss Barratt / PBS

Hugh Bonneville as Lord Grantham on "Downton Abbey."

By Us Weekly

"Downton Abbey" returns for a third season on Sunday, Jan. 6, and according to series star Hugh Bonneville, there are a lot of great things in store for fans. But the same can't be said for the actor's alter ego, the Earl of Grantham.

PHOTOS: TV's rising stars?

"He's a bit of a dinosaur. At the end of season one, you felt that he was a man that while conservative by birth, was liberal in outlook and compassionate and had one eye on the future," the 49-year-old Brit explains of his character in a new interview with Vulture. "But by the time you get to season three, he clearly wants everything to stay in 1912...He spends a lot of the season with his back against the wall."?

PHOTOS: Best-dressed British stars?

That said, Bonneville claims that the upcoming episodes mark a return to form of sorts for both the fictional Crawley family and the PBS Masterpiece Classic show that follows their lives through the post-Edwardian era.?

"The tone of season two was about the effect the outside world was having on the house. Downton lost its identity," the star says. "But with the war over, there is a sense that everything has quieted down, and the focus is back on to the characters and the world you knew in season one."?

VIDEO: Watch a sneak peek of season three!?

In theory, at least. "Of course, it's all shifted," he adds. "Nothing can be the same again."?

That will become even clearer should the series continue beyond its already-confirmed fourth season, Bonneville says.?

"They could lose [the house]," he speculates of what might happen to the Crawleys and their beloved Yorkshire country estate. "After World War II, the major estates really did collapse. It will be interesting to see what [show creator Julian Fellowes] does with next season and if indeed there will be a fifth, how far he'll take it."?

What do you think of Lord Grantham? How would you like to see the family evolve? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page!

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Source: http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2013/01/04/16356213-downton-abbey-star-lord-grantham-is-a-bit-of-a-dinosaur?lite

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Are The Social Networks On The Internet For Business Informatics ...

Increasingly, the number of people who venture into social networks, most without a goal, let alone a strategy to get the most benefit. Because this is very easy to say: I use or have used social networks to promote my business but I have not been successful. Surprisingly, you?ll find very little mention of John C. Bogle on most websites. On the other hand listen to others: The Boom today to promote your business online is web 2. 0, or social networks. What do you think makes a difference in the thinking of each other? As I mentioned at the beginning, the key is that each strategy is used. Of course, some are more effective than others. While it is true that social networks can be an effective way to promote your business, it is a mistake, be advertised your products daily, sending messages and offers about them, with the aim of selling at all costs. In social networks it does not work well, people do not come to see that they sell, people go to build trust, and these will only be generated when quality information is shared without marketing purposes, or make yourself known and recognized and position yourself as someone skilled in the art.

When it builds trust and credibility the business starts to take off, people start to recommend and that is how business relationships are being established. The effect of word of mouth recommendation, it is powerful and helps the brand positioning. The enterprising Web site. is listed: More than 64% of Internet users said that what gives you confidence to make contact with a brand is the recommendation of friends and speaking more than 67% of marks in these communities. And now more than ever buying decisions are not separated from the influence of others. So the strategy is to position your brand through the trust and credibility, form relationships and personal because that may be fruitful for both parties.

Source: http://www.gpdr.org/are-the-social-networks-on-the-internet-for-business-informatics

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Congress votes to allow threatened ethics team to continue (CNN)

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Friday, January 4, 2013

More fiscal clashes loom as new Congress opens

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. passes the gavel to House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, who was re-elected as House Speaker of the 113th Congress, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. passes the gavel to House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, who was re-elected as House Speaker of the 113th Congress, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. gets a kiss from House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio after he was re-elected as House Speaker as the 113th Congress began, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio bangs the gavel after being re-elected as House Speaker of the 113th Congress, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, enters the House of Representatives chamber, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, after surviving a roll call vote in the newly convened 113th Congress. He is escorted by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Va., House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif., House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy of Calif., and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Md. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Rep.-elect Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, as she poses with other female House members prior to the official opening of the 113th Congress. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

(AP) ? A new Congress opened for business Thursday to confront long-festering national problems, deficits and immigration among them, in an intensely partisan and crisis-driven era of divided government. "The American dream is in peril," said House Speaker John Boehner, re-elected to his post despite a mini-revolt in Republican ranks.

Moments after grasping an oversized gavel that symbolizes his authority, Boehner implored the assembly of newcomers and veterans in the 113th Congress to tackle the nation's heavy burden of debt at long last. "We have to be willing ? truly willing ? to make this right."

Also on the two-year agenda is the first significant effort at an overhaul of the tax code in more than a quarter century. Republicans and Democrats alike say they want to chop at a thicket of existing tax breaks and use the resulting revenue to reduce rates.

There were personal milestones aplenty as the winners of last fall's races swore an oath of office as old as the republic.

Sens. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Deb Fischer of Nebraska were among the newcomers sworn in, raising the number of women in the Senate to a record 20. Tim Scott of South Carolina became the first black Republican in the Senate in more than three decades.

On the first day of a new term, one veteran made a stirring comeback. Republican Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois returned to the Capitol for the first time since suffering a stroke a year ago, walking slowly up the 45 steps to the Capitol with the use of a cane. "Good to see you, guys," he said.

Across the Capitol, children and grandchildren squirmed through opening formalities that ended with Boehner's election as the most powerful Republican in a government where President Barack Obama will soon be sworn in to a second term and his fellow Democrats control the Senate.

"At $16 trillion and rising, our national debt is draining free enterprise and weakening the ship of state," said the Ohio Republican, whose struggles to control his members persisted to the final weekend of the 112th Congress when "fiscal cliff" legislation finally cleared. "The American dream is in peril so long as its namesake is weighed down by this anchor of debt. Break its hold and we will begin to set our economy free. Jobs will come home. Confidence will come back."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he, too, is ready for attempts to rein in federal spending, but laid down a few conditions. "Any future budget agreements must balance the need for thoughtful spending reductions with revenue from the wealthiest among us and closing wasteful tax loopholes," he said. That was in keeping with Obama's remarks after Congress had agreed on fiscal cliff legislation to raise taxes for the wealthy while keeping them level for the middle class.

Boehner and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell have other ideas, both having said in recent days that the days of raising taxes are over.

"Now is the time to get serious about spending," McConnell said. "And if the past few weeks have taught us anything, that means the president needs to show up early this time." People won't "tolerate the kind of last-minute crises that we've seen again and again over the past four years as a result of this president's chronic inactivity and refusal to lead on the pressing issues of the day."

While neither Boehner nor Reid mentioned immigration in their opening-day speeches, Obama is expected to highlight the issue in the first State of the Union address of his new term. Lawmakers are already working toward a compromise they hope can clear both houses.

Most Democrats have long favored legislation to give millions of illegal immigrants a chance at citizenship, and Republicans have stoutly resisted. Now, though, many within the GOP appear ready to reconsider, after watching with alarm as Obama ran up an estimated 71 percent of the Hispanic vote in winning re-election over Mitt Romney in November.

There is little doubt that fiscal issues are at the forefront, though, as they have been since the economy cratered more than four years ago. The issue dominated the just-ended Congress from beginning to end as tea party-backed lawmakers pressed relentlessly to cut spending and reduce deficits.

They met with decidedly mixed success.

They won Obama's signature on $1 trillion in cuts over a decade after using the debt limit as leverage, but were forced into a humiliating surrender a year ago after trying to block an extension in payroll tax cuts. And in the last major act of the 112th Congress, they were forced to swallow legislation that contained next-to-no spending cuts, raised tax rates on the wealthy while keeping them even for the middle class and boosted deficits by an estimated $4 trillion over a decade.

And now, the newly enfranchised Congress will begin by raising deficits. National flood insurance legislation to help victims of Hurricane Sandy will create slightly more than $9 billion in red ink if it passes as expected on Friday. A follow-up disaster aid measure that Boehner has said will be brought to a vote on Jan. 15 would add $27 billion ? more if the bill grows, as seems likely, after it is reconciled with a $60-billion Senate version.

The next big clash is expected to begin within weeks. A two-month delay in automatic spending cuts expires at the end of February. As well, the administration will seek authority to borrow more money in late winter or early spring, and financing expires for most government agencies on March 27.

Republicans have said they intend to seek significant savings from Medicare, Medicaid and other government benefit programs to gain control over spending. Obama has said he won't bargain over the government's borrowing authority. He has also said is open to changes in benefit programs, but would face resistance on that from liberal Democrats.

Boehner will lead a House that has a Republican majority of 233-200, with two vacancies, a loss of eight seats for the GOP. Fourteen Republicans declined to vote for him, a reflection of their unhappiness with his leadership, but several more defections would have been needed to deny him a first-ballot victory. It's not unusual for party leaders to lose the votes of some dissidents. Nineteen Democrats declined to support their leader, Nancy Pelosi, on a similar ballot two years ago after her party lost more than 60 seats in the 2010 election.

Democrats hold a 55-45 majority in the Senate, and control two more seats than they did the past two years.

Reid and McConnell are negotiating over possible changes in the Senate's filibuster rules to make the movement of legislation more efficient, even when it is hotly contested.

___

Associated Press writers Donna Cassata, Andrew Taylor and Henry C. Jackson contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-03-New%20Congress/id-40f76e90bdfd4f43805ac67b041b3882

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