Details of Senate bill averting 'fiscal cliff'

Highlights of a bill approved Tuesday by the Senate aimed at averting wide tax increases and budget cuts scheduled to take effect in the new year. The measure would raise taxes by about $600 billion over 10 years compared with tax policies that were due to expire at midnight Monday. It would also delay for two months across-the-board cuts to the budgets of the Pentagon and numerous domestic agencies.

The House is expected to vote on the bill Tuesday or Wednesday.

Highlights include:

?Income tax rates: Extends decade-old tax cuts on incomes up to $400,000 for individuals, $450,000 for couples. Earnings above those amounts would be taxed at a rate of 39.6 percent, up from the current 35 percent. Extends Clinton-era caps on itemized deductions and the phase-out of the personal exemption for individuals making more than $250,000 and couples earning more than $300,000.

?Estate tax: Estates would be taxed at a top rate of 40 percent, with the first $5 million in value exempted for individual estates and $10 million for family estates. In 2012, such estates were subject to a top rate of 35 percent.

?Capital gains, dividends: Taxes on capital gains and dividend income exceeding $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for families would increase from 15 percent to 20 percent.

?Alternative minimum tax: Permanently addresses the alternative minimum tax and indexes it for inflation to prevent nearly 30 million middle- and upper-middle income taxpayers from being hit with higher tax bills averaging almost $3,000. The tax was originally designed to ensure that the wealthy did not avoid owing taxes by using loopholes.

?Other tax changes: Extends for five years Obama-sought expansions of the child tax credit, the earned income tax credit, and an up-to-$2,500 tax credit for college tuition. Also extends for one year accelerated "bonus" depreciation of business investments in new property and equipment, a tax credit for research and development costs and a tax credit for renewable energy such as wind-generated electricity.

?Unemployment benefits: Extends jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed for one year.

?Cuts in Medicare reimbursements to doctors: Blocks a 27 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors for one year. The cut is the product of an obsolete 1997 budget formula.

?Social Security payroll tax cut: Allows a 2-percentage-point cut in the payroll tax first enacted two years ago to lapse, which restores the payroll tax to 6.2 percent.

?Across-the-board cuts: Delays for two months $109 billion worth of across-the-board spending cuts set to start striking the Pentagon and domestic agencies this week. Cost of $24 billion is divided between spending cuts and new revenues from rule changes on converting traditional individual retirement accounts into Roth IRAs.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/details-senate-bill-averting-fiscal-cliff-083204095--finance.html

project runway all stars elin nordegren tangled ever after kansas state last house on the left last house on the left rich forever mixtape

1001 SEO Tips building Web and blog LINKs the fastest way ...

By Aaron Wall and Andy Hagans.

Link Building? Time-intensive. Frustrating. Sometimes confusing. Yet Unavoidable. Because ultimately, it?s still the trump card for higher rankings.

Many of us have been hoping that it would go away. In Brett Tabke?s 5/18?Robots.txt?entry, he echoed a sentiment that many, many webmasters hold on to as a hope:

?

What happens to all those Wavers that think [i]Getting Links = SEO[/i] when that majority of the Google algo is devalued in various ways? Wavers built their fortunes on ?links=seo?. When that goes away, the Wavers have zero to hold on to.

The pertinent questions:

1. Will link building still be very important for rankings in the medium term?
2. When will link popularity be devalued in favor of other algo elements (that are less tedious, from a webmaster?s point of view)?

The answers:

1. Sorry, but link building is still going to be the SEO trump card for the foreseeable future.
2. I wouldn?t hold your breath for search engine algorithms to place less importance on link popularity until the Semantic Web arrives, or maybe when HTTP gets replaced by a new protocol. Because links are still the basic connector, the basic relationship, on the Web. And for the forseeable future they?re going to be the easiest way for a computer program to judge the importance and trustworthiness of a Web page.

What?will?happen to the way search algorithms score links is already happening. The Google algo has become much more elegant and advanced, devaluing staggering amount of links that?shouldn?t?count, and placing more emphasis on?trusted?links. And the trust and juice given by those links is thenverified?by elements like user data, domain age, and other relatively hard-to-spoof factors.

But please, don?t fool yourself. Links that?should?count are still the key to rankings (in Google, at least ? and MSN and Yahoo! are only a few short years behind). In that spirit, Aaron and?I?have created our 101 Ways to Build (and Not Build) Links. (Yeah, it just so happened that there were exactly 101!)

Oh, and mad props to our inspiration,?131 Legitimate Link Building Strategies, one of the original authority documents on link building. It was just getting a bit rusty, that?s all (?Host your own Web Ring??). Anyway, enjoy the update.

71 Good Ways to Build Links

Love for Lists

1. Build a ?101 list?. These get Dugg all the time, and often become ?authority documents?. People can?t resist linking to these (hint, hint).

2. Create?10 easy tips to help you [insert topic here]?articles. Again, these are exceptionally easy to link to.

3. Create extensive resource lists for a specific topic (see?Mr Ploppy?for inspiration).

4. Create a list of the top 10 myths for a specific category.

5. Create a list of gurus/experts. If you impress the people listed well enough, or find a way to make your project look somewhat official, the gurus may end up linking to your site or saying thanks. (Sometimes flattery is the easiest way to strike up a good relationship with an ?authority?.)

Hire Help

This list is of course quite long, because there are many ways to build links & link building can be a tiresome, expensive & arduous task. If you have plenty of cash but are scarce on time outsourcing all or part of your link building campaigns can prove to be a quite profitable business strategy.

6. Hire a publicist. Good old fashioned ?PR? (not PageRank) can still work wonders. Paul Graham wrote a great article titled?The Submarine?which highlights how PR firms get media exposure. Be warned that many PR firms can be quite hit or miss with their promotions & even some of the ?successes? may not stick around long. If permanent links are your main goal, make sure that is clearly articulated to the PR firm in advance, as some PR firms sponsor temporary payola content that disappears about a month after your check clears.

7. Hire a consultant. Yes, you can outsource link building. Just make sure to go with someone good. If you want low-risk high-quality links Jim Boykin?s?Internet Marketing Ninjas?is probably the only good SEO firm doing it at scale. Their link building packages start as low as $2,500 a month. If you can?t afford to fully outsource your link building, you may want to hire?Debra Mastler?to train your in house staff.

Developing Authority & Being Easy to Link At

8. Make your content easy to understand so many people can understand and spread your message. (It?s an accessibility thing.)

9. Put some effort in to minimize grammatical or spelling errors, especially if you need authoritative people like librarians to link to your site.

10. Have an easily accessible privacy policy and about section so your site seems more trustworthy. Including a picture of yourself may also help build your authority.

PPC as a Link Building Tool

11. Buy relevant traffic with a pay per click campaign. Relevant traffic will get your site more visitors and brand exposure. When people come to your site, regardless of the channel in which they found it, there is a possibility that they will link to you.

News & Syndication

12. Syndicate an article at?EzineArticles,?GoArticles,?iSnare, etc. The great thing about good article sites is that their article pages actually rank highly and send highly qualified traffic.

13. Submit an article to industry news site. Have an SEO site? Write an article and submit to WebProNews. Have a site about BLANK? Submit to BLANKinformationalsite.com.

14. Syndicate a press release. Take the time to make it?GOOD (compelling, newsworthy). Email it to some handpicked journalists and bloggers. Personalize the email message. For good measure, submit it to?PRWeb,?PRLeap, etc.

15. Track who picks up your articles or press releases. Offer them exclusive news or content.

16. Trade articles with other webmasters.

17. Email a few friends when you have important relevant news asking them for their feedback and/or if they would mind referencing it if they find your information useful.

18. Write about, and link to, companies with ?in the news? pages. They link back to stories and blog posts which cover their developments. This is obviously easiest if you have a news section or blog. Do a Google search for [your industry + "in the news"].

19. Perform surveys and studies that make people feel important. If you can make other people feel important they will help do your marketing for you for free. Salary.com did a study on how underpaid mothers were, and they got?many high quality links.

Directories, Meme Trackers & Social Bookmarking

20. This tip is an oldie but goodie: submit your site to?DMOZ?and other directories that allow free submissions.

21. Submit your site to paid directories. Another oldie. Just remember that?quality matters.

22. Create your own topical directory about your field of interest. Obviously link to your own site, deeplinking to important content where possible. Of course, if you make it into a truly useful resource, it will attract links on its own.

23. Tag related sites on sites like?Del.icio.us. If people find the sites you tag to be interesting, emotionally engaging, or timely they may follow the trail back to your site.

24. If you create something that is of great quality make sure you ask a few friends to tag it for you. If your site gets on the front page of?Digg?or on the?Del.icio.us popular list, hundreds more bloggers will see your site, and potentially link to it.

25. Look at meme trackers to see what ideas are spreading. If you write about popular spreading ideas with plenty of original content (and link to some of the original resources), your site may get listed as a source on the meme tracker site.

Local & Business Links

26. Join the Better Business Bureau.

27. Get a link from your local chamber of commerce.

28. Submit your link to relevant city and state governmental resources. (Easier in some countries than in others.)

29. List your site at the local library?s Web site.

30. See if your manufacturers or retailers or other business partners might be willing to link to your site.

31. Develop business relationships with non-competing businesses in the same field. Leverage these relationships online and off, by recommending each other via links and distributing each other?s business cards.

32. Launch an affiliate program. Most of the links you pick up will not have SEO value, but the added exposure will almost always lead to additional ?normal? links.

Easy Free Links

33. Depending on your category and offer, you will find?Craigslist?to be a cheap or free classified service.

34. It is pretty easy to ask or answer questions on?Yahoo! Answers?and provide links to relevant resources.

35. It is pretty easy to ask or answer questions on?Google Groups?and provide links to relevant resources.

36. If you run a fairly reputable company, create a page about it in the?Wikipedia?or in topic specific wikis. If it is hard to list your site directly, try to add links to other pages that link to your site.

37. It takes about 15 minutes to set up a topical?Squidoo?page, which you can use to look like an industry expert. Link to expert documents and popular useful tools in your fields, and also create a link back to your site.

38. Submit a story to?Digg?that links to an article on your site. You can also submit other content and have some of its link authority flow back to your profile page.

39. If you publish an RSS feed and your content is useful and regularly updated, some people will syndicate your RSS content (and some of those will provide links; unfortunately, some will not).

40. Most forums allow members to leave signature links or personal profile links. If you make quality contributions some people will follow these links and potentially read your site, link at your site, and/or buy your products.

Have a Big Heart for Reviews

41. Most brands are not well established online, so if your site has much authority, your review related content often ranks well.

42. Review relevant products on?Amazon.com. We have seen this draw in direct customer enquiries and secondary links.

43. Create product lists on?Amazon.com?that review top products and also mention your background (LINK!).

44. Review related sites on?Alexa?to draw in related traffic streams.

45. Review products and services on shopping search engines like?ePinions?to help build your authority.

46. If you buy a product or service you really like and are good at leaving testimonials, many of those turn into links. Two testimonial writing tips ? make them believable, and be specific where possible.

Blogs & the Blogosphere

47. Start a blog.?Not?just for the sake of having one. Post regularly and post great content. Good execution is what gets the links.

48. Link to other blogs from your blog. Outbound links are one of the cheapest forms of marketing available. Many bloggers also track who is linking to them or where their traffic comes from, so linking to them is an easy way to get noticed by some of them.

49. Comment on other blogs. Most of these comments will not provide much direct search engine value, but if your comments are useful, insightful, and relevant they can drive direct traffic. They also help make the other bloggers become aware of you, and they may start reading your blog and/or linking to it.

50. Technorati?tag pages rank well in Yahoo! and MSN, and to a lesser extent in Google. Even if your blog is fairly new you can have your posts featured on the?Technorati?tag pages by tagging your posts with relevant tags.

51. If you create a blog make sure you list it in a few of the?best blog directories.

Design as a Linking Element

52. Web 2.0-ify your site. People love to link to anything with AJAX. Even in the narrowest of niches, there is some kind of useful functionality you can build with AJAX.

53. Validate and 508 your site. This (indirect) method makes your site more trustworthy and linkable, especially from governmental sites or design-oriented communities. There are even a few?authoritative directories?of standards-compliant sites.

54. Order a beautiful CSS redesign. A nice design can get links from sites like?CSS Vault.

Link Trading

55. Swap some links. What?! Did we really just recommend reciprocal link building? Yes, on a small scale, and with?relevant?partners that will?send you traffic. Stay away from the link trading hubs and networks.

56. In case you didn?t get the memo ? when swapping links, try to get links from?within the content of relevant content pages. Do not try to get links from pages that list hundreds of off topic link partners. Only seek link exchanges that you would consider pursuing even if search engines did not exist. Instead of thinking just about your topic when exchanging links, think about demographic audience sets.

Buying Sites, Renting Links & Advertisements

57. Rent some high quality links from a broker.?Text Link Ads?is the most reputable firm in this niche.

58. Rent some high quality links directly from Web sites. Sometimes the most powerful rented links come?direct from sites not actively renting links.

59. Become a sponsor. All sorts of charities, contests, and conferences link to their sponsors. This can be a great way to gain visibility, links, and a warm feeling in your heart.

60. Sell items on?eBay?and offer to donate the profits to a charity. Many charities will link both to the eBay auction and to your site.

61. Many search algorithms seem biased toward older established sites. It may be faster to buy an old site with a strong link profile, and link it to your own site, than to try to start building authority links from scratch.

Use the Courts (Proceed with Caution)

62. Sue Google.

63. Get sued by a company people hate. When Aaron was sued by Traffic Power, he got hundreds or thousands of links, including links from sites like?Wired?and?The Wall Street Journal.

Freebies & Giveaways

64. Hold a contest. Contests make great link bait. A few-hundred-dollar prize can result in thousands of dollars worth of editorial quality links. Enough said.

65. Build a tool collection. Original and useful tools (and collections of tools) get a lot of link love. What do you think ranking for?mortgage calculator?is worth?

66. Create and release open source site design templates for content management systems like WordPress. Don?t forget the ?Designed by example.com? bit in the footer!

67. Offer free samples in exchange for feedback.

68. Release a Firefox extension. Make sure you have a download and/or support page on your site which people can link to.

Conferences & Social Interaction

69. It is easy to take pictures of important events and tell narratives about why they are important. Pictures of (drunk?) ?celebrities? in your industry make great link bait.

70. Leverage new real world relationships into linking relationships. If you go to SEO related conferences, people like Tim Mayer, Matt Cutts, and Danny Sullivan are readily accessible. Similarly, in other industries, people who would normally seem inaccessible are exceptionally accessible at trade conferences. It is much easier to seem ?real? in person. Once you create social relationships in person, it is easy to extend that onto the web.

71. Engaging, useful, and interesting interviews are an easy way to create original content. And they spread like wildfire.

30 Bad Ways to Build Links

Here are a few link buiding methods that may destroy your brand or get your site banned/penalized/filtered from major search engines, or both.

Directories

72. Submit your site to 200 cheesy paid directories (averaging $15 a pop) that send zero traffic and sell offtopic run-of-site links.

Forum Spam

73. List 100 Web sites in your signature file.

74. Exclusively post only when you can add links to your sites in the post area.

75. Post nothing but ?me too? posts to build your post count. Use in combination with a link-rich signature file.

76. Ask questions about who provides the best [WIDGET], where [WIDGET] is an item that you sell. From the same IP address create another forum account and answer your own question raving about how great your own site is.

77. As a new member to various forums, ask the same question at 20 different forums on the same day.

78. Post on forum threads that are years outdated exclusively to link to your semi-related website.

79. Sign up for profiles on forums you never intend on commenting on.

Blog Spam

80. Instead of signing blog comments with your real name, sign them with spammy keywords.

81. Start marketing your own site hard on your first blog comment. Add no value to the comment section. Mention nothing other than you recently posted on the same subject at _____ and everyone should read it. Carpet bomb dozens of blogs with this message.

82. Say nothing unique or relevant to the post at hand. Make them assume an automated bot hit their comments.

83. Better yet, use automated bots to hit their comments. List at least 30 links in each post. Try to see if you can hit any servers hard enough to make them crash.

84. Send pings to everyone talking about a subject. In your aggregation post, state nothing of interest. Only state that other people are talking about the topic.

85. Don?t even link to any of the sites you are pinging. Send them pings from posts that do not even reference them.

Garbage Link Exchanges

86. Send out link exchange requests mentioning PageRank.

87. Send link exchange emails which look like an automated bot sent them (little or no customization, no personal names, etc.).

88. Send link exchange requests to Matt Cutts, Tim Mayer, Tim Converse, Google, and Yahoo!.

89. Get links from nearly-hidden sections of websites listing hundreds or thousands of off topic sites.

Spam People in Person

90. Go to webmaster conferences and rave about how rich you are, and how your affiliates make millions doing nothing.

91. Instead of asking people what their name is, ask what their URL is. As soon as you get their URL ask if they have linked to your site yet and if not, why not.

Be Persistant

92. Send a webmaster an alert to every post you make on your website.

93. Send a webmaster an email every single day asking for them to link to your website.

94. Send references to your site to the same webmaster from dozens of different email accounts (you sly dog).

95. If the above do not work to get you a free link, offer them $1 for their time. Increase your offer by a dollar each day until they give in.

Getting Links by Being a Jerk

96. Emulate the RIAA. When in doubt, file a lawsuit against a?12-year-old girl. (Failing that, obtain bad press by any means necessary.)

97. Steal content published by well known names. Strip out any attribution. Aggregate many popular channels and just wait for them to start talking about you.

98. Send thousands of fake referrals at every top ranking Web site, guaranteeing larger boobs, a 14-inch penis (is that length or girth?), or millions of dollars in free, unclaimed money.

99. Wear your URL on your t-shirt. Walk or drive your car while talking on a cell phone or reading a book. When you run into other people say ?excuse you, jerk?.

100. Spill coffee on people or find creative ways to insult people to coax them into linking at your site.

101. Sue other webmasters for?deep linking to your site. Well, this is more ?hilariously dumb? than it is a ?bad linking practice?.

?

source SEO Book

Source: http://malaysianreview.com/2013/01/01/1001-seo-tips-building-web-and-blog-links-the-fastest-way/

Bumbo recall USA Basketball taio cruz taio cruz Winter Olympics 2014 powerball numbers freddie mercury

Navigating The Astrological Matrix -- 2013 01/02 by Robert Phoenix ...

On his show, Comedian Rodney Perry covers arts and entertainment, everything from comedy and politics to music and acting, with his signature comedic slant.

MashUp Radio is a 30-minute podcast that discusses the fusion of technology, life, culture and science. Host Peter Biddle, engineer and executive for Intel?s Atom Software, dishes up a thought-provoking discussion.

Joy Keys provides her listeners with insight to improve their lives mentally, physically, monetarily and emotionally. Past guests on the show have included Meshell Nedegeocello, Blair Underwood, in addition to an impressive list of CEOs, humanitarians and authors.

Host Barry Moltz gets small businesses unstuck. He has founded and run small businesses with a great deal of success and failure for more than 15 years. This is a business radio show where he shares all the craziness of small business. It?s that craziness that actually makes it exciting, interesting and totally unpredictable.

The Bottom Line Sports Show is hosted by former NBA stars Penny Hardaway, Charles Oakley, Mateen Cleaves. Tune in to get the inside scoop on what's happening in sports today.

Deepak Chopra Radio provides an online forum for compelling and thought provoking conversations on success, love, sexuality and relationships, well-being and spirituality.

Hits Radio covers basketball, sports culture and entertainment with past guests including Jason Kidd, Robin Lundberg and Chris Herren.

Listeners get an earful on The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds. Whether it?s the current political cocktail or the latest must-read award-winning book, Halli tackles all topics and likes to stir ? and sometimes shakes ? things up.

Official Internet radio show of forthcoming epic paranormal investigation book by Eric Olsen and "Haunted Housewife" Theresa Argie.

Award-winning World Footprints is a leading voice in socially responsible travel and lifestyle. Hosts Ian & Tonya celebrate culture and heritage and bring a unique voice to the world of travel.

Football Reporters Online is a group of veteran football experts in the fields of coaching, scouting, talent evaluation, and writing/broadcasting/media placement. Combined, the group brings well over 100 years of expertise in sports.

Host John Martin interviews the nation's leading entrepreneurs and small biz experts to educate small business owners on how to be successful. Past guests have included Emeril Lagasse and Guy Kawasaki.

The Movie Geeks share their passion for the art through interviews with the stars of and creative minds behind your favorite flicks and pay tribute to big-screen legends. From James Cameron and Francis Ford Coppola to Ellen Burstyn and Robert Duvall, The Geeks have got'em all.

Sylvia Global presents global conversations pertaining to women, wealth, business, faith and philanthropy. Sylvia has interviewed an eclectic mix from CEOs and musicians to fashion designers and philanthropists including Randolph Duke and Ne-Yo.

Mr. Media host Bob Andelman goes one-on-one with the hottest, most influential minds from the worlds of film, TV, music, comedy, journalism and literature. That means A-listers like Kirk Douglas, Christian Slater, Kathy Ireland, Rick Fox, Chris Hansen and Jackie Collins.

Paula Begoun, best-selling author of Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, separates fact from fiction on achieving a radiant, youthful complexion at any age. She?s regularly joined by health and beauty experts who offer the latest on keeping your skin in tip-top shape.

Source: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/freeassociationradio/2013/01/02/navigating-the-astrological-matrix--2013

directv rashard lewis curacao curacao home run derby kourtney kardashian kourtney kardashian

The Travel and Expense News Source ? Business trip: Houston ...

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

Source: http://www.berteloot.com/2013/01/01/business-trip-houston-bbc-news/

st patrick s day parade duke invisible children garbage pail kids st bonaventure ncaa tournament 2012 peyton manning 49ers

Stay Out Of Jail And Acquire Some Florida Car Insurance | How To ...

Auto insurance can seem to be just like a complex or complicated business. Research is usually an excellent type in locating the insurance company and policy that?s suitable for you. With so many types of automobile insurance out there, people can simply become confused about what type of coverage they require and which companies to select overall car insurance Belleair Beach Florida. You?ve been looking all day once and for all tips on Florida car insurance but have found nothing of use so far. In this article, we?ll provide some valuable methods for finding quality Florida motor insurance coverage on a decent budget. This article can enable you to know very well what your Florida motor insurance policy provides for you. Whether you?re new for the insurance world, wanting to combine your policies or shopping for better rates or coverage, you most likely have some questions.

Are you looking for the best rate on Florida car insurance? In order to find the lowest rates, you should check with several different companies. Before you take the likelihood of harming others by becoming an uninsured driver, consider purchasing the minimum of insurance required from the state where you live. When you have to pay entirely you won?t be charged interest charges as you?ll in the event you were paying monthly. This also can assist to prevent missing a payment due to having multiple companies to keep track of vehicle insurance policy policy concerns and details. Verify that the info which is in your car insurance policy is accurate. Unfortunately, increased reliance upon insurance services directly translates to significant increases in monthly rates. Some companies charge just a little more to set their customers on a monthly billing plan. These requirements is found in your state?s insurance commissioners site. If you have short commutes, your policy must accurately show this.

To spend less in your car insurance using a teenager inside the house make certain you only add them to the cheapest car within your driveway. Auto insurance is necessary legally in many states, and selecting it may be hard. You can face stiff fines and penalties for not carrying adequate car insurance. If you miss payments and lose coverage, you could possibly be at a higher rate for a year or more.

From this point you can go forward, and know that you?ve some good knowledge of car insurance. One discount that lots of companies offer pertains to those customers who have a propensity to drive less than the common person. This one might seem simple, but it is very important. Knowing what?s in your driving record prior to deciding to look for insurance will let you realize that which you must deal with in front of time.

Don?t expect all insurance providers to give similar rates on car insurance. You wish to know just how long it will take for these phones fork out the claims and what sort of parts they use to exchange the damaged parts. As with any insurance policy, the higher the deductible, the low the premiums. Minimum coverage limits mandated by state insurance boards are usually too low to protect your assets should you are found being responsible to have an automobile accident. Many insurance companies offer a la carte plans.

Make sure that you must do your end of the investigation and know well what company you?re signing with. What?s essential about Florida car insurance is to always grow in knowledge about the subject, that way you may make knowledgeable decisions. Investigation will be your better tool, going forward, to make use of to your advantage. Don?t forget the satisfaction you experience when you?ve got the right cover. Using the advice from this article, you can select Florida car insurance and reap the huge benefits that other drivers have.

Source: http://bluestarpartynyc.com/stay-out-of-jail-and-acquire-some-florida-car-insurance/

weather radar the weather channel national grid LIPA MBTA Cnn Live Garcinia Cambogia

Top 24 Latino Stories Of 2012

The Rise Of The Latino Voter

Latinos became a new political force this year, growing to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/08/ways-romney-failed-latino-voters-mistakes_n_2093388.html">10 percent of the voting population</a>. With GOP candidate Mitt Romney performing more poorly among Latino voters than any candidate since Bob Dole, conservatives found themselves scrambling to restart stalled conversations about immigration reform.

Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals

Facing flagging voter enthusiasm among Latinos and a potential challenge to the DREAM Act from conservative Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl), President <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/15/obama-immigration-order-deportation-dream-act_n_1599658.html?utm_hp_ref=latino-voices&ir=Latino%20Voices">Barack Obama told Homeland Security in June to stop deporting immigrants brought here as children who don't have criminal records</a>.

Marco Rubio Becomes The GOP Latino Leader

While GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney bent over backwards to portray himself as an unbending hardliner on immigration, the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/15/marco-rubio-immigration_n_2138183.html?utm_hp_ref=latino-voices&ir=Latino%20Voices">Florida Senator emerged as a conservative leader on the tough issue</a>. Many view his plans to propose a GOP alternative to the DREAM Act as the impetus behind President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals order.

Boxing Legend Hector 'Macho' Camacho Shot Dead

In a case that highlighted Puerto Rico's out-of-control violence, boxing legend <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/24/hector-camacho-dead-boxer-shooting-life-support_n_2184405.html?utm_hp_ref=latino-voices&ir=Latino%20Voices">Hector 'Macho' Camacho was shot</a> by unknown assassins along with a friend in a parking lot near a liquor story in November. He died within days.

Shakira's Pregnant!

After denying rumors for months, the Colombian pop star admitted she was expecting and began <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/14/shakira-baby-gerard-pique_n_2131120.html">tweeting baby bump photos to her fans</a>.

Sofia Vergara Becomes Highest Paid Actress On TV

The "Modern Family" star became the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/18/sofia-vergara-modern-family-highest-paid-_n_1682623.html?utm_hp_ref=latino-voices&ir=Latino%20Voices">highest-paid actress</a> in television in 2012. Along with her own clothing line, talent management agency, and her major brand endorsements, Vergara makes big bucks playing Gloria, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/24/sofia-vergara-stereotype_n_1911087.html">a stereotype of a hot Latina mother</a>, on ABC's "Modern Family".

The Hooker Heard 'Round The World

The Secret Service found itself scandalized when one of its agents allegedly refused to pay call girl Dania Londo?o Su?rez the amount they'd agreed upon for the night, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/17/dania-suarez-secret-servi_n_1974111.html">catching the attention of the international press.</a>

Illegal Immigration Drops

The number of people immigrating into the country from Mexico has reached net zero, though <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/17/border-crossing-deaths-illegal-immigration_n_1783912.html">deaths have become more common for those who choose to cross.</a>

The Rise Of The Other Castro Brothers

As the party conventions competed to field the Latinos for prime-time speaking spots, Julian and Joaqu?n Castro of Texas<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/31/julian-castro-democratic-national-convention_n_1723017.html"> emerged as rising Democratic political stars.</a>

Ex-Univision CEO Not So Committed To Immigration Reform

Univision may be the champion of immigrants, but the company's former co-owner sure isn't. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/18/jerry-perenchio-univision-super-pac_n_1684752.html">Jerry Perenchio threw down $2.5 million to super PACs</a> backing candidates hostile to immigration reform.

Voter Purges

While 2012 will be remembered as the year of the rise of the Latino voter, it will also be remembered for attempts by conservatives across the country to crack down on unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud by <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/31/voter-roll-purge_n_1721192.html">requiring photo IDs to cast a ballot</a> -- measures that disproportionately affect Latinos.

Peace in Colombia?

Colombia's government surprised the public by <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/16/colombia-peace-talks-start_n_1969059.html">opening peace negotiations</a> with the country's oldest guerrilla army, the FARC.

Puerto Rico's Misunderstood Statehood Vote

In a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/08/puerto-rico-state-reasons-will-not-become-51st-state_n_2095366.html">widely misunderstood vote</a>, some 45 percent of Puerto Ricans voted to become a U.S. state. The island will likely remain a U.S. commonwealth for the foreseeable future.

Arizona Immigration Law Mostly Overturned

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/25/arizona-immigration-law-ruling_n_1614067.html">The Supreme Court overturned several provisions of Arizona's</a> law cracking down on illegal immigration.

Obamacare Survives

While states aren't obliged to extend Medicaid as much as President Obama would have liked, the vast majority of the country's controversial health care law was deemed constitutional by the highest court --<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/22/health-care-reform-latinos_n_1370982.html"> paving the way for many Latinos to receive affordable health care. </a>

Ilegal v. Undocumented?

Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and immigrant advocate Jose Antonio Vargas<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/27/jose-antonio-vargas-illegal-undocumented_n_1918631.html"> restarted the debate over whether the mass media should use the term "illegal immigrant,"</a> and broke some new ground with institutions including the Associated Press and the New York Times.

Sergio Romo Says He 'Just Looks Illegal'

The Giants' World Series-winning relief pitcher <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/31/sergio-romo-sports-illegal_n_2052086.html">Sergio Romo grabbed extra attention for the illegal immigration</a> debate when he sported a shirt reading 'I just look illegal' during his team's victory parade.

Disney Can't Decide If It Wants To Portray Latinas

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/23/disney-princess-sofia-not-latina_n_2005288.html">Disney unveiled its first Latina princess</a>, then promptly backtracked after getting dumped with criticism over the fact that the company chose to debut a Latina with a white complexion and auburn hair, rather than the darker skin more common among Hispanics.

Ann Coulter Insults Latinos With Poorly Written Column

In a poorly argued column devoid of facts, frustrated columnist <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/07/ann-coulter-attacks-latinos-conservatives-hispanic-voters_n_2253721.html">Ann Coulter lashed out at Latinos with a bunch of unfounded insults</a>, proving once again that conservatives have a lot of outreach to do if they want to build support among Latinos.

Jenni Rivera Dies

Mexican American singer <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/09/jenni-rivera-dead-mexican-american-singer-dies-plane-crash_n_2268528.html">Jenni Rivera died</a> in a tragic plane crash in December while flying from the northern Mexican city of Monterrey to Toluca.

Puerto Rico Protests Violence And Homophobic Puppet

Puerto Rico saw a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/05/puerto-rico-murder-social-media-todossomosjoseenrique_n_2245961.html">social movement against violence erupt after the murder of publicist Jos? Enrique G?mez</a>. WAPA TV's puppet La Comay angered the movement by insulting G?mez, implying that he had brought his death upon himself by allegedly seeking a prostitute. In response to the protest, WAPA TV president Jos? Ramos told HuffPost Live SuperXclusivo would be pre-taped, no longer running a live TV show.

Hugo Ch?vez Faces Cancer

With an unspecified form of cancer, Venezuelan President <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/27/hugo-chavez-delegates-duties_n_2368996.html?utm_hp_ref=latino-voices&ir=Latino%20Voices">Hugo Ch?vez has delegated powers</a> to his Vice President Nicol?s Maduro and finished out the year convalescing in a Cuban hospital.

Victoria Soto Gave Her Life For Her Students

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/victoria-soto-newtown-tea_n_2311762.html">One of the heroes to emerge from the tragic murder of 26 people, including 20 children, at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut was Victoria Soto</a>. Details remain fuzzy, but it appears that Soto hid her students in a closet while trying to protect them from shooter Adam Lanza. "You have a teacher who cared more about her students than herself," Mayor John Harkins of Soto?s hometown of Stratford, Conn. said, according to the Associated Press. "That speaks volumes to her character, and her commitment and dedication."

The First Presidential Forum On A Spanish-Language Netwok

After Univision anchor Jorge Ramos argued that moderators for the Presidential debates didn't reflect the diversity of the U.S. population, the presidential candidates <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/21/unvision-candidate-forum-ratings-latino-vote_n_1904859.html">agreed to participate in a "Meet the Candidates" forum on Univision.</a> Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney participates in a Univision "Meet the Candidates" forum with Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas in Miami, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/31/24-top-latino-stories-of-2012_n_2372409.html

miley cyrus amazing race Cam Cameron RG3 Ada Lovelace 12/12/12 manny pacquiao

Want to work in the home improvement industry? Our guide to ...

Despite the current economic problems which have affected the building industry, jobs in construction are still buoyant. The Construction Skills Network predicts an increase in demand of 6% for skilled construction workers by 2015. This will mainly be at managerial level, with many construction jobs being lost in the manual trades.

The public sector has seen big cuts in spending on building projects, but the private sector has been more resilient with private housing, industrial and commercial building seeing the greatest predicted growth over the next 5 years.

There are certain areas of the UK where construction jobs are increasing at a faster rate than others. The East of England, Greater London, the South East, South West and Northern Ireland are the places to go if you are looking for a new job in construction over the next few years.

The home improvement industry offers a large number of varied opportunities, depending on your skills and training. You could look for a job with one of the big construction companies such as Volkerfitzpatrick, or you could work on smaller home improvement projects as a private contractor.

Working in private housing you could become skilled at working on the restoration of historic buildings. With the homes deficit there will be opportunities to work on designing and building new houses, or extending and improving existing housing.

Construction Job Opportunities
The construction industry is fast-paced, with methods, techniques, legislation and environmental demands changing frequently. There are several very different specialisms that you can work in. Whether you choose to work for a large construction firm, or for a small home improvement company, you will need to be good at working in a team and collaborating with other people.

The types of jobs which exist in the sector include:

Architect
Architects, design managers and interior designers work on the planning and design stages, ensuring that the proposed work is fit for purpose, aesthetically pleasing and meets budgets.

Project Manager
The project manager oversees the building project, coordinating the various services and different workers required to complete each stage of the work. They will also work to ensure the project?s efficiency and budgets.

Skilled tradespeople
The manual trades are suffering in the current job market, but skilled tradespeople are in demand. The jobs include: skilled carpenter, plasterer and plumber.

This is a guest blog for ConstructionRecruitment.com, the jobs board for the construction industry. Find your next construction job, browse all the available vacancies and apply direct to the companies which interest you.

Source: http://www.richnspect.com/want-to-work-in-the-home-improvement-industry-our-guide-to-construction-jobs

andrej pejic steve jobs fbi safehouse brown recluse brown recluse front door alyssa bustamante