Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/274296268?client_source=feed&format=rss
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During an oddly jokey statement at the White House as the fiscal deadline bore down Monday afternoon, President Obama said, "I'm going to be president for the next four years. I?hope." He was warning Republicans that, yes, they'd have to deal with him for a while. But it was, to be sure, a strange moment. Could he actually have been joking about assassination? About impeachment? The?apocalypse? Or has everyone just had enough of these negotiations??
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LONDON (AP) ? Markets breathed a huge sigh of relief Wednesday after U.S. lawmakers reached a budget agreement that will stop hundreds of billions of dollars in automatic tax increases and spending cuts that risked plunging the world's biggest economy into recession.
Stocks around the world started 2013 with hefty gains as investors welcomed the vote in the House of Representatives that made sure the U.S. does not go over the so-called "fiscal cliff." Though longer-term fiscal problems remain and President Barack Obama will likely face more battles with the Republican-dominated House, investors were relieved that the biggest near-term stumbling block to the world economy has been cleared.
"The degree to which the U.S. fiscal cliff was causing investors to repress risk appetite is all too clear on the first trading day of 2013," said Andrew Wilkinson, chief economic strategist at Miller Tabak & Co.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average spiked around 250 points, or 1.9 percent, to 13,349, while the broader S&P 500 index rose 1.9 percent too to 1,453.
In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares closed up 2.2 percent to 6,027.37, its first foray above the 6,000 mark since July 2011. The CAC-40 in France rose 2.6 percent to 3,733.93 while Germany's DAX ended 2.2 percent higher at 7,778.68.
Earlier, in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index shot up 2.9 percent to close at 23,311.89, its highest finish since June 1, 2011. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 surged 1.2 percent to close at 4,705.90, its best finish in 19 months while South Korea's Kospi jumped 1.7 percent to 2,031.10. Japanese and Chinese markets were closed for public holidays.
The bill that Congress approved calls for higher taxes on income over $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for couples, a victory for Obama. Earnings above those amounts would be taxed at a rate of 39.6 percent, up from the current 35 percent. It also delays for two months $109 billion worth of across-the-board spending cuts that had been set to start affecting the Pentagon and domestic agencies this week.
If lawmakers had not agreed by the Jan. 1, 2013 deadline on the new budget measures, more than $500 billion in tax increases would have hit the economy in 2013 alone. Government spending worth $109 billion would have been cut from the military and domestic spending programs.
Though fears over an imminent fall off the "fiscal cliff" have eased, investors still have a host of issues to worry about. The next possible point of contention will be in two months' time, when U.S. politicians will debate the debt ceiling and spending cuts that did not make it into the latest deal.
"No agreement would mean a technical default on U.S. debt in March," said Michael Ingram, market analyst at BGC Brokers. "The U.S. bond market would go into cardiac arrest."
Investors will also keep a close watch on any response from the credit rating agencies. After a fight in Congress to raise the debt limit in 2011, Standard & Poor's lowered the U.S. government's AAA bond rating, citing the lack of a credible plan to reduce the federal government's debt. It also voiced its concerns about the "effectiveness, stability and predictability of American policymaking."
Meanwhile, investors will be monitoring the state of the global economic recovery and Europe's ongoing battle to contain its 3-year debt crisis.
A better than expected monthly U.S. manufacturing survey from the Institute for Supply Management reinforced the underlying optimism in the markets, especially as investors shift their focus to Friday's payrolls report for December.
The ISM's index of manufacturing activity rose to 50.7 in December from 49.5 in the previous month. The rise was slightly more than expected in the markets and took the measure above the 50 threshold that indicates expansion.
"Nothing to dent the positive risk start to the year here," said Alan Ruskin, an analyst at Deutsche Bank.
While the evidence points to continued economic growth in the U.S., figures elsewhere highlighted the scale of the downturn in the economy of the 17 European Union countries that use the euro.
The manufacturing purchasing managers' index ? a gauge of business activity published by data provider Markit ? showed the eurozone's industrial sector remained mired in recession in December. The index fell to 46.1 from 46.3 the previous month. Anything below 50 indicates a contraction in activity.
How the European economy fares over the coming months will likely hinge on developments in the debt crisis. In the last few months of 2012, tensions eased largely in the wake of the announcement of a new bond-buying plan from the European Central Bank.
That has shored up the euro, which on Wednesday was down 0.1 percent at $1.3192, having earlier traded as much as 0.5 percent higher on the day.
Oil prices pushed higher, with the benchmark New York contract up $1.26 at $92.96 a barrel.
____
Sampson contributed from Bangkok.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/markets-rally-us-fiscal-cliff-deal-111159565--finance.html
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Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/01/01/fitbit-one-and-fitbit-zip-review/
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ISLAMABAD (AP) ? A Pakistani official says the country has released more members of the Afghan Taliban in a bid to boost the peace process in neighboring Afghanistan.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Moazzam Khan said Pakistan released the prisoners Monday.
He said it was done to "...help in the peace process in Afghanistan."
A Pakistani government official and an Afghan government official said four prisoners were released, including prominent members of the Taliban government that once ruled Afghanistan.
It was not clear what role the four might play in the Afghan peace process or what links they have to the current Taliban leadership.
Pakistan has longstanding ties to the Taliban, and its support is key to any future reconciliation in Afghanistan.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pakistan-releases-4-afghan-taliban-prisoners-164940689.html
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Do you want ideas for home projects? Do you want to know how you can repair your home cheaply and efficiently? This article will give you an idea of what you need to embark on your ventures.
Many people hire a home design specialist before beginning any home improvement projects. They are professionally trained to assist you and to get the most from your investment, but they can also make looks that are stylish and modern. Let them help you succeed.
Think about the climate where you live before making home improvements. For instance, a deck may not provide much enjoyment if your area is especially windy. Although a well-executed home improvement project can boost the value of your home, this is less likely with a project that?s ill-suited to your area.
Stuffing a crack with steel wool can prevent mice from entering your home. The mice cannot chew through it as they can other materials (including wood), so it will help to prevent more pests from entering until you have time to complete a full repair.
If you are going to do any work outside of your home, you should get in touch with your neighbors in advance. Major renovation work often calls for blocking part or all of the road to make deliveries and shift equipment. Letting your neighbors know about these details beforehand is the courteous thing to do.
Pass on contractors that require large upfront payments before they begin working. An expected down payment will be around $2,500, plus 10 percent of the overall budget when the contractor begins. No more than that, however!
Try and visualize any outdoor projects and see if the end result will mesh with the neighborhood. You don?t want to be too different. If so, do you want to be the owner of the house that is so different? It is good to make improvements that stand out due to their quality, as opposed to a crazy addition that sticks out in the neighborhood.
Applying a fresh coat of paint can provide any room with quite an update at a reasonable price. Pay a visit to a local hardware store to consider your different options for paint. Find the ones that are fun and exciting for you! If you wind up not liking the results, you always have the option of painting over it.
Always take the time to cover all the surfaces that you can when you are doing almost any form of remodeling. Protecting your things from paint, debris and careless tool use helps you avoid creating more fix-up projects. So, keep your walls protected from flying debris if you are not planning to repaint them. You should also cover fixtures and floors so they are not splattered with paint.
There are times when you encounter blocks in your home improvement creativity. Now you are armed with some great ideas and the information you need, but do not rush into anything. One wrong move could leave you needing to rent a hotel room, and a faulty repair could result in losing your home indefinitely. Follow the tips you have just read above, and you will have some projects that you will enjoy seeing through to completion.
Source: http://www.sh-ec.org/learn-how-handle-home-improvements-below/
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Marketing is heading in the direction of the Internet and will be around for years to come. Use these tips to increase your income.
The word ?guaranteed? has a special allure for consumers when used in website marketing. A guarantee will let people know that they can trust in your company and your products. By products being guaranteed, customers are more at ease when spending their hard-earned money.
Don?t forget the little details on your web pages. For instance, each page of your site needs to contain the business name and some general info about what you?re offering. Customers may have several tabs or pages open, and they need to see easily which site they?re on at any given time.
TIP! Online advertising is a great way to get attention and draw people to your site. This type of advertising will help more people become aware of your site and help your business grow.
Adding a limited-time offer to your product can be a powerful motivator for some consumers. You can offer free shipping for those who order within the next 10 minutes or free gift wrapping; any kind of added incentive will do. Set a clear deadline so that people will feel compelled to order quickly.
Your competition is an important factor. Find out what is working for them and what isn?t, and keep track of their strategies. Sometimes your competitors can be your very best teachers. Learn from their mistakes and make your site more complete and original.
Keep AJAX and Flash use to a minimum. Although it may look nice and add interactivity to your site, it doesn?t help search engines find your site at all. Use it sparingly and include keywords and relevant links on the same page.
TIP! Promote your website as a community or gathering of likeminded suctomer or business people. Your website will enjoy greater traffic as people return to your website to communicate with other customers.
Consider a gift with purchase for new or repeated customers to show they are appreciated. Customers want to feel as if they?re getting the better end of the deal. Of course, you still need to profit. So you need to find a happy medium. Something like an information product or an eBook works great for a freebie. You can give this out indefinitely without it having a negative effect on your profit margin.
Consider the following website marketing tip. Have a clear and stated goal on the front page of your site. The landing page is dedicated to selling your product. When a viewer sees your landing page they should have a clear understanding of what you have to offer. If the first page a visitor sees is overly complicated and hard to navigate, they will click away in the blink of an eye.
Use polls on your websites to see what your users think of your content. Acknowledging and implementing your users? ideas helps to build a relationship with your audience.
TIP! Evaluate your website on a regular basis by asking for constructive feedback. It is essential that you have an idea of how others perceive your site.
The use of tools that can make your text stand out are very important when you are setting up the content of your site. You can increase a word?s strength by bolding it or italicizing it. This can assist you in clarifying your message and help show your customers what your company is about.
Create a FAQ section on your site. This help your traffic see that you are important to them and are there to address their concerns as quickly as possible. The clearer the benefit is to your client, the better chance they will purchase goods or services from you.
Always pay attention to your competitors to be successful in an internet business. Compare the web pages of your competitors to garner ideas on things that may work for you too. Emphasize services that your competitors? websites are lacking to help your website stand out and provide visitors with information they can?t get elsewhere.
TIP! Creating a solid internet marketing plan will enable you to identify your most successful products. A good strategy is to use your best sellers to drive sales of complimentary and add-on products.
Consider using words like ?easy? and ?simple? as a part of your Affiliate marketing strategy. People generally dislike overly complicated things, so adding tags like ?easy to order? and ?easy to use? can entice them to use your product. Keep things easy for your customers to retain their business.
Offering your visitors any type of course which is free is a great way to lure them to your site. This is a great strategy, especially when it involves a course because you can package it with another related product. Create your advertising campaign to show off your new and necessary online course.
Include something that is a niche or unique to your site. If you can offer a unique, exclusive product, it can make a dramatic difference in the amount of traffic you receive. The visitors then usually end up checking out other parts of your sites which eventually sends it up the search engine rankings.
TIP! Consider your first venture into the world of Internet marketing to be a potentially lucrative hobby, but don?t count on it as a replacement for your job until you get your bearings and know how things are going. If you enjoy what you are doing, you will have extra motivation to succeed each day.
Consider offering an e-freebie that represents your business or service well, and put it out there where it can reach the masses. For example if you are giving away an e-book, contact free e-book sites. Take advantage of the many different free options you can find online.
While a flashy site looks great, try to make sure it is not too distracting. Keep in mind that users generally take five seconds to decide if they are going to stay on a site or not. Use this knowledge to create a site that will tempt them to stay. If they have found nothing to hold their interest in that time, then they will leave your site to browse elsewhere.
As you have learned, increasing your knowledge on Web marketing can really take you far. Now that you understand a lot about internet marketing, hopefully you can now take these ideas and apply them to your own marketing efforts. Keep the advice from this article in mind and enjoy your new-found dollars.
TIP! ?Limited? is a strong keyword to include. When people shop online, it is because they are sisck of the brick and mortar stores.
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Source: http://www.maynaseric.com/how-to-increase-traffic-to-your-website
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