New E-Voting Initiative Causes Academy Awards Debacle

On Monday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced plans to extend the voting for Oscar nominations by 24 hours, to Jan. 4. The move comes as a sort of last-ditch effort to ease the transition from paper ballot voting to e-voting, which has been fraught with technical issues, including?log-in issues, voter ID mismatches and concerns of hacking. ?The Academy?s chief operating officer, Ric Robertson, said in a statement that ?By extending the voting deadline we are providing every opportunity available to make the transition to online balloting as smooth as possible.?

And indeed, the Academy has been working hard to make its first electronic vote seamless for its members, who, until Dec. 14 of this year, still had the option to vote via a paper ballot. According to the Hollywood Reporter:

A mailing went out several months ago offering members the option to vote by paper ballot, as long as they requested one by Nov. 30 ? a deadline that later was?extended?to Dec. 14. The Academy subsequently sent paper ballots to any members who paid their dues but never replied with a preference. It also set up e-voting stations in Los Angeles, New York and London, where Academy officials can help walk members through the process. And there?s also a toll-free help line, with Academy operators available 24/7.

But members reported technical issues soon after voting for the 85th Annual Academy Awards began on Dec. 17, telling the Hollywood Reporter that the e-voting system was so difficult to use that??There will probably be a large percentage of people who will just say, ?Screw it,? and not even vote this year.? Another ?member said, ?I have heard from several that it?s been a disaster and they wanted to give up. Confused and frustrated people will just not vote.?

Everyone Counts Inc., the electronic voting vendor partnering with longtime Academy ballot tabulator and accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, has not yet commented on the system?s technical issues.

Analysts fear that the technical difficulties might shut out members from voting, particularly older members (the median age among Academy members is 62).?Scott Feinberg, awards analyst for the Hollywood Reporter, told the AP,??There?s considerable concern from many members that voter participation will be at record lows this year because the people who wanted to take a chance on this new cutting-edge system are either giving up on it or worried they won?t be able to cast their votes.? ?If the turnout is lower among older members,? Feinberg added, ?more traditional Oscar contenders will probably receive fewer votes, and otherwise edgier films that appeal more to younger people could fare better.?Because of the way that best-picture voting works, it could increase the chances of a movie like ?The Master? or ?Moonrise Kingdom? getting in.?

The online voting system will be closed between 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT on Thursday, Jan. 3, to maintain security and accommodate an extended deadline, and will remain open until 5 p.m. PT on Jan. 4.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1926574/news/1926574/

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De-clutter and refresh your closets and cupboards the Feng Shui ...

Each new beginning requires that we de-clutter, refresh and discard old energy to allow space for the new energy of our new Golden Dawn of Awakening ? the Feng Shui way.

It is fun to start re-designing in our minds through our hearts, what is it that we wish to attract.

First, we have to make space for the new. Donate clothes, shoes, boxes, bags/handbags/suitcases/computers/curtains etc all to the city missions, goodwill stores etc? near your residences. Make sure that they aren?t any form of damages and make sure that you ?launder? them before donating. Call them first and ask them if they have certain ?products? which they don?t take in .. so that you don?t have make unnecessary trip/s.

I donate my ?unwanted? accessories and still good clothes to the city mission near our resident. I recycle and re-design old accessories and donate them to the city mission.

Start your new era by clearing up and creating new open space to ?attract? and allow new abundance into our new era. This is a very good place to start creating and manifesting our needs.

If you have a good size wardrobe already, be charitable and donate to others (maybe a nearby town) or to one of their churches. If you have clothes, shoes and handbags which is more than a year old and have not been using them, this is the cue to clear that space.

Volunteer to start a small ?garage sale? if you?d like, amongst your neighbors and friends. Ask your friends to bring their clothes and stuff to your garage sale .. that way ? everyone gets to enjoy different items. Most of all, have fun, share and do a small high tea potluck too while you are at ?. might as well have fun. If not, you can always start a ?trade and barter? gathering where you take out all the stuff (e.g. old jewelries/accessories, craft items, garden decor etc) and exchange with your friends with pot luck finger food etc. Just throwing out some ideas for our new era ? and to get into the ?barter and trade? experience.

Blessings forever Dear Ones.

Agnes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

?

http://fengshui.about.com/od/designbyroom/qt/feng_shui_closet.htm

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Here is the thing about closets ? most people think of closets as an ?out of sight, out of mind? deal. Not true. Especially in feng shui terms, where we know that everything is energy.

It is important to understand that with the feng shui energy, the ?out of sight? strategy does not work. You cannot cover, conceal or pretend not to see low energy, because in the world of feng shui energy, there are no boundaries.

Unfortunately, most homes have busy, cluttered and just plain ugly closets. This always puzzles me; if you just take a moment to think about it, once you open an ugly and messy closet and put your clothes on, you start carrying this ugly, messy energy with you!

Please understand I do not mean this as a metaphor, but as an actual experience.

If you are working on improving the feng shui energy in your home, do not neglect your closets, put them high on your feng shui to-do list.

If your closets are over-cluttered and busy, having the doors closed will not help you much. More than that, in feng shui closets are connected to your innermost, your deepest, and often hidden feelings about yourself.

Think of the state of your closets as a feng shui test of your self-esteem. How healthy is your self-esteem? How clean, peaceful and beautiful is your inner world?

Open your closets and take a look. No worries, nobody is looking, it is just you and your closet. What is it telling you?

If your closet is asking for some loving care, here are some easy feng shui tips:

• COLOR AND LIGHT. If you have a walk-in closet, be sure the lighting is friendly and warm. Good quality lighting is extremely important for your well-being, be sure to pay attention to its quality in your walk-in closets.

  No matter big or small, walk-in or not, if your closet has not been given any attention for years, be sure to refresh your closet with a fresh coat of paint. Yes, I do mean it and I am not crazy. Unless you plan to call California Closets for a complete makeover, you owe your closet space a fresh coat of paint. White color is ideal as it opens the energy more, as well as brings the crisp quality of the metal feng shui element. Plus, you get to take all your clothes out of your closet before painting, which should make the next step much easier!

• CLUTTER CLEAR. When was the last time you clutter cleared your closets? You know, when you open your closet, look at an item and think: ?Wow, last time I wore this skirt was? when was it? ? Oh, yes, at Garry?s wedding!? But if Garry?s wedding was 15 years ago, what is this skirt doing in your closet??? Find time for several clutter clearing sessions and leave only items you actually wear and love.

• ORGANIZE. A quick trip to IKEA will arm you with all you need for an organized closet. From baskets to boxes and everything in between, you need to have a clear system as to what goes where. And for how long. Keep your closet up with the seasons and have a clear system of dealing with seasonal clothing.

• BEAUTIFY. Yes, beautify. This means treating yourself nicely and respectfully and creating a sense of beauty in your closets. Be it a small photo that brings happy memories, some feng shui crystals or well-displayed pieces of jewelry, beauty is the most healing energy and should be everywhere around you.

Easy, isn?t it? Easy and simple.

Watch for profound changes coming along as you start treating your home, especially your closets, with proper respect. Ultimately, the respect you show your home speaks of the respect you have for yourself.

If you have a question about using feng shui to clear clutter, please ask your question at the feng shui forum.

?

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Source: http://007blueray.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/de-clutter-and-refresh-your-closets-and-cupboards-the-feng-shui-way-by-rodika-tchi/

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Stanford holds off Wisconsin 20-14 in Rose Bowl

Stanford head coach David Shaw lifts the trophy following their 20-14 win over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Stanford head coach David Shaw lifts the trophy following their 20-14 win over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Stanford cornerback Usua Amanam (15) celebrates after an interception against Wisconsin late in the second half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, in Pasadena, Calif. Stanford won 20-14. It was Stanford's first Rose Bowl victory in 40 years. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Stanford wide receiver Jamal-Rashad Patterson, left, makes a catch against Wisconsin defensive back Shelton Johnson (24) during the first half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Stanford head coach David Shaw, center, lifts the trophy following their 20-14 win over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan looks to pass during the first half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game against Wisconsin, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) ? Andrew Luck, Toby Gerhart and coach Jim Harbaugh started Stanford's improbable football renaissance, yet they never stood in the center of the Rose Bowl with the West Coast's most coveted trophy raised above their heads.

In fact, the last Stanford team to do what the Cardinal did Tuesday night had a defense known as the Thunderchickens.

Forty years after Stanford's last Rose Bowl victory, the favored Cardinal lived up to the legacy created by Luck, Harbaugh and every Thunderchicken that came before them by winning the bowl game that matters most to any Pac-12 team.

Stepfan Taylor rushed for an early touchdown, Kevin Hogan passed for 123 yards and No. 8 Stanford's defense shut out the Badgers in the second half of a 20-14 victory in the 99th Rose Bowl.

"I had heard that 1972 was our last win," said Hogan, the freshman quarterback who won Stanford's last five games. "It's been too long since we've had one at The Farm. It's a great feeling."

Instead of slipping back off the college football map when their biggest names graduate to NFL glory, the Cardinal (12-2) have just kept getting better under coach David Shaw. After winning the Orange Bowl two years ago and losing the Fiesta Bowl in overtime last season, Stanford followed up with its first conference title and its first trip to the Granddaddy of Them All in 13 years.

Stanford's unique combination of brains and brawn was too much for its opponents during eight straight wins to close the season.

"We've been in BCS games the past two years, but neither of those mean as much as this one did," said Zach Ertz, the tight end who had three catches for 61 yards. "This is the one we play for every year. It shows Stanford is here to stay."

Usua Amanam capped the defensive performance with an interception that stopped Wisconsin's final drive at midfield with 2:30 to play in a grind-it-out game. Stanford allowed the Badgers just 82 yards and four first downs after halftime.

"There's a sense of accomplishment, because we got somewhere we hadn't been yet," said linebacker Shayne Skov, who made eight tackles while leading Stanford's second-half shutout. "If you looked at our goals at the beginning of the season, this was on top of the list, and we got it done. We're extremely satisfied."

The Cardinal finished with 12 victories for just the second time in school history ? and the second time in the last three years.

Stanford clamped down on the Big Ten champion Badgers (8-6), who lost the Rose Bowl in heartbreaking fashion for the third consecutive season. Montee Ball rushed for 100 yards and his FBS-record 83rd touchdown, but Wisconsin couldn't score after the final seconds of the first half.

With an impressive defense of its own, Wisconsin stayed in position for an upset in the one-game return of Hall of Fame coach Barry Alvarez, who was back on the Badgers' sideline in his red sweater-vest seven years after hanging up his whistle.

"This group of kids has been through a lot, and they competed extremely hard against a very high-quality team," said Alvarez, who nearly pulled off a stunner while bridging the gap between coaches Bret Bielema and Gary Andersen. "We've played three very good football games (at the Rose Bowl). These guys played hard. In fact, most people would like to get here once. But we just didn't get it done."

Kelsey Young took his only carry 16 yards for a score on Stanford's opening possession, and Taylor scored on the second drive after a big catch by Ertz. Wisconsin kept the Cardinal out of the end zone for the final 51 minutes, holding them to three points in the second half, but Stanford's defense didn't need any more help.

When Bielema abruptly left Wisconsin for Arkansas after winning the Big Ten title game, Alvarez agreed to coach his fourth Rose Bowl before handing off his program to Andersen, who met with Alvarez on the field before the game. But the Badgers' third consecutive January in Pasadena ended in much the same way as the last two: With the offense failing to get the late score the Badgers desperately needed.

"This stings just as much, because we fell extremely short when we had the opportunity to win," Ball said. "We had numerous opportunities to capitalize on big plays, and we fell short. ... This is not the way we want to be remembered. Speaking for the entire senior group, this is not the way we wanted to go out."

Curt Phillips went 10 for 16 for 83 yards passing and that crucial interception for Wisconsin, doing more with 64 yards on the ground. Jordan Fredrick caught his first career TD pass right before halftime, but no Badgers receiver had more than Jared Abbrederis' three catches.

And though Ball became the first player to score touchdowns in three Rose Bowls, the powerful back fell short of Ron Dayne's career Rose Bowl rushing record, swarmed under by waves of tacklers from one of the toughest defenses in the nation ? a defense that shut down the top-ranked Ducks in mid-November to pave Stanford's path to Pasadena.

Wisconsin became the first five-loss team to make the Rose Bowl by steamrolling Nebraska in the conference title game, becoming the first Big Ten team in three straight Rose Bowls since Michigan in the late 1970s.

With the Rose Bowl filled with fans wearing the schools' near-identical cardinal-and-white gear, Stanford went up 14-0 on Taylor's 3-yard TD run just 8? minutes in. Wisconsin briefly got rolling behind Ball, who rushed for 296 yards in his first two Rose Bowls.

Stanford stopped James White inside the 1 on fourth down early in the second quarter, but Ball scored on the next drive. The Badgers then mounted an 85-yard drive in the waning minutes of the first half ending with Fredrick's short TD catch.

After a scoreless third quarter, Wisconsin's personal foul on a fair-catch punt return finally sparked the Cardinal early in the fourth. Stanford got inside the Wisconsin 5 before stalling, and Jordan Williamson's short field goal put the Cardinal up by six points with 4:23 to go.

The Badgers got to midfield, but Phillips threw behind Jacob Pedersen, and Amanam easily made the pick.

"I just happened to be at the right place at the right time," Amanam said. "We were able to kind of seal the game on that one."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-02-T25-Rose%20Bowl%20Folo/id-eac5f2108ec546d7ae56fdbbf8ef044f

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Preparations for presidential elections underway ... - Minivan News

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik has?assured the public of a ?free and fair? presidential election in 2013 as part of?his New Year?statement.

Waheed used his address to announce that preparations for the 2013 presidential elections were already underway and that the government intended to take ?all necessary measures? to ensure a fair election.

Following political tension in the nation following the?controversial?transfer of power on February 7, 2012, President Waheed said it would be vital?in the build up to this year?s election for society to put aside its differences.

?As we prepare for the upcoming elections, I urge the people to strengthen the harmony and unity that have existed in the Maldivian society over the years, and not to allow anyone to disrupt this social harmony,? he said.

?The year 2012 saw major challenges, especially in the political challenges, in the country. It was, however, a year in which steps were taken with patience to maintain the security, safety and harmony of the country and its people,? he said.

The President assured the public that the government intended to improve both the general welfare and security of the people within the capacity of the budget passed by the People?s Majlis on December 27.

?The government will continue to create a safe society with reduced crimes. I call upon the people of the Maldives to put national interest ahead of their political interests,? Waheed added.

President Waheed?s?government?was brought to power on February 7 last year following a?controversial?transfer of power later?deemed legitimate by a Commonwealth-backed Commission of National Inquiry (CNI).

However, Dr Waheed?s predecessor, former President Mohamed Nasheed, has questioned the CNI?s findings, alleging that he was forced to resign from office under ?duress?.

Concerns about the CNI?s conclusions were?also raised last month by former Human Rights Minister Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed after she was?dismissed by the present government back in November.

?Stolen democracy?

In his own New Year?statement, former President Nasheed claimed that democracy had been ?stolen? from the public by individuals looking to ?further their narrow political ambitions?.

?We have seen a worrying return of police brutality and state-sanctioned violence and intimidation. With this we saw an increase in violent crimes including the tragic murder of Member of Parliament and Islamic scholar Dr Afrasheem Ali, fatal attacks on a journalist and members of public of whom some are children,? Nasheed alleged.

The former President claimed the country had been reported in the world?s newspapers for ?all the wrong reasons? and that the Maldives is no longer the ?successful Muslim democracy? it once was.

?Instead, the media has been full of stories about human rights abuses, coup d?etat and the government?s disastrous foreign policy decisions that forced out the largest foreign direct investor in the Maldives,? Nasheed added.

?I hope that this year, we will see a genuinely free and fair election, in which everyone is allowed to compete.?

Source: http://minivannews.com/politics/preparations-for-presidential-elections-underway-president-waheed-50172

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Fiscal cliff compromise called a dud on deficit front

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In the controversy surrounding the "fiscal cliff" issue, it's easy to forget that the origin of the entire debate was a professed desire to reduce swollen federal deficits.

Whether the target was $4 trillion over 10 years, as proposed by the Bowles-Simpson deficit reduction commission, or in the $2 trillion range, as tossed around by House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner and President Barack Obama, the idea was to rein in total debt that now tops $16 trillion.

By those standards, the bill passed by the U.S. Senate early on New Year's Day to avoid the cliff's automatic steep tax hikes and across-the-board spending cuts, looks paltry indeed.

The legislation, which as of Tuesday evening had yet to be passed by the House, would add nearly $4 trillion to federal deficits over a decade compared to the debt reduction envisioned in the extreme scenario of the cliff, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

This is largely because it extends low income tax rates for nearly every American except the relative handful above the $400,000 threshold.

It's also because it put off for at least two months the automatic budget cuts that were part of the cliff and would have saved about $109 billion in federal spending on defense and non-defense programs alike.

The Senate bill, which ultimately came down to a fight about tax equity rather than federal spending, did to deficit reduction what Obama and congressional leaders always promise to resist: It "kicked the can down the road" to a later date.

In explaining the measure to the news media, the White House, which helped broker it, gave no particular figure for how much it would bring down the deficit, stating only that, somehow, "with a strengthening economy," it would.

Whether it ultimately succeeds will depend in part on what happens to the now-delayed "automatic" spending cuts, including whether Obama follows through on reductions in outlays.

FULL CIRCLE

The Senate bill also sets up what is likely to be an even more heated fight in late February when the Treasury Department must come to Congress to seek an increase in the government's borrowing limit.

That will bring everything full circle to where the cliff originated during a struggle between Obama and Republicans over raising the federal debt ceiling above $14.5 trillion.

That struggle ended in August, 2011 with a bipartisan deal designed to scare Congress into legislating significant long-term cuts in federal spending.

The idea was that by setting a strict deadline of January 2, 2013 and dire consequences in the form of draconian spending cuts for failing to meet it, the White House and Congress would be forced into action.

Republican Representative Paul Ryan, a self-described deficit hawk who served as the Republican vice-presidential candidate, declared the moment a "huge cultural change."

Coincidentally, low tax rates that originated during the administration of President George W. Bush were also set to expire on December 31, making the prospect of inaction so threatening that the Congressional Budget Office determined that failure to intervene could cause a new recession.

But the controversy over taxes, coming on the heels of a presidential campaign built around Obama's demand for middle-class tax justice, ultimately consumed the argument over the cliff, leaving deficit reduction as the forgotten issue.

Among those disappointed by the process was Alice Rivlin, a Brookings Institution scholar, former U.S. budget director and co-author of another widely discussed deficit reduction plan named for herself and former U.S. Senator Pete Domenici, a Republican from New Mexico.

"I'd been optimistic," Rivlin said in an interview with Reuters. "I thought that we might get might get it done" and that Boehner and Obama "might get to a grand bargain."

Maya MacGuineas, a budget hawk who has led a group of corporate chieftains in a group called "Fix the Debt," was also unenthusiastic about the bill.

"This is one of the lowest common denominator deals," MacGuineas said. "I wish I had something nice to say, but not so much."

(Reporting By Kim Dixon, Rachelle Younglai, David Lawder and Richard Cowan and Fred Barbash; Editing by Fred Barbash and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-fiscal-cliff-deal-called-dud-deficit-front-235910320--business.html

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'Fiscal cliff' disputes remain as deadline nears

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The White House and Senate Republicans sorted through stubborn disputes over taxing the wealthy and cutting the budget to pay for Democratic spending proposals as Monday's midnight deadline for an accord avoiding the "fiscal cliff" drew to within hours.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., spoke repeatedly Sunday to Vice President Joe Biden, a former Senate colleague, in hopes of settling remaining differences and clinching a breakthrough that has evaded the two sides since President Barack Obama's November re-election. In one indication of the eleventh-hour activity, aides said the president, Biden and top administration bargainer Rob Nabors were all working late at the White House, and McConnell was making late-night phone calls as well.

Unless an agreement is reached and approved by Congress by the start of New Year's Day, more than $500 billion in 2013 tax increases will begin to take effect and $109 billion will be carved from defense and domestic programs. Though the tax hikes and budget cuts would be felt gradually, economists warn that if allowed to fully take hold, their combined impact ? the so-called fiscal cliff ? would rekindle a recession.

"There is still significant distance between the two sides, but negotiations continue," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said shortly before the Senate ended an unusual Sunday session. "There is still time to reach an agreement, and we intend to continue negotiations."

The House and Senate planned to meet Monday, a rarity for New Year's Eve, in hopes of having a tentative agreement to consider. Yet despite the flurry of activity, there was still no final pact.

"This whole thing is a national embarrassment," Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said Monday on MSNBC, adding that any solution Congress would swallow at this late stage would be inconsequential. "We still haven't moved any closer to solving our nation's problems."

In a move that was sure to irritate Republicans, Reid was planning ? absent a deal ? to force a Senate vote Monday on Obama's campaign-season proposal to continue expiring tax cuts for all but those with income exceeding $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples.

Attached to the measure ? which the GOP seemed likely to block ? would be an extension of jobless benefits for around 2 million long-term unemployed people. The plan was described by Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois, the chamber's No. 2 Democrat.

The House and Senate met Sunday ready to debate an agreement or at least show voters they were trying. But the day produced alternating bursts of progress and pitfalls, despite Senate chaplain Barry Black's opening prayer in which he asked the heavens, "Look with favor on our nation and save us from self-inflicted wounds."

In one sign of movement, Republicans dropped a demand to slow the growth of Social Security and other benefits by changing how those payments are increased each year to allow for inflation.

Obama had offered to include that change, despite opposition by many Democrats, as part of earlier, failed bargaining with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, over a larger deficit reduction agreement. But Democrats said they would never include the new inflation formula in the smaller deal now being sought to forestall wide-ranging tax boosts and budget cuts, and Republicans relented.

"It's just acknowledging the reality," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said of the GOP decision to drop the idea.

There was still no final agreement on the income level above which decade-old income tax cuts would be allowed to expire. While Obama has long insisted on letting the top 35 percent tax rate rise to 39.6 percent on earnings over $250,000, he'd agreed to boost that level to $400,000 in his talks with Boehner. GOP senators said they wanted the figure hoisted to at least that level.

Senators said disagreements remained over taxing large inherited estates. Republicans want the tax left at its current 35 percent, with the first $5.1 million excluded, while Democrats want the rate increased to 45 percent with a smaller exclusion.

The two sides were also apart on how to keep the alternative minimum tax from raising the tax bills of nearly 30 million middle-income families and how to extend tax breaks for research by business and other activities.

Republicans were insisting that budget cuts be found to pay for some of the spending proposals Democrats were pushing.

These included proposals to erase scheduled defense and domestic cuts exceeding $200 billion over the next two years and to extend unemployment benefits. Republicans complained that in effect, Democrats would pay for that spending with the tax boosts on the wealthy.

"We can't use tax increases on anyone to pay for more spending," said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.

Both parties also want to block an immediate 27 percent cut in reimbursements to doctors who treat Medicare patients. Republicans wanted to find savings from Obama's health care bill as well as from Medicare providers, while Democrats want to protect the health care law from cuts.

Both sides agree that a temporary 2-percentage-point cut in the Social Security payroll tax was likely to expire. That reduction ? to 4.2 percent ? was initiated by Obama two years ago to help spur the economy and has meant $1,000 annual savings to families earning $50,000.

A senior defense official said if the spending cuts were triggered, the Pentagon would soon begin notifying its 800,000 civilian employees to expect furloughs ? mandatory unpaid leave, not layoffs. It would take time for the furloughs to be implemented, said the official, who requested anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the preparations

___

Associated Press writers David Espo, Julie Pace, Robert Burns and Josh Lederman contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fiscal-cliff-disputes-remain-deadline-nears-082407825--politics.html

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How To Enjoy New Year's Eve Home Alone | YourTango

Treat yourself to a bubble bath and some bubbly tonight.

Eight ways to spend the night in.

No big plans tonight? Whether your party ideas fell through, it's too cold out or you're feeling under the weather, we say staying in is perfectly acceptable tonight.

There's plenty of fun ways to ring in the new year alone, bubble baths and cuddling with your pup included. Did we mention Groupon's having NYE discount specials?

More from YourTango: The 'Kissing Disease' Lives Up To Its Name

See the list of 8 ways to celebrate NYE solo at The Stir:?8 Perfectly Acceptable Ways to Spend New Year's Eve Home Alone

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Source: http://www.yourtango.com/2012169531/how-enjoy-new-years-eve-home-alone

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