Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Clinton Warns of Bio-Weapons Threat, Terrorism

During Geneva speech, US secretary of state cites evidence that al-Qaida was seeking to conduct biological attacks in Afghanistan

Source: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Clinton-Warns-of-Bio-Weapons-Threat-Terrorism-135175433.html

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Mid-Century Design, Quality and Style Built to Last

What goes around comes around. None of this could be more true than America’s returned fascination with mid-century modern design. Popularized by AMC’s TV show “Mad [...]

Source: http://www.zillow.com/blog/2011-11-21/mid-century-design-quality-and-style-built-to-last/

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By the Numbers: 1.6 Billion Square Feet

1.6 Billion Square Feet

Today, President Obama announced commitments from 60 major CEOS, universities, mayors, labor leaders, and others to improve the energy efficiency of 1.6 billion square feet of commercial and industrial property. That’s more square footage than 500 Empire State Buildings.

Refitting our nation’s buildings to be more energy efficient will help businesses save money, create jobs for out-of-work construction workers, and help protect our environment. In fact, meeting President Obama’s Better Building Initiative goal—improving energy efficiency in our commercial buildings 20 percent by 2020—will save businesses $40 billion per year and create 114,000 jobs.

President Obama knows that we can’t wait on Congress to offer incentives for building owners to move forward with energy efficiency upgrades on their properties. That’s why he partnered with the former President Bill Clinton and his Council on Jobs and Competitiveness to spur the $2 billion private sector investment that led to today’s announcement. To jumpstart even more energy efficient upgrades, President Obama also directed Federal agencies to make at least $2 billion worth of energy efficiency upgrades in the next two years.

Read more:

Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/12/02/numbers-16-billion-square-feet

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Report: E. African Minorities Losing Resources

Commercial exploitation of natural resources exacerbates scarcity, deepens longstanding animosities between indigenous communities

Source: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Report-E-African-Minorities-Losing-Resources-135092313.html

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By the Numbers: 26 Days and Counting

26 Days

If Congress doesn’t act, taxes on the middle class will go up in 26 days. That’s when President Obama’s payroll tax cut—signed into law last year—will end. Approximately 160 million workers will begin paying 6.2 percent of their wages in payroll taxes, rather than continuing to pay the current rate of 4.2 percent. As a result, the typical family earning $50,000 a year would pay an additional $1,000 in taxes in 2012.

As part of the American Jobs Act, President Obama asked Congress to extend and expand the payroll tax cut to continue helping middle class families--an extension Senate Republicans have already rejected once. His plan would cut the rate workers pay even further, down to 3.1 percent of their wages. Under President Obama’s proposal, the same family earning $50,000 would see an extra $1,500 in their pockets next year.

Want to see how changes to the payroll tax cut will affect you starting January 1st? Use our calculator to find out how much more you’ll be paying if Congress doesn’t act in the next 26 days...and counting.

Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/12/05/numbers-26-days-and-counting

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How to prepare your home for winter

How to prepare your home for winter  It feels like I just wrote about celebrating our country and home ownership in July. Now I am already thinking and now writing about preparing our home for winter. How is that possible? Time flies when you are having fun, and the seasons change. Fall is my favorite [...]

Source: http://www.homefinder.com/news/opening-doors/2011/10/06/how-to-prepare-your-home-for-winter/

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November's Most Popular Houses

Each week, readers vote on their favorite of the homes featured as the House of the Day. Tour November's winners, located in Athens, Ga., Philadelphia, Beverly Hills, Calif., Columbus, Ohio and Mercer Island, Wash.

Source: http://online.wsj.com/video/november-most-popular-houses/8CB0BC91-53FF-49E7-B...

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2011 Halloween costumes ideas from Foreclosure.com staff

Pictured above, Apple’s Steve Jobs from our resident Mac maniac. Sure, Halloween is still a few days away, but at Foreclosure.com we decided to celebrate a little early to ensure a fun, frightening Friday. Several (but not all) of our employees were up for the task, coming into work today all decked out and even [...]

Source: http://blog.foreclosure.com/2011/10/2011-halloween-costumes-ideas-from-foreclosure-com-staff/

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Put your best face forward on Facebook and Twitter

In October we sponsored a few InmanNext Webinars presented by Chris Smith. Through his incredible knowledge of social media, we have been able to not only help provide these Webinars to agents and brokers for free, but we have also learned a lot ourselves. We hate keeping this knowledge to ourselves so time to spread [...]

Source: http://www.homefinder.com/news/opening-doors/2011/10/31/put-your-best-face-forward-on-facebook-and-twitter/

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Should You Consider Listing Your Home During the Holidays?

As the holidays approach, I?m always asked the same questions: Should we keep our property on the real estate market or take it off? Do we [...]

Source: http://www.zillow.com/blog/2011-11-21/should-you-consider-listing-your-home-during-the-holidays/

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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Best of our Blogs: Oct 31-Nov 4

It’s starting to get chilly outside, well at least it is here in San Francisco. No doubt the rest of the nation has already ransacked the winter clothes box stashed in the attic. With many of us spending more time sitting by the fireplace (hopefully), it’s a great time to catch up on the Best [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TruliaBlog/~3/nOzhZEOKJ2M/

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The Best of Our Blogs (11/7-11/2011)

In the whirlwind of the week, you might have missed your chances to catch up on what’s moving and shaking in real estate. Don’t sweat it, because that’s what we’re here for. We’ve distilled the best of what happened all across Trulia’s blogs this week in one cute, bitesized post. Aren’t we nice? Happy Friday! Moving [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TruliaBlog/~3/53QM6wDx2RU/

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Bancroft San Diego Home Reduced 50% to $7 Million

Hugh Bancroft III and his wife Joy, members of the family who formerly owned The Wall Street Journal, are asking nearly $7 million for their home near San Diego. They had asked $14 million in 2008. Candace Jackson has details on The News Hub.

Source: http://online.wsj.com/video/bancroft-san-diego-home-reduced-50-to-7-million/6...

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President Obama Welcomes 2011 Kennedy Center Honorees to the White House

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attend the 2011 Kennedy Center Honors

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attend the Kennedy Center Honors celebrating honorees Neil Diamond, Meryl Streep, Sonny Rollins, Yo-Yo Ma and Barbara Cook at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011.

President Obama and the First Lady last night welcomed the 2011 Kennedy Center Honorees to the White House where he praised their lifelong contributions to the arts, and thanked them for sharing their talents with the world:

At a time of year when Americans everywhere are counting their blessings, we want to give thanks to their extraordinary contributions.  They have been blessings to all of us.  We are grateful that they've chosen to share their gifts, to enrich our lives, and to inspire us to new heights.

Every year the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts celebrates individuals who have made a lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts—whether in dance, music, theater, opera, motion pictures, or television. This year’s honorees are singer Barbara Cook, singer and songwriter Neil Diamond, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, saxophonist and composer Sonny Rollins and actress Meryl Streep. The President recognized the unique place each of the honorees holds in American culture and the importance of their work in American society:

So each of them have made these extraordinary contributions, and it's worthwhile, then, for us to commit ourselves to making this a place where the arts can continue to thrive. Because right now, somewhere in America, there is a future Kennedy Center honoree -- practicing on some phone books, or writing songs to impress a girl, or wondering if she can cut it on the big stage. Let's make sure our young people can dream big dreams, and follow them as far as they can go. And let's make sure the arts continue to be an important -- no, a critical part of who we are in the kind of world that we want to live in.

read more

Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/12/05/president-obama-welcomes-2011-kennedy-center-honorees-white-house

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South Africa Under Fire For 'Dirty Energy'

Activists call on government to develop clean supplies of energy since coal contributes to greenhouse gases, climate change

Source: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/South-Africa-Under-Fire-for-Dirty-Energy-135088123.html

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CONFESSIONS OF A REAL ESTATE JUNKIE/TOP 5 MEDIA TRENDS FOR 2011

Like many of us in this business I have been awe struck by the rate of decline in almost everything related to the housing industry over the last...

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRealEstateBookBlog/~3/YHl6opSH5zg/

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Clean Air and Electricity Delivery

We can have clean air and reliable electricity at the same time. That’s the clear conclusion from a new report by the Department of Energy (DOE) released today. This confirms what the United States has always experienced in the 40 year history of the Clean Air Act – namely, the ability to safeguard public health without compromising the ability to keep the lights on in communities across the country.

Over the past few years, to build on four decades of success under the Clean Air Act, the Obama Administration has taken a series of historic actions to reduce harmful air pollution and promote public health. The new standards that we have established to slash mercury emissions, curb cross-state pollution, and make cars and trucks more efficient will result in enormous economic and health benefits to society. For example, the recently finalized cross-state air pollution rule alone is expected to prevent up to 34,000 premature deaths each year.

These are all appropriate and necessary steps to protect families and the environment that can and must be implemented in a way that maintains reliability of the electric grid. Historically speaking, the electric utility sector has a strong track record of providing both safe and reliable electricity to American consumers. Grid operators, states, generators, and federal agencies have developed tools, procedures, and technologies to ensure the continued reliable delivery of electricity to consumers.

Nonetheless, a few industry voices argue that the Administration’s new standards will undermine grid reliability. Many of those claims have been based on early or incomplete predictions about Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules. That’s why the independent analysis carried out by DOE is so important. Their analysis modeled a “stress test” scenario that deliberately went well beyond the requirements of the new clean air standards being put into place by the EPA. The point of the analysis was to test whether even under extreme conditions there would be enough power generating capacity to meet peak electricity demand throughout the country. The result: the power grid passed with flying colors.

Additionally, the DOE report finds that the law allows enough time for utilities to upgrade their power plants or add new generation – and that in specific cases where localized issues do arise, the Clean Air Act already provides the tools and necessary flexibility to address those concerns on a plant-specific or local basis.

read more

Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/12/01/clean-air-and-electricity-delivery

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Frankie Muniz?s Home for Rent, Again

From one star to another — that’s usually how the celebrity real estate game is played… even with homes for rent. Former child star of “Malcolm [...]

Source: http://www.zillow.com/blog/2011-12-01/frankie-munizs-home-for-rent-again/

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As Open Enrollment Ends, People with Medicare Save $1.5 Billion on Prescriptions

If you’ve had a Medicare Advantage or Prescription Drug Plan for a few years, you’ll know that December is the end of Medicare Open Enrollment.  This year, the last day for you to choose new Medicare health or prescription drug coverage for 2012 is December 7, earlier than it’s been in previous years. 

 December 7 is tomorrow.  But you still have until midnight tomorrow if you want to make a change  to your medical or prescription drug coverage.

And as you are reviewing your plan, remember that Medicare is only getting stronger. New data released today shows how millions of seniors have gotten cheaper prescription drugs and free preventive services, all thanks to the President’s health reform law.

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, the Medicare prescription drug coverage gap known as the donut hole is starting to close. Through the end of October, 2.65 million people with Medicare have received discounts on brand name drugs in the donut hole.  These discounts have saved seniors and people with disabilities a total of $1.5 billion on prescriptions – averaging about $569 per person.  For State-by-State information on the number of people who are benefiting from this discount in 2011, visit this page.

Over the coming years, the Affordable Care Act will help close the coverage gap completely. Each year from now to 2020, you’ll pay less for brand name and generic drugs in the coverage gap.  And in 2020, the coverage gap will be eliminated and the donut hole will be closed for good.

In addition to cheaper prescription drugs, the Affordable Care Act also made preventive services available to people with Medicare for free. Preventive care helps people stay healthy and live longer lives. Through the end of November nearly 24.2 million people with Medicare have received one or more free preventive services, including Medicare’s new free Annual Wellness Visit.  For State-by-State information on the numbers of people who are utilizing preventive services in 2011, visit this page.

 

 

 

Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/12/06/open-enrollment-ends-people-medicare-save-15-billion-prescriptions

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