exit cast: April 2013

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Home prices rise, seen helping economic recovery

By Jason Lange

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Home prices rose in February at their fastest rate in almost seven years, a fresh sign the housing market recovery will help counter the drag on the economy from government belt tightening.

The S&P/Case Shiller index of 20 metropolitan areas released on Tuesday showed single-family home prices rose 9.3 percent in February from a year earlier.

The data reinforces the view that rising home prices could make Americans feel better about spending this year, helping counter a hit to economic growth from tax hikes and government spending cuts.

"This will be a powerful positive fundamental not only for housing but presumably helpful for consumer spending as well," said Stephen Stanley an economist at Pierpont Securities in Stamford, Connecticut.

Another report showed U.S. consumer confidence rebounded in April as Americans felt better about the outlook for the economy and their income prospects.

The Conference Board, a private industry group, said its index of consumer attitudes rose to 68.1 from a revised 61.9 the previous month. Economists polled by Reuters had expected a reading of 60.8.

Still, there appears to be a growing risk that weakness in the labor market and broader economy could dial down the housing recovery's strength. Hiring slowed dramatically in March and economic growth was lackluster in the first quarter, raising fears the economy could struggle to cope with Washington's austerity drive.

Business activity in the U.S. Midwest unexpectedly contracted in April to its lowest level since September 2009 as a gauge of employment pulled back, another report showed.

The Institute for Supply Management-Chicago business barometer fell to 49, below the 50 mark that denotes contraction and falling short of economists' expectations for 52.5.

Other recent data has pointed to less steam building in the housing market, and the Commerce Department said on Tuesday that the U.S. home ownership rate slipped to 65.2 percent in the first quarter, a 17-year low.

Still, rising home prices could give construction firms more incentive to build new homes and increase inventories. A dearth of homes on the market has held back sales.

The S&P/Case Shiller index showed prices gained 1.2 percent in February on a seasonally adjusted basis from January, topping forecasts for a 0.9 percent gain.

Following a spectacular collapse that fueled the 2007-09 recession, the housing sector appears to have turned a corner and prices have been rising since February 2012.

MORE MONETARY STIMULUS AHEAD

U.S. stocks were about flat, although market players said the drop in Midwestern business activity weighed on sentiment. Yields on U.S. government debt were also little changed.

The data came as the Federal Reserve prepared to open a two-day meeting on monetary policy. A recent slew of weak U.S. growth data has raised expectations the Fed will keep its pace of bond buying at $85 billion a month throughout the year.

The Fed has kept overnight interest rates near zero since late 2008 and it has tripled its balance sheet to about $3 trillion through purchases of securities, which are aimed at pushing longer-term borrowing costs lower.

A separate report showed U.S. labor costs rose a modest 0.3 percent in the first quarter, pointing to a lack of inflationary pressures that could give the Fed space to continue its monetary stimulus.

Wages and salaries, which account for 70 percent of employment costs, increased 0.5 percent in the first quarter, and were up 1.6 percent in the 12 months through March, according to the report from the Labor Department.

Workers' benefits rose 0.1 percent during the quarter, the slowest pace since 1999. The data may have been distorted by an error found in benefits data for sales and office workers, but the department said the data error probably did not have a major impact.

(Reporting by Jason Lange in Washington and Leah Schnurr in New York; Editing by Neil Stempleman and Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/home-prices-rise-seen-helping-economic-recovery-135754927.html

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Latin American presidents love Twitter - maybe too much

By Brian Winter

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - When a million angry Argentines flooded the streets earlier this month to protest her government, President Cristina Fernandez decided to post a message on Twitter.

And another. And then another.

"Yes, I'm a bit stubborn, and I'm also old. But in the end, it's lucky to arrive at old age, isn't it?" one tweet read. She also mused about a 19th century fresco in her "gorgeous" palace, and the merits of a state-run literacy program.

At the end of the day, Fernandez had sent 61 tweets in a nine-hour period - prolific even by the standards of Latin America, where presidents and other leading politicians have embraced social media with a zeal unmatched anywhere else.

Their love for Twitter, in particular, has given millions of voyeurs a real-time window into policymaking - and, often, their leaders' most intimate thoughts.

Yet it has also fueled debate on whether some are guilty of "oversharing" - making politics more polarized, confrontations more personal, and potentially making the leaders themselves look awkward when they post about chats with strangers in a bathroom, for example, as Fernandez also did this month.

"Everybody who uses Twitter knows that sometimes you write something and push the send button without thinking enough about it. That's dangerous in politics ... and we've seen many examples of it," said Alan Clutterbuck, head of Fundacion RAP, a group based in Buenos Aires that seeks to improve the civility of political discourse.

"We should hold our political leaders to a different standard," he said. "You see a message that says 'I'm having a sandwich,' and you think: 'Who cares?'"

With a rich tradition of florid oratory, Latin America produced Cuba's Fidel Castro and his famed five-hour-long speeches. So it's unsurprising that some of its modern-day leaders have embraced a new platform to express themselves - but also struggle to shoehorn their thoughts into a few tidy blasts of 140 characters or less.

Politicians have also been hurling around insults since before the Twitter age, such as when the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez called former U.S. President George W. Bush the "devil" at the United Nations in 2006.

Yet there is no question that the technology has made the invective fly faster than ever before.

In the aftermath of this month's bitterly contested election to succeed Chavez in Venezuela, there were moments when both candidates were simultaneously tweeting attacks on each other.

Eventual winner Nicolas Maduro referred to the opposition as "fascists," declaring: "In their crazy hatred and desperation they're capable of anything." Losing candidate Henrique Capriles used Twitter to question the results of the voting hours after polls closed, tweeting "There is an illegitimate president!"

SHOWING THEIR HUMAN SIDE

Leaders elsewhere have also taken to Twitter, though not with the same fervor. U.S. President Barack Obama has a robust feed, but his profile says he only sends some himself, signing them "-bo." As of Friday, he hadn't done so in at least a month.

In contrast, Latin America's most prolific tweeting presidents - Fernandez, Maduro, Colombia's Juan Manuel Santos and Mexico's Enrique Pena Nieto - all send a large percentage of messages themselves, their aides say.

The most popular of all was Chavez, who had more than 4 million followers prior to his death in March.

Not everybody's on board: The president of the region's biggest country, Brazil's Dilma Rousseff, stopped tweeting right after she was elected in 2010. "She thinks it's a total waste of time," one aide said.

But for others, it has become part of their identity.

Since leaving office in 2010, former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has sometimes sent dozens of tweets a day criticizing Santos for being weak on security, among other alleged failings.

Uribe's critics say he has diminished his stature, and unfairly hamstrung his chosen successor, by weighing in so frequently on day-to-day affairs. But he has shown no signs of slowing down, and even hung in his home office a framed cartoon of himself hunched over his Blackberry, tweeting away.

"It allows direct communication, without intermediaries," Uribe said via e-mail. "The danger is that it tempts you to react to first impressions, so I try to avoid seeing many of the provocations that arrive."

At its best, Twitter can remind voters that their politicians are human - and even vulnerable.

The night of the march against her in Buenos Aires, Fernandez traveled to Caracas, and began to reflect on Chavez's death - words that added poignancy given the sudden passing of her own husband, former President Nestor Kirchner, in 2010.

"Why is it that those who live with so much intensity abandon us so soon?" she tweeted.

The following night, she started writing about "the human condition," before seemingly remembering that, even on Twitter, there are limits.

"Pardon me," she tweeted. "I started thinking, and since I can't speak (because my voice is gone), I'm channeling it through here."

"In the end, it's healthy and absolutely inoffensive."

(Additional reporting by Helen Murphy in Bogota; Editing by Kieran Murray and Sandra Maler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/latin-american-presidents-love-twitter-maybe-too-much-125728785.html

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Everything You Need to Grill Everything but Steak

Your grill may be an altar for red meat but why partake only in steak when there are so many other delicious animals and vegetables to try? Here?s what you?ll need to roast birds and bivalves alongside your bevy of beef.

Monday, April 29, 2013

LG WCP-300 Wireless Charger: Simple, small, effective

LG WCP-300 Wireless Charger.

Wireless charging one day will take over the world. Someday. Maybe next week. Maybe not. Eventually, perhaps.

OK, nobody's getting rid of microUSB chargers anytime soon. So to that end we'll keep plowing our way through wireless Qi chargers. When we first saw the LG WCP-300 Wireless Charger (we picked ours up for $39 at Verizon) at Mobile World Congress, it was a pretty unassuming puck. It's smallish (about 2.7 inches in diameter) and is just a bit thicker than the phone you're going to charge it with. The included travel charger is rated at 1.8A, and the puck itself takes that down to 1A. So if you want a faster charge, you'll need to plug in. But wireless charging has always been more about convenience than speed. (The party line is that the WCP-300 will charge a 1500 mAh battery in less than 4 hours.)

So, one puck, one phone. Plug in the microUSB cable, plop a phone on top of it, and you're charging. There's an LED indicator light that doesn't do a whole lot of good unless you place your phone on the puck sideways -- it's hidden, otherwise -- but doing so just looks odd. The face of the puck is matte black. It's ringed in glossy plastic, and the bottom's got four rubber feet that keeps things nicely in place.

If you're going to delve into the world of wireless charging, you need to know up front that you'll be paying a little bit of a premium. Paying $39 to charge your phone isn't small potatoes. But the LG WCP-300 is a slim and stylish charging puck. In fact, it's probably going to end up in my travel bag, just because.

We've got more pics after the break.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/G2NadQSaTAo/story01.htm

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California police search for suspect in fatal stabbing of girl

(Reuters) - Authorities were searching on Sunday for a man suspected of stabbing an 8-year-old girl to death at a home in a northern California suburb, officials said.

Residents of Valley Springs, California, 60 miles southeast of Sacramento, were warned to stay inside their homes with their doors locked as investigators fanned out across the region, hunting for the girl's attacker.

Detectives interviewed potential witnesses, family members and collected fingerprints and possible DNA from the home where the girl was killed on Saturday, but had no specific suspect, the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

The sheriff's office identified the girl as Leila Fowler, 8, and said it expected an autopsy to be performed on Monday. They had previously said she was 9 years old.

Authorities said the girl's 12-year-old brother encountered an intruder in his home on Saturday afternoon and the suspect fled, according to KCRA, a local television news station. The boy then went to check on his sister and found her stabbed. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, KCRA reported.

The sheriff said the suspect was considered armed and dangerous and described him as a "muscular" white or Hispanic man, about 6-feet (1.83-meters) tall with longish gray hair. They said he was last seen wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and blue pants.

The sheriff's office said it had notified the local school district about the case and planned to have an increased presence at the schools and bus stops on Monday.

(Reporting by Chris Francescani and David Bailey; Editing by Barbara Goldberg, Jackie Frank and Paul Simao)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/california-police-search-suspect-fatal-stabbing-girl-051918273.html

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Thunder take 3-0 series lead with 104-101 win

Houston Rockets' Francisco Garcia (32) goes up for a shot as Oklahoma City Thunder's Serge Ibaka (9) defends during the second quarter of Game 3 in a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Saturday, April 27, 2013, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Houston Rockets' Patrick Beverley (12) falls backward while blocking Oklahoma City Thunder's Nick Collison (4) during the first quarter of Game 3 in a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Saturday, April 27, 2013, in Houston. Beverley was called for a blocking foul. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Oklahoma City Thunder's Nick Collison (4) goes up for a shot as Houston Rockets' Omer Asik (3), Francisco Garcia (32) and Jeremy Lin (7) defend during the second quarter of Game 3 in a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Saturday, April 27, 2013, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

HOUSTON (AP) ? Kevin Durant scored 41 points in his first game without injured All-Star Russell Westbrook, and the Oklahoma City Thunder fought off Houston's late rally to beat the Rockets 104-101 on Saturday night for a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven playoff series.

Durant scored 27 points in the first half, and the Thunder led by 26 points before a big third-quarter rally by the Rockets put them within striking distance.

Houston regained the lead with about 4 minutes left, and was up with less than a minute remaining. But Durant hit a 3-pointer seconds later to put Oklahoma City on top 100-99.

A turnover by James Harden gave the Thunder the ball back and Derek Fisher made two free throws to push the lead to 3. Harden made a layup, but Reggie Jackson hit two more free throws after that.

Houston had a last chance, but Carlos Delfino's 3-pointer fell short.

Harden scored 30 points to lead the Rockets in the first playoff game in Houston since 2009.

Game 4 is Monday night in Houston

Westbrook was injured in Game 2 and had season-ending knee surgery Saturday. It was the first time Durant had ever played without Westbrook, who hadn't missed a game in his career before Saturday.

Durant tied a career high for the playoffs, and he added 14 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. Jackson started in place of Westbrook and had 14 points, and Ibaka added 17 points and 11 rebounds.

A 3-pointer by Chandler Parsons tied it with 5:46 left and Delfino gave Houston its first lead since early in the first quarter, 94-93, about 2 minutes later.

Ibaka made four straight points after that, ending with a reverse layup, to make it 97-94 with about a minute and a half left.

Harden hit a pair of free throws. Then Francisco Garcia's 3-pointer put them up 99-97 with 45 seconds left, before the clutch shot by Durant.

The Rockets rallied from a 15-point deficit to take a lead in the fourth quarter in Game 2. But they weren't able to hold on and Oklahoma City got the 105-102 win.

It was much the same this time, as Houston went up late only to fall again.

Westbrook's absence didn't seem to bother Oklahoma City early, as Durant had the big first half and the Thunder looked to be in complete control.

Things changed in the third quarter, as Durant was limited offensively and Houston outscored the Thunder 27-14 in the quarter.

Houston point guard Jeremy Lin, who suffered a bruised chest muscle in Game 2, started but scored only two points in about 18 minutes.

Parsons added 21 points for Houston, and Garcia had 18.

After the big run got Houston within eight points in the third quarter, Garcia and Harden made 3-pointers around a dunk by Durant to whittle the lead to 80-76 entering the last quarter.

Durant was scoreless in the third quarter until his dunk with 27 seconds remaining in the quarter.

The Thunder led by 19 points when the Rockets used a 16-5 run to get to 78-70 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. The Rockets harassed Oklahoma City into three turnovers in that stretch, and Durant went cold as he missed four shots.

NOTES: Francisco Garcia and Houston coach Kevin McHale received technical fouls in the first quarter. ... Pitching great Roger Clemens and Houston Texans star receiver Andre Johnson attended the game. ... Houston's Aaron Brooks, who was the only player on the roster the last time the Rockets reached the playoffs, had four points.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-28-BKN-Thunder-Rockets/id-8aa8cd4b17c64eea8b96fec819a029d8

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Key Egyptian negotiator with IMF quits

By Paul Taylor

CAIRO (Reuters) - A key Egyptian negotiator with the International Monetary Fund said on Sunday he has resigned as first deputy finance minister, in a potential blow to Cairo's prospects of an early IMF deal.

Hany Kadry Dimian has been the crucial point man in Egypt's protracted and so far fruitless negotiations to obtain a $4.8 billion loan needed to help combat a severe economic crisis.

"The only comment I can make for the time being is that yes, my term ends on April 30 according to my resignation, which I submitted in December," Kadry told Reuters by telephone.

"My next move is not decided."

A senior technocrat appointed in 2007, Kadry survived five finance ministers in office since the 2011 uprising that overthrew former autocratic President Hosni Mubarak.

Kadry gave no explanation for his decision to quit, first reported on the Egyptian dissident Rebel Economy blog, saying he would say more on Tuesday.

A senior European diplomat said his departure was not a good omen for Egypt's hopes of wrapping up a deal on the long delayed IMF loan next month, as the government has said it aims to do.

Kadry was the one expert in the ministry who fully understood the IMF program and was able to deal with the global lender professionally, the diplomat said.

The daily El-Watan said on its website that Kadry had been under increasing pressure from the ruling Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, and in conflict with Abdallah Shehata, the FJP economic adviser to Finance Minister Al-Mursi Al-Sayed Hegazy.

Abdel Shakour Shalaan, Middle East representative on the IMF board, told Al Hayat television channel he hoped Egypt could complete the loan deal within four to five weeks.

"I hope it will be completed within a month or five weeks, the end of May or the beginning June," he said.

Separately, the head of Egypt's bourse, Mohamed Omran, told Prime Minister Hisham Kandil he would like to leave his position at the end of his term on July 1, the state news agency MENA reported, citing an unnamed official stock exchange source.

The report did not give a reason for Omran's request, but said he had told the prime minister in August he wanted to leave the post. Kandil had asked him to stay until the end of his term, MENA said.

(Additional reporting by Alexander Dziadosz; Writing by Paul Taylor; Editing by Jon Hemming and Stephen Powell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/key-egyptian-negotiator-imf-quits-191627035.html

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Michael's Genuine Food: Down-to-Earth Cooking for People Who ...

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Source: http://qinykaar.typepad.com/blog/2013/04/michaels-genuine-food-down-to-earth-cooking-for-people-who-love-to-eat-ebook-downloads.html

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Sunday, April 28, 2013

Defense Department becomes a wildlife protector

Many of the nation's 440 military bases were established in what were once sparsely populated hinterlands where soldiers trained without complaints from neighbors about the roar of warplanes and the sound of gunfire and explosions.

Now, with urban sprawl pushing up against perimeter fences, the U.S. Department of Defense has quietly become a major protector of wilderness and ranch lands. Working with conservation organizations and local governments, its Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative has helped buy nearly $1 billion worth of land to create buffer zones around 64 military bases where development threatened to encroach on combat training.

The program has been a boon for conservation, creating more than 260,000 acres of new sanctuaries ? off limits to development in perpetuity ? for some of the rarest plants and animals on earth: the California red-legged frog, the Pacific pocket mouse, the Chorro creek bog thistle and, in North Carolina, rare longleaf pine habitat for the red-cockaded woodpecker.

"This is one of the fastest-growing federal conservation programs to protect habitat and land ? but that is not why we are doing it," said Nancy Natoli, spokeswoman for the program. "Our mission is to train war fighters."

Judged by its founding mission, the eight-year-old program has been a success. From Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in Oceanside to Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Florida's northwest panhandle, military bases are transforming themselves into places where nature and combat training prosper.

Nationwide, the Defense Department has spent $300 million in cost-sharing agreements with partners who acquired land and conservation easements to protect military testing and training capabilities.

In California, recent acquisitions include hundreds of acres of untrammeled desert near the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center and Joshua Tree National Park. The land was needed to secure live-fire training.

Near Sacramento, the program obtained a cattle ranch outside Beale Air Force Base that had been targeted for a 5,000-home development. The Army's Camp Roberts in Central California partnered with the Ag Land Trust to acquire conservation easements on adjacent grazing lands and vineyards.

The Army's Camp San Luis Obispo has buffered itself from the growth of subdivisions in the nearby city of San Luis Obispo. The Pentagon's program helped buy 1,342 acres worth about $4.3 million, protecting habitat for endangered red-legged frogs and Southern steelhead trout.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base north of Santa Barbara, where the median home price is about $3 million, the military joined with the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County a year ago to buy 171 acres for $3.4 million. As a launch site for nuclear missiles and government satellites, the base faced issues including the possibility of errant launches, falling debris and toxic clouds.

Under terms of that agreement, the Santa Barbara County Parks Department owns the land, The Land Conservancy holds a conservation easement on the property and, on launch days, the military maintains the right to evacuate the area.

On a recent weekday, a group of conservationists gathered on a ridgeline. On one side stood Vandenberg's no-trespassing signs. The other side offered sweeping views of the old Tognazzini ranch, where it seems as though nothing has changed since it was homesteaded in 1897.

Long, lazy breakers crashed on the base of sandy bluffs and dunes. Streams spilled out of arroyos and into estuaries teeming with shorebirds. Swallowtail butterflies hovered over coastal sage scrub.

Without the Defense Department's contribution of about $890,000, "the transaction would not have been possible because we had exhausted our funding sources," said Kaila Dettman, executive director of The Land Conservancy. "So it's mission accomplished: there will never be homes, hotels or large structures of any kind on this land."

That is just what Herbert Tognazzini, who died a year ago at the age of 99, hoped would eventually become of the property that was once was a working cattle ranch.

"Dad always said, 'Susie, this land should belong to everyone; it should not be developed,'" recalled Susan Duran, 60, one of 42 family members who sold the property a year ago for its appraised value.

After the sale, Duran visited the area to relive cherished memories ? and deliver a message. Standing in a meadow bright with wildflowers, Duran looked out at the breakers and whispered, "Dad, it's saved. The land belongs to everyone."

louis.sahagun@latimes.com

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/QAPNcLJZyK4/la-me-pentagon-habitat-20130428,0,1486744.story

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Boston bombing suspect moved to prison from hospital: officials

(Ends first round) NEW YORK, April 25 (Reuters) - Selections in the first roundof the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday (picknumber, NFL team, player, position, college): 1-Kansas City, Eric Fisher, offensive tackle, Central Michigan 2-Jacksonville, Luke Joeckel, offensive tackle, Texas A&M 3-Miami (from Oakland), Dion Jordan, defensive tackle, Oregon 4-Philadelphia, Lane Johnson, offensive tackle, Oklahoma 5-Detroit, Ezekiel Ansah, defensive end, Brigham Young 6-Cleveland, Barkevious Mingo, linebacker, LSU 7-Arizona, Jonathan Cooper, guard, North Carolina 8-St. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/boston-suspects-had-spontaneous-bomb-plan-york-013726316--sector.html

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Top Business Blogs | Content for Reprint

Author: Martie McCabe | Total views: 177 Comments: 0
Word Count: 975 Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2013 1:31 PM

You can enjoy nearly unlimited success when you apply effective Internet marketing principles. There are lots of different ways one can interact and communicate customers today that was never possible in the past. This article will help you develop a better understanding of the basics behind this form of advertising.

Hold events and promotions to attract traffic. Perhaps you could run a two day sale on an e-book, with loss-leader price of a dollar or two. They will come for the sale, but they will often see other things that they like. They may even make another purchase while they are there picking up their cheap e-book.

Have a section of your site dedicated to customer feedback about your products. Your visitors will enjoy reading others' opinions of your product and your service. Comments show that your site is honest and trustworthy and makes your customers feel comfortable purchasing from you.

If you want to get a large number of visitors at your site, viral videos can accomplish this. However, it can take some real creativity and determination to develop a video that catches on with thousands and thousands, if not millions, of viewers. If done the right way, it will have a big impact on your sales as opposed to any other kind of campaign.

Contribute to a charitable organization on behalf of top business blogs. Select a cause that will most likely reflect your customers interests and agendas, and inform them that some of your profits are donated to that charity. This charity will advertise for you, and it will also make your company look better. You could support several charities and allow your customers to choose their favorite.

You can use organic methods to increase the visibility of your business and you can pay to advertise online. This can easily be accomplished by using a company such as Google AdSense. This allows you to get the most exposure and variety for your advertising dollar.

Try offering special discounts for buying the same product regularly. Offer them a plan where if they agree to sign up for a subscription to receive additional supplies periodically, they will receive a small amount off the normal single unit price.

Consider advertising your business online to increase its visibility. You will be glad you spend the money over time because it will pay for itself. It's a great way to attract clients who might not have found you otherwise.

Your customers are going to have a lot of questions, and you need to be ready to answer them. People visit your website in a quest for further information. If you do not provide prompt and accurate responses, they will move on. If you give them info that will answer their inquiries, they will be more likely to purchase your products.

Put relevant and useful information on your page. A simple digital billboard featuring your hours of operation, address and toll free number is simply not going to garner you much business. Try adding articles and things like reviews to gain interest in potential customers. This helps them know that you're informed about your products and services.

Create a website that has informative content and is easy to navigate. Your main focus should be educating your customers quickly so they have an idea what they are buying. Don't pad your descriptions or provide irrelevant information that will just bore your customers.

Direct marketing for a home based business blog, should not be overlooked as a complement to the marketing system for your Internet site. Contact your customers via email, phone or fax to let them know about any upcoming specials you may have. The yellow pages or Internet phone books will be of great use.

Affiliate marketing is similar to other markets, but it can also be drastically different in some distinct areas. Maybe search engines won't focus as much on title tags in the future. If the search engines do implement a major change, you need to be ready to alter your campaigns to include techniques such as video marketing.

Make use of emphasis coding on your website. Draw focus to words or phrases that you want to highlight by using bold text, underlining the phrases or italicizing the words. This can help you determine how you wish your customers to receive a specific type of message. This also makes the message more clear.

Getting Google to list your website is essential for your internet promotion success. Google is utilized by millions of people daily, and you need your business there in case they are searching a term related to you. You can list your business on directories such as Yahoo Maps, Google Places or Yelp, for instance.

You must determine the composition of your audience and decide what sort of information will draw them to the website. When you have a target audience in mind, deciding on content becomes much simpler.

Nothing sells quite like a product that the customer feels an attachment to, so it's up to you to propagate that attachment. Ask the user to think about how their life would benefit from using the product you are offering. The customer should be able to imagine the benefits just by reading about the product.

We have already seen how marketing through the Internet offers a way to contact new customers. It is also an excellent way to retain the customers you already have. The Internet has opened up a whole panoply of new ways for customers and businesses to connect with each other. Implement what you've learned from this article, and start a rewarding Affiliate marketing journey.

Martie McCabe writes articles on internet marketing and strategies to help you set up a blog. Learn more about blogging tips on how to create an internet business blog by visiting my blog at http://www.empowernetwork.com/10k/top-business-blogs/.

1: Article Marketing Strategy: Putting Together a "Class Schedule" For Your Article Topics

Businesses go to so much trouble when there is one sure-fire, simple, very inexpensive way to attract new clients to a business: Teach a free class. That is what article marketing is like. Your articles are just like free classes. You teach your target readers something helpful in your article. Your resource box then says, "If you enjoyed this article you can visit my website and apply what you have learned."

2: Why You Need To Build Multiple Streams of Income For Yourself

Being an entrepreneur and earning multiple streams of income is a dream that many have, but in reality it does take some initial hard work to achieve this. Earning multiple streams of income is the wave of the future, and here are some tips and advice for you when you are looking for ways in which to do this for yourself.

3: Understanding Online Business Success

Starting a home based business to earn income online takes a significant amount of time and energy upfront to get things going. Not seeing results immediately can be discouraging and cause people to give up too early. In this article, we look at the process of starting a home based business and working through the frustrations to be there when the sales come flowing in.

4: What is Cyber Marketing And Why It Is So Important For The Success Of Your Website

Cyber marketing has now become an indispensable segment of e-commerce as well as the internet and World Wide Web related topics. Cyber marketing simply refers to a technique of attracting potential customers by advertising your products or services through such means as websites, emails, and banners.

5: The Best Way To Optimise Your Website SEO For Google Panda

If you want your SEO to work you now need to concentrate on appeasing Google Panda, and to do this you need to know what Google Panda's spiders/bots will be looking for. Find out here how to search engine optimise your website for the latest Google Panda algorithm, and achieve the success you deserve.

Source: http://www.content4reprint.com/internet-marketing/top-business-blogs.htm

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Saturday, April 27, 2013

Iraqi soldiers regain control of Sunni town

BAGHDAD (AP) ? Iraqi authorities say soldiers backed by tanks have retaken control of a Sunni town north of Baghdad after gunmen who seized it earlier withdrew without resistance.

Police and military officials said that army units entered Suleiman Beg on Friday morning after negotiations with local tribal leaders.

Sunni gunmen seized the town Thursday after a firefight with security forces.

More than 150 people have been killed in clashes in Sunni towns in western and northern Iraq in the past four days. The fighting has raised concerns about the spread of sectarian clashes in Iraq.

The latest unrest in Iraq began on Tuesday after a deadly security crackdown on a Sunni protest encampment in the northern town of Hawija. Sunnis charge that the Shiite-led government mistreats them.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iraqi-soldiers-regain-control-sunni-town-100552489.html

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Friday, April 26, 2013

Samsung profit at record high on smartphone boost

Visitors operate Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S4 smartphones at a showroom of its headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, April 26, 2013. Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday its first-quarter net income jumped to a record high because sales growth in smartphones continued even before the launch of the Galaxy S4 during a typically slow season for the electronics market. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Banners advertising Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S4 smartphones are displayed at a showroom of its headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, April 26, 2013. Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday its first-quarter net income jumped to a record high because sales growth in smartphones continued even before the launch of the Galaxy S4 during a typically slow season for the electronics market. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday its first quarter profit jumped to a record high as smartphone sales remained strong despite the impending launch of an updated version of its flagship Galaxy phone.

Sales of consumer electronics usually slow in the first three months of the year after the holiday shopping season, an effect that analysts thought would be compounded by the April release of the Galaxy S4 smartphone since many delay buying until the newest model is available. Apple Inc. has cited the upcoming release of a new iPhone model as a reason for a slowdown in sales of older models.

Samsung began sales of the S4 in its home South Korean market Friday and starts U.S. sales on Saturday. Analysts expect Samsung's profits to reach new highs in the second and third quarters if S4 sales are strong. Lee Don-Joo, head of sales and marketing at Samsung's mobile division, said sales of the S4 will outdo its predecessor, the Galaxy S III.

Samsung said January-March net profit surged 42 percent to 7.2 trillion won ($6.5 billion) from 5 trillion won a year earlier. That increase was despite booking a one-time charge against earnings related to settlement of its intellectual property battle with Apple. Analysts estimated the charge at $600 million.

Sales rose 17 percent to 52.9 trillion won. Operating profit was up 54 percent to 8.8 trillion won, in line with its preliminary results released earlier this month.

Profit was up 2 percent from the previous quarter's result, beating market expectations for a fall. Sales of the S III smartphone and the oversized handset called the Galaxy Note remained strong and shored up profit, Samsung said. It also spent less on marketing its mobile devices than it did in the previous quarter when competition heated up.

Samsung's IT and Mobile Communications division that makes smartphones, tablets, PCs and cameras reported 6.51 trillion won in operating income for the first quarter, up 56 percent from a year earlier and its highest since Samsung reorganized the division to merge PC and handset departments.

Samsung capitalized on global demand for smartphones with a range of mobile devices that come in a variety of screen sizes and prices, outpacing rivals including Apple Inc. and Nokia Corp.

As the S4 goes on sales several months before rival Apple introduces a new version of iPhone, analysts said Samsung's streak of record-setting profit will not stop any time soon.

"You can say it is like a snowball is rolling," said James Song, head of technology at Daewoo Securities. Song forecast Samsung's second quarter operating income to surpass 10 trillion won ($9 billion).

Market research firm IDC estimated that Samsung shipped 70.7 million smartphones during the first quarter, up 61 percent over a year earlier and capturing 33 percent market share. Apple, the second-largest smartphone maker, sold 37.4 million iPhones. Its market share fell to 17 percent from 23 percent a year earlier, IDC said.

The company's strong performance in the mobile market helped offset sluggish demand for TVs and a still weak recovery in display panel sales.

Samsung, based in Suwon, South Korea, is also the world's largest maker of memory chips, televisions, mobile handsets and liquid crystal display panels.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-04-26-AS-SKorea-Earns-Samsung-Electronics/id-4c4b5426829f47d5acf26b9b00690a44

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Justin Bieber Takes On The Paparazzi In 'Believe' Film Scene

Director Jon Chu tells The Los Angeles Times how the movie release has 'evolved' since earlier this year.
By Jocelyn Vena

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1706425/justin-bieber-believe-movie-scene.jhtml

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Asian shares rise on U.S. data, regional earnings eyed

By Chikako Mogi

TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares rose on Friday, tracking global equities higher after upbeat U.S. labor market data, while the dollar eased slightly on currency markets that were otherwise watching for the strength of signals coming from a Bank of Japan policy review.

In the share markets, investors turned attention toward regional corporate earnings to assess the outlook for growth.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan <.miapj0000pus> was up 0.3 percent after reaching a six-week high earlier, and was set for a weekly gain of 2.4 percent for its best such showing in five months.

Hong Kong shares <.hsi> advanced 1 percent, with robust quarterly earnings spurring gains, while a sharp rise in gold prices helped underpin Australian shares <.axjo> which rose 0.2 percent. Australian shares were also benefiting from their relatively high yields compared to other countries.

An inflow of capital due to offshore demand from Japanese institutions and insurance firms to Australia's high-yielding shares in telcommunications and banks has helped lift the market in recent sessions, said Tim Radford, global analyst at Sydney-based advisor Rivkin.

"Yield outside of Australia has been pushed quite low," he noted.

South Korean shares <.ks11> edged down 0.2 percent, however, as the market took a breather from the week's relief-rally after the country's top exporters posted better-than-expected results.

In Japan, the Nikkei stock average <.n225> fell 0.4 percent, after touching on Thursday its highest level since June 2008. Japanese markets will be closed on Monday for a holiday. <.t/>

Although it is still early in the quarterly reporting season, only two out of the 16 Nikkei companies that have reported so far beat market expectations, data from Thomson Reuters StarMine showed.

Overnight U.S. S&P 500 <.inx> rose 0.4 percent, driven by stronger-than-expected earnings and the large drop in weekly jobless claims.

CENTRAL BANKS AT CENTRESTAGE

The Bank of Japan will likely project that it will meet its 2 percent inflation target in two years at a one-day meeting on Friday.

The BOJ on April 4 shocked financial markets by announcing a radical monetary expansion campaign aimed at ending stubborn deflation and reviving growth. The central bank's strong reflationary policy commitment has further weakened the yen and underpinned the dollar, lifting it close to the symbolic 100 yen mark earlier this month.

"It will be the progress of the plan, rather than the plan itself, which will be scrutinized and ultimately provide direction for the market. A positive take on the comments will support the current 'risk on' sentiment," said Tim Waterer, senior trader at CMC Markets in Sydney, in a note to clients.

"On the other hand, any ambiguity may lead to a cooling of the recent uptrend."

Recent weak U.S. data has slowed the dollar's progress. The dollar was down 0.4 percent at 98.79 yen.

The euro was up 0.2 percent at $1.3035, moving away from a three-week low of $1.2954.

Expectations of a rate cut by the European Central Bank at its meeting next week bolstered European shares but weighed on the euro.

The U.S. labor market report came ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy-making meeting next Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as a closely watched monthly payrolls report for April on May 3.

Market belief that global monetary stimulus will remain in place helped risk asset markets rebound from a sharp sell-off earlier this month, triggered by disappointing U.S. and Chinese manufacturing data which raised concerns about slowing momentum in the world's top two economies.

Spot gold rose 0.6 percent at $1,476.29 an ounce, recovering much of the loss it incurred in the massive sell-off two weeks ago.

"Markets are experiencing cross-asset differentiation following softer global activity data in April. This mainly reflects the repricing of slower Chinese growth and expectations of very easy monetary policy in G4," Barclays Capital said in a research.

"We continue to favor overweight positions in developed market equities but are less constructive on emerging markets equities."

U.S. crude was down 0.3 percent at $93.35 a barrel and Brent fell 0.4 percent to $103.01.

(Additional reporting by Thuy Ong in Sydney and Somang Yang in Seoul; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Simon Cameron-Moore)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/asian-shares-steady-u-earnings-data-004016703--finance.html

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de Bouard and Casteja named in Saint Emilion legal challenge ...

Hubert de Bouard and Philippe Casteja have been named as having conflicts of interest in the beleagured classification in Saint Emilion as three disaffected chateaux lodged a legal complaint with the public prosecutor against the ranking.

Hubert de Bouard: conflict of interest? [pic: newbordeaux.com]

The papers were filed last week by the owners of Chateaux Croque Michotte, Corbin Michotte and La Tour du Pin Figeac, who had warned a few months ago that they were to contest the 2012 ranking, which saw 82 chateaux rewarded out of 96 that submitted an application.

The complaint specifically took issue with the roles of Hubert de Bouard and Philippe Casteja, who were members of the national INAO commission that oversaw the classification, and were at the same time owners of Chateau Angelus and Chateau Trotte Vielle respectively. It will now be up to the Procureur de la Republique - the public prosecutor -? to decide if there is a case to pursue.

'I couldn't say if this will shock Saint Emilion, but I was shocked by the manner that this classification was carried out,' Francois de Contencin, lawyer for the three estates, told Decanter.com.

'As members of the INAO commission, both men had influence over the parameters for deciding the new ranking, and helped select who would be on the tasting commission. As far as we know, they at no point stepped back from the process. This is a clear conflict of interest.'

He denied that this was in any way defamatory. 'This is nothing against the men personally, but the conflict of their two roles. They are cited as an example of incorrect process, nothing more.'

In a further sign of tension in Saint Emilion, the Groupement de Premier Grand Cru Class?s, a marketing group to raise the profile of these wines, is facing an uncertain future following the resignation of Cheval Blanc, Pavie and Angelus.

Stephanie de Bouard, managing director of Chateau Angelus, said that her father [Hubert de Bouard] would comment in due course but was abroad at the moment. She said she was surprised by the action.

?The INAO is highly respected, very thorough and extremely cautious. Every time there was a debate or a vote, my father and M Casteja were asked to leave the room. It was all recorded that they never took part in a vote. The judge will have access to all the records.

?That?s why I?m surprised. But if people want to attack you, they will find any way to do so.?

de Bouard stressed that she was speaking personally and not officially for her father.

Philippe Casteja is travelling in China and could not immediately be reached for comment.

Contencin confirmed that there were now up to three months for the public prosecutor to investigate and potentially bring charges.

Source: http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/583820/de-bouard-and-casteja-named-in-saint-emilion-legal-challenge

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Thursday, April 25, 2013

An introductory guide to the early WWE Champions

All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2013 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2013 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/classics/an-introductory-guide-to-the-early-wwe-champions

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Gene networks in brains of deceased patients reveal potential therapy for Alzheimer's disease

Public release date: 25-Apr-2013
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Contact: Mary Beth O'Leary
moleary@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press

Most information about the cause of Alzheimer's disease is based on studies from animal models. Now, a study published by Cell Press on April 25th in the journal Cell examines the brain tissue of deceased human patients and sheds light on dysfunctions in molecular networks in the brain that are at the root of Alzheimer's disease. By showing that the TYROBP gene plays a key role in disrupting immune system pathways in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, the study reveals a potential therapeutic target for preventing brain damage caused by this debilitating disease.

"Our goal was to find genes that lead the charge and direct many other genes towards Alzheimer's disease," says senior study author Valur Emilsson of the Icelandic Heart Association. "This findings presents a comprehensive network-based framework to test models of disease mechanism and also offer novel insights for drug discovery programs that can affect neurodegenerative diseases."

Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. Symptoms usually appear after age 60, and as the population grows older, the incidence of Alzheimer's is expected to increase dramatically. Yet very little is known about the molecular causes of this complex disease, in part because scientists have relied on animal models that do not replicate cognitive deficits and brain damage in humans.

To gain new insights into the molecular underpinnings of Alzheimer's, Emilsson and his team analyzed 1,647 brain tissue samples from deceased individuals who either had Alzheimer's or were healthy. By measuring the activity levels of thousands of genes in these tissues, they determined which molecular networks are disrupted in diseased brains. Their computational analysis revealed the important role of a gene expressed in microgliaimmune cells that clean up debris and destroy pathogens in the brain. They found that this geneTYROBPis overactive in the diseased brain, and it plays a key causal role in disrupting the activity of many other genes that control microglia activation.

"Our study shows that it makes sense to study disease as it actually occurs in the brains of human patients," Emilsson says. "We anticipate that our approach will enhance the transferability of basic biological discovery into meaningful medical progress."

###

Cell, Zhang et al.: "Tracing Multi-System Failure in Alzheimer Disease to Causal Genes."

[ | E-mail | Share ]
?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Gene networks in brains of deceased patients reveal potential therapy for Alzheimer's disease Public release date: 25-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Mary Beth O'Leary
moleary@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press

Most information about the cause of Alzheimer's disease is based on studies from animal models. Now, a study published by Cell Press on April 25th in the journal Cell examines the brain tissue of deceased human patients and sheds light on dysfunctions in molecular networks in the brain that are at the root of Alzheimer's disease. By showing that the TYROBP gene plays a key role in disrupting immune system pathways in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, the study reveals a potential therapeutic target for preventing brain damage caused by this debilitating disease.

"Our goal was to find genes that lead the charge and direct many other genes towards Alzheimer's disease," says senior study author Valur Emilsson of the Icelandic Heart Association. "This findings presents a comprehensive network-based framework to test models of disease mechanism and also offer novel insights for drug discovery programs that can affect neurodegenerative diseases."

Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. Symptoms usually appear after age 60, and as the population grows older, the incidence of Alzheimer's is expected to increase dramatically. Yet very little is known about the molecular causes of this complex disease, in part because scientists have relied on animal models that do not replicate cognitive deficits and brain damage in humans.

To gain new insights into the molecular underpinnings of Alzheimer's, Emilsson and his team analyzed 1,647 brain tissue samples from deceased individuals who either had Alzheimer's or were healthy. By measuring the activity levels of thousands of genes in these tissues, they determined which molecular networks are disrupted in diseased brains. Their computational analysis revealed the important role of a gene expressed in microgliaimmune cells that clean up debris and destroy pathogens in the brain. They found that this geneTYROBPis overactive in the diseased brain, and it plays a key causal role in disrupting the activity of many other genes that control microglia activation.

"Our study shows that it makes sense to study disease as it actually occurs in the brains of human patients," Emilsson says. "We anticipate that our approach will enhance the transferability of basic biological discovery into meaningful medical progress."

###

Cell, Zhang et al.: "Tracing Multi-System Failure in Alzheimer Disease to Causal Genes."

[ | E-mail | Share ]
?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/cp-gni041813.php
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All Your Tax-Free Internet Shopping Is About To End - Business ...

Senate vote shows support for bill allowing states to collect sales taxes for online purchases

WASHINGTON (AP) ? States could force Internet retailers to collect sales taxes under a bill that overwhelmingly passed a test vote in the Senate Monday.

Under current law, states can only require stores to collect sales taxes if the store has a physical presence in the state. As a result, many online sales are essentially tax-free, giving Internet retailers a big advantage over brick-and-mortar stores.

The bill would allow states to require online retailers to collect state and local sales taxes for purchases made over the Internet. The sales taxes would be sent to the states where shoppers live.

The Senate voted 74 to 20 to begin debating the bill. If that level of support continues, the Senate could pass the bill as early as this week.

Supporters say the bill is about fairness for businesses and lost revenue for states. Opponents say it would impose complicated regulations on retailers and doesn't have enough protections for small businesses. Businesses with less than $1 million a year in online sales would be exempt.

"I believe it is important to level the playing field for all retailers," said Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., the bill's main sponsor. "We should not be subsidizing some taxpayers at the expense of others."

In many states, shoppers are required to pay unpaid sales tax when they file their state income tax returns. However, states complain that few people comply.

"I do know about three people that comply with that," Enzi said.

President Barack Obama supports the bill, but its fate is uncertain in the House, where some Republicans regard it as a tax increase. Heritage Action for America, the activist arm of the conservative Heritage Foundation, opposes the bill and will count the vote in its legislative scorecard.

Many of the nation's governors ? Republicans and Democrats ? have been lobbying the federal government for years for the authority to collect sales taxes from online sales, said Dan Crippen, executive director of the National Governors Association. Those efforts intensified when state tax revenues took hit from the recession and the slow economic recovery.

"It's a matter of equity for businesses," Crippen said. "It's a matter of revenue for states."

The bill pits brick-and-mortar stores like Wal-Mart against online services such as eBay. The National Retail federation supports it. And Amazon.com, which initially fought efforts in some states to make it collect sales taxes, supports it, too.

"Amazon.com has long supported a simplified nationwide approach that is evenhandedly applied and applicable to all but the smallest volume sellers," Paul Misener, Amazon's vice president of global public policy said in a recent letter to senators.

On the other side, eBay has been rallying customers to oppose the bill.

"I hope you agree that imposing unnecessary tax burdens on small online businesses is a bad idea," eBay president and CEO John Donahoe said in a letter to customers. "Join us in letting your Members of Congress know they should protect small online businesses, not potentially put them out of business."

The bill is also opposed by senators from states that have no sales tax, including Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H.

"Supporters of this online sales tax bill are trying to muscle it through before senators find out how disastrous it would be for businesses in their states," Ayotte said. "I will fight this power grab every step of the way to protect small online businesses in New Hampshire and across the nation."

Baucus said the bill would require relatively small Internet retailers to comply with sales tax laws in thousands of jurisdictions.

"This legislation doesn't help businesses expand and grow and hire more employees," Baucus said. "Instead, it forces small businesses to hire expensive lawyers and accountants to deal with the burdensome paperwork and added complexity of tax rules and filings across multiple states."

But Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the bill requires participating states to make it relatively easy for Internet retailers to comply. States must provide free computer software to help retailers calculate sales taxes, based on where shoppers live. States must also establish a single entity to receive Internet sales tax revenue, so retailers don't have to send them to individual counties or cities.

"We're way beyond the quill pen and leger days," Durbin said. "Thanks to computers and thanks to software it is not that complex."

___

Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephenatap

Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/all-your-tax-free-internet-shopping-is-about-to-end-2013-4

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