Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Treasury inspector general highlights problems at IRS with ...

One partial of a module offers 30 percent credits with no dollar extent for solar-energy systems, geothermal feverishness pumps, breeze turbines and fuel cells commissioned before Dec. 31, 2016. A second partial of a program, for energy-efficiency home improvements, offering credits adult to $1,500 for subordinate extraneous windows and doors, insulation and thatch materials.

Both credits have been popular. More than 6.8 million taxpayers perceived credits during taxation year 2009, totaling $5.8?billion by Dec 2010. But estimable numbers of a filings had problems that went undetected by a IRS, according to a examiner general?s investigation. In a examination of 5?million returns, auditors found that some-more than 302,000 taxpayers, who perceived a sum of $234 million in credits from a IRS, showed no justification of indeed owning a home ? a smallest requirement for eligibility.

A examination of a smaller representation of returns, supplemented with internal genuine estate help information, found that 30 percent ?had no record of owning a home.?

Investigators also detected that a IRS was incompetent to establish other pivotal mandate for eligibility when taxpayers filed returns. For example, a group could not establish that a petitioner indeed ?purchased a competent energy-saving product and done energy-efficiency improvements.? Nor could it establish a cost of a energy-saving apparatus or either a improvements were done within a compulsory time limits.

Since IRS Form 5695, that is used by homeowners to explain appetite credits, does not need support of purchases, skill addresses or either a skill even qualifies as a taxpayer?s residence, a supervision essentially relies on a sincerity of a taxpayer in estimate a credits, and infrequently usually discovers irregularities or rascal when it after audits an individual?s return. In a response to a examiner ubiquitous following a audit, a IRS pronounced it will correct Form 5695 to need support before estimate credit requests.

Treasury investigators also found that a IRS was arising credits to people who were clearly incompetent and unsuccessful to use information that are straightforwardly accessible to a group to establish eligibility. For example, $404,578 in appetite taxation credits were authorized for jail inmates and underage applicants.

Prisoners ?who were [incarcerated] for a whole year,? and so not expected to have purchased and commissioned energy-saving equipment, perceived $343,487 in sovereign credits. Another 100 appetite taxation credit recipients in a review incited out to be underneath 18 years of age ? too immature to govern legally contracting contracts for renovations and doubtful to possess a home. Nearly one-third of a underage credit recipients were reduction than 14 years old, and a youngest was usually 3.

In a statement, J. Russell George, a Treasury?s examiner ubiquitous for taxation administration, said, ?I am uneasy by a IRS? continued disaster to rise suitable corroboration methods for distributing Recovery Act credits.? The appetite taxation credits were stretched underneath a 2009 mercantile impulse law and are a pivotal process beginning of a Obama administration.

The IRS?s problems doing large housing-related taxation credit programs are not singular to appetite conservation. In a news final fall, a Treasury examiner general?s bureau found that a IRS had been incompetent to heed between applications for first-time home customer taxation credits for properties purchased during 2008 and 2009. The eminence between a dual years is poignant since purchasers in 2008 were entitled usually to a $7,500 credit that had to be repaid over 15 years. Purchasers who sought credits during 2009, by contrast, could explain adult to $8,000 and were not compulsory to repay a income to a government.

The same examination found that a IRS had authorized hundreds of home-purchase taxation credits from field who were regulating a Social Security numbers of passed people. Under a 2008 program, auditors identified 1,326 people who claimed some-more than $10 million in credits for home purchases that occurred after a claimant?s available date of death. More than 900 of a claimants had been passed for during slightest half a year.

The IRS denied 528 of a claims, auditors found, though it authorized 798 others for credits. In a response to a progressing investigation, a IRS pronounced it would review a 798 controversial returns.

Source: http://www.energyefficiencyinthehome.co.uk/treasury-inspector-general-highlights-problems-at-irs-with-homeowner-tax-credits/

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Thursday, May 26, 2011

Watch American Idol Season 10 Episode 38 Entertainment Videos ...

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Click Here to Watch: American Idol Season 10 Episode 38

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Source: http://articleconsult.com/watch-american-idol-season-10-episode-38-entertainment-videos/

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'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' Plunders The Box Office

Johnny Depp's 'Pirates' sequel's debut sets overseas earnings record; 'Bridesmaids' and 'Thor' remain near top of Stateside box-office tally.
By Ryan J. Downey


Johnny Depp in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"
Photo: Disney

Pirate Jack Sparrow's latest box-office booty was something of a mixed bag.

Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," featuring Johnny Depp's return to the unconventional sea captain role that added blockbuster power to his already formidable artistic credibility, broke international box-office records and enjoyed the highest opening of the year in America over the weekend, though it fell short of the franchise's previous two sequels both critically and commercially.

The first "Pirates of the Caribbean" flick, 2003's "The Curse of the Black Pearl," was a hit with critics, but each of its three sequels has been met with increasing disdain. "On Stranger Tides" has hit a franchise low, with just 34 percent of critics approving of the picture, according to movie-review site Rotten Tomatoes.

The new "Pirates" movie's $90.1 million domestic take (which includes an extra boost from higher-priced 3D showings) was much less than the respective $115 million and $135 million openings of the previous sequels, though the film's $256.3 million international bounty overtook that of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," which set the previous overseas all-time box-office record in 2009.

Meanwhile, Woody Allen set a record of his own with "Midnight in Paris," which gave the writer/director a career best for any of his limited release openings. Playing on just six screens — about 4,149 less than "Pirates" — the Owen Wilson-led ensemble picture benefited from strong reviews and post-Cannes Film Festival buzz in earning a very respectable $579,000. That amount was about three times as much as the filmmaker's "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" took in when it opened on the same number of screens last year.

The comedy "Bridesmaids," starring funny ladies Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph, was #2 at the box office for a second straight week, bringing in $21 million for a $59.5 million total take. The Judd Apatow-produced flick's 20-percent second-week drop was less than the second-week decline of "The Hangover," which has a sequel on the way this weekend. "Bridesmaids" was made for a reported $32 million — about $220 million less than the reported production budget of Depp's "On Stranger Tides."

After two weeks at the top of the box office, Marvel's mythology-laced superhero movie "Thor" fell to #3, with $15.5 million for a $145.4 million total. "Fast Five" made $10.6 million and crossed the half-billion-dollar line worldwide, with its domestic take standing at a "Fast and Furious" franchise best $186.2 million. Animated kid flick "Rio" was #5 at the box office, earning $4.6 million for a $131.6 million total.

Besides "The Hangover Part II," this weekend's new releases include another sequel, "Kung Fu Panda 2," as well as director Terrence Malick's critically acclaimed "The Tree of Life," which will open in a limited number of theaters.

Check out everything we've got on "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," "Bridesmaids" and "Thor."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Related Videos Related Photos

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1664381/pirates-of-the-caribbean-on-stranger-tides-box-office.jhtml

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Monday, May 23, 2011

Alpha Global Investors: Investing in what you know


I took this picture in Hong Kong.
Simple business model, go out to the sea (not too far), park your boat, start selling.
No taxes, no employees, no problems ..... :)
He is smarter than us, he kept it simple
Solving a problem, keeping it simple = $$$$$

Source: http://gicharts.blogspot.com/2011/05/investing-in-what-you-know.html

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Monday, May 16, 2011

WorkCover fraudster cops it | health and safety, safety news ...

A POLICEMAN who started a business installing insulation batts while off work injured has been convicted and fined $3000 for defrauding WorkCover.

Gary Delrayne, 36, of Ocean Grove, pleaded guilty in Geelong Magistrates' Court to fraudulently obtaining payments.

Court documents reveal Delrayne received WorkCover payments for a back and neck injury from September 29, 2009, until February 18 last year while working as an insulation fitter.

He was a senior constable stationed in Melbourne with the Force Response Unit at the time of his injury.

Delrayne resigned from Victoria Police in October.

He received more than $19,000 in compensation payments during his period of offending and more than $51,000 in payments from his insulation business.

A WorkSafe investigation found that Delrayne completed a course in insulation installation five months after going off work sick.

The court was told his company, Insulation on Demand, received payments of $170,000 between July 2009 and April last year and that he was nominated as the installer on most jobs.

The manager of a Geelong timber yard provided statements that Delrayne claimed he had taken a year off work to take advantage of the federal Government's Home Insulation Incentive Scheme, buying $145,000 worth of materials.

WorkSafe Victoria spokesman Michael Birt said cases such as Delrayne's could undermine community confidence and support in the WorkCover system.

"Fraud against Victoria's workplace injury insurance system costs the community," he said.

"It undermines those who are doing the right thing and helps reinforce the unfairly held view that people who are off work because of an injury are bludging."

The court ordered Delrayne to repay $5000 to WorkCover.


Source: http://www.safetyinaustralia.com.au/safety-news/6643-workcover-fraudster-cops-it.html

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Saturday, May 14, 2011

Professional Translation Service- Expand your business globally ...

Friday, May 13th, 2011 by makemoneydaily1

In the time of globalization, running global business successfully means you have to be crystal clear in your communication. Today, businesses are no longer hampered by their budget, location and mainly communication. If you are doing a global business, for your business growth you have to inform the public about your business and of course your product. And you have to do this in such a way that people enjoy coming to you and buy your product. You have to make sure your potential customers understand what you are talking about and what your business is all about. Hence, Translation services are now required by all business houses that operate globally.

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To service multinational businesses needs, translation businesses have popped up in metro centers, small towns and on the web. If you also need translators for your business, you should look for a professional translation service. Also, there are a number of websites throughout the internet that can aid you in accomplishing this goal for free. For providing accurate translation help most of professional services have sufficiently trained staff with specialization in relevant areas of translation. Most of the translation businesses use the services of native translators who translate foreign language documents to their mother tongue.

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If your company is signing up a client from Spain then, knowing how to speak Spanish is essential. Here, Spanish Translation Service is a great help for your business to ensure you receive every piece of important information. As a result, you will then, have a full understanding of what has been discussed and you may even learn something that can help your business. However, it is not an easy task to select the translation agency or the translation company. Bad translations can result in unpredictable losses due to misinterpretations of intended communications. Bad and inaccurate translation can ruin your business prospects in a new territory and it can have a long lasting devastating effect on the profit line of your company. You must mull over some particular important factors related to the translation company including price, quality, customer service, performance record before hiring the translation agency or the translation company.

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Source: http://makemoneydaily1.info/?p=19270

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Real Housewives' Taylor And Russell NOT Separating!

Filed under: Reality Television > Love Line > Real Housewives

taylor-and-russell-armstrong-not-separating

We're happy to hear that they're trying to make it work!

Despite reports yesterday that The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills castmember Taylor Armstrong and her husband, Russell, were getting separated, the reality star's representative has come forward to reveal that this is not the case!

A source elaborates:

"Yes, their relationship is not without trouble. But they're still together. They've gone through therapy and they have issues within their marriage that they're actively working on, but they're both really committed to making their marriage work. They love each other and want to be there for their daughter. It has nothing to do with financial issues. Their issues are personal and they're actively working on solving them."

Wonderful! We're happy to hear that they're not throwing in the towel!

You can definitely tell from the show that they have some issues communicating, but hopefully therapy and their commitment will help ease some of the tension that stems from that!

Best of luck, you guys! We're rooting for you!

[Image via WENN.]

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Posted: May 12, 2011 at 3:45 pm

Source: http://perezhilton.com/2011-05-12-taylor-and-russell-armstrong-not-separating

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Friday, May 13, 2011

What you need to know from this week on “The Ultimate Fighter”

It's wildcard fight night this week on "The Ultimate Fighter," as well as the coaches' challenge. Who will win the last spot on the quarterfinals? Which coach will prevail? And why are the Octagon Girls wearing cheerleading uniforms? Read on for spoilers and a fight recap.

As was announced in last week's episode, Chuck O'Neil will fight Javier Torres in the wildcard bout that will decide the last quarterfinalist. Len Bentley, who felt like he was screwed in his bout, is not happy and goes after Dana White to ask for a spot in the finale. You can imagine how that goes over. The fighters had a spot to speak up last week with Dana and the other coaches, and Bentley was nowhere near s enthusiastic in during that talk as he was when he grabbed Dana.

"If you had grabbed me like this two hours ago, we wouldn't be having this discussion," White said.

Whiner of the week: Bentley goes on and on and on about how he's the best fighter. And on. And on. Everyone gets annoyed with this, and Ryan McGillivray uses the opportunity to stir the spot. He tells Bentley that Junior dos Santos told him (do you feel like you're in seventh grade?) that Brock said that Bentley's knee wasn't ready.

Bad idea jeans of the week: Bentley decides he will stand up to Brock, calling him selfish and rude. Good plan.

When he does, Lesnar said that it was because of the knee, and that both Brock and Dana wanted healthy fighters. He also said that Dana really liked how Chuck and Javier fought.

Len goes back to his workout. Way to tell him, Len!

On the other side of the coin, Lesnar doubts that O'Neil really wants to fight. Oh, jeez.

"I Feel Pretty" of the Week: O'Neil decides that it's time to ditch the dirty neckbeard look.

He gets rid of his neckbeard, cleans up the hairstyle, and admits that the cameras may have gotten to him.

The makeover worked, as O'Neil is back to impressing his coaches. Marty Morgan says, "He said I'm no longer good time Chuck. I'm back to being Cold Steel."

Roommate issues of the week: It's that time of the season when the fighters get tired of living with each other. This time, the issue is Chris Cope's loudness, and how Shamar Bailey wants to fight him just to shut him up. Ahh, togetherness.

COACHES CHALLENGE! It's my favorite part of the series. (Besides, y'know, good fights.) The challenge is football, and they're playing at Fertitta Field at Bishop Gorman High School, where Dana and the Fertittas went to high school. Considering Lesnar tried out for the Vikings and grew up in the football-crazed U.S., he has an edge over dos Santos, who said, "I never played this!"

They have to run through a series of football drills, include ropes, a slalom, hitting a tackling sled, throwing a pass and kicking a football. The first one done gets $10,000, while his team gets $1,500.

Brock gets down in a three-point stance to start, and they're even until Junior kicks a field goal more quickly than Brock. He also is able to throw a pass with more success than Brock, so he wins the challenge and gets $10K.

"I think we both sucked. He just got luckier than I did," Lesnar said.

Dos Santos decided to give some cash to the fighters and coaches on the other team. Everyone except Brock.

Quote of the week: "Team dos Santos has four wins, and we have three. This would tie us up, and it's good to win. It's better to win than to lose." -- Brock Lesnar

Fight of the week: Javier Torres (Team dos Santos) vs. Chuck O'Neil (Team Lesnar)

Round one: O'Neil starts with a kick to the head and a takedown attempt. He can't get the takedown, and the fighters take the bout to the fence. Torres and O'Neil exchange knees until O'Neil breaks away and throws a punch. However, they end up right back at the fence. O'Neil is unsuccessful in a trip attempt, and they go back to kneeing each other in the body. Referee Herb Dean breaks them apart after Torres lands an inadvertent knee to O'Neil's groin. When they restart, they continue clinching.

Round two: Torres finally gets his takedown in the first minute of the round. O'Neil cage walks up to his feet then takes Torres down. At this point, the fight slows down. O'Neil tries for a kimura that he doesn't have, while Torres has no idea how to get out from underneath O'Neil. Finally, O'Neil can get movement, and sinks in a D'Arce choke. Torres taps, and O'Neil moves on.

Each team has four fighters in the quarters. The match-ups are:

Clay Harvison vs. Ramsey Nijem

Chris Cope vs. Shamar Bailey

Chuck O'Neil vs. Zach Davis

Tony Ferguson vs. Ryan McGillivray

The first two quarterfinals will air next week.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/What-you-need-to-know-from-this-week-on-8220-T?urn=mma-wp2170

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Keen On? Incubus: Limousines, Feeling Dirty and Being Kicked In The Balls (TCTV)

Earlier this week, I spent a most enjoyable day at the SFMusicTech Summit, the Bay Area?s top Internet music event put on by the digital impressario Brian Zisk. The highpoint for me of the summit was interviewing Brandon Boyd and Mike Einziger from the chart topping rock band Incubus. From Einziger?s limousine jokes to Boyd?s confession on ?feeling dirty? about self-promotion to both musicians? sense of ?being kicked in the balls? when their soon-to-be-released If Not Now, When? new album got leaked onto the Internet, both musicians were refreshingly honest about both the challenges and opportunities of today?s digital economy. Most of all, though, Boyd and the Harvard educated Eingizer are refreshingly smart guys unwilling to take any bullshit from facile interviewers like myself.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/v9F6Fs5sZXs/

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Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Online Gambling Wildly Popular, But Legally Suspect

The Justice Department indicted the founders of three of the Internet poker sites Friday, freezing their accounts and shutting down the sites. But players will have little trouble finding other places to play online, despite the games' murky legality.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/04/20/135574448/online-gambling-wildly-popular-but-legally-suspect?ft=1&f=1049

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Monday, May 9, 2011

Yemen's President Accepts Deal To Step Down

Tens of thousands of protesters chant slogans during a demonstration calling for the ouster of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, following Muslim Friday prayers in Sanaa on Friday.
Enlarge Gamal Noman/AFP/Getty Images

Tens of thousands of protesters chant slogans during a demonstration calling for the ouster of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, following Muslim Friday prayers in Sanaa on Friday.

Gamal Noman/AFP/Getty Images

Tens of thousands of protesters chant slogans during a demonstration calling for the ouster of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, following Muslim Friday prayers in Sanaa on Friday.

Yemen's president has agreed to a proposal by Gulf Arab mediators to step down within 30 days and hand power to his deputy in exchange for immunity from prosecution, a major about-face for the autocratic leader who has ruled for 32 years.

The protest movement demanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh's immediate departure reportedly said Saturday that it also accepted the latest draft of the deal but with reservations.

A day earlier, protesters staged the largest of two months of demonstrations, filling a five-lane boulevard across the capital with a sea of hundreds of thousands of people. A deadly crackdown by government forces and Saleh supporters has killed more than 130 people and prompted key allies to abandon the president and join the protesters.

The opposition movement, fed up with poverty and corruption under Saleh, took inspiration from the toppling of leaders in Tunisia and Egypt.

The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes powerful Saudi Arabia, has been seeking to broker an end to the crisis in the fragile and impoverished nation on the southern edge of the Arabian peninsula.

The White House issued a statement applauding the deal and urging all "parties to move swiftly to implement the terms of the agreement so that the Yemeni people can soon realize the security, unity, and prosperity that they have so courageously sought and so richly deserve."

Under the latest draft, Yemen's parliament would grant Saleh legal protection from prosecution. The president would submit his resignation to lawmakers within 30 days and hand power to his vice president, who would call for new presidential elections.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh waves to supporters during a rally in Sanaa,Yemen, on April 15.
Muhammed Muheisen/AP

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh waves to supporters during a rally in Sanaa,Yemen, on April 15.

Speaking to All Things Considered host Linda Wertheimer from Saudi Arabia, NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson said the details "are still murky."

"There are a lot of 'ifs' and caveats here that make this tenuous at best," she said.

The problem, she notes, is that the opposition isn't one entity; there are youth groups and groups of more established people like Major Gen. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a senior general who was a close confidant of Saleh before defecting.

"So some people are saying yes, they agree to this, but there's some reservation as well, because the family ... walks away with immunity from prosecution, and not necessarily everyone in Yemen is happy with that," Nelson said.

Opposition spokesman Mohammed Kahtan said, however, the leaders of the opposition parties have all agreed on the Gulf council's initiative.

He listed several reservations, though. He said the opposition rejects the draft proposal's call for the formation of a national unity government within seven days of the signing of a deal and wants to see Saleh step down first.

"We would have to swear an oath to Saleh, who has already lost his legitimacy," he explained.

The opposition is also against giving Yemen's Parliament dominated by Saleh's party the power to approve or reject his resignation, which opens to the door to allowing the president time to stall.

State TV reported that Yemen's foreign minister delivered the government's acceptance to mediators on Saturday.

The foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheik Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, met in the Emirati capital Saturday with his Yemeni counterpart, Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, and urged him to accept the GCC plan, the official UAE news agency WAM reported.

Saudi Arabia had lost patience with Saleh some time ago and had been trying to broker a deal, Nelson said.

"I think it just go to the point where they were telling him, 'Hey, look, you don't have support here anymore. We certainly don't support you, and you need to do this.' The fact that there would be immunity from prosecution obviously made this deal sweet enough," she said. "It's also important to note that the protests were growing. It really was unclear how much longer Mr. Saleh could hold on."

Protests continued throughout the day and expanded to include a general strike.

Schools, government offices and private companies shut their doors in response to the Yemeni opposition's call for a strike aimed at putting more pressure Saleh to step down.

Thousands of protesters kept up sit-ins at city squares in at least five provinces, while Saleh accused the opposition of "dragging the country into a civil war" in a televised speech to a military academy.

"He's certainly been a very hard-line ruler," Nelson said. "He's been very vicious with any opponents, and, like many other dictators or rulers in the region, he felt like he knew what was best and he treated with some level of condescension the people that he was ruling over."

Add to that the fact that Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, the rampant unemployment and corruption, and not a whole lot of oil reserves or wealth going to the people, she said.

"So the tensions just kept building and building, and as the Arab Spring ... was emerging across the region, certainly Yemeni young people started to join in," Nelson said. "The protests began there at the universities."

Saleh has over the past two months used violence to try to quell the unrest. He has also offered concessions, including a pledge not to run again for president when his term is up in 2013 or allow his son to succeed him, but to no avail.

Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/04/24/135660023/yemeni-president-agrees-to-step-down?ft=1&f=1004

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Droid Incredible 2 case review: Mobi Products Hard Shell

Droid Incredible 2 Mobi Products Hard Shell Case

Fun fact about the Mobi Products Hard Shell case for the Droid Incredible 2 -- I completely for got it was on the phone, and that's not something I can say too often about a case.

Here's the deal: It's a two-part case that snaps together. It's plastic, but the feel of the plastic is nearly identical to the case of the Droid Incredible 2 itself. The inside is glossy, but the exterior is soft and smooth and is really makes you think you're carrying around a naked phone.

The are the usual cutouts for all the ports and camera lens, and the seam where the two halves of the case snap together are visible but are cut so well (at least in the unit we have) so that you don't really notice it. There's a notch in the left-hand bezel for removing the case, which can be done easily enough.

The short version is this: I've had this case on the Droid Incredible 2 for a few days now and completely forgot about it. That's as much because I got the black version (it also comes in blue and purple) and because the look (it's got the same plateaued back cover) and feel (see above) are almost exactly like the phone itself.

The Mobi Products Hard Shell Case for the HTC Droid Incredible 2 is available now in the Android Central Store for $12.95. We've got more pictures after the break.

Droid Incredible 2Droid Incredible 2 cases | All Droid Incredible 2 accessories

Droid Incredible 2 case review: Mobi Products Hard Shell posted originally by Android Central

Sponsored by Android Cases and Accessories


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/znKK5F5fcyw/droid-incredible-2-case-review-mobi-products-hard-shell

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Do The Threats In Syria Have Muscle?

European countries are trying to exert pressure on the regime in Syria as the Syrian government escalates its bloody crackdown on protesters. More than 400 people have been killed since protests began nearly six weeks ago. European Union countries summoned Syrian ambassadors Wednesday and warned they could impose sanctions and freeze assets if the killing continues. For more on the situation in Syria, Melissa Block speaks with Ted Kattouf. He is a former U.S. ambassador to Syria and now president and CEO of AmiEast, a non-profit dedicated to education, training and development in the Middle East.

Copyright ? 2011 National Public Radio?. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

MICHELE NORRIS, host:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Michele Norris.

MELISSA BLOCK, host:

And I'm Melissa Block.

European countries are trying to exert pressure on the regime in Syria, as the Syrian government escalates its deadly crackdown on protesters. More than 400 people have been killed since protests began nearly six weeks ago. EU countries summoned Syrian ambassadors today and warned they could impose sanctions and freeze assets if the killing continues.

But do those threats have any muscle? And what is the future for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad?

We're going to put those questions now to Ted Kattouf, who served as U.S. ambassador to Syria from 2001 two 2003, and spent many years throughout the Middle East with the Foreign Service. Welcome to the program, Ambassador Kattouf.

Ambassador TED KATTOUF (Former Career Member, Senior Foreign Service, Syria): Thank you, Melissa.

BLOCK: And first, the threat of European sanctions stepped up financial pressure on the Syrian regime. Is that meaningful leverage in any way or just empty talk?

Amb. KATTOUF: Well, it's good that they're doing it but the leverage is very, very limited. Listen, what we have here is a regime that believes it's fighting for its very existence, and it's shown that it will do anything to keep itself in power.

BLOCK: How far, knowing what you know about President Bashar al-Assad, how far will he go to keep himself in power?

Amb. KATTOUF: Well, you know, I have to say that I was dismayed and disappointed, to say the least, to see that he's basically just the clone of his father in the regime. And he has gone down a road from which there is no exit.

Now that he has started to killings his own people, if he wants to keep himself in power, he's going to have to continue with this brutal repression because people are not going to forgive or forget.

BLOCK: Now, the opposition in Syria is predicting an outright civil war if President Assad does not agree to some kind of democratic transition. Do you think that that civil war scenario is realistic? How do you see this evolving?

Amb. KATTOUF: Well, I think those of the opposition who were saying that are ceding the moral high ground and I think it's a big mistake. The Elite units that are dominated by Alawite commanders and Alawite soldiers are the best armed groups in Syria. Blatantly armed civilians would not stand a chance.

But what I will say is while Bashar al-Assad has accused the opposition of fomenting sectarian strife, it is he who is playing that card. His troops and particularly those troops who are largely Alawite shoot predominantly Sunni demonstrators in the street. So this could really set off tremendous sectarian strife and bloodshed.

BLOCK: What are the options for the Obama administration, which has been accused of a double standard here, not intervening strongly enough, not even using as strong language as it did with Egypt when President Obama called on Mubarak to go? That hasn't happened here with us and why not? And what would it take for that to happen?

Amb. KATTOUF: Well, I think the Obama administration really is disgusted with what's going on. But at the same time, the United States does not want to start making declarations that it can't back up. The fact of the matter is, is that we have very bad relations with Syria. We can talk to the Europeans, as you indicated. I think the country we really should be talking to is Turkey.

Bashar al-Assad has forged a very, very close relationship with Prime Minister Erdogan and the Turkish government. And being the head of a moderate Islamic party, Erdogan himself must be very shocked at the methods that Bashar is using to keep himself in power.

BLOCK: And apparently, Prime Minister Erdogan has phoned Syrian President Assad to urge restraint. Do you see that message getting through? Do you think Turkey does have enough influence that it could turn things around or will things just get mitigated in some minor way?

Amb. KATTOUF: You know, they might get mitigated and I'm afraid probably nobody can turn things around. And the reason I say that is I think Bashar al-Assad recognizes that the urban masses in the two largest cities of Damascus and Aleppo have not poured out into the streets. So what he's trying to do, in my opinion, is make a demonstration project, a horrible demonstration project out of those cities where the opposition has been the strongest. And he's trying to spew the message that you do not oppose this regime and get away with it; that you will pay a huge price if you try.

BLOCK: Well, Ambassador Kattouf, thank you for talking with us today.

Amb. KATTOUF: My pleasure, Melissa. Thank you.

BLOCK: That's Ambassador Ted Kattouf. He served as U.S. ambassador to Syria under President George W. Bush.

Copyright ? 2011 National Public Radio?. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to National Public Radio. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/04/27/135778721/?ft=1&f=1009

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Stories Of Changing English Life In 'Smiling Woman'

A Day in the Life of a Smiling Woman
By Margaret Drabble
Hardcover, 256 pages
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
List Price: $24

A Day in the Life of a Smiling Woman

There was once this woman. She was in her thirties. She was quite famous, in a way. She hadn't really meant to be famous: it had just happened to her, without very much effort on her part. Sometimes she thought about it, a little bewildered, and said to herself, This is me, Jenny Jamieson, and everybody knows it's me.

Her husband was quite famous, too, but only to people who knew what he was doing. He was famous in his own world. He was the editor of a weekly, and so he had quite a pull with certain kinds of people. It was through his pull, really, that Jenny had got her job. She was getting bored, the little child was at nursery school and the big ones at big school, so he had looked about for her and asked a few friends and found her a nice little job at a television station. But he hadn't quite bargained for how she would catch on. Everybody had always thought Jenny was pretty ? in fact, she'd been a very recognizable type for years, had Jenny: pretty, a little restless, driven into the odd moment of malice by boredom, loving her children, cooking dinners, flirting a little (or possibly more) with her husband's friends and old lovers. She deserved a little job. But when she got going, when she got on the screen, she was transformed. She became, very quickly, beautiful. It took a few weeks, while she experimented with hairstyles and clothes and facial expressions. And suddenly, she was a beauty, and total strangers talked of her with yearning. And that wasn't all, either. She was also extremely efficient. Now, she always had been efficient; she'd always been able to get all the courses of a four-course meal onto the table, perfectly cooked, at the right moment. She was never late to collect children from school, she never forgot their dinner money or their swimming things, she never ran out of sugar or lavatory paper or cellotape. So people shouldn't have been surprised at the way she settled down to work.

She was never late. She never forgot appointments. She never forgot her briefing. She began quietly, interviewing people about cultural events in a spot in an arts programme, and she always managed to say the right things to everyone; she never off ended and yet never made people dull. She was intelligent and quick, she had sympathy for everyone she talked to, and all the time she looked so splendid, sitting there shining and twinkling. Everyone admired her, nobody disliked her. In no time at all, she had her own programme, and she was able to do whatever she fancied on it. She used to invite the strangest people to be interviewed, and she would chat to them, seriously, earnestly, cheerfully. She told everybody that she loved her job, that she was so lucky, that it fitted on so well with the children and her husband, that she didn't have to be out too much. It's a perfect compromise, she would say, smiling. She didn't take herself very seriously ? it's just an entertainment, she would say. I've been lucky, she would say. All I do is have the chats I'd love to have at home, and I get paid to do it. Lovely!

Her husband did not like this state of affairs at all. He became extremely bad-tempered, never came home if he could avoid it and yet would never commit himself to being out, because he did not want to make Jenny's life any easier. He wanted to make it as difficult as possible. So he would arrive unexpectedly and depart unexpectedly. He stopped bringing his friends home. He made endless unpleasant remarks and innuendoes about Jenny's colleagues in the television world, as though he had forgotten that he had introduced her to them in the first place. Sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night and hit her. He would accuse her of neglecting him and the children. She was not quite sure how this had all happened. It didn't seem to have much to do with her, and yet she supposed it must be her fault. At night, when it was dark, she used to think it was her fault, but in the morning she would get up and go on smiling.

Then, one night, she came back from work, as she usually did on Wednesday evenings, late, tired. She noticed, as she parked the car outside the house, that the downstairs lights were still on, and she was sorry, because she did not feel like talking. She was too tired. She would have quite liked to talk about her programme, because it had been interesting ? she had been talking to a South African banned politician about the problems of political education ? but her husband never watched the programme these days. She found her key, opened the front door. Her head ached. She was upset, she had to admit it, about South Africa. Sometimes she thought she ought to go and do something about these things that upset her. But what? She pushed open the living-room door, and there was her husband, lying on the settee. He was listening to a record and reading.

She smiled. 'Hello,' she said.

He did not answer. She took off her coat and hung it over the back of a chair. She was going to make herself a milk drink, as she usually did, and go straight to bed. But just for the moment, she was too tired to move. She had had a long day, so she stood there, resting, thinking of the walk to the kitchen and how comfortable it would be to get into bed. She was just about to ask her husband if he would like a drink too ? though he never did, he didn't like milk and coffee kept him awake ? when a strange thing happened. Her husband put down his book and looked up at her, with an expression of real hatred, and said, 'I suppose you're standing there waiting for me to offer to make you a drink, aren't you?'

Now, the truth was that he had hardly ever made her a drink, in the evening after work, so she could not possibly have been expecting such a thing. He had done so perhaps three times in the last six months. The thought of his offering to get up and make her a drink had never crossed her mind. So she answered, politely. 'No, I was just going to ask you if you would like one.' And then an even stranger thing happened. For no sooner were the words out of her mouth than a rage so violent possessed her, as though an electric current had been driven through her, that she began to shake and scream. She screamed at him for some time, and he lay there morosely, watching her, as though satisfied that he had by accident pressed the right button.

Then she calmed down and went and made her drink and went to bed. But as she lay down, she felt as though she had had some kind of shock treatment, that she had suffered brain damage and that she would never be the same again. Let us not exaggerate. This was not the first time that this kind of thing had nearly happened to her. But this time it had happened, and the difference between its nearly happening and its happening was enormous. She was a different woman. She went to bed a different woman.

Excerpted from A Day in the Life of a Smiling Woman by Margaret Drabble. Copyright 2011 by Margaret Drabble. Excerpted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Hartcourt. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/04/24/135611071/stories-of-changing-english-life-in-smiling-woman?ft=1&f=1008

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Leeza Gibbons Weds

Brian To/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Former Entertainment Tonight co-anchor Leeza Gibbons quietly got married at midnight Wednesday.

She tied the knot with Steven Fenton on the rooftop of the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills (where they had their first date).

?

Gibbons met Fenton, who is former president of the Beverly Hills Board of Education, on a blind date more than two years ago. They engaged last June.

?

"We are living the fairy tale," she tells People, which first reported news of the nuptials. "We have so much respect for each other and grow stronger together ? always so grateful to have been given another chance at love."?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/television/~3/WXc_HApjbHY/leeza-gibbons-weds-181498

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Saturday video break: Take comfort, Texans fans (Offthekuff.com)

You could have been born a Jets fan: May I just say, Mel Kiper?s hair should
be registered with his local police department as a weapon. You could put
someone?s eye out with that pompadour.


Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/84136979?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Debt Management and Personal Finance ? Blog Archive ? Estate Planning

Most people, as they move through life, accumulate things such as vehicles, real estate, investments, and other tangible wealth. Setting up how these assets are disbursed after you die, in as an efficient manner as possible, is what estate planning is all about.

Considerations

Everybody needs some sort of estate plan, even if it is just a basic will to avoid a lengthy probate. You want to make the decisions now on how to manage your assets after you die. To avoid lengthy delays and legal hassles, it is important to set up proper legal documents to take care of those you leave behind.

A comprehensive plan should be in place if:

? You have minor children

? You have property that you care about

? You are concerned about future healthcare decisions

Before you begin, you must take stock of what you have. This includes all real property, investments, retirement accounts, insurance, and business resources. Once you know what you have, you can then make some decisions on what to do with each area to ensure that your wishes are ultimately carried out.

Estate Plan Elements

There are many different elements in a comprehensive estate plan because there are so many considerations to make. Not only do you have to worry about your physical assets, you have to consider guardianship of your children, and even your own personal welfare should you become incapacitated.

? Last Will and Testament ? The most basic plan you can make is to have a will. Wills tell those interested in how you want your wealth divided up among those you choose. They also explain who will take care of your minor children. If you don?t have a will, your case is decided by outside parties who do not have your family?s best interest in mind.

? Living will ? A living will spells out exactly how you want to be treated, or not treated, medically if you become terminally ill and are unable to express your wishes. A properly drawn up living will gives you the best chance to ensure that your requests will be followed.

? Power of attorney ? As you age, it is possible to become confused or suffer from memory loss. You can give someone power of attorney to ensure that someone is there to help you pay your bills, manage investments, or make other financial decisions. You will want to name someone you can trust to keep your best interests in mind should you become unable to make important decisions on your own.

? Medical power of attorney ? A medical power of attorney can be grated to someone you trust to make medical decisions for you even if you are not terminally ill.

? Trust ? If you have a sizable amount of property, money, or other assets that you want to disperse in a specific manner you should consider setting up a trust. Trusts can be configured in ways to minimize tax hits upon disbursement, or delay payment of your inheritance until some condition, like graduation from college is met.

Your life is complex and the things that you have accumulated should be passed on in accordance to your wishes, not according to the whim of a probate court. The rules and regulations regarding estate plans and taxes are complex. You should definitely seek out a good estate planning attorney in your area to help you create an adequate plan to meet your family?s needs.


Source: http://www.jawnies.com/estate-planning

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Schwarzenegger Will Be Back For Fifth Terminator

just now | WENN | See recent WENN news ?

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is returning to his Terminator roots after reportedly signing on for another futuristic action film.

The movie star-turned-politician is attached to star in the latest Terminator film project, which is currently being offered to studio bosses in Hollywood.

Deadline.com reports the film doesn't even have a script or a director yet, but Arnie will be back as a robot from the future.

The 63 year old stepped down as Governor of California in January after serving two terms as the head of the state.

Schwarzenegger is also developing an animated TV show and accompanying comic book series with Spider-Man creator Stan Lee, titled The Governator. Schwarzenegger starred in three Terminator movies. Aussie star Sam Worthington took over from him in 2009's Terminator Salvation.

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Source: http://www.imdb.com/rg/rss/news/news/ni10043623/

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Sunday, May 8, 2011

Immigration Agents Accused Of Crossing A Line

The Detroit office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement is under fire for what critics are calling aggressive and overzealous tactics.

ICE officials say they are concerned enough that they're reviewing a recent incident involving immigration agents.

But the union that represents agents is complaining that ICE isn't standing behind its officers.

Jose Luis (left) says he sought refuge inside Hope of Detroit Academy after  he dropped his kids off because immigration agents were waiting  outside the school.
Enlarge Sarah Hulett/Michigan Radio

Jose Luis (left) says he sought refuge inside Hope of Detroit Academy after he dropped his kids off because immigration agents were waiting outside the school.

Sarah Hulett/Michigan Radio

Jose Luis (left) says he sought refuge inside Hope of Detroit Academy after he dropped his kids off because immigration agents were waiting outside the school.

A Ghost Town

The principal of Hope of Detroit Academy, Ali Abdel, says he was helping out with morning safety patrol on March 31, just like he does most mornings.

"We had a parent come up to me and say somebody was in an unmarked vehicle with binoculars," he says.

Abdel says there were three SUVs with tinted windows parked near the school. Some parents ? who may have been undocumented immigrants ? started to panic and sought refuge in the school. Abdel says the building was like a ghost town that afternoon, and things didn't settle down for at least a week.

"Kids weren't focused on their work, parents were not bringing their kids to school out of fear," Abdel says. "And this is no place where children feel like that. They should feel like they're safe, and parents should feel that their kids are safe here at school."

Inconsistent?

Critics say the agents who carried out the operation ignored their agency's own guidelines prohibiting enforcement near schools and churches. ICE is concerned enough that its director, John Morton, flew to Detroit last month to meet with community leaders.

ICE said in a statement that elements of the operation appeared to be inconsistent with its policies. The comment didn't sit well with Chris Crane, who heads the National ICE Council, the union that represents immigration agents.

"The agency made a statement before they even asked one single officer about anything that took place that day," he says.

Crane also says agents kept their distance from the school, and never even got out of their vehicles. He accuses critics of fear-mongering, saying, "it's the statements of some of these political leaders that are really creating the fear in the communities, the fear across the nation now that ICE agents are these terrible people doing terrible things to immigrants, when that's just not the case."

Heavy-Handed Approach

That view of ICE was on display at a recent community meeting in Detroit. Hundreds of people packed a union hall to hear stories of people who say they've been the targets of wrongdoing by ICE.

Ruben Torres says agents in unmarked vehicles pulled him over as he was driving home from work recently. Agents questioned him about his citizenship for more than an hour, he says, even after he provided them with his driver's license, registration and other documents. Torres is a third-generation U.S. citizen.

"What more do I need to have?" he asks. "Do I have to carry a passport to live in the United States now?"

University of Detroit Mercy law professor David Koelsch says agents had every right to pull Torres over and ask him about his immigration status.

"But once this gentleman provided some proof, some evidence that he is a U.S. citizen, the inquiry should have stopped there," he says.

Koelsch describes himself as "moderate to conservative" on immigration policy, and he says immigration laws should be enforced. But ICE agents get it wrong when they use their authority as a blunt instrument, he says.

"If they go in there with a heavy-handed approach, then their sources of information dry up," Koelsch says. "That's not good law enforcement."

Whether agents broke regulations or just came close to it, Koelsch says the perception could be more important than the reality. But he also says people who are openly flouting U.S. immigration laws have to understand ICE's job is to enforce those laws.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/05/04/135957469/immigration-agents-accused-of-crossing-a-line?ft=1&f=1070

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