Sarah Palin to Speak at CPAC; Hasn?t Endorsed GOP Candidate Yet

After a four-year absence, former Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin will serve as the closing speaker at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on February 11 in Washington, D.C.

In a statement, Al Cardenas, the chairman of the American Conservative Union (ACU), praised the selection.

?Few national conservative leaders in America today energize and inspire our grassroots activists like Governor Sarah Palin. Her strong record of leadership, championing of our shared principles and magnetic personality have made Sarah Palin a hero to millions of conservatives across the country,? he said.

?As we ready for the critical 2012 election, I?m honored to welcome Governor Palin to the Conservative Political Action Conference for the first-time ever.?

ABC News reported that things were not always so rosy between Palin and CPAC. She rejected an invitation to speak at the conference last year ? some speculated it was because a gay Republican group was also going to attend.

Like us on Facebook

The prior year, she declined to attend the CPAC because of questions related to the business dealings of David Keene, the chairman at that time.

Among the other confirmed speakers at CPAC will be Newt Gingrich, Senator Jim DeMint, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Governor Scott Walker and Senator Marco Rubio.

Separately, Palin told Fox News that she has not chosen to endorse a GOP presidential candidate yet; following John McCain?s expressed support of Romney.

Palin told Sean Hannity: ?McCain found his person much sooner than I was able to find my person. No, I'm still in that process with probably 70 percent of Americans trying to decide.?

To report problems or to leave feedback about this article, e-mail:
To contact the editor, e-mail:

Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/277170/20120105/sarah-palin-cpac-mitt-romney-john-mcvcain.htm

jeremy renner sacramento kings portland trail blazers leah messer justin timberlake engaged bluefin tuna jonestown

Sinead O'Connor and Husband: Back On? (omg!)

Sinead O'Connor is redefining the "on-again, off-again" relationship.

Sinead O'Connor marries boyfriend in Las Vegas

Just after Christmas the singer announced on her website that she and husband-of-16-days Barry Herridge, had split. But now ? the two are back together. This time she took to Twitter to share news of the reunion.

"Guess who had a mad love making affair with her own husband last night?" O'Connor tweeted.

Sinead O'Connor and husband split ? after 16 days

Herridge is O'Connor's fourth husband. The two were married in Vegas in early January, but the 45-year-old singer announced their split just two weeks later, writing, "It became apparent to me that if he were to stay with me he would be losing too much to bear. ... And a woman wants to be a joy to her husband. So ... U love someone? Set them free ... He is, as I said, a wonderful man. We part amicably."

Do you think O'Connor and Herridge are back together for good this time?

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_sinead_oconnor_husband_back164500938/44073898/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/sinead-oconnor-husband-back-164500938.html

how the grinch stole christmas macaroni and cheese festivus festivus zeno melanie amaro new air jordans

Caixin Online: China central-bank chief on yuan, 2012 forecasts

By Hu Shuli and Zhang Jiwei

BEIJING ( Caixin Online ) ? Amid global economic uncertainty, People?s Bank of China Gov. Zhou Xiaochuan is one of the world?s most talked-about central bankers.

Zhou attracts as much attention as U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and European Central Bank President Mario Draghi because the world?s financial markets are vitally interested in China?s interest-rate trends, bank deposit reserve ratio adjustments, and yuan-dollar exchange rates.

?About Caixin
Caixin is a Beijing-based media group dedicated to providing high-quality and authoritative financial and business news and information through periodicals, online and TV/video programs.
? Get the Caixin e-newsletter /conga/story/misc/caixin.html 61611

Zhou is a big-thinking strategist with firm ideas about financial reform. He?s also a tactician who can find opportunities for promoting reform in any situation. He harmoniously pursues realism and idealism, seeking gradual progress while pushing for financial reform.

The year 2011 was difficult and complex for China? economy. The year 2012 will be no different. What does Zhou see ahead, and what lessons can be learned from the past year?

In an interview in December, shortly after the Chinese government set its 2012 policy goals at the annual Central Economic Work Conference in Beijing, Zhou sat down with Caixin to discuss his personal views and the central bank?s views toward inflation and monetary-policy adjustments, interest-rate control, exchange-rate reform, capital-account liberalization and the internationalization of the yuan. His comments follow:

Caixin: China?s macro-economic policies were adapted to fit changing economic situations in 2011. How do you see the economic situation in 2012 and corresponding policy options?

People's Bank of China Gov. Zhou Xiaochuan

Zhou Xiaochuan: The Central Economic Work Conference clearly articulated macro-economic policy, taking into account two considerations: Efforts to prevent an economic downturn, and efforts to restrain inflation.

First, we are encountering concurrent issues in the international arena, including an evolving European debt crisis, U.S. economic uncertainty, and slowing growth in emerging economies. More importantly, the international economy is changing rapidly, and its outlook remains uncertain. Thus, we must be prepared to respond to new situations.

On the other hand, looking at China?s domestic economy, local governments will have leadership reshuffles in 2012, and the capacity for growth in the Chinese economy is still great. At the same time, the consumer-price situation has changed for the better, and the need to control inflation is not as pressing as it was in early 2011. Of course, there are still uncertain factors, such as the impact that the real-estate market will have on the national economy.

Overall, we need to plan for the worst external environment without relaxing efforts to keep prices from rising too quickly. We need to rationally manage inflationary expectations. Meanwhile, economic structural adjustment is still a difficult task. Macro-economic policy makers need to weigh all these issues.

China?s consumer price index (CPI) grew 4.2% in November, 1.3 percentage points below October?s and below market expectations. How do you view this change?

The target of 4% inflation set for full-year 2011 may have been hard to achieve. Ultimately, it was likely to be around 5%. Technically speaking, year-on-year monthly comparisons sometimes give wrong impressions. Since the global economic crisis of 2008, economic data have fluctuated significantly, making for a large base-number effect for year-on-year comparisons. The effect of the base number must be considered in all monthly year-over-year numbers.

I have always advocated the use of seasonally adjusted sequential data, which reflects CPI trends quickly. In short, inflation control has achieved some results and is moving in the right direction, but we cannot be too optimistic.

From the perspective of the domestic driving force contributing to the growth of the Chinese economy, the quality of life for Chinese people needs further improvement. There is still plenty of potential in urbanization, and there is still room for expanding the nation?s infrastructure on a large scale. These projects are all somewhat government-led.

Looking at national conditions and China?s stage of development, the domestic economy is prone to overheating. Looking internationally, CPI growth in emerging markets is generally higher than in developed countries. This is not to say that there is currently a risk of overheating, but that inflation cannot be taken lightly.

How do you assess the effects of China?s integrated use of quantitative tools and target-price-based instruments to achieve regulatory goals in 2011?

There are several aspects that require attention. First, the frequency and intensity of using quantitative tools and price controls are different. If you only look at the frequency of adjustments, it seems quantitative tools are used more often. But you need to look at the different strengths of the adjusted results that different tools accomplish.

Second, excess liquidity needs to be restrained. Only by estimating the existing liquidity situation can you judge whether a policy adjustment?s strength is appropriate. Third is the judgment of neutrality. Because of the international imbalance, there should be quantitative hedging. Only when hedging reaches a certain point is it neutral. That is, you must distinguish tightening, neutrality and loosening based on quantity.

Of course, you have to consider the mutual impact of quantitative and price-based policies. In reality, they are connected. This can be seen clearly through a study of short-term borrowing rates on the interbank market. Quantitative adjustments bring price reactions. Conversely, interest-rate adjustments bring quantitative changes in liquidity.

Since November, the Chinese financial institutions? yuan funds outstanding for foreign exchange have continued to decrease. Has this provided a certain amount of room for choice in monetary policy?

We?ve always had a relatively wide space for setting monetary policy. The policy trade-off is mainly related to macro-control goals. For example, deciding whether to pursue higher employment or lower inflation requires repeated consideration of a balanced goal. Other future uncertainties will affect changes in policy objectives.

Of course, there will also have some constraints, and every policy choice brings some negative effects. Differing economic conditions in China?s eastern, central and western regions, and a lack of domestic and international synchronization will generate arbitrage in opportunities. As long as the arbitrage is not on a massive scale, it is a question of balancing the positive and negative effects of policy, which requires making judgment calls.

You mentioned that now is a special time (for China?s economic development). But is it also a time of reform?

Sometimes, reform?s timing is complicated. Often, difficult reforms that require strong commitments are launched when pressures are relatively great. This is what we saw with the design of exchange-rate reform in 1993 (which was implemented Jan. 1, 1994). At the time, people said exchange-rate reform required three conditions: very strong exports; adequate foreign-exchange reserves; and experience in macro-economic regulation. The situation at the time was just the opposite, but reform was still pushed forward.

Calls for market-oriented interest-rate reform have been heard frequently over the past year. How do you see the timing for further reform, and the risks?

Market-oriented reforms on interest rates are always being encouraged. Specific implementations should be introduced in an orderly fashion, and on the basis of overseas economic situations. From a sequencing perspective, the first step is, through reform, to put hard restraints on financial institutions. In this way, the competitive behavior of market players becomes more orderly, and price-liberalization issues are not too great.

From past experience, soft restraints on financial institutions? competition behavior will always be ineffective, and there will be problems. It should be said that with joint-stock reforms and successful listings of 2010, the soft restraints and fair-competition issues of financial institutions are gradually being resolved, and conditions are there for interest-rate market reforms to advance.

When comparing international and domestic situations, domestic and foreign pressures have differed mainly since the financial crisis. China maintained a relatively high rate of growth, while some developed countries kept interest rates at zero. Advancing market reforms for interest rates at a time when there are wide gaps between interest rates will create some special problems.

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B7D7BC5EC-373F-11E1-91DA-002128040CF6%7D&siteid=rss&rss=1

wes welker brandon jacobs brandon jacobs fred davis fred davis fracking fracking

Hackers planning homespun anti-censorship satellite internet

SOPA is making ordinary, decent internet users mad as hell, and they're not gonna take it anymore. Hacker attendees of Berlin's Chaos Communication Congress are cooking up a plan to launch a series of homemade satellites as the backbone of an "uncensorable (sic) internet in space." Like all good ideas, there's a few hurdles to overcome first: objects in lower-Earth orbit circle the earth every 90 minutes, useless for a broadband satellite that needs to remain geostationary. Instead, a terrestrial network of base stations will have to be installed in order to remain in constant contact as it spins past, at the cost of €100 ($130) per unit. The conference also stated a desire to get an amateur astronaut onto the moon within 23 years, which we'd love to see, assuming there's still a rocket fuel store on eBay.

Hackers planning homespun anti-censorship satellite internet originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink BBC News  |  sourceHackerspace Global Grid  | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/FlDMciB0k8U/

arkansas football player dies anne mccaffrey anne mccaffrey amazon promotional code artificial christmas trees bean bag chairs android tablet

Last day: 23 Iowa campaign stops combined

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum gives a thumbs up sign after a campaign stop at the Rising Sun Cafe, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, in Polk City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum gives a thumbs up sign after a campaign stop at the Rising Sun Cafe, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, in Polk City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum speaks during a campaign stop at the Rising Sun Cafe, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, in Polk City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney gets a hug as he campaigns at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport, Iowa, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas campaigns at the Steeple Gate Inn in Davenport, Iowa, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Republican presidential candidate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks during a campaign stop at the Stoney Creek Inn, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, in Sioux City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

(AP) ? The White House their goal, Republican presidential hopefuls raced across Iowa on Monday in final, full-day of frenzied appeals for support in precinct caucuses that open the 2012 campaign. "It is the race you make it," an upset-minded Rick Santorum told voters soon to pick a winner.

Santorum drew large crowds as he hustled through five events; the six-person field had 23 combined. That and the $13 million or more already spent on television commercials was evidence enough of the outsized importance Iowa holds in the race to pick a Republican opponent for President Barack Obama next fall.

Campaigning like a front-runner, Mitt Romney had one eye on his GOP rivals and another on Obama as he argued he is in the best position of all to defeat the president. "The last three years have been a detour. They're not our destiny," said the former Massachusetts governor, who is making his second try for the nomination and has been at or near the top of the Iowa polls since the campaign began.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul flew into the state accompanied by his son, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, and urged supporters to "send a message tomorrow night that echoes not just around Iowa but ... around the world." Many in the audience of about 300 chanted "end the Fed," a reference to the Texan's pledge to abolish the nation's central bank as a first step toward repairing the economy.

Most polls in recent days have put Romney and Paul atop the field in Iowa, with Santorum in third and gaining ground. More than a third of all potential caucus-goers say they could yet change their minds.

"Do not settle for less than what America needs to transform this country. Moderate candidates who try to appeal to moderates end up losing," Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, said in a slap at Romney.

Alone among the contenders, Newt Gingrich conceded defeat, at least in the first contest of the campaign.

After absorbing a pounding in television commercials from Romney's deep-pocketed allies, the former House speaker said he was looking ahead to next week's primary in New Hampshire, and then to one in South Carolina on Jan. 21

"I don't think I'm going to win, I think when you look at the numbers that volume of negativity has done its damage," he said of the Iowa caucuses.

Romney is viewed as the overwhelming favorite in New Hampshire, although Santorum, Paul and Gingrich have all said they intend to campaign there.

South Carolina figures to be more wide-open, the first contest in the South, and in a deeply Republican state.

If others were thinking about conceding Iowa, they did not show it.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry took swipes at Romney, Santorum and Paul in an appearance in Sioux City. "If you have my back tomorrow at the caucuses, I'll have your back for the next four years in Washington, D.C," he said.

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann unveiled the first television ad in months. It hailed her as Iowa-born and the only "consistent conservative fighter" in the race and concluded, "She'll never back down."

The commercial was the last in a race in which the candidates' own ads were sometimes overshadowed by the more negative ones run by super PACs, organizations established and funded by their allies.

Perry and a super PAC supporting him spent the most, $5.5 million, according to one tally of the ad spending.

But it was the combination of Romney ($1.3 million) and his super PAC ($2.7 million) that appeared to have the most noticeable impact on the race. That was particularly so in the final few weeks, when Gingrich surged to the front of the polls.

The former speaker soon found himself under relentless attack in ads by the Romney super PAC. At the same time, the former Massachusetts governor's campaign took the high road, airing positive ads designed to show him in a favorable light.

Short on funds, Gingrich was unable to respond in kind, declaring instead he would run only a positive campaign.

It wasn't much of a contest, and before long, he faded, while Paul and then Santorum rose.

In fact, Gingrich's emergence was only one in a series of twists that seemed to produce a new front-runner every few weeks.

Bachmann earned that distinction when she won a straw poll last summer in Ames, but she was bumped off stride when Perry entered the race. His boomlet lasted until his first few debate performances were judged lacking, and then it became Herman Cain's turn. The former business executive suspended his campaign after being accused of personal indiscretions, and Gingrich began gaining ground, then Paul.

Throughout it all, Romney remained steady, advantaged by his well-funded campaign, the super PAC that supports him and the missteps of his rivals.

Yet to the end, the polls suggested the former Massachusetts governor was having trouble persuading Iowa Republicans that he was conservative enough to warrant their support.

Somehow, even an intense post-Christmas push by the candidates through Iowa's cities, small towns and smaller towns left Iowa Republicans uncertain about which contender to back.

"I'm really still undecided," said Bill Brauer, of Polk City, as he listened to Santorum speak on the campaign's final day.

"I'm going to make up my mind tonight," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Brian Bakst, Thomas Beaumont, Philip Elliott, Mike Glover, Kasie Hunt and Shannon McCaffrey in Iowa contributed to this report. Espo reported from Washington.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-02-GOP%20Campaign/id-c343c69509db4766bda1df4996677fc4

jim mora arian foster patsy cline the weeknd echoes of silence gio gonzalez san francisco fire how to make moonshine

QPR's Joey Barton threatens legal action over red card against ...

Joey Barton has threatened to become the first player to sue referees over bad decisions and opponents for playacting in a new Twitter onslaught.

As QPR lodged an appeal against their captain Barton's red card against Norwich for locking horns with Bradley Johnson, the midfielder - who had already protested against the decision in a shower of tweets - was back on his soapbox on Tuesday.

He branded Johnson an "irrelevance" after the Canaries midfielder held up a placard at the Ally Pally world darts final which read, "Barton, your breath stinks" - a reference to their bust-up at Loftus Road hours earlier .

Then, Barton QC donned his wig and pen, launching into a fresh tirade against the fifth dismissal of his career and speculating on the merits of turning football into a legal minefield.

He raged: "I wonder how long it is before a football club sues a referee for making a bad decision? There is too much at stake not to have technology.

"Or a player sues another player for playacting. Which is basically a lie and that is actionable. What's the difference?

"Someone has to set the precedent to stop the game from being ruined, maybe I'll be the 1st one. Can players sue referees?

"We have the best officiated game in the world on our doorstep (rugby). Why don't we stop listening to FIFA bureaucrats and move our game forward?

"Referees would embrace all the technology available in my opinion. Game needs to move forward. Incidents like [this] would be cited and dealt with retrospectively if the officials were unsure/unclear. I also feel it would lead to respect like rugby.

"Those three points [on Monday] could be the difference between Premier League survival and not. That equates to a lot of money."

Barton did not, however, volunteer to test the water as the respondent in such a courtroom drama where, for instance, Arsenal's Gervinho might be the complainant who sues him for his unfair dismissal on the opening day of the season at Newcastle.

Norwich striker Steve Morison, meanwhile, has insisted Barton's red card in the Canaries' 2-1 win at Loftus Road was a fair cop.

Barton had initially claimed referee Neil Swarbrick and linesman David Richardson had been "conned" by Johnson's reaction in the flashpoint.

In his series of post-match tweets, which were later deleted, Barton branded the decision "ridiculous", while Rs manager Neil Warnock accused Johnson of playacting to get his man sent off.

Warnock also admitted an appeal could be futile, expressing little confidence in football's system of restorative justice after Wolves failed to overturn the harsh red card their midfielder Nenad Milijas collected at Arsenal last week.

He said: "I have not got any confidence in the appeals procedure. When (Wolves manager) Mick McCarthy appeals and does not get that lad off, you have got to worry about appealing anything.

"We will have to look and see what the referee says in his report, and if there are any other angles, but from every one I've seen I don't see a head-butt.

"Joey could have avoided the situation, but it does not warrant the reaction from Johnson. To go back like he did was a disgrace. It's getting a fellow pro sent off, I think he should be done."

But Morison, who scored Norwich's late winner, said: "It was a scenario of things - handbags before and the fact Joey has gone towards Bradley initially, shoulder-barged him and then gone to put his head there. It makes out that he's the aggressor.

"If they've seen that, which clearly they said they did, then it's a sending off."

Warnock asks QPR: Let me spend my way out of schtuck

Source: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/QPR-s-Joey-Barton-threatens-legal-action-over-red-card-against-Norwich-Can-players-sue-referees-article848754.html

neville neville heavy d heavy d taser gun patriots vs jets adventureland

History of Controversial Presidential Recess Appointments (ContributorNetwork)

President Barack Obama used his constitutional power of recess appointments to name former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray as the chief of a new consumer watchdog agency created by Congress.

Associated Press reported Senate Republicans have been blocking Cordray's nomination because of differences they have over the role of the agency, not Cordray's qualifications.

Here are other controversial presidential recess appointments:

Judge Charles Pickering

President George W. Bush twice appointed U.S. District Judge Charles Pickering to a seat on the Fifth Court of Appeals. After successfully being approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Democrats chose to filibuster his nomination to prevent it from being voted on by the full Senate. According to the Federal Judicial Center, Bush used a recess appointment in January 2004 to seat Pickering on the appeals court. The appointment ended two years later and Pickering was not renominated.

John R. Bolton

Bush also used a recess appointment in 2005 to install Bolton as the ambassador to the United Nations after a protracted nomination process in the Senate. The New York Times reported Bush made the appointment to fill a six-month vacancy at the U.N. Bolton received the support of a majority of senators but was unable to muster enough to overcome a filibuster, including the vocal opposition of Ohio Republican Sen. George Voinovich. Bolton served just two years as ambassador and Bush did not resubmit his nomination to the next Senate.

Bill Lan Lee

President Bill Clinton appointed Lee as assistant attorney general for civil rights in 1997 but was unable to win confirmation from Senate Republicans who opposed Lee's stand on affirmative action. According to New York Times, Lee served in as acting assistant attorney general for two years before Clinton used a recess appointment in 2000 to install him in the position. Lee was not renominated when the Clinton presidency ended.

Walter Meheula Heen

Heen served just less than one year as a District Court judge after receiving a recess appointment by President Jimmy Carter in 1981 just days before his presidency ended. President Ronald Reagan did not renominate him to the position and, according to the Federal Judicial Center, his appointment expired in December of the same year when the Senate failed to confirm him.

Thurgood Marshall

President John F. Kennedy appointment Marshall to a new seat on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, but his nomination was blocked by a group of southern Democrat senators, The Week reported. In 1961, Kennedy used a recess appointment to seat Marshall, who later was nominated by President Lyndon Johnson and confirmed by the Senate to serve as U.S. Solicitor General and then, in 1967, he was confirmed as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dan McGinnis is a freelance writer, published author and former newspaper publisher. He has been a candidate, campaign manager and press secretary for state and local political campaigns for more than 30 years.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120104/pl_ac/10792727_history_of_controversial_presidential_recess_appointments

dia de los muertos david arquette lionfish lionfish conjoined twins justin bieber paternity justin bieber paternity

$100,000 electric cars recalled over fire risk

Even expensive electric cars get recalled sometimes.

Fisker Automotive is recalling its 2012 Karma because of a potential coolant leak.

The plug-in hybrid cars cost about $100,000. Fisker has sold about 50 of them and says 1,200 more are in production or waiting to be sold.

Improperly installed hose clamps in the car's battery pack could cause coolant to leak, which could start a fire. Fisker says no incidents have been reported by customers or retailers.

The company says it will replace the battery pack.

Fisker was founded in 2007 and is privately held. It's based in Irvine, Calif.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is also investigating a fire in the battery of a Chevrolet Volt that may have been caused by a coolant leak.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45848747/ns/business-autos/

clemson dog the bounty hunter emmy rossum carlos zambrano ben gibbard richard cordray shannon de lima

Palestinians hope peace efforts can be salvaged (AP)

RAMALLAH, West Bank ? The chief Palestinian peace negotiator said Monday his first meeting with Israelis in more than a year will be a last-ditch effort to salvage the peace process and warned that the Palestinians would explore alternatives if no progress is made.

Saeb Erekat said he was holding out hope for Tuesday's meeting in Jordan, but acknowledged his expectations were low as he reiterated his long-standing demand for an Israeli freeze on settlement construction. Without a breakthrough, he warned, the Palestinians will be forced to examine alternatives to peace talks at the end of the month. Those could include again trying for recognition at the U.N.

"The Jordanian efforts are the last-minute efforts to salvage the situation," Erekat warned.

Erekat is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's peace envoy, Yitzhak Molcho, at Tuesday's meeting. It is the first time the sides are meeting since negotiations collapsed in September 2010.

Officials say the meeting is not a formal negotiating session. Instead, it is aimed at finding enough common ground to resume negotiations.

The meeting is taking place under the auspices of the Quartet, an international group that mediates Mideast peace efforts. The Quartet, consisting of the U.S., European Union, Russia and the United Nations, has been trying to revive talks for months with the goal of forging a peace deal by the end of this year.

The Palestinians want to establish an independent state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip. Israel captured all three areas in the 1967 Mideast war, though it withdrew from Gaza in 2005.

A short-lived round of peace talks broke down in September 2010 after an Israeli moratorium on settlement construction expired.

The Palestinians say they will not resume talks unless Israel stops building settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. They say it is a sign of bad faith if Israel continues to build on the very lands the Palestinians claim for their independent state. The Palestinians also say Israel must agree to withdraw to its pre-1967 lines as the basis for the future border of the two countries.

Speaking to reporters in the West Bank, Erekat said the future of peace efforts depended on what the Israeli delegation brings to the meeting in Jordan.

"We hope that the Israeli government would reciprocate the Jordanian efforts by announcing cessation of settlement activities and the acceptance of the concept of the two-state solutions on the '67 (borders), so we can resume negotiations in accordance with the Quartet statement of Sept. 23," he said.

In September, the Quartet called for the sides to meet within one month to agree upon a negotiating agenda, and to present proposals for borders and security within three months.

The Palestinians believe the clock is already ticking and have already presented proposals on these issues. They say the timeline expires at the end of January, and if there is no progress, they will seek alternatives.

Officials say the options include resuming their efforts to win acceptance as a member state at the United Nations ? an option that Israel bitterly opposes in the absence of a peace deal ? and seeking other international action against Israel, such as a U.N. resolution condemning settlement activity. Erekat stressed that no decisions have been made.

Israel has rejected all of the Palestinian demands and says negotiations should start without preconditions. Netanyahu has already said he opposes a return to the 1967 lines.

Netanyahu spokesman Mark Regev expressed hope that the meeting in Jordan will "bring about as soon as possible the resumption of direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians."

"The only way to achieve peace and reconciliation is through dialogue," he added.

While Israeli-Palestinian deadlock is nothing new, the situation has been complicated by recent developments.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is in the midst of reconciliation efforts with the Hamas militant group, which seized control of the Gaza Strip from his forces in 2007. Israel considers Hamas a terrorist group and has warned that it cannot make peace with a Palestinian government that includes Hamas.

Hamas has sent mixed messages about Abbas' peace efforts. Hamas' supreme leader, Khaled Mashaal, has said he would not stand in the way if Abbas chooses to resume negotiations.

But in Gaza on Monday, Hamas officials urged Abbas to call off the meeting in Jordan. "We ask the Palestinian Authority to give priority to the reconciliation between Palestinians and to continue to reject any meeting or negotiations with the occupation," said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum.

Hamas has been emboldened by the growing strength of Islamic groups throughout the Middle East as a result of the Arab Spring uprisings.

The secular Jordanian regime is also eager to counter the growing Islamist influence. A failed peace process would strengthen Islamists inside Jordan and potentially spill over from the West Bank into Jordan, whose population is already heavily Palestinian.

Both Netanyahu and Abbas agreed to attend Tuesday's meeting to help strengthen Jordan's King Abdullah II. But with prospects for success slim, it appeared unlikely that the talks would be little more than a short-term boost to the king.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120102/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians

braxton miller braxton miller noreaster noreaster steve miller band boston weather kara dioguardi

Incipio iPhone 4/4S Premium Leather Holster Case ? 1 Pack ? Carrying Case ? Retail Packaging ? Black

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Source: phones.sanmigueldirectory.com --- Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Incipio iPhone 4/4S Premium Leather Holster Case ? 1 Pack ? Carrying Case ? Retail Packaging ? Black Stylish holster with a durable vertical belt clip Fashionable, fast access to your iPhone for those on the go Made with premium high quality leather and soft micro suede lining on the inside Magnetic flip holds your iPhone securely in place The Premium Leather Holster Case with Belt Clip by Incipio is the classic case. This Premium Leather Case gives users quick and easy access to the iPhone 4 with strategically placed openings and a magnetic flip closure. Textured material and modern lines give this favorite a fresh look. List Price: $ 24.99 Price: $ 23.10 ...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/phone-cell/~3/-P5Q8ct6UUI/

kourtney kardashian pregnant again kourtney kardashian pregnant again apple juice apple juice jay cutler carole king katharine mcphee