Congress hopes to wrap up work on payroll tax cuts (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Capping a full retreat by House GOP leaders, Congress will convene Friday in hopes of approving a stopgap measure renewing payroll tax cuts for every worker and unemployment benefits for millions ? despite serious opposition among some tea party Republicans.

Friday's unusual session, if all goes according to plan, will send a bill to President Barack Obama to become law for two months and put off until January a fight over how to pay for the 2 percentage point tax cut, extend jobless benefits averaging around $300 a week and prevent doctors from absorbing a big cut in Medicare payments.

Those goals had been embraced by virtually every lawmaker in the House and Senate, but had been derailed in a quarrel over demands by House Republicans for immediate negotiations on a long-term extension bill. Senate leaders of both parties had tried to barter such an agreement among themselves a week ago but failed, instead agreeing upon a 60-day measure to buy time for talks next year.

The decision by House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to cave in to the Senate came after days of criticism from Obama and Democrats. But perhaps more tellingly, GOP stalwarts like strategist Karl Rove and the Wall St. Journal editorial board warned that if the tax cuts were allowed to expire, Republicans would take a political beating that would harm efforts to unseat Obama next year.

Friday's House and Senate sessions are remarkable. Both chambers have recessed for the holidays but leaders in both parties are trying to pass the short-term agreement under debate rules that would allow any individual member of Congress to derail the pact, at least for a time.

The developments were a clear win for Obama. The payroll tax cut was the centerpiece of his three-month, campaign-style drive for jobs legislation that seems to have contributed to an uptick in his poll numbers ? and taken a toll on those of congressional Republicans.

Obama, Republicans and congressional Democrats all said they preferred a one-year extension but the politics of achieving the goal, particularly the spending cuts and new fees required to pay for it, eluded them. All pledged to start working on that in January.

"There remain important differences between the parties on how to implement these policies, and it is critical that we protect middle-class families from a tax increase while we work them out," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said.

House GOP arguments about the legislative process and what the "uncertainty" of a two-month extension would mean for businesses were unpersuasive, and Obama was clearly on the offensive.

"Has this place become so dysfunctional that even when we agree to things, we can't do it?" Obama said. "Enough is enough."

The top Senate Republican, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, was a driving force behind Thursday's agreement, imploring Boehner to accept the deal that McConnell and Reid had struck last week and passed with overwhelming support in both parties.

Meanwhile, tea party-backed House Republicans began to abandon their leadership.

"I don't think that my constituents should have a tax increase because of Washington's dysfunction," freshman Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., said.

If the cuts had expired as scheduled, 160 million workers would have seen a tax increase of $20 a week for an average worker earning about $50,000 a year. And up to 2 million people without jobs for six months would start losing unemployment benefits averaging $300 a week. Doctors would have seen a 27 percent cut in their Medicare payments, the product of an archaic 1997 cut that Congress has been unable to fix.

Even though GOP leaders like House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., promised that the two sides could quickly iron out their differences, the truth is that it'll take intense talks to figure out both the spending cuts and fee increases required to finance the measure.

Just hours before he announced the breakthrough, Boehner had made the case for a yearlong extension. But on a brief late afternoon conference call, he informed his colleagues it was time to yield.

"He said that as your leader, you've in effect asked me to make decisions easy and difficult, and I'm making my decision right now," said Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., paraphrasing Boehner's comments.

Kingston said the conference call lasted just minutes and Boehner did not give anyone time to respond.

There was still carping among tea party freshmen upset that GOP leaders had yielded.

"Even though there is plenty of evidence this is a bad deal for America ... the House has caved yet again to the president and Senate Democrats," Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., said. "We were sent here with a clear set of instructions from the American people to put an end to business as usual in Washington, yet here we are being asked to sign off on yet another gimmick."

Almost forgotten in the firestorm is that McConnell and Boehner had extracted a major victory last week, winning a provision that would require Obama to make a swift decision on whether to approve construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which would bring Canadian oil to the U.S. and create thousands of construction jobs. To block the pipeline, Obama would have to declare that is not in the nation's interest.

Obama wanted to put the decision off until after the 2012 election.

House Republicans did win one concession in addition to a promise that Senate Democrats would name negotiators on the one-year House measure: a provision to ease concerns that the 60-day extension would be hard for payroll processing companies to implement.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111223/ap_on_go_co/us_payroll_tax

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JXD S7100 ? Android Powered Gaming Device

The JXD S7100 is a 7 inch Android 2.2 device with built in gaming controllers. Install Mame or another gaming emulator and this would make a great little gaming device. It’s available from isharegifts.com for $139.99. There’s a video on their site showing it in action and it does support English and other languages.

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/12/24/jxd-s7100-android-powered-gaming-device/

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Iraq's radical Shiite cleric proposes 'peace code'

ADDS NAME OF NEIGHBORHOOD - Iraqi security forces gather the scene of a car bomb attack in the Karrada neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011. A wave of bombings ripped across Baghdad on Thursday morning killing and wounding hundreds of people, Iraqi officials said, in the worst violence Iraq has seen for months. The bloodbath comes just days after American forces left the country. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

ADDS NAME OF NEIGHBORHOOD - Iraqi security forces gather the scene of a car bomb attack in the Karrada neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011. A wave of bombings ripped across Baghdad on Thursday morning killing and wounding hundreds of people, Iraqi officials said, in the worst violence Iraq has seen for months. The bloodbath comes just days after American forces left the country. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

(AP) ? Iraq's anti-American Shiite cleric has launched an initiative calling for peaceful coexistence among all Iraqis after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country.

Muqtada al-Sadr, whose militiamen were blamed for sectarian killings during the worst years of Iraq's violence, is seeking to assert his political weight in post-U.S. troops Iraq.

The initiative comes as a government crisis has strained ties between two main Muslim sects, Sunnis and Shiites to the breaking point, and just two days after a terrifying wave of Baghdad bombings killed 69 people and wounded nearly 200.

Al-Sadr's associates on Saturday handed out to the media his 14-point "peace code" proposal. It warns against spilling Iraqi blood and urges respect for all religions, sects and ethnic groups.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

BAGHDAD (AP) ? Iraq's anti-American Shiite cleric has launched an initiative calling for peaceful coexistence among all Iraqis after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country.

Muqtada al-Sadr, whose militiamen were blamed for sectarian killings during the worst years of Iraq's violence, is seeking to assert his political weight in post-U.S. troops Iraq.

The initiative comes as a government crisis has strained ties between two main Muslim sects, Sunnis and Shiites to the breaking point, and just two days after a terrifying wave of Baghdad bombings killed 69 people and wounded nearly 200.

Al-Sadr's associates on Saturday handed out to the media his 14-point "peace code" proposal. It warns against spilling Iraqi blood and urges respect for all religions, sects and ethnic groups.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-24-ML-Iraq/id-a751d9447e0441479db1a2c363d569db

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Israel: Tower of David - Citadel entrance, Old City, Jerusalem

The citadel of Jerusalem, known as the "Tower of David," has been a landmark of the city since ancient times. The citadel is located on the western side of the Old City, just south of the Jaffa Gate. Its location was chosen for topographic reasons ? this is the highest point of the southwestern hill of Jerusalem, higher than any other point in the ancient city, including the Temple Mount. A series of fortifications built here in the course of more than twenty centuries, protected Jerusalem from the west and also overlooked and controlled the entire city.


A first archeological survey of the citadel, and excavations, were conducted between 1934 and 1947. Renewed excavations were undertaken after the reunification of the city, between the years 1968 and 1988, preparing the opening of the site to visitors.

Every period has left its mark and has been identified in the assemblage of architectural remains. In the citadel?s foundations are buried the remains of Jerusalem?s fortifications from the end of the monarchic period (8th to 6th centuries BCE) through the early Arab period (seventh to eleventh centuries). The outline of the citadel known today is from the Crusader period; the citadel itself was built in the mid-16th century by the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and incorporates the remains of earlier citadels dating from Ayyubid and Mamluk times.

The Citadel is protected by a high wall and large towers, and it is surrounded by a wide, deep moat, part of which was blocked in modern times. The entrance is from the east, via an outer gate, a bridge over the moat and a fortified inner gate house.


The Early Fortification
In the citadel?s courtyard, excavations have revealed the remains of fortifications dating from the late monarchic period to the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Here was the northwestern corner of the First Wall which is described in great detail by the contemporary Jewish historian Josephus Flavius. According to him, the First Wall extended from here towards the Temple Mount to the east and also to the south, surrounding Mount Zion and then joining the southern wall of the City of David. (War V,4,2) Remains of this wall and of three large towers are preserved to an impressive height of over 7 m. in the citadel courtyard. Several construction phases belonging to different periods can be observed, distinguishable by differences in the masonry and in the method of laying the stones.


The Monarchic Period
The wall was first built in this area by Hezekiah, king of Judah, at the end of the 8th century BCE. A detailed description of its construction on the eve of the Assyrian invasion of Judah, is in the Bible: He [Hezekiah] set to work resolutely and built up all the wall that was broken down and raised towers upon it, and outside it he built another wall. (2 Chron. 32:5) The remains of that incredibly wide wall (ca. 7 m.!), built of large boulders, were uncovered at great depth on the bedrock of the hill. This mighty fortification protected a new residential quarter built on the southwestern hill of Jerusalem which, until that time, comprised only the City of David and the Temple on Mt. Moriah. The wall was damaged in 587/6 BCE, when Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians.


The Second Temple Period

After some 300 years, the First Wall was restored by the Hasmonean rulers, who invested considerable effort in increasing the area of Jerusalem and strengthening its fortifications. At the Citadel, a 4 m. thick wall with two mighty towers, dating from this period, was uncovered. It was constructed in two phases: in the first, rectangular ashlars were laid in header fashion, a Hellenistic building style; in the second phase, ashlars with dressed margins and protruding central boss on the outer faces, were laid in alternating courses of headers and stretchers.


At the end of the 1st century BCE, King Herod improved the fortifications in this area and added three huge towers to the First Wall. A precise description, including the measurements of these towers is found in the writings of Josephus Flavius. The towers, which rose high over the city, were named Phasael (after Herod?s brother), Hippicus (after Herod?s friend) and Mariamne (after Herod?s Hasmonean wife). They were built to protect the large royal palace south of them, which apparently included the area of the present day citadel and part of the Armenian Quarter. Remains of the podium built inside the First Wall to support the palace were found during excavation of the Citadel. It consists of a grid of retaining walls which held earth fill, thus artificially raising the ground level by some 5 m.


One of the towers built by Herod has survived to the present day. This is the so-called Tower of David which is incorporated into the fortifications of the eastern side of the present Citadel. It should be noted that the traditional name Tower of David, said to be the result of the incorrect identification of this structure by Christian pilgrims in the Byzantine period, has in fact much earlier origins: Josephus refers to the southwestern hill of Jerusalem of that period as the "Citadel of King David." (War V,3,1)


The dimensions of the Tower of David are approximately 22 x 18 m., consisting of 16 courses of large ashlar stones weighing over a ton each. They have trimmed margins and a flat central boss, carefully laid without gaps, and the interior of the tower is filled with large ashlars. The Tower of David is one of the most impressive examples of royal construction of the Second Temple period in Jerusalem. It stands to this day to a height of 20 m.!


The three towers built by Herod and the other fortifications created a powerful, well protected fortress. Thence the decisive strategic role it played in the First Jewish Rebellion against Rome (66-70 CE) which ended with the siege of the city, its conquest and destruction. This is attested to in another tower, located in the southern part of the citadel, which was built in the 1st century CE and was destroyed during the rebellion: a thick layer of debris, including stones, plaster, and charred wooden roofing beams, was uncovered.


The Roman Period

After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, the Romans established a camp to quarter the Tenth Legion on the southwestern hill of the city. It was protected by the three towers built by Herod, which the Roman commander Titus had ordered to be left intact. (Josephus, War VII,1,1) Remains of this Roman Legion camp were uncovered in the courtyard of the Citadel; they include clay water pipe sections bearing seal impressions reading "L?X?F," for Legio X Fretensis, the full name of the Tenth Legion.


The Byzantine Period

During the Byzantine period, the fortifications of the citadel, including the Tower of David, were restored. Nearby, monks built monasteries and other religious institutions, as reported by several contemporary Christian travelers. Only fragmentary remains of fortifications, walls, cisterns and a lintel engraved with a cross, date to this period.


The Early Arab Period

In the 8th century, during the period of Arab rule over Jerusalem, a new citadel was established. Among its remains are a rounded corner tower measuring 10 m. in diameter, from which 4-m. thick walls extend to the north and to the west. The precise plan of this citadel is not known, as severe damage was caused when the Crusaders built their citadel.


The Crusader Period

The Crusader citadel, built in the 12th century, was innovative and extended northward and westward, beyond the ancient city wall. The early city wall became an inner terrace wall in the courtyard, which was buried under some 10 m. of debris, protecting and preserving it until its exposure during the archeological excavations.


Today, for the first time in its long history, the citadel is no longer used for military purposes. Instead, it functions as the museum of the history of Jerusalem. Presented in its various towers are exhibits tracing 5,000 years of the city?s history. In the courtyard, remains of the First Wall and its towers, of the Second Temple period and of the fortification from the Byzantine and early Arab periods, have been preserved and serve as a veritable guidebook to the long history of Jerusalem?s fortifications on the southwestern hill.

Source: http://www.360cities.net/image/tower-of-david-citadel-entrance-old-city-jerusalem

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Analysis: Searching for glimmers of euro zone hope in 2012 (Reuters)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) ? After two years of turmoil that has shattered confidence in the economics and politics of European monetary union, it would be rash in the extreme to suggest an end is in sight.

But through the pall of gloom that has hung over Brussels for months, vague whispers can now be heard in the corridors about a corner possibly being turned if several tricky elements come together in the months ahead.

At this point they are purely speculative musings, laden with multiple ifs. And it remains far easier to list all the potential pitfalls and obstacles that lie ahead than it does to identify the possible bright spots.

But the combination of the European Central Bank's provision of three-year liquidity for banks averting a credit crunch, the fact yields on Italian and Spanish 10-year bonds have fallen, the first steps towards deeper euro zone fiscal integration and the pure fatigue in markets after such a long period of all-consuming crisis may point to some relief ahead.

Mark Mobius, the Franklin Templeton fund manager known as something of a contrarian, went as far this week as to put a date on an end to the mayhem. That was stepping out on a limb, but it suggests that those attempting to take the pulse of the crisis may be beginning to shift their prognosis.

"The European crisis isn't as deep and terrible as people think," Mobius, who oversees $50 billion in emerging market investments, told Brazil's Valor Economico newspaper, saying he expected Europe's crisis to be over by June 2012.

"Nations there are in a process of negotiations and that takes time," he said.

European policymakers are not as bold as that. They have learnt over the past two years just how dangerous it is to make overly positive policy pronouncements.

But the progress in getting 26 of the EU's 27 countries to back tighter fiscal rules for the euro zone - Britain remains outside - and the fact Mario Draghi, the ECB president, is positive about what is being called a new "fiscal compact" has given some officials room to feel slightly more optimistic.

If the unlimited three-year liquidity that the ECB offered this week - of which banks snapped up 489 billion euros - can help unfreeze lending, if Portugal, Ireland and Italy can stay on top of their structural reforms and Spain keeps up its efforts too, if euro zone leaders can finally put together a meaningful firewall against the crisis using their bailout funds and help from the IMF, and a frightening amount of government debt refinancing early in the year is overcome, then...

"If we manage the first 6 months of 2012 without major accident things will look better," one senior euro zone policymaker told Reuters.

That is the tentative on-record view too.

"The path is long, longer than we expected," Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council and the chairman of EU summits, said in a video message this week.

"But let there be no doubt, there is a fundamental political will to move forward as a union. We have a moral duty to continue this mission," he said, announcing that EU leaders would next meet on January 30 for their 17th crisis-fighting summit, this time to focus on a growth strategy.

MOSTLY DARK

One notable improvement in sentiment is the fact that diplomats and EU officials no longer speak quite so freely about the break-up of the euro zone, a possibility that was on everyone's lips only two months ago.

While Greece - the crucible of the debt crisis - remains a serious concern, and the chairman of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L) said on Thursday he thought a small country could still leave the euro zone, the commitment to new fiscal rules has created a renewed sense of unity.

The first top-level meeting to work on the details of the fiscal compact - which EU leaders hope to be in force by March - was held this week and was a chaotic affair, diplomats said, with clear tension between euro zone and non-euro zone countries.

But there appears to be a genuine desire to keep the 17 euro zone members and 9 non-euro countries in lockstep in pushing for stricter budget deficit and debt rules, and intense efforts are being made on all sides to get Britain to join up too, with Berlin and Brussels keen for London's buy-in.

"If you look at the intergovernmental agreement, I don't see why it can't be extended to 27 countries and integrated back into the EU fold," said one euro zone diplomat, referring to the fiscal compact and the need to get Britain onboard.

"It's going to be a very delicate dance and there's no certainty that it will come off, but there are efforts being made on all sides and it would be a good beginning to 2012 if a way could be found to get the agreement at 27, not 26 and 1."

FIREWALLS AND FRANCE

The other big question mark hangs over the firewall needed to ward off market attacks on weak euro zone debtors.

At the moment the euro zone has the European Financial Stability Facility, a 440 billion euro fund that has so far been used to bail out Ireland and Portugal and will be used to provide assistance to Greece under its second aid program.

The EFSF is scheduled to be replaced by the European Stability Mechanism, a permanent crisis-resolution fund, in July next year, although final details concerning the structure and functioning of the facility remain to be agreed.

If the ESM, which will have a capacity of 500 billion euros, comes into force in July and agreement can be reached on giving it a banking license as France wants - a big if - then it is possible that the positive political undertones of the fiscal drive will be underpinned by stronger financial support.

By then it is also possible that a way will have been found to release 150 billion euros from euro zone central banks to the IMF to bolster its arsenal, with the possibility of up to 50 billion euros more from other European countries - Russia, India and others.

That would bolster the IMF's resources, potentially allowing it to lend money back to needy euro zone member states with IMF terms and conditions attached. But again, there remain more doubts than certainties about whether the plan can work.

"We're working on a multi-pronged strategy that brings together a new fiscal framework, more intense political commitments and a bigger firewall," said a senior EU official directly involved with tackling the crisis.

"I'm not saying we're there yet, but we've got the right materials in place now. We just need to build it."

While positive murmurings are audible, no one wants to put too bright a view on the outlook. There are at least two very dark clouds hanging in the middle distance: the state of the euro zone economy and French presidential elections.

Expectations are that the euro zone will slide into recession in the first quarter of next year, making it even harder for struggling countries to get their finances in order.

And President Nicolas Sarkozy faces an electoral test the polls suggest he will fail.

How he handles policy in the run-up to the April 22 election, what happens to France's triple-A credit rating before then, and how Paris and Berlin - the powerhouses of the euro zone - deal with their differences, may determine the region's future.

Francois Hollande, the Socialist candidate who is ahead in the polls, has already vowed to renegotiate the terms of the EU treaty deal if he is elected to include a stronger role for the ECB and the creation of joint euro zone bonds - both red lines for the Germans which could strain their alliance.

However, with Hollande's popularity slipping, the electoral outcome is far from certain.

"France and Germany are like two big rams locked in one another's horns," said the euro zone diplomat, emphasizing that how Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel interact and play off each other was perhaps the biggest imponderable of 2012.

(Writing by Luke Baker, additional reporting by Jan Strupczewski in Brussels and Daniel Flynn in Paris, editing by Mike Peacock)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111222/bs_nm/us_eu_crisis_outlook

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Judge tosses lawsuit over Jimmy Kimmel sketch (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? A New York court has dismissed a lawsuit by a man dubbed the "Flying Rabbi" against TV network ABC and late-night talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live" over its use of the man's image in a parody involving basketball star LeBron James.

At a taping for the ABC show on August 10, 2010, host Kimmel told audiences that James had met with Rabbi Yishayahu Yosef Pinto to seek "business advice" -- a meeting which had in fact occurred that month, according to the website TMZ.

Kimmel then told the audience he too met with Pinto, and he showed a video of himself in a car talking with an individual dressed in Jewish religious clothing and speaking in a different language.

In fact, Kimmel never spoke with Pinto. The footage of the conversation was assembled using a video of Kimmel in his car spliced together with footage of the plaintiff, Brooklyn, New York's David Sondik, taken from a series of YouTube videos showing Sondik greeting people on the street and talking animatedly. The videos refer to Sondik as the "flying rabbi."

Sondik, described as a "neighborhood character" by his attorney Robert Tolchin, objected to the show's use of his image. He sued in December 2010 accusing the Kimmel show of falsely presenting him as Pinto and failing to seek his permission before turning him into the butt of the joke.

Because "Jimmy Kimmel Live" is produced and filmed in California, Sondik sued under California law -- which recognizes a common-law right to sue based on an invasion of a person's right to privacy.

But in a ruling December 14, Justice David Schmidt disagreed and dismissed the suit, holding that it must be brought under New York law because Sondik lives in New York and the alleged injury took place in the state. New York law does not recognize common-law actions based on violations of privacy or publicity rights, Schmidt noted.

In his ruling Schmidt also said New York law allows unauthorized use of an individual's image for "newsworthy events or matters of public interest."

" review of the DVD of the segment supplied by defendants demonstrates that the clip of plaintiff at issue was used as a part of a comedic (or at least an attempted comedic) or satiric parody of Lebron James' meeting with Rabbi Pinto, itself undoubtedly an event that was newsworthy or of public interest," Schmidt wrote.

The judge also dismissed Sondik's claims of defamation against Kimmel.

"Even though plaintiff is not a public figure, there is no allegation in the complaint or inference that can be drawn from the DVD suggesting that the use of plaintiff's clip was mean-spirited or intended to injure such that its use would be excluded from First Amendment protection," Schmidt wrote.

Tolchin said his client intended to appeal the ruling that Kimmel's use was protected by the "newsworthiness" of the James story.

"A story about LeBron James and Rabbi Pinto is perfectly valid, you can put that on the news," Tolchin told Reuters in an interview. "But my client is a private citizen. Jimmy Kimmel took my client's image and said it was Rabbi Pinto, which he isn't. That's a lie."

"My client was the butt of the joke and made to look like a fool in front of millions of people," Tolchin said.

Calls to an attorney and a network representative for "Jimmy Kimmel Live" were not immediately returned Wednesday.

(Reporting by Jessica Dye; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Follow us on Twitter @ReutersLegal

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111221/en_nm/us_jimmykimmel_flyingrabbi

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Almost President

Why some of the candidates who lost the race for president ultimately had a bigger impact than many of those who won.

If you gave the average American five guesses as to who was the first person to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda, odds are her or she wouldn?t come up with Henry Clay. A titan of his time, Clay (1777-1852) was a longtime senator from Kentucky who also served as Speaker of the House and secretary of state. He was Abraham Lincoln?s idol, ?and a study of Lincoln?s writings and speeches clearly shows that much of his political philosophy was directly inherited from Clay,? says Scott Farris in Almost President: The Men Who Lost the Race but Changed the Nation.

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Clay, who was known as ?The Great Compromiser? for helping to enact three legislative compromises that temporarily averted civil war, lost his three campaigns to become president and ?is the greatest example of how failing to become president obscures a candidate?s place in history,? says Ferris, a former bureau chief for United Press International. His book contains a dozen engrossing biographical sketches of men who ran for the presidency and lost ? ?but who, even in defeat, have had a greater impact on American history than many of those who have served as president.?

Farris starts with Clay and moves on to Stephen Douglas, William Jennings Bryan, Al Smith, Thomas E. Dewey, Adlai Stevenson, Barry Goldwater, George McGovern, Ross Perot and ? in a combined chapter ? the recent candidacies of Al Gore, John Kerry, and John McCain. He describes the circumstances that gave rise to each of these seminal ?losers? ? the causes they rallied around, the unique personalities they possessed ? and how their presidential losses laid the groundwork for later political victories, if not for themselves, then for their parties or their cub causes.

Douglas is forever linked to Lincoln, both as the loser of the 1860 presidential election and for their series of well-known debates. In one of those exchanges, Douglas said, ?I care more for the great principle of self-government, the right of the people to rule, than I do for all the negroes in Christendom,? the kind of regrettable comment that assures he will always stand as the flip side to Lincoln?s secular sainthood. Given all Douglas accomplished, though, that?s unfair, Farris explains.

After Douglas? loss to Lincoln, he remained committed to the Union and he insisted that his fellow Democrats remain independent from Republicans even as they remained loyal to the Union ? a tack that had enormous ramifications, Farris says. ?While unity may seem critical in a time of time civil war, scholars have concluded that continued partisan bickering was to the Union?s benefit.? In doing so, Douglas saved the Democratic Party, ?which remains the longest, continually functioning political party in the world.??

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/uUt8VxNuHik/Almost-President

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PolitiFact Defends Its 'Lie Of The Year'

PolitiFact :

At a Republican campaign rally a few years ago, I asked one of the attendees how he got his news.

Read the whole story: PolitiFact

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/22/politifact-defends-its-li_n_1166425.html

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Feeling Down? Dial the Hall and Oates Hotline [Genius]

The holidays can be tough. The stress of strained finances. Getting felt up at the airport on your way to be ridiculed by your family. Fortunately, there's someone you can call. Actually two people you can call, Hall and Oates. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/nEkB5CvrkFw/feeling-down-dial-the-hall-and-oates-hotline

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Weekly Mod: How to replace an iPhone 4 vibrator assembly (GSM only)

If your vibrate isn't working or is very faint on you GSM iPhone 4, you may need a new vibrator assembly. If you're out of warranty but have just a little bit of ninja skill, it's a very cheap and easy repair to perform yourself.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/YZpCjtmYlfA/story01.htm

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