OBAMACARE RATE SHOCKER: Committee Surveys Leading ...

WASHINGTON, DC ? The House Energy and Commerce Committee today released a report citing internal documents from the nation?s largest health insurance companies that reveal the health care law?s policies, mandates, taxes, and fees will cause major premium increases for consumers in the individual, small group and large group markets. As part of the committee?s ongoing efforts to educate the American people on the law?s impact, Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), Chairman Emeritus Joe Barton (R-TX), Vice Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy (R-PA), Health Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts (R-PA), and Vice Chairman of the Health and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittees Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) requested existing analyses from 17 insurers on the law?s effects on insurance premiums on March 14, 2013.

The report states, ?Affordability. It was a central premise ? and promise ? of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) when the law was debated in Congress throughout 2009 and signed into law on March 23, 2010. In his remarks that day, President Barack Obama stated: ?This legislation will also lower costs for families and businesses?? Over three years later, the White House continues to state that the PPACA will lower costs.

?The following report chronicles the massive premium increases awaiting Americans when full implementation of the PPACA occurs in eight months, definitively contradicting the promise that the law will lower costs. As this report demonstrates, consumers purchasing health insurance on the individual market may face premium increases of nearly 100 percent on average, with potential highs eclipsing 400 percent. Meanwhile, small businesses can expect average premium increases in the small group market of up to 50 percent, with potential highs over 100 percent.?

For more information on the report, click here.

Report Summary

Impact on Individual Market

The materials provided to the committee indicate that consumers who purchase insurance in the individual market after full implementation of the PPACA will be hit with substantial premium increases. One insurer noted that 45 states and the District of Columbia ?will see significant premium increases.? One leading national insurer estimates the total average change due to the PPACA for new business in the individual market will be a 96 percent increase in premiums.? Existing customers can expect an average increase of 73 percent.

As one insurer?s documents show, new participants in the individual market could see a premium increase of 413 percent when new requirements on age rating and required benefits are taken into account. The average yearly cost for a new customer in the individual market grows from $1,896 to $3,708 -- a $1,812 cost increase.

Impact on Small Group Market

According to materials submitted by one insurer, small businesses in ?nearly all states will see premium increases.?? While these increases will not likely be as high as those in the individual market, the incentives provided in the law to assist small businesses by reducing costs may be inadequate. For example, one insurer that offers small group plans observed that ?[t]he ACA?s small group health tax credit incentive program is temporary and very small.?? To make matters worse, due to the administration?s inability to ?meet tight deadlines,? the PPACA program ?intended to provide affordable health insurance to small businesses and their employees? has been delayed. One analysis showed that purchasers of small group plans can expect premium increases of up to 50 percent.

Impact on Large Group Market

Most of the insurers contacted by the committee had not conducted an analysis on the PPACA?s effects on the large group market. One insurer that did, however, estimated a premium increase for the large group market at 20 percent to 25 percent. In addition to the new services and benefits insurers are required to provide and the new rating and operation rules they are required to follow, the PPACA contains a number of taxes and fees that will be passed on to the consumer, not only in the private market but also in government programs run through insurance companies like Medicare and Medicaid. Across the board, the taxes and fees will result in premium increases.? In fact, one insurer provided a presentation titled, ?ACA Tax Will Increase Premiums? that bluntly states ?[c]onsumers may no longer be able to afford their primary insurance choice because of this tax inequity.?

The report concludes, ?The internal documents provided by the insurance industry confirm many of the concerns voiced over PPACA: despite promises that the law will lower costs, the PPACA will in fact cause the premiums of many Americans to spike substantially. The broken promises are numerous, and the empirical data reveal that many Americans, from recent college graduates to older adults, will not be able to afford the law?s higher costs.?

?

###
?

Source: http://energycommerce.house.gov/press-release/obamacare-rate-shocker-committee-surveys-leading-insurance-companies%E2%80%94obamacare-cause

chris brown and rihanna nightline brady quinn brady quinn bloom box obama sweet home chicago accenture match play

Palestinians unite behind Gaza Strip "Arab Idol" star

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA (Reuters) - The fractious factions in the Gaza Strip and across the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories have found one voice to unite behind - a 22-year-old youth singing songs about a lost homeland on the Middle East's version of 'American Idol'.

Gaza native Mohammed Assaf has become the first Palestinian to qualify for 'Arab Idol', a TV talent show staged in Beirut, in which singers perform for judges and voting viewers.

He is now one of the last 10 contestants - largely thanks to his potent mix of good looks and emotional lyrics about ancestral Palestinian lands.

"He is the pride of Palestine. He broke the siege with his voice," said fan Rehaf al-Batniji, referring to Israel's blockade of Gaza, seized by the Jewish state, along with the West Bank, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

She stood in front of a large mural of Assaf at a Gaza restaurant, one of hundreds of posters covering buildings and walls usually marked with political slogans.

Assaf's songs blare out of radios - a counter-balance to their usual broadcasts of bleak economic and political news.

Politicians have raced to endorse him and Palestinian mobile phone company Jawwal has cut the price of text messages to make it easier for supporters to vote.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, from the Fatah movement that holds sway in the West Bank, phoned the singer in Beirut and urged all Arabs to vote for him.

"The president stressed his support and backing to artist Assaf, whose talent represented pride to Palestine," said a statement by the Palestinian official news agency WAFA.

The Gaza Strip is ruled by the rival Islamist Hamas faction - a group that disapproves of non-Islamic songs and the kind of Western-style excess on full display in TV talent shows.

But even Hamas has come as close as it possibly can to showing support.

"He comes from a good, respected and known family," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said on Facebook.

Assaf first made his name inside Gaza at the age of 11, when he recorded a song in 2001 called "O Town be Strong", at the height of Israeli incursions in the enclave during a Palestinian uprising.

On Arab Idol, broadcast by Saudi-owned MBC Group, he has performed with a traditional black-and-white Palestinian scarf around his shoulders.

His performances have included "Flying Bird" which lists the cities of historical Palestine and another song urging Palestinians to unite.

The program's celebrity judges from across the Arab world - where the Palestinian cause reverberates - have piled praise on the singer.

"I see the Arab idol standing before my eyes," said Egyptian composer Hassan El Shafei.

"Your voice is made of diamond," added Ahlam, a famous singer from the United Arab Emirates.

Listening in was Assaf's mother, Umm Shadi Assaf, watching the show in a restaurant near her home in Gaza's Khan Younis refugee camp.

Her son had only one wish, she told Reuters, beaming with pride, "to go out and make the world listen to his voice".

(Editing by Jeffrey Heller and Andrew Heavens)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/palestinians-unite-behind-gaza-strip-arab-idol-star-174607604.html

doug hutchison larry brown thomas kinkade pat summit brewers matt cain adastra

Stock market rises back into record territory

NEW YORK (AP) ? The stock market marched back into record territory as investors seized on the latest encouraging news about the economy. On Tuesday, it was a report on the health of small businesses.

Small business owners were slightly more optimistic in April, according to a survey by the National Federation of Independent Business. That helped push the Russell 2000, an index of small-company stocks, up 1.3 percent, ahead of other major indexes.

"Small businesses are in many ways the backbone of the economy ... to see that index move up was a positive surprise," said Quincy Krosby, market strategist for Prudential Financial. "Overall, the market wants to move higher and it's hard to fight that."

The Russell index is 16.1 percent higher since the start of the year, and is up more than the Standard & Poor's 500 index, which includes larger, global companies. Small stocks are doing well partly because they are more focused on the U.S., which is recovering, and don't get as much revenue from recession-plagued Europe as larger companies do.

The advance in small-company stocks is another sign of how optimistic investors have become. Smaller stocks are more risky than large ones, but also offer investors the prospect of greater returns.

Another closely watched stock market indicator has also been on a tear: transportation stocks. The Dow Transport average rose 1.9 percent Tuesday and is up 21.8 percent this year, far more than other major indexes. Investors often see these stocks as an indication of where the economy is going. When companies make and ship more goods, the thinking goes, truckers, airlines and railways have more business.

The market rose from the opening of trading and climbed steadily throughout the day. The Dow rose 123.57 points, or 0.8 percent, to 15,215.25. The S&P 500 index rose 16.57 points, or 1 percent, to 1,650.34. Both are at all-time highs.

The Dow has gained for 18 straight Tuesdays. The only day with a longer streak of consecutive gains is Wednesday, with 24 back in 1968, according to Schaeffer's Investment Research.

May has been a strong month for the market. The S&P has risen eight out of the past nine days, the Russell and Dow Transportation average have risen seven.

The prospect of continued stimulus from the Federal Reserve has also supported the market's run-up. For stock investors, the U.S. economy is "not too hot, not too cold," says Michael Sheldon, chief market strategist at RDM Financial. It's weak enough that the Fed will continue its $85 billion-a-month economic stimulus program, but strong enough for companies to generate healthy earnings.

"There is a lot of momentum in the market right now," says Sheldon. "It's largely being fueled by the Federal Reserve and modest growth in the U.S."

The U.S. economy grew 2.5 percent in the first quarter. While hiring has picked up, the unemployment rate is still at 7.5 percent, above the 6.5 percent rate that the Federal Reserve is targeting. As a result the central bank is expected to keep buying bonds to hold down long-term interest rates and encourage more borrowing and spending.

Earnings of companies in the S&P 500 index, meanwhile, are expected to rise 5 percent in the first quarter, and grow even faster in the second half of the year, according to S&P Capital IQ.

All 10 industry groups in the S&P 500 index rose, led by a 1.7 percent increase in banks and insurers. Financial stocks are up the most in the past month, 6.1 percent.

Bank of America climbed to its highest in more than two years. The stock rose 36 cents, or 2.8 percent, to $13.34. JPMorgan rose 56 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $50.23.

The Dow has risen 16.1 percent this year, the S&P 500 index 15.7 percent.

The Nasdaq composite index rose 23.82 points, or 0.7 percent, to 3,462.61. The Dow Transport index, which many investors consider a gauge of future economic activity, rose 121.78 points, or 1.9 percent, to 6,445.78.

BIG MOVERS IN STOCKS:

? Sony's U.S.-listed shares jumped 10 percent after hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb called for the company to sell part of its entertainment business and use the money to shore up its struggling electronics operation. The stock rose $1.87 to $20.76.

TREASURYS:

In government bond trading, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.97 percent from 1.92 percent late Monday, as investors shifted money out of bonds and into riskier assets like stocks. It's the highest level for the yield since mid-March.

The yield on the note hit a low for the year of 1.63 percent on May 1. It surged higher two days later after the government reported a strong increase in hiring over the past three months.

CURRENCIES:

The yen weakened against the dollar. One dollar bought 102.24 Japanese yen as of late Tuesday, up from 101.93 yen late Monday. The dollar surged above 100 yen last week for the first time in four years. Japan's currency has been falling as the country's central bank floods the Japanese economy with cash in an effort to revive it from a two-decade slump. The euro edged down to $1.294 from $1.297.

COMMODITIES:

The strengthening dollar weighed on commodities. When the dollar rises, it makes dollar-denominated commodities like crude oil more expensive to investors using other currencies, like yen and euro. That tends to decrease demand for those goods, driving their prices lower.

The price of crude oil fell 96 cents, or 1 percent, to $94.21 a barrel. Oil has lost $2.41 a barrel over the past four days. On Tuesday a leading global energy agency raised its forecast for U.S. oil production and cut its forecast for worldwide demand.

Gold fell $9.80, or 0.7 percent, to $1,424.50.

Copper dropped the most among major commodities. The July contract fell 7.2 cents, or 2.1 percent, to $3.288 a pound.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-market-rises-back-record-territory-210420357.html

jon jones chuck colson death meteor showers 2012 ufc 145 jones vs evans marian hossa philip humber

SEO Book Gives Readers a Visual Step-by-Step Marketing Blueprint ...

Kristopher Jones, renowned Internet marketing expert and former president and CEO of Pepperjam, has done it again.

The third edition of his "Search Engine Optimization: Your visual blueprint for effective Internet marketing" is fabulous for budding SEOs, and still proves to be a great reference guide for SEO professionals of all levels.

Perhaps you focus on keywords and copywriting, but need a nudge of reminder here and there on link building or PPC. You're covered.

The 304-page book is broken up into 15 sections. Covering SEO and keyword basics to creating pages and structuring your website through to content, communities, social media, link building, PPC, analytics, tools and tricks to have you optimizing with the best of them. The third edition adds a new chapter on local SEO that will have you optimizing like a boss.

All this great content is laid out visually with an image on nearly every page. If the soup-to-nuts SEO how-to doesn't grab you, the visual layout and ease of absorption should.

What Makes It So Popular

Search Engine Watch recently caught up with Jones to ask him what makes the book so special. He said that while many webmasters and web designers are great at what they do, they often have limited knowledge on SEO.

"It's a great reference while you're building a site," Jones said. "If your company is updating your site, read this with your development team."

Indeed, the book has found a real niche with web firms that need to offer SEO services or those who may not have the full handle on SEO and still outsource some of it.

"It's also found a niche with small business owners who need to improve their optimization, but may not have the budget for a full SEO firm."

Getting Started with SEO

Right from the start, Jones delivers SEO basics, simplified and visual. This chapter gives you the basics on how to create your search engine optimization plans.

From choosing your target audience and selecting terms through content and link building plans, this chapter sets the stage for how to get started. It talks about putting a team together and how to find resources like industry news and search conferences.

If You Build It

The book progresses to creating sites and pages with an emphasis on SEO. One chapter is dedicated to title tags, meta tags, headers, and file names. Other chapters focus on site architecture and server-side issues like rewrites and redirects.

If you're more technical and have optimized site architecture but are struggling with building quality content and gathering great inbound links, there's a chapter for each included.

Community Building and Special Media Optimization

Not stopping at technical SEO, Jones includes content on creating blogs and other online communities. He explains the benefits, such as fresh content and user engagement.

Social media is also covered extensively. From networking and promoting to ads, Jones covers social media from every angle. The third edition adds information about connecting with Pinterest and Google+ as well as all the new Facebook sponsored stories and Ads and other paid products.

Pay-Per-Click for Novices and Veterans

Many technical SEOs are not completely versed in the art of pay-per-click (PPC). In the two chapters dedicated to PPC, Jones starts with setting up AdWords campaigns and bidding strategies but doesn't stop there.

After covering reports, optimizing a landing page and conversion tracking, he teaches you about Quality Score is and how to optimize it. Through the same visual presentation, Jones covers keyword insertion, placement-targeted campaigns and re-marketing.

Optimizing For Local Search

Local SEO is more important than ever. Search results are customized based on a user's location and mobile continues to change the game.

One of the all-new chapters in the book, Optimizing for Local Search, introduces the importance of local search and how Google+ fits in. Jones then walks you through how to create and link up your Google+ business page for optimizing for local SEO. It continues with the importance of local directory listings, like ReferLocal, and how to make the most of them.

The Only SEO Book You'll Ever Need

"Search Engine Optimization: Your visual blueprint for effective Internet marketing" is truly the one book you'll really ever need. Without bogging you down in too much added detail it gets right to the heart of the core elements every good SEO needs to know.

If you're new to SEO or trying to get team members up to speed, this book is just what the doctor ordered. Jones is an industry leader with real-world experiences. The foreword, written by Internet Marketing Ninjas'?CEO Jim Boykin, validates the techniques Jones describes. Do yourself and your team a favor and find the $35 get up to speed on everything SEO.

Win a Free Signed Copy!

Jones has been kind enough to offer SEW readers the chance to win one of five signed copies. To learn how to get your hands on a free copy of "Search Engine Optimization: Your visual blueprint for effective Internet marketing", visit SEW's Facebook Page. Good luck!

---

Introducing SES Online
Want to view one of the sessions you missed or listen to an especially informative presenter a second time? SES New York sessions are available for purchase on ClickZ Academy's new e-Learning site. SES is now Online!

Source: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2267720/SEO-Book-Gives-Readers-a-Visual-Step-by-Step-Marketing-Blueprint

project x the lorax lorax fisker karma super tuesday states shepard fairey is snooki pregnant

Deer Hunting Tactics - A Beginner's Guide | Content for Reprint

Author: Joshua L Todd | Total views: 45 Comments: 0
Word Count: 954 Date: Mon, 13 May 2013 7:55 AM

Copyright (c) 2013 Joshua L Todd

The subject of hunting for beginners seems like it should be simple, but it's not. There are things that experienced hunters are still learning when it comes to the hunt and the techniques involved. We all have to start somewhere and there's no shame in that. So, if you're a beginner hunter, read on and hopefully learn a thing or two.

Knowing where to start can be hard. Trying to tell adults who are interested in hunting how to hunt can be hard to someone who has been doing it since he was a child. When I started, all I really had to do was listen to my dad and follow his instructions. So this is a learning process for me too, to put myself where you are as an adult beginner. It's not a bad thing. Getting started hunting is an awesome idea for anyone looking to get into it.

Let me first say that starting out during hunting season is a very bad idea. Just throwing yourself into it can be fine in many things you do in life, but in hunting you really want to set the process going before it's time to get out there and hunt. That way, when you do get out there, you will be educated and pretty familiar with whatever equipment you choose to go with, whether that is rifle or bow. Spend some time beforehand learning how to get good on the gun or bow (or both) and practice every chance you can get.

First Things First

Try and attend a hunter education class. These are usually known as hunter safety courses. This class should help you understand more about the process of hunting and the wildlife out there. It is invaluable as it teaches you about gun safety, which is most important. You will meet other beginner hunters and perhaps form friendships with them (and just maybe gain a hunting buddy in the process). This is a great atmosphere for you to get those first shots in. You can check with your state's local wildlife agency to find a class near you.

Find a Mentor

If you know someone who is a licensed hunter, you could go out with him or her and watch as they go about the process of it. This way you can take it all in without the chance of mishandling equipment or not being ready. The course above is still invaluable, but this is good in addition to the class.

Review Your State's Regulations

Check the state's license requirements to make sure you meet all of them before investing any money into gear and such. Learn when you can hunt and when you can't, find out what kinds of equipment you can use at what time. Different parts of the state may have different or more restrictive regulations.

Before Handling a Gun

Make sure you understand all the rules of basic firearm safety. Even experienced hunters need to read and review these from time to time. Remember that rudimentary safety procedures also apply to bows and other archery equipment. Always be safe with this equipment.

Get Some Practice In

Since you got those first shots in at your safety course, now's the time to go practice at a range. Do not go out and buy your own gun until you know what kind you are most comfortable with and you start doing well at the range. Borrow a gun if you can or rent one from the range. You won't get good unless you practice and then practice some more.

What if I Want to Bow Hunt?

This isn't a slight on anyone, believe me. I started out a newbie too, and I just have to say that from knowing what it's like to use both gun and bow in the hunt that bow hunting is not really for beginners. If you do choose to start this way, practice is even more important as it's a lot more challenging to control bows or crossbows than firearms. It's that extra challenge that draws many hunters to bow hunting, but too many new hunters have headed into the field with too little practice. It takes time to become good in either one, so remember that practice is key.

A Few More Tips for the Beginner

- Learn the area before you hunt. Before hunting season even starts, get familiar with the area you'll be hunting.

- Get you hunting license before heading out into the woods. Not only is it illegal to hunt without one, but that money helps to preserve hunting and wildlife for future beginner hunters.

- Buy the gear you need but don't think you need all the expensive gadgets and expensive guns. Just be sure you have what you need before heading out into the woods.

- Start small with smaller game. This is great for the beginner as there are a lot more opportunities to get in that first successful hunt and it will give you a taste of what hunting is really like before you step into the big leagues. It's better to find out if hunting is not for you after shooting a squirrel or rabbit than by taking down a huge buck.

Above all, learn and practice your woodcraft skills. Learn stealth and navigation in the woods. Learn your weapon. Practice and more practice is what it takes. Be safe and have fun!

Visit my site to learn the beginner's secrets to deer hunting.

Related to: Deer Hunting Tactics - Secrets to Deer Hunting - secrets hunting deer - deer hunting tips secrets - tips tactics shotgun deer hunting - learn deer hunting - secrets of deer hunting - secrets whitetail deer hunting - deer hunting secret online - whitetail deer

-- HTML code --

1: How Seiko Kinetic Watches Compare With Citizen Eco-Drive For Divers

Both these companies make great products, but they do so utilizing completely different technologies So which is best, and further more which is the better choice when considering purchasing a dive watch

by: J Allen on: Tue, 5 Feb 2008

2: What 2008 Snowboard Binding is Right for You?

It is recommended that you buy boots before purchasing a pair of snowboard bindings. Finding the best-fitted boots makes it easier for you, since you can fit your snowboard bindings snugly without worrying about the shoes being too big or too small.

by: Valheru75 on: Sat, 10 Nov 2007

3: The Role of Agility Training for Tennis Players

Agility is such an important component when it comes to an athlete being fast. Tennis requires the athlete to be fast over short distances, in multiple directions and have the ability to develop explo

by: articles44 on: Fri, 24 Aug 2007

4: Decathlon Secrets: World's Greatest Athlete

The Decathlon crowns the World's Greatest Athlete. Why? Because the Decathlon is a true test of every attribute of an athlete.The Decathlon tests strength, mental toughness, consistency, commitment,

by: ke2global on: Mon, 3 Sep 2007

5: Motorcycle History - The Honda CBR600 Series

The Honda CBR600 series has been touted as one of the best sport motorcycles in the industry. In fact, the Honda CBR600RR (the race replica version of Honda's CBRFx series motorcycles) has won every Supersport World Championship title from 2002 to 2008. But how did it all start? Here is a brief history of the Honda CBR600 series and how it has evolved throughout the years.

by: Sarah Simmons on: Wed, 10 Oct 2012

Source: http://www.content4reprint.com/recreation-and-leisure/sports/deer-hunting-tactics-a-beginners-guide.htm

internal revenue service intc tupac andrew shaw hologram pulitzer prize winners nfl 2012 schedule

Chinese air their cases by petitioning White House

BEIJING (AP) ? The poisoning of a college student 18 years ago recently re-emerged as a hot topic in China, but censors soon squelched the politically sensitive online discussions over whether the culprit may have eluded punishment because of Communist Party connections.

Chinese looking for justice found another way to keep the issue alive. They took it to Washington.

Appealing to a White House online petition page, they soon gathered the 100,000 signatures required for an official response, and ? although there has been no response from Washington so far ? news of the request revived talk about the case in China. Beijing police issued an explanation after weeks of silence, and state media chimed in with editorials.

"The Chinese public went to a foreign site to vent off their frustration, and that speaks of the loss of credibility of the Chinese government," said Shen Dingli, professor of American studies at Fudan University.

Started in 2011 as a project in open government for the Internet age, the Obama administration's "We the People" site is a work in progress that already has spawned unintended consequences domestically, prompting updates of the ground rules for a successful petition.

Though clearly intended for U.S. citizens, the guidelines on gathering online signatories remain broad enough to hearten activists overseas who ? frustrated with their own governments ? hope to raise the international profile of their cases. The site does not ask for one's nationality, and one only needs to be 13 or older and have a verified email address to create an account to initiate a petition or sign one.

Malaysians have complained to the White House about election fraud in their country, drawing more than 222,000 signatures within a week to become the site's second-most popular issue. Other petitions ask President Barack Obama to secure the release of two abducted Orthodox Christian archbishops in Syria and to urge a recount of votes in Venezuela's presidential elections.

And in the past week, requests have poured in from China, where petitioning the central government in Beijing dates back to imperial eras, but where nowadays the tradition is usually fruitless and sometimes perilous.

Some of the petitions are serious, and some silly ? as with many of the U.S.-generated requests, which include a demand to build a "Star Wars"-style Death Star.

The Chinese petitions have asked Washington to disclose assets held by Chinese officials' children residing in the U.S., and have urged remembrance of the bloody Chinese government crackdown on the 1989 student protest in Tiananmen Square. Others have asked for adjudication on the official recipe for Lanzhou beef noodles, and on the debate over whether the flavor of bean curd stew ? a Chinese breakfast staple ? should be sweet or salty. The petitions often are written in bad English, and some are in Chinese.

The White House says that, for now, it will give equal treatment to petitions from overseas.

"'We the People' is just part of the administration's commitment to open government and the code powering the application has been made available to anyone, including other countries, who wish to set up a similar system," White House spokesman Matt Lehrich said.

The current threshold for White House response is when a petition gathers 100,000 signatures within 30 days ? up from lower thresholds that allowed for too many frivolous petitions.

The Malaysian petition crossed that barrier, but has drawn no response yet. Any hopes for U.S. condemnation of the election results evaporated this week when the U.S. State Department recognized the polling results, while acknowledging allegations of irregularities. Still, supporters feel they accomplished something.

The petition "spoke out the dissatisfactions to the international communities successfully," virologist and the petition's apparent organizer, Kuan Ping Ang, said on her Facebook page.

Shen said the White House page is one of a kind. "No other Western democratic country has a site where the government promises to respond to a petition with 100,000 signatures," she said.

It has rapidly become popular in China, where the tightly controlled media and Internet put politically sensitive topics off limits. People who bring their grievances to the central government as petitioners are routinely harassed, beaten and sent to labor camps as troublemakers ? or locked up in what are known as "black jails" in a kind of extralegal detention.

Enthusiasm for the White House site shows the lack of avenues at home to vent frustration, said David Zweig, professor of social science at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

"There is no mechanism for the Chinese citizens to really express their views. It's really as simple as that," Zweig said. "The citizens are looking for any strategies to make their grievances known."

It started with the case of Zhu Ling, a woman who was paralyzed for life from thallium poisoning during her third year at Tsinghua University in Beijing. No one was held responsible for the crime, and the cold case resurfaced in April in the wake of another poisoning at Fudan University. The Chinese public demanded an investigation into one of Zhu's roommates ? who had long been considered a suspect. They questioned whether the original investigation was squashed because of her family's political ties.

Before there was any satisfactory answer, Chinese censors began to remove posts and shush online commentators, effectively ending the discussion. But then someone started the petition on the White House page early this month, and by last Monday it had garnered more than 100,000 signatures in about three days. Since then, about a dozen more China-related petitions have appeared.

Shi Shusi, a well-known media commentator, sees black humor in the flood of petitions to the White House.

"For a very long time, the Chinese government has responded too slowly on social incidents. It has exhausted its credits," Shi said. "The public probably just need a place to vent their resentment."

___

Associated Press writer Sean Yoong in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and news assistant Flora Ji in Beijing contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chinese-air-cases-petitioning-white-house-051009038.html

new york rangers nfl mock draft 2012 norfolk island michael brockers lisa marie presley florida panthers tannehill

Woman rescued from Bangladesh rubble recovering

SAVAR, Bangladesh (AP) ? A seamstress who survived 17 days before being rescued from a collapsed garment factory building outside of Bangladesh's capital was panicked, dehydrated and suffering from insomnia as she recovered in a hospital Saturday, but was in generally good condition, according to her doctors.

The rescue Friday of 19-year-old Reshma Begum brought a boost to the workers who had spent more than two weeks pulling decaying bodies from the rubble. By Saturday, they had resumed their grim recovery task, as the death toll surpassed 1,100 in the world's worst garment industry disaster.

"We will not leave the operation until the last dead body and living person is found," said Maj. Gen. Chowdhury Hasan Suhrawardy, the head of the local military units in charge of rescue operations.

Lt. Col. Azizur Rahman, a doctor at the military hospital where Begum is being treated, said she was exhausted and badly stressed when she was brought in an ambulance Friday afternoon. She suffered scratches, but no major injuries, he said. Her kidneys were functioning at less than 45 percent and she suffered insomnia.

"She is panicked, sometimes she holds nurses' hands tight," he said.

Doctors were giving her semi-solid food and saline for her dehydration. They advised complete rest, and barred reporters from speaking with her for fear their questions would worsen her fragile psychological state.

"We don't want those memories to haunt her now, so we are not allowing anybody to ask her anything," Rahman said, adding that a team of psychiatrists would examine her.

Nevertheless, Suhrawardy said Begum told him she was fine.

Several photographers and cameramen were allowed to take pictures of Begum on Saturday afternoon as she lay on her hospital bed. Her head was covered in a neon green scarf, and she looked tired but alert. A white sheet covered her up to her neck. She was hooked to a monitor and had an intravenous drip in her left arm.

Begum had spent 17 days in a room-like area under the rubble high enough for her to stand, surviving on dried food, bottled water and rainwater, Suhrawardy said. She got fresh air from some of the 27 air holes that rescuers had dug in the rubble. She even found cartons of dresses inside and was able to change her clothes, Suhrawardy said.

"Her return is amazing, miraculous," he said.

Begum's family said they ? like many other families of workers still missing ? had been losing hope of finding her alive. Her brother Zayed Islam said her relatives initially camped out at the collapse site and then moved to the hospital in the first days after the disaster, hoping to find her among the injured. Eventually, they moved to the school ground that had been turned into a makeshift morgue, so they could try to find her among the dead bodies.

Then, on Friday, they were told to come back to the hospital: She was alive.

"I just could not believe it when I saw her in the hospital," her mother, Zobeda Begum, said through tears. "My daughter has come back to me. God, you are merciful and I don't have anything else to ask for from you."

Islam said he fainted when he saw her.

"When I regained my senses, Reshma told me, 'Brother, I'm fine. Don't worry about me,'" he said.

Begum moved to Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital, 2 1/2 years ago to get a job in the garment industry and help her poor family, Islam said. She married a year ago, but her husband left her three months ago, he said.

Baby Moudud, a member of Parliament who rushed to the hospital Friday with Prime Minister Sheik Hasina, said Begum appeared traumatized but mentally strong. Hasina promised that the government would take care of her and make sure she gets another job, Moudud said. Hasina's government has come under criticism for its lax oversight over the powerful garment industry.

More than 2,500 people were rescued in the immediate aftermath of the April 24 disaster, but until Friday crews had gone nearly two weeks without discovering anyone alive before they heard Begum banging and saw a pipe shaking. They immediately stopped the heavy machinery clearing the rubble and used hacksaws and other small tools to free her.

Before Friday, the last survivor was found April 28, and even her story ended tragically. As workers tried to free Shahina Akter, a fire broke out and she died of smoke inhalation.

Officials said Saturday that 1,115 bodies had been recovered from the ruins of the fallen Rana Plaza building, which housed five garment factories employing thousands of workers. They said 780 bodies had been handed over to families.

The disaster has raised alarm about the often deadly working conditions in Bangladesh's $20 billion garment industry, which provides clothing for major retailers around the globe.

Officials say the owner of Rana Plaza illegally added three floors and allowed five garment factories in the building to install heavy machines and generators, even though the structure was not designed to support such equipment.

The owner and eight other people, including the owners of the garment factories, have been detained.

___

Hossain reported from Dhaka.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/woman-rescued-bangladesh-rubble-recovering-140846060.html

higgs boson reggie bush pope Chris Cline New Pope Jeff Gordon Test Drive Tamar Braxton