Are We Regulating Ourselves Back Into Recession?

"Let us put an end to self-inflicted wounds," President Gerald Ford told Congress in 1975. "And let us remember that our national unity is a most priceless asset." While Ford was talking about the scars from the Vietnam War, his words seem relevant today. Our nation grapples with not one divisive issue, but a basket of them, each pulling and undermining our already battered confidence, while testing...

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Earnings from McDonald's, Microsoft sink stocks

NEW YORK (AP) -- Poor earnings reports from three companies in the Dow Jones industrial average — Microsoft, General Electric and McDonalds — sent indexes down sharply Friday, marking a sour end to an otherwise strong week in the stock market.McDonald's led a broad drop in the Dow, falling 3 percent. The Dow was down 151 points at 13,397 shortly after noon."I'm concerned about corporate earnings,...

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Judge asks Hostess to mediate with union

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) -- Twinkies won't die that easily after all.Hostess Brands Inc. and its second largest union will go into mediation to try and resolve their differences, meaning the company won't go out of business just yet. The news came Monday after Hostess moved to liquidate and sell off its assets in bankruptcy court citing a crippling strike last week.The bankruptcy judge hearing the...

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Soccer-FIFA reforms to go under the microscope

BERNE, Jan 11 (Reuters) - European soccer chiefs will meet this month to discuss proposed reforms to present to the sport's governing body FIFA, including an age limit for the president and a restriction on the number of mandates he can serve.A working group which was set up to revise the FIFA statutes has proposed setting an age limit of 72 for the FIFA president and executive committee members...

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Soccer-Legal settlement agreed with former owners, say Liverpool

LONDON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Liverpool said on Friday that a settlement between former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett and directors involved in the sale of the Premier League soccer club had been agreed following a long-running legal battle.Fenway Sports Group (FSG) completed their takeover in Oct. 2010, bringing to an end the acrimonious reign of Hicks and Gillett who tried to block the sale...

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Soccer-United's Rooney out of Liverpool clash

LONDON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney will miss Sunday's Premier League clash against north-west rivals Liverpool after failing to recover from a knee injury, manager Alex Ferguson said on Friday.Rooney injured a knee ligament in training and missed United's holiday fixtures against Newcastle United, West Bromwich Albion and Wigan Athletic as well as their FA Cup draw...

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Could Alex Jones's "revolution" actually happen?

Piers Morgan had it easy. Radio show host and author Alex Jones threatened the rest of us with a "revolution" if the government decides to confiscate guns from the homes and glove compartments of law-abiding Americans. It's almost too easy to dismiss Jones as a fringe figure, especially since fringe ideas make their way into the mainstream with (exciting? alarming?) frequency these days. So let's...

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HTC says licensing agreement with Apple will lead to better devices in 2013

Apple (AAPL) and HTC (2498) signed a 10-year licensing agreement in November that covered all current, pending and future patents and ended the ongoing litigation between the two companies. It has been estimated that the company will pay Apple between $6 and $8 for every Android device shipped, however HTC CEO Peter Chao refuted the claim. Regardless of how much is being spent, HTC China president...

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Nokia’s Lumia 920 remains as expensive as Apple’s iPhone 5

One thing handset industry analysts are watching like hawks is the price graph of the most important Windows Phone 8 model in the European handset market. Nokia (NOK) priced the Lumia 920 very, very ambitiously for its November debut. How long can the model maintain a stiff premium? Was the early pricing just designed to skim high margins from the pool of eager Nokia/Windows Phone early adopters?[More...

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Hagel nomination: Israelis ask 'what's the big deal?'

President Obama’s choice of Chuck Hagel for secretary of Defense, hotly contested by the American Jewish community, has received a muted response in Israel. While some echo concerns that the former Republican senator is dangerous or anti-Semitic, others here ask, “Who’s that?”To be sure, the appointment of a man who is seen as soft on Iran and eager to talk to terrorist groups on Israel’s borders...

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Does Depardieu herald Russia as a tax haven for Europe?

French movie star Gerard Depardieu has returned to his native habitat in western Europe following a tumultuous Russia visit that has left behind a nation collectively scratching its head over the instinctively authoritarian Vladimir Putin's quirky decision to bestow Russian citizenship upon a cantankerous foreign tax rebel, and the equally odd spectacle of Mr. Depardieu accepting it amid a fusillade...

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Poaching crisis escalates with 'targeted, efficient' slaughter of 12 Kenya elephants

Kenya has suffered its worst single loss of elephants to poachers on record, with 12 members of one family slaughtered and their tusks hacked out in just a few hours last weekend.Eleven adults and one infant calf died in a “targeted and efficient” attack highlighting the growing professionalism of poachers bankrolled by international criminals supplying soaring demand for ivory in the Far East. The...

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SPORTS BRIEFS: Disc golf tournament in Pooler this weekend

LOCAL Disc golf tournament in Pooler this weekend The ninth annual Savannah Open Disc Golf Tournament will be held Saturday and Sunday at Tom Triplett Park in Pooler. A field of 90 players is expected for the event, including defending champion Michael Johansen and four-time winner Brian Schweberger. The tournament format will be two rounds of 18 holes on Saturday and one round on Sunday, followed...

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USADA chief says Armstrong rep offered 'donation'

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) -- The chief of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency tells ''60 Minutes Sports'' that a representative for Lance Armstrong offered the agency a ''donation'' in excess of $150,000 several years before a USADA investigation led to Armstrong being stripped of seven Tour de France titles.In an interview on the show's premiere airing on Showtime Wednesday night, USADA CEO Travis Tygart...

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Oprah to interview Lance Armstrong

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Lance Armstrong has agreed to a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey where he will address allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his cycling career.According to a release posted on Oprah's website on Tuesday, it's the first interview with Armstrong since his athletic career crumbled under the weight of a massive report by USADA detailing allegations of drug...

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Neah Power Systems Issues Letter to Shareholder Highlighting Recent Developments

Neah Power continues its aggressive efforts to commercialize proprietary patented fuel cell technology – the PowerchipTM product and the PowerPlay™ product - that has the potential to revolutionize the energy storage marketplace.Bothell, WA (PRWEB) January 07, 2013Neah Power Systems, Inc., (OTCBB: NPWZ) http://www.neahpower.com, a developer of power solutions using proprietary, award winning technology...

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OnFarm Released for Growers, First to Integrate Fixed Field Agriculture Information

OnFarm, the first company to integrate field, cloud, and activity information into a single agriculture dashboard has been released for customers.Fresno, CA (PRWEB) January 07, 2013OnFarm represents a fundamental shift in the way farmers run their operations. By putting critical information at their fingertips, OnFarm gives farmers a competitive edge in the global marketplace.OnFarm enables a farmer...

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SB-Tickets.com Announces Super Bowl Ticket and Hotel Availability Leading Up To The Championship Games

In approximately 2 weeks, following the conference championship games the site will begin to list specific seating arrangement including section and row to give customers a concrete location when making their purchase.New Orleans, LA (PRWEB) January 07, 2013SB-Tickets.com a leading Super Bowl ticket marketplace is conducting heavy preparations for this year’s game in New Orleans. The 2013 Super Bowl...

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Cricket-Australia beat Sri Lanka by five wickets in third test

SYDNEY, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Australia beat Sri Lanka by five wickets on the fourth day of the third test at Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday to sweep the series 3-0.Scores: Australia 141-5 (R. Herath 3-47) & 432-9 dec (M. Wade 102 not out, P. Hughes 87, D. Warner 85, M. Clarke 50; R. Herath 4-95) v Sri Lanka 278 (Dimuth Karunaratne 85, D. Chandimal 62 not out, M. Jayawardene 60; M. Johnson 3-34,...

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Cricket-Australia v Sri Lanka - third test scoreboard

SYDNEY, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Scoreboard after Australia beatSri Lanka by five wickets after tea on the fourth day of thethird test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday:Australia won the toss and chose to bowl firstSri Lanka first innings 294Australia first innings 432-9 dec.- -Sri Lanka second innings (overnight 225-7)D. Karunaratne c Wade b Bird 85T. Dilshan c Hughes b Johnson 5M. Jayawardene c Clarke...

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UPDATE 4-Cricket-Hussey finishes on a high with Australia sweep

* Australia win by five wickets* Sweep series 3-0 (updates after Australia win)SYDNEY, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Michael Hussey ended his test career on a high on Sunday when Australia beat Sri Lanka by five wickets with a day to spare in the third test to sweep the series 3-0.The 37-year-old was deprived of the ultimate fairytale ending when his batting partner Mitchell Johnson scored the winning run but...

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League and union resume separate mediation sessions

 The National Hockey League (NHL) and the union representing its locked-out players met separately with a U.S. federal mediator on Friday with a week to go before the deadline to reach a deal and salvage a shortened season.The two sides met with a mediator in New York but there has been no decision on whether the league and union would hold face-to-face negotiations on Friday, according to a...

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Sides in NHL labor fight meet with mediator

The NHL and the players' association met separately with a federal mediator throughout Friday morning and well into the afternoon with no sign that they would return to the bargaining table anytime soon.Federal mediator Scot Beckenbaugh has been shuttling back and forth between the hotel in which the union is working, and the league office. As of late afternoon, the sides had made no plans to get...

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Sides in NHL labor rift meet all day with mediator

A federal mediator held over 12 hours of separate talks with the NHL and the players' association Friday before stopping for the night with a promise to get going again in the morning.The sides remained apart all day, buffered by the presence of federal mediator Scot Beckenbaugh, who shuttled back and forth between the hotel where the union is working, and the league office. He started at 10 a.m....

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The Note's Must-Reads for Monday, December 31, 2012

The Note's Must-Reads are a round-up of today's political headlines and stories from ABC News and the top U.S. newspapers. Posted Monday through Friday right here at www.abcnews.comCompiled by ABC News' Jayce Henderson, Amanda VanAllen, and Carrie HalperinSECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON: New York Daily News' Edgar Sandoval and Bill Hutchinson: " Hillary Clinton admitted to hospital with blood clot...

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What to Watch in 2013 Politics

We had no time to catch our breath after the November election before plunging into imbroglios over Cabinet appointments and the fiscal cliff. But the chances of 2013 offering even a brief respite from politics are as unlikely as the National Rifle Association’s Wayne LaPierre ringing in the New Year with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Pass the eggnog quick!With the 24/7 news cycle came the 365-day-a-year...

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The top 6 political races to watch in 2013

Yes, the red and blue paint is still wet on the 2012 election map. But it's not too early to start gaming out the new yearFor anyone still suffering from election fatigue, here's some good news: In terms of momentous races, 2013 is no 2012. But the paucity of marquee contests doesn't mean there won't be any drama at the ballot box this year — in fact, quite the opposite. The nation's biggest cities...

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