Ny Safidinao

WASHINGTON — A small nonpartisan research center operated by professed “geeks” has found itself at the center of a rancorous $5 trillion debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney . No white paper or policy manifesto put out during the presidential campaign has proved more controversial than an August study by the Washington-based Tax Policy Center , a respected nonprofit that issues studiously detailed tax analyses. That study found, in short, that Mr. Romney could not keep all of the promises he had made on individual tax reform: including cutting marginal tax rates by 20 percent, keeping protections for investment income, not widening the deficit and not increasing the tax burden on the poor or middle class. It concluded that Mr. Romney’s plan, on its face, would cut taxes for rich families and raise them for everyone else. The detailed paper proved kindling for a political firestorm. Mr. Romney criticized the center as performing a “garbage-in, garbage-out” analysis an...

Apple has unveiled a new member of the family: the iPad Mini. This device is a clear response to the market pressure the cheaper Amazon Kindle Fire HD and the Nexus 7 have placed on the existing iPad. So how does this scaled down version of the iPad compare with its newly refreshed big brother and the Android tablets that still come in at a lower price? Comparing Specs with the Competition Screen Size: iPad Mini's screen comes in at 7.9 inches, compared to the 9.7 inch screen of the iPad and the 7 inch screens of the Kindle Fire HD and the Nexus 7. With a narrower bezel, iPad Mini fits a bit more screen into the same real estate. Resolution: 1024x768 — this is not the Retina display that Apple touts as its high end screens on the iPhone 5 and the bigger iPad. Rather, it's the same resolution as the iPad 2, but with more pixels per inch. Also, the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD have higher resolution 1280x800 screens. Thickness: 7.2mm thick — that's roughly 1/3 of an inch...

This is the twelfth post of the "Vital Issues" Series. This series examines the most important issues of the 2012 Presidential Election and how they will impact the future of our nation. Polling in the presidential race is neck and neck , with just 19 days to go until the election. Each side has consolidated a strong base but neither has enough support to push them over into a majority yet. The election, then, will come down to an enigmatic group of undecided voters that are alternatively pandered to and mocked in political circles. So who are these people? The composite for a prototypical undecided voter is: Female Single White Employed 18-to-29 years old Didn't graduate from college Low income Union household Identifies as Protestant but doesn't go to church Skipped the debate. Here's how we know: Typically it's difficult to get the detailed internal data for the poll, but the Tarrance/LRP poll, released by Politico and George Washington...

U.S. President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney made fun of themselves and each other at a high-profile charity dinner Thursday in New York. The formal event hosted by the city's Catholic Archdiocese at the luxury Waldorf-Astoria Hotel was a chance for the candidates to take a break from an often combative presidential campaign. Romney, a multi-millionaire, began the evening by taking a shot at his own wealth, telling the formally dressed crowd that he was glad he and his wife Ann could slip into clothes they "wear around the house." His speech also poked fun at the media, who many Republicans accuse of favoring Democrats. "Let's just say some in the media have a certain way of looking at things. When I suddenly, pulled ahead in some of the major polls, what was the headline? 'Polls show Obama leading from behind,' Romney joked. "And I have already seen early reports from tonight's dinner. Headline: 'Obama embrac...

President Obama ’s re-election campaign is straining to raise the huge sums it is counting on to run against Mitt Romney , with sharp dropoffs in donations from nearly every major industry forcing it to rely more than ever on small contributions and a relative handful of major donors.        From Wall Street to Hollywood, from doctors and lawyers, the traditional big sources of campaign cash are not delivering for the Obama campaign as they did four years ago. The falloff has left his fund-raising totals running behind where they were at the same point in 2008 — though well ahead of Mr. Romney’s — and has induced growing concern among aides and supporters as they confront the prospect that Republicans and their “ super PAC ” allies will hold a substantial advantage this fall. With big checks no longer flowing as quickly into his campaign, Mr. Obama is leaning harder on his grass-roots supporters, whose small contributions make up well over h...

Bloodied but still advancing, Mitt Romney methodically progressed toward the GOP nomination after a grueling Super Tuesday that underscored the continuing class, religious and ideological divisions in a closely divided Republican electorate. Despite clear signs of continued resistance in the GOP’s conservative heartland, Romney reaffirmed the verdict of his momentum-shifting victory last week in Michigan: the former Massachusetts governor is attracting a coalition just broad enough to hold off his principal remaining rival, Rick Santorum. In particular, Romney’s nail-biting win in Ohio, capping a night that widened his overall delegate lead, may allow him to begin shifting the conversation among Republicans from whether he will clinch the nomination, to when. [Related: Early Ohio results prompted mini-panic] Most impressively, Romney, across the broad Super Tuesday landscape, reconfirmed his hold on the better-educated, more affluent managerial wing of his party. Romney carried both vo...

Like" us on Facebook.com/TrendingNow and follow me on Twitter @Knowlesitall! If you have anything you want to look up on Wikipedia, you'd better do it today, or you're going to have to wait a full 24 hours to get your answer. Why? Well, Wikipedia will be leading a number of high-profile websites going dark on Wednesday to protest two controversial bills in Congress. SOPA, also known as the Stop Online Piracy Act in the House of Representatives, and PIPA, the Protect I-P Act in the Senate, are designed to crack down on the illegal sharing of movies and music on the Web. However, critics say the anti-piracy legislation is censorship and would force sites to police the online world. On Twitter, Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, confirmed that all of Wikipedia's 3.8 million English-language articles will be unavailable from midnight Eastern time tonight until midnight Wednesday. Anyone who visits the site will be redirected to a banner that reads "The Internet mus...

Rick Santorum's powerful finish in the Iowa caucus is bringing fresh attention to his tenure in Congress, including ethics questions that dogged him about a preferred mortgage he received from a bank run by campaign donors, and federal funds that went to a real estate developer who backed his charity. One of the top donors to Santorum's charity was also the beneficiary of an $8 million Santorum-sponsored federal earmark, according to published reports. Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor who filed an ethics complaint against Santorum in 2006 on behalf of a watchdog group, said her organization's website received a tidal wave of visitors in the past 24 hours, and in an interview she said she believes people will discover that the GOP presidential contender is "hardly the moral paragon he purports to be." "There were several instances in which Santorum appeared to have taken campaign contributions in direct exchange for legislative assistance," said...

There's far too much talk about turnout on election days, largely because there's little else to talk about until the results come in. Most of the discussion on TV is sound and fury, signifying nothing. The total number of voters who show up to the caucuses is far less meaningful to the campaigns than the makeup of electorate--which particular voters show up to cast a vote. To help fill some of the airspace between now and then, here's a guide to interpreting tonight's results from Iowa as they're coming in: 1. Geography. First, pay attention to the big population centers. That's where the votes are. Polk County, home to Des Moines, was responsible for nearly 20 percent of the Republican vote in 2008, and Mike Huckabee won it by a substantial margin. If Romney is significantly besting the 23 percent he received in Polk County four years ago, that will bode well for his evening. He likely needs to do the same in neighboring suburban Dallas County. Sioux County h...

At 7 p.m. Central time on Tuesday, Jan. 3, the first contest of the 2012 presidential nominating process finally kicks into gear in Iowa. As you've heard countless times, Iowans vote in caucuses, which are small political meetings held in 1,774 locations scattered around the state. Here's a quick primer. How It Works A primary election feels very much like any other election day. Polls are open all day, and voters show up when they want. But a caucus is actually a meeting, with a schedule: It starts at a certain time; party business is conducted; and, at some point, voting occurs. Matt Strawn, the chairman of the Iowa Republican Party, starts with the basics. "Well, the first thing is you need to be obviously an Iowa resident who is eligible to vote in the state of Iowa," he says. You need to show up at the proper precinct, based on your address. You can participate if you'll be 18 years old on Election Day of November 2012. If you're a registered Republican, ...

Rick Perry has many ideas about how to change the American government's founding document. From ending lifetime tenure for federal judges to completely scrapping two whole amendments, the Constitution would see a major overhaul if the Texas governor and Republican presidential candidate had his druthers. Perry laid out these proposed innovations to the founding document in his book, Fed Up! Our Fight to Save America from Washington. He has occasionally mentioned them on the campaign trail. Several of his ideas fall within the realm of mainstream conservative thinking today, but, as you will see, there are also a few surprises. 1. Abolish lifetime tenure for federal judges by amending Article III, Section I of the Constitution. The nation's framers established a federal court system whereby judges with "good behavior" would be secure in their job for life. Perry believes that provision is ready for an overhaul. "The Judges," reads Article III, ...

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) on Monday announced during the GOP presidential debate in New Hampshire that she had filed paperwork to seek the presidency--then set about showing the American people just why she'll be a formidable contender. "President Obama is a one-term president," she declared during Monday's debate, drawing wide applause just minutes after announcing she had filed to run. "I want to make a promise to everyone watching tonight: As president of the United States, I will not rest until I repeal Obamacare. It's a promise. Take it to the bank, cash the check. I'll make sure that that happens," Bachmann later stated. Bachmann made clear Monday she plans to capitalize on existing anger and dissatisfaction among American voters--hallmarks of the tea party movement that has helped make her a national political star. The tea party and Bachmann were a great fit from the start. Bachmann, a former IRS tax lawyer, is a fiscal and social cons...

The AU Peace and Security Council has slapped harsh penalties on Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina and 108 other senior government officials. The sanctions include a call for Madagascar's diplomatic isolation until the government returns to internationally mediated power-sharing talks. Peace and Security Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra said the sanctions are designed to get the attention of those who have turned their back on mediation efforts led by former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano. "It is a refusal to grant visas and a freeze of financial assets in foreign banks as well as diplomatic isolation by requesting all international organizations ... to refuse the accreditation of representatives of the regime in place in Antananarivo," he said. Lamamra said a formal letter would be sent within hours to the United Nations and other international organizations asking them to enforce the accreditation ban. Mr. Rajoelina came to power a year ago in a military-backed c...

The Middle East has long had a reputation for being one of the world's perennial trouble spots. But for expatriates, the tiny Persian Gulf county Bahrain ranks as one of the most welcoming places to work. See the full list of the World's Friendliest Countries That's the surprising result of a new survey of 3,100 expatriates conducted by HSBC Bank. Bahrain ranked first in one key measure of how easy it is for expatriates to set up a new life for their families. It received high marks from expats who like the country's easy access to modern health care, decent and affordable housing, and network of social groups that expatriates can join. Canada, which ranked first in a similar survey last year, fell to second place on HSBC's integration score, which measures how easily foreigners and their families can settle into a new country. Australia, Thailand and Malaysia rounded out the top five. Foreign workers in these countries found it easy to make local friends and said t...

Many Americans take Social Security early, at age 62, because they really need it. They're in poor health or unemployed or both. Others take benefits early because they're worried they'll lose out on what's rightfully theirs if benefits are reduced. But few people try to figure out the best age to take Social Security -- and that's a serious mistake. Even though it's challenging, calculating the best time to take benefits is well worth it, especially given that Social Security represents about one-third of the average retiree's income. What's key is evaluating the so-called break-even period to determine whether it would be better to delay Social Security benefits (delaying them means a higher monthly benefit), take a reduced benefit early, or start them at "normal" retirement age. Of course, there's a good reason why so few people really do the calculations. "When to begin Social Security retirement benefits is a challenging question ...

WASHINGTON — Social Security recipients won't get a cost-of-living increase next year for the first time in more than a third of a century, and that could boost President Barack Obama's plan to send seniors another round of $250 payments before the congressional elections. Democratic leaders in Congress have signed onto the plan, greatly improving its chances, even as some budget hawks say the payments are unwarranted and could add to the federal budget deficit. Republican leaders said they, too, favor the payments but don't want to increase the deficit to pay for them. More than 50 million Social Security recipients will see no increase in their monthly payments next year, the government said Thursday, the first year without an increase since automatic adjustments were adopted in 1975. Blame it on falling consumer prices. By law, cost-of-living adjustments are pegged to inflation, which is negative this year because of lower energy costs. Social Security payments do not go...

Not Coming to America From the boons of Ford's assembly line and Eisenhower's interstate highway system to the banes of suburban sprawl and oil dependence, U.S. history is closely tied to the automobile. But that doesn't mean Americans are privy to any ride they want. Carmakers like BMW, Ford, and Volkswagen design and manufacture all kinds of vehicles for consumers in different countries with separate needs and budgets. Here, gaze on internationally released cars you're unlikely to see in U.S. showrooms any time soon. 1. Alfa Romeo Brera Designer: Giorgetto Giugiaro Available: Europe Famed Italian carmaker Pininfarina added some flair to this sporty two-door coupe. It has the front end of an old-school muscle car, but the lines and hatchback give it a more modern look. 2. Artega GT Designer: Henrik Fisker Available: Europe Designed by the man who cooked up the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and the BMW Z8 , this sports car takes its cues from classic Ferrari and Porsche shape...