China congress highlights contrast with Taiwan

By Peter Enav
The Associated Press

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) ? While ties between China and Taiwan may be closer than at any time since they split in a civil war, that said, formal Communist Party congress being held in Beijing highlights how far apart the two sides are politically.

?Taiwan?s democracy has learned from the United States,? said Wang Yingying, who moved from eastern China to Taiwan in 2005 with her Taiwanese spouse. ?We in China cannot vote for our national leaders. Mainland politics are backward, Taiwan?s democracy is much better.?

With a population 50 times bigger and an economy 15 times greater, China overshadows Taiwan in almost every respect. But one area where Taiwan is envied by many in China is its freewheeling political system.

Split since Mao Zedong?s Communist forces drove Chiang Kai-shek and his Nationalist government from the mainland, China and Taiwan used to engage in a propaganda and ideological war against each other. Since Taiwan jettisoned one-party rule in the 1980s and moved toward democracy, the competition for hearts and minds continues but is more low-key.

?There is now no excuse for the Chinese government to tell its people that Chinese culture is somehow at odds with democracy,? said Emile Sheng, who served as culture minister during Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou?s just-completed first term. ?Taiwan?s experience proves this wrong.?

Stepped-up trade and travel between China and Taiwan as well as a revival in longstanding cultural and social ties are all carrying Taiwan?s success with democracy to mainlanders. Wang, the mainlander bride, is one of 300,000 Chinese spouses living in Taiwan.

More than 2 million Chinese tourists travel to Taiwan every year, often holing up in their hotels to watch Taiwan?s many politically relentless all-news television stations.

China?s ruling Communists continue to hail their model as superior, noting its state-directed economy has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty in recent decades and government policies have warded off the recession and weak growth that have wracked the West during the past four years. In his opening speech to the congress Thursday, President Hu Jintao said China would never adopt a Western-style political system.

?There is a contest of ideology between China and Taiwan,? said political scientist George Tsai of Taipei?s Chinese Culture University. ?It is dictatorship versus democracy. Many people are wondering if Taiwan?s model of democracy is appropriate for China?s future.?

Sheng, the former culture minister, said a high watermark for Taiwan?s influence came earlier this year when millions of politically literate mainlanders closely followed Taiwan?s hard-fought presidential election between Ma and challenger Tsai Ing-wen.

He said the thousands of favorable comments that appeared on Chinese blogs ? which mainlanders use to skirt government restrictions on officially sanctioned media ? left little doubt that some in China had been won over by the vibrancy of the Taiwanese system.

?They were really taken with the openness of the electoral process, the way the candidates conducted themselves, the graciousness of Tsai?s concession speech after she lost,? he said.

Despite Sheng?s optimism, even some Chinese impressed by Taiwan?s democratic transition believe it is naive to assume that a robust democratic system can take root on the mainland anytime soon. Decades of repressive policies mean there is no ready opposition party, and many Chinese fear the chaos that might result from a collapse of the Communist Party. Then there?s the leadership?s resistance to losing power.

?They realize what kind of purge they could expect if democracy ever came,? mainlander Eric Zhang wrote in a recent post on Sina Corp.?s popular Weibo service, a Chinese version of Twitter. ?They would no doubt fight democracy as if their lives depended on it.? (end)

Source: http://www.nwasianweekly.com/2012/11/china-congress-highlights-contrast-with-taiwan/

texas chainsaw massacre uk vs louisville university of kansas buckeye west side story final four 2012 bridesmaids

O'Brien: Facebook launches 'Facebucks' to get employees to like Menlo Park merchants

Click photo to enlarge

Facebook is launching "Facebucks" rewards cards to get employees to frequent Menlo Park merchants.

You see it all across Silicon Valley. Our largest tech companies booming, hiring thousands of new workers, and hoarding ever larger piles of cash.

At the same time, our local communities and governments are fighting to keep their heads above fiscal waters, cutting back on services, slashing employees, closing libraries.

With this disconnect growing, it's been heartening to see the way Facebook has embraced its role in its new hometown of Menlo Park. The latest example of Facebook's laudable efforts to increase its local economic impact arrives after Thanksgiving with a new program the company is launching called "Facebucks."

Facebook plans to distribute Facebucks, essentially $25 gift cards, to employees to use at designated local merchants in downtown Menlo Park. While it's still uncertain just how much financial impact Facebucks will have, the symbolic importance is huge.

"It's a good idea, and I applaud them doing it," said Menlo Park Mayor Kirsten Keith. "This kind of commitment is also unusual. We're very fortunate to have them here."

The Facebucks program was written into a larger development agreement the company signed with the city of Menlo Park earlier this year in exchange for being allowed to employ more people at its campus than the previous occupant, Sun Microsystems. Facebook agreed to pay millions of dollars to make up the difference between

the sales taxes Sun generated, and the lower amount of taxes Facebook is projected to create.

This is a common misperception: that just by landing a big employer like Facebook, a town's coffers will fill with new tax revenues. If that were true, Silicon Valley's local governments would be the most prosperous on the planet. Instead, too often, they go begging.

Part of the issue is that the state of California only levies sales taxes on physical goods sold, not virtual ones. As our lives have become more digital, and as bookstores and records stores have shuttered, local governments have taken hits.

Sun, because it sold servers, generated big sales tax revenue, part of which went to Menlo Park. By comparison, companies like Facebook generate little or no sales taxes on the ads they sell. Rather than trying to duck responsibility, or squeeze Menlo Park for other incentives, Facebook offered to pay millions over the next decade to make up the difference in sales tax collections.

But part of the economic promise of these big companies is that the thousands of employees they bring will move through their towns, spending money on coffee, meals and clothes, which in turn generate more sales taxes for local towns.

Yet the campuses occupied by many of the largest companies can also become islands that cater to an employee's every need. Many employees who take the train to Menlo Park then hop aboard a shuttle that takes them to Facebook's headquarters.

Why journey three miles to downtown Menlo Park when there's free coffee on campus?

"When we moved to Menlo Park, our employees had been very familiar with downtown Palo Alto," said Lauren Swezey, Facebook's sustainability and community outreach manager. "We wanted them to connect with downtown Menlo Park. We want them to get to know their new hometown."

Swezey said part of the goal is to get employees familiar with the shops in town. That same shuttle is available to whisk them back to downtown Menlo Park to shop or eat. Facebucks are an extra incentive for employees to make that trek. And the company plans to encourage teams of employees to hold meetings off campus, using Facebucks for meals.

Facebook has partnered with 15 local restaurants and shops who will accept the Facebucks cards. One of them is Menlo Velo Bicycles, owned by Rainer Zaechelein.

He said he's been pleased with Facebook's commitment to local merchants. Even before Facebucks launches, Zaechelein said the company has made his shop one of the primary vendors for providing parts and services to the fleet of bikes it keeps on campus. He's also been involved with efforts by Facebook to encourage employees to bike to work, and planning for upgrading bike trails.

As a result of those efforts, he's already seen an increase in customers who are Facebook employees. In addition to accepting Facebucks, merchants will offer additional discounts or deals. In the bike store's case, employees using Facebucks can get an extra 10 percent off bike accessories.

"I think it's a great thing for a company like that to give back to the community," he said. "I can say that even in the short amount of time Facebook has been there, I've seen more of an impact from them than I ever saw from Sun."

Facebook also agreed to invest in a number of physical improvements to local trails, and in efforts to reduce traffic impact. Held up against these much larger investments, the actual dollars (Facebook is still working out the final details of how many cards will be distributed, and how quickly) that flow from Facebucks are likely to be smaller. In the coming months, Swezey said the company will be monitoring the program closely, see how it is -- and isn't -- being used.

"We want to see this money spent," she said. "We don't want these to sit in someone's drawer where they're forgotten."

Whatever the ultimate numbers and direct impact of Facebucks, the program is reinforcing an important message that just can't be amplified loud enough: We need our biggest companies to take seriously their obligations to support local economies and governments.

They must understand that over the long run, the future of Silicon Valley depends on having both strong employers and healthy, thriving communities. We can't have one, without the other.

-------

I also wanted to share some personal news. This is my last column for the Mercury News. In my 13 years covering Silicon Valley, I've lived through the dot-com bubble, energy deregulation, the housing meltdown, and the rise of Steve Jobs and Apple (AAPL). I've also seen an endless parade of fascinating characters and innovative technologies. It's been my honor to be one of the Mercury News' columnists the last four years and sincerely appreciate the many readers who have followed along, screamed at me on many occasions, and sometimes offered a pat on the back. All I can say is: "Thanks."

Source: http://www.siliconvalley.com/chris-obrien/ci_22010019/obrien-facebook-launches-facebucks-get-employees-like-menlo-park?source=rss_viewed

denver nuggets correspondents dinner i am legend san antonio spurs greta van susteren tony parker the five year engagement

Train ploughs into school bus in Egypt, 50 killed

CAIRO (Reuters) - Fifty people, mostly children, were killed when a train slammed into a school bus as it crossed tracks in a city south of Cairo on Saturday, state media and officials said.

All but two of the dead were children, aged around four to eight, said a senior security official in Assiut, near the site. One woman and the bus driver also died, he added.

The bus was broken in half by the force of the crash. Blood was spattered on the front of the engine and school bags and text books, some bloodstained, were strewn around.

Witnesses said barriers at the rail crossing were open when the train hit the bus. Transport Minister Mohamed Rashad and the head of the railways authority resigned, and President Mohamed Mursi said those responsible would be held to account.

Egypt's roads and railways have a poor safety record and Egyptians have long complained that successive governments have failed to enforce even basic safeguards, leading to a string of deadly crashes.

State media reported that as well as 50 dead, 15 or more people were injured. A medical source said as many as 28 were injured, 27 of them children.

"They told us the barriers were open when the bus crossed the tracks and the train collided with it," said Mohamed Samir, a doctor at Assiut hospital where the injured were taken, citing witness accounts.

Assiut Governor Yahya Keshk also said the crossing was open. "The crossing worker was asleep. He has been detained," he told state television.

SCENE OF MUTILATION

The doctor said the bodies of many of those killed were severely mutilated, illustrating the force of the crash, which took place in the city of Manfalut, near Assiut, about 300 km (190 miles) south of the capital.

"I saw the train collide with the bus and push it about 1 km (half a mile) along the track," said Ahmed Youssef, a driver.

Officials said the level of destruction and mutilation made it difficult to count and identify the bodies.

President Mursi ordered his ministers to offer support to the families of those killed, the official news agency said. Prime Minister Hisham Kandil ordered investigations into anyone responsible for the crash and travelled to the scene.

Victims' families protested at the crash site, the state news agency reported. Officials sought to reassure them the case would be investigated and they would receive help, it said.

Earlier this month, at least three Egyptians were killed and more than 30 injured in a train crash in Fayoum, another city south of Cairo. In July, 15 people were injured in Giza, close to the capital, when a train derailed.

Egypt's worst train disaster was in 2002 when a fire ripped through seven carriages of an overcrowded passenger train, killing at least 360 people.

Many more have been killed in rail accidents since then despite pledges from successive governments to improve safety. Accidents involving multiple deaths are also common on Egypt's poor road network.

(Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Rosalind Russell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/40-egyptian-school-children-killed-crash-report-072706924.html

wiz khalifa and amber rose oh the places you ll go blunt amendment justin bieber birthday read across america vikings stadium breitbart dead

Florida Celebrates National Adoption Month ? CBS Tampa

(Photo Credit: Thinkstock)

MIAMI (AP) ? Families around the state are holding adoption ceremonies for foster kids during National Adoption Month.

Our Kids of Miami-Dade and Monroe hosted a ?Wizard of Oz?-themed event at the Miami Children?s Museum on Friday where more than 60 kids were adopted.

In other ceremonies around the state, 20 foster kids in Hillsborough County, 16 in West Palm Beach and 11 kids in Tallahassee were adopted this month.

The Department of Children and Families also recently created a video parody of the pop song ?Call Me Maybe? to recruit foster and adoptive parents.

About 800 Florida foster children are waiting for a permanent home. Last year, 3,250 children were adopted from Florida foster care.

Teens, sibling groups and children with special needs are the hardest to place.

__

Online: www.adoptflorida.org

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Source: http://tampa.cbslocal.com/2012/11/16/florida-celebrates-national-adoption-month-hillborough-foster-kids/

2012 oscar winners channel 3 news j lo j lo sacha baron cohen ryan seacrest octavia spencer meryl streep oscars

How to Calm a Hissy Cat | Pets Best Insurance Blog

Hello. I?m Dr. Jane Matheys, from the Cat Doctor Veterinary Hospital and Hotel in Boise, Idaho. I?m here today to answer a question posted on the Pets Best Facebook page.

Yolanda says ?I have a 16 year old cat. She shows no signs of slowing down. She?s been kind of high anxiety her entire life, and she doesn?t let anyone hold her, pet her or pick her up but me. Even then I can only do so for a few minutes before she gets hiss-y. I?ve tried the pheromone plug-in, the collar which she scratched and she didn?t like. Is it too late for her to learn to relax and be nice ??

Well, unfortunately at 16 years of age it?s pretty unlikely that she is going to change her personality. But it?s always a good idea to try to reduce the stress to her. Stress can certainly exacerbate any quirky behaviors and problems like that.

Generally, one of my favorite products is the plug-in pheromone so I?m sorry to hear that it didn?t really help your kitty cat. Another product that I?ll sometimes use is a homeopathic product called Rescue Remedy. It?s just a flower therapy that again it?s supposed to help cats relax.

About the best thing that I can recommend and specially this is something that anybody with a young cat wants to work on is really good social interactions and good positive reinforcement. So when kitties are young in particular, it?s best to try to introduce them to a lot of different scenarios.

Have people over. Have kids over, dogs if possible. You want to try to have the cats have positive associations with these types of situations; so that it?ll be a positive outcome and then later on in life your cat will be more likely to accept things like that.

So it might be a little too late for your 16 year old at this point but for all the people with the kittens and the young cats, it?s definitely the time to get started on it. Feel free to send your cat health questions into the Pets? Best Facebook page, and I?ll answer them next time.

Source: http://www.petsbest.com/blog/how-to-calm-a-hissy-cat/

utah jazz lawrence of arabia denver nuggets correspondents dinner i am legend san antonio spurs greta van susteren

Multilevel Marketing And How It Can Work For You | Jim McGilvary's ...

Mistakes Are Costing You! Learn To Stop?Making ALL 189 Of Them!

Struggling With WordPress? 100+ Step-By-Step Videos Now Available!

Posted by Administrator on Nov 16, 2012 in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Multilevel marketing is easy to understand once you learn some essential points. The advice in this article will help you to achieve your goals in MLM.

Be true to yourself concerning your intentions. Is multi-level marketing simply a hobby for you? A realistic approach with a true effort will give you success in anything you try.

Research and apply the best methods for finding new clients. Your goal in network marketing is to generate new customers and leads. If you are only focused on your family and friends, there are limits to your success. By bringing in clients from outside, you open doors to many other possibilities.

TIP! One way to look at your network marketing efforts is as a contest to engage the most participants. Think about how you can help people, and go from there.

When planning for an emergency, take what you spend each month and multiply that by nine. Multi-level marketing can give you that money and much more!

You should apply social networking as a part of your particular affiliate marketing strategy. Make different interest groups for your product niches, and work to build your customer relationships. Register a business page on the most popular social networking sites, and create a separate page for every product.

TIP! In order to have a successful network marketing business, start with a formal detailed business plan. Define individual goals and the methods that you will use to accomplish them.

A vision board helps to make your goals clear so that your multilevel marketing strategies can stay on track to meet those fixed goals. What do you want to achieve in your business? Do you wish to purchase material things such as a car, boat or house?

An excellent method of pushing forward in your MLM attempt is to learn from your mistakes. When you understand why certain techniques were unsuccessful, you may be able to transform a bad idea into a good one. You really only learn by making mistakes and then adjusting your strategies accordingly. Study your failures to avoid making the same mistakes twice.

Don?t let your business become all-consuming. Always make time to maintain your family relationships and other friendships. Your business will initially require a significant time investment; however, as your success grows, find time to spend with your loved ones.

TIP! Customers come first when it comes to network marketing. Your customers must be happy with your service, otherwise you won?t be able to stay in business.

When developing your abilities as a network marketer, neural-linguistic programming may be useful. In contrast, using statements that contain the term ?you? are a solid way to lock somebody in on something you are trying to promote. ?

Don?t waste your own time. It?s easy to get side-tracked when you work online. Develop and fine-tune a schedule that will keep you attentive to your work.

When you start out in MLM, set realistic but ambitious goals for yourself. From start to finish, you must always set goals for yourself, and work to meet or exceed them. Goals give you direction, focus and motivation.

TIP! Set up your network marketing website as if it were teaching viewers, or as if the site was a tutorial on your company or methods. Teaching viewers how to do something has long been a good way to increase readership, as well as to increase the time that visitors remain on your website.

Make your goals more narrow in scope to get the best long-term results. Keep your general plan in mind, but you will be more efficient if you divide it into several steps. This can help you get your long term goals achieved in smaller chunks.

Part of your decision on whether to join a specific multilevel marketing program should be based on their compensation systems. You should want a plan that offers the highest returns through residuals and multiple income streams. Your first few sales will also be referred to your sponsor. As your sponsor sees more income due to your referrals, he will be anxious to keep you on board.

A good customer database is crucial to the success of any MLM campaign. Whether you cultivate the lists from the people who have signed up on your site or you purchase it, your success is contingent upon you having a large email list so the business can continue to grow.

TIP! When deciding to invest in a particular network marketing business, you should make an inquiry at your state?s Better Business Bureau. Most companies are real and legit; however, there are many fake ones.

It is natural to want to talk about ourselves. You can apply this truth to your network marketing efforts by creating situations where your customers have the opportunity to talk about themselves. You also don?t want to talk about yourself too much. Allow your customers to dominate the discussion, while creating a trustworthy persona for yourself.

Do not try solving all your problems by yourself. Find resources that can help you. The company you are working with might have tools designed specifically to deal with your obstacle. Not looking for help when you need it is a surefire way to dig yourself into a hole. Don?t postpone seeking help, and make sure you fully disclose the nature of the problem.

With this article you just went over, hopefully you are feeling a little more at ease in regards to your multi-level marketing plans. MLM success happens when you know what to do. You know what to do when you understand the subject, and your understanding of the subject is something you can always improve.

TIP! Try to improve your knowledge of the product. You need to be able to answer questions effectively.

Are you ready to have success in the home based business industry and build it on autopilot? Click below to register for free today. See how it works here. Also check out our team benefits here

Source: http://leucabiz.com/blog/multilevel-marketing-and-how-it-can-work-for-you/

dallas tornado ncaa basketball oikos kentucky wildcats oakland school shooting nike nfl jerseys katie couric

Panetta in Cambodia for talks on US-Asia security

SIEM REAP, Cambodia (AP) ? Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Friday that the U.S. would participate in three Southeast Asian military exercises next year.

Panetta was in Cambodia for talks with his counterparts from 10 Southeast Asian nations in advance of President Barack Obama's visit next week.

The defense chief said the exercises will be a humanitarian and disaster relief exercise hosted by Brunei; a counterterrorism exercise co-sponsored by the US and Indonesia; and a maritime security exercise led by Malaysia and Australia.

Panetta's talks at a luxury hotel were not expected to yield major new defense initiatives but reflected Obama administration interest in deepening security ties across the region.

The increased U.S. focus on Asia will be long-lasting and will include economic and diplomatic efforts in addition to security cooperation, Panetta said.

He was in Bangkok on Thursday to sign a statement updating U.S.-Thai security relations. Panetta also announced a review of ethics training among the U.S. military officer corps.

Cambodia was the final stop on Panetta's weeklong Asia-Pacific tour, which began in Australia.

He was heading back to Washington where an unfolding sex scandal involving former CIA Director David Petraeus, a much honored retired general, and Gen. John Allen, who leads the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan, is dominating much of the news.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/panetta-cambodia-talks-us-asia-security-083229218--politics.html

jazz fest zurich classic selena lamichael james lamichael james derrick rose acl