And Speaking of Fights Over the Debt Limit?

Two members of Connecticut?s congressional delegation praised the Pentagon Tuesday night for its decision to reduce the number of days that civilian defense contractors will spend on unpaid leave as part of federal spending cuts.

The move means that 650,000 civilian employees across the country will have to take only six days off this year. That?s a reduction from the 11 days that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel had called for in May after the Pentagon was ordered to trim its spending by $37 billion this year.

Those spending cuts?known around Washington as ?sequestration??were imposed under a law that Congress passed to end the last major ?debt ceiling standoff two years ago.

The law called for automatic cuts to defense and domestic spending if lawmakers couldn?t agree how to cut it themselves by the end of 2011 (they couldn?t).

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Congressman Joe Courtney both praised Hagel?s decision Tuesday, in statements that you can read after the jump. But both of them also criticized the defense spending cuts as harmful to Connecticut contractors and their families.

Courtney said the House Speaker John Boehner should call the House back from its August recess to pass a budget that ?turns off? the sequester.

Interestingly, Courtney and Blumenthal both voted to pass the 2011 law that creates the current sequestration situation:

Via GovTrack.US: The House vote to pass the bill (8/1/2011) and the Senate vote (8/2/2011). Image compiled by Wes Duplantier/The Hartford Courant.?

?This furlough reduction is welcome news not only for hardworking Defense Department employees, but also for our national security and defense,? Blumenthal said. ?I pressed for this reduction in furlough days because it was unfair and unfortunate for military readiness. I am hopeful that such shortsighted supposed savings can be avoided in the future because they deprive essential employees of both work and wages. I have met with military technicians in New London whose furlough days not only make it harder to pay bills and support their families, but also undermine helicopter maintenance repair in Connecticut, but across the country. I will continue to push for a balanced compromise that will mitigate furloughs and end the harmful impact of sequestration.? ?

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?Today?s announcement is a much-needed dose of relief for hard working civilians in Connecticut and around the country who help protect our nation,? Courtney said. ?Finding savings throughout the defense budget to reduce furloughs will help restore critical workdays so that the mission of the SUBASE, the Connecticut National Guard?s TASMG in Groton and Naval Undersea Warfare Center ?can move forward.

?Although the reduction of furlough days is welcome news, this announcement does not end the harm sequester is inflicting on DOD employees and their vital missions ? and on critical domestic services such as Head Start and NIH, among many others. Speaker Boehner should cancel the recess and immediately complete work on a budget which turns off sequester once and for all and reduces the federal budget deficit in a reasonable and thoughtful way.?

?I want to salute leaders in Connecticut like Robert Faulise with the National Association of Government Employees and Adam Puccino with the Metal Trades Council who helped raise public awareness back home on the negative impact of sequestration on our military readiness and our communities in Connecticut.? I will continue to work closely with them to keep pressure on in Congress to find the political will to end these unnecessary and self-inflicted cuts to our defense capabilities and our economy.?

Source: http://courantblogs.com/capitol-watch/and-speaking-of-fights-over-the-debt-limit/

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U.S. EPA Announces More Than $880,000 Available in Border Environmental Funding; Several workshops for grant applicants to be held in US and Mexico (NM, TX)

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Release Date: 07/17/2013
Contact Information: Jennah Durant or Austin Vela, 214 665-2200 or r6press@epa.gov

(Dallas ? July 17, 2013) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announces $884,000 in grants available for the US-Mexico border region in Texas and New Mexico. The funds will be awarded under the Border 2020 U.S.-Mexico Environmental Program, in coordination with the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC). All proposals must be submitted by August 29, 2013.

EPA will award grants to projects that reflect the goals of the Border 2020 program, especially those supporting work in the Texas/New Mexico border region. Project types include improving air quality monitoring networks; developing applications for reusing water; developing bilingual outreach campaigns to stop illegal dumping; updating sister city-plans; improving understanding of each country?s compliance and enforcement roles; and other projects that help fulfill the goals and objectives of Border 2020. Greater consideration will be given to proposals that leverage other resources and demonstrate measurable results.

Several workshops will be held for potential grant applicants:

Workshops in the U.S.:
7/19/13?McAllen Firemen?s Pumphouse, 201 N. 1^st Street, McAllen, TX, 9:30-11:30 am
7/24/13?Del Cerro Community Center, 180 La Fe Ave., Vado, NM, 3-5 pm
7/30/13?American Dam/Carlos Marin Field Office, 2616 West Paisano Drive, El Paso, TX, 3-5 pm

Workshops in Mexico:
8/1/13?Estaci?n Palabra ?Gabriel Garc?a M?rquez,? Ave. C?sar L?pez de Lara #1020, Sector Aduana Enfrente de la Plaza Primero de Mayo, Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, 1-3 pm
8/7/13?Sala R?o Bravo, COCEF, Blvd. Tomas Fern?ndez #8069, Fracc. Los Parques, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, 3-4:30 pm

The mission of the bi-national Border 2020 Program is to protect human health and the environment in the U.S.-Mexico border region. BECC is an international organization established to preserve, protect, and enhance the environment in the U.S. ? Mexico border region.

Eligibility is open to U.S. and Mexican non-governmental organizations; local and state government agencies; industry associations; universities; U.S. tribes and Mexican indigenous communities. Proposal applications can be downloaded from the BECC website at

www.cocef.org or the EPA Border 2020 website at, www.epa.gov/border2020.

# # #

Source: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/55AB6F22792B8E4185257BAB00698890

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Haute 100 NY Update: Tom Ford to Open Two New Retail Stores

Tom Ford is expanding his retail empire. The 51-year-old designer will open two new retail locations within the next few months, according to Daily Front Row.

Ford?s Chicago flagship store will open its door in August, followed by a Dallas boutique in September. The designer currently has 93 stores worldwide, with three locations in New York City.

Source: http://www.hauteliving.com/2013/07/haute-100-ny-update-tom-ford-to-open-two-new-retail-stores/376489/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=haute-100-ny-update-tom-ford-to-open-two-new-retail-stores

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Factbox: China comment: finmin rules out big stimulus

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's new leaders have promised to keep the economy on an even keel in 2013 with flexible policy settings while accelerating free-market reforms to sustain long-term growth.

Beijing would tolerate quarterly growth slipping as far as 7 percent year-on-year before looking to lift the economy, according to government economists from top think-tanks. The government is projecting growth this year of 7.5 percent.

Below are recent comments on the economy from top government leaders and other senior figures.

LOU JIWEI, FINANCE MINISTER

"China will not conduct large scale fiscal stimulus this year. We will fine-tune some policies to support economic growth and employment on the premise of keeping the size of fiscal deficit unchanged."

"We will mainly take measures to support economic growth and employment while putting more energies to push forward the next round of reform."

"We will keep the size of the fiscal deficit unchanged (this year) but will adjust it structurally. The central government will cut expenditures by 5 percent."

"We will unveil some tax reduction policies, especially for small-sized firms, to better increase employment."

"We will adjust the expenditure responsibilities of central and local government and increase central government's spending appropriately."

"China will expand the value-added tax reform program to the whole service industry." (Lou made the comments during the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington.) Source: The website of the Ministry of Finance, July 17

LI KEQIANG, PREMIER

"Neither should we change policy orientation due to temporary economic fluctuations, which may affect the hard-won restructuring opportunity, nor should we lack vigilance and preparations when the economy might slide below the reasonable range,"

"We are confident, having the necessary means and the ability (to achieve this year's growth targets).But we need to pay a lot of efforts."

"When the economy operates within reasonable range, we will focus on transforming of the mode of economic development."

"The macroeconomic policies will focus on stabilizing economic growth or guarding the inflation when the economic growth near upper or lower limits."

Source: the central government website, July 16

LI KEQIANG, PREMIER

"China's economic situation is generally stable so far this year with main economic indicators within reasonable range and annual expectations."

"But the economic environment is becoming more complicated and faces favorable and adverse conditions, while the economy still has growth momentum and faces downward pressure."

"We are at a stage where we must rely on economic transformation and upgrading to keep sustainable and healthy (economic) development."

"Reform will get rid of obstacles from the structure and mechanisms and inject new momentum for stabilizing and restructuring the economy."

"Macro-economic control should be based on present conditions and with an eye to the future to ensure the economic growth rate and employment levels do not slide below lower limits and consumer prices do not surpass the upper limit."

"We will quicken reforms in key areas including administrative management, the fiscal system, finance and prices."

(Li made the comments during a trip to southern Guangxi Province.)

Source: Xinhua, July 9;

XI JINPING, PRESIDENT

"We should improve our way of evaluating officials' performance. We should not only look at (economic) development but also fundamentals, not only at obvious achievements but also at potential results."

"We will include indicators including welfare improvements, social development and ecological benefits as important measures in evaluating officials. We should no longer evaluate performance of officials simply against GDP growth."

(Xi made the comments in a national party meeting on personnel and organization issues)

Source: Xinhua, June 29;

LIU SHIYU, DEPUTY CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR

"I am worried that the 'shadow banking' capital may flow into the property market, outdated industries and some local government financing vehicles with poor qualifications, which might lead to relatively high risks."

"We must develop a system of small- and medium-sized banks mainly invested by private investors ... and we should unswervingly push forward market-oriented reforms of interest rate and exchange rate (regimes)."

"Personally, I think we could complete the two reforms naturally over the next 10 years if we the international financial crisis won't take a turn for the worse."

"We can also complete the reform on renminbi (yuan) convertibility under the capital account and the use of yuan in cross-border trade over the next 10 years if there is no big changes in the international market."

Source:Sina.com, March 18

(Reporting by China Economics Team; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/factbox-china-finmin-rules-big-stimulus-101007263.html

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Despicable Me: Minion Rush updated, more obstacles, more Minions!

Everyone's favorite Minion based game, Despicable Me: Minion Rush, just got updated and now has more obstacles, and more Minions! The first update to the game since release sees new obstacles in a new environment, evil purple Minions, and over 150 new missions and achievements.

The new location is El Macho's lair from the movie, and who doesn't like to knock over evil Minions, right? There's also a new villain and his sidekick to defeat from the movie ? no spoilers here ? as well as the chance to "prepare for summer in a new secret area." All sounds great, and if you really want to get the best out of the game and you haven't already read our tips, tricks and cheats guide, then be sure to give that a once over as well!

• Free - Download Now

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/8dofpnLkJXw/story01.htm

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Chrysler backs down, agrees to recall 1.56 million older-model Jeeps

June 18, 2013 at 2:42 PM ET

UPDATED: After a public disagreement that threatened to blow up into a larger battle, Chrysler said Tuesday that it agreed to recall 1.56 million Jeep vehicles that a government safety watchdog said could potentially erupt into fire if rear-ended.

Chrysler had been expected to file papers Tuesday refusing to comply with a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's voluntary recall request sent earlier this month. That request covered Jeep Grand Cherokees in model years 1993 to 2004 and Libertys in model years 2002 to 2007.

NHTSA had warned after investigations that a crash from behind on these vehicles could puncture the fuel tank, located in the rear of the models, spill fuel and potentially cause a fire. NHTSA said the defect may have been responsible for up to 51 deaths.

Chrysler had disagreed with NHTSA's assessment.

Read more: Take that back: Famous recalls from Tylenol to Toyota

"As a result of the agreement, Chrysler Group will conduct a voluntary campaign with respect to the vehicles in question that, in addition to a visual inspection of the vehicle will, if necessary, provide an upgrade to the rear structure of the vehicle to better manage crash forces in low-speed impacts," Chrysler said in a statement.

NHTSA set events in motion earlier this month when it sent a letter to Chrysler recommending a safety recall of certain older Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Liberty models with gas tanks mounted behind their rear axles. The letter stated that, in an initial assessment, the vehicles have performance and design defects that could cause deadly fires in rear-end collisions.

Read more: Hands-free systems not nearly as safe as automakers say

Chrysler's response in a "White Paper on NHTSA's Recall Request" said the company has fully cooperated with government's review of the model-years in question. The paper states that it provided "technical information and detailed analyses showing these models are safe, and meet or exceed all applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards."

The paper also said Chrysler disagreed with NHTSA's recall request. "The subject vehicles are not defective and their fuel systems do not pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety in rear-impact collisions," said Chrysler, which is owned by Italian automaker Fiat SpA.

Chrysler stuck to that line Tuesday, saying in a brief statement that the vehicles are not defective and are "among the safest in the peer group."

"Nonetheless, Chrysler Group recognizes that this matter has raised concerns for its customers and wants to take further steps, in coordination with NHTSA, to provide additional measures to supplement the safety of its vehicles," the statement said.

Read more: Ford will cut factory CO2 admissions 30%

As recently as this morning, Chrysler officials were signaling that they would reject the recall request even if that meant squaring up against NHTSA in court. But a senior Chrysler source who asked not to be named acknowledged that the maker came to recognize it might be able to win that battle yet still could lose in the court of public opinion.

?The morning (news reports) were accurate but the decision wasn?t finalized,? said the Chrysler veteran, who was not officially authorized to discuss the recall, adding that the maker ?absolutely? recognized that public sentiment seemed to be shifting against the company. ?Even if all the data shows we?re right?we?re impacted by concerns about public opinion. This is an iconic brand and we have to consider this from a reputation standpoint.?

Read more: 10 best base-model cars

Had the maker decided to rebuff NHTSA it could have limited the scope by citing the 10-year statute of limitations on recalls, noted Clarence Ditlow, director of the Center for Auto Safety, the consumer group that originally spurred NHTSA to investigate the Jeep gas tank issue three years ago. Such a move would effectively have reduced the number of vehicles the government could have continued pressing to recall.

NHTSA could have responded by ordering a series of public hearings. Ultimately, the case could have wound up in court.

The Detroit Bureau's Paul A. Eisenstein contributed to this report.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story reported that 2.7 million Jeep vehicles would be recalled. Chrysler updated that figure on Tuesday evening.

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Halo: Spartan Assault to be available first on Verizon's Windows Phone 8 devices

We knew Halo: Spartan Assault would be making its debut sometime this month; what we didn't know, however, is that it would only be reaching Verizon-branded Windows Phone 8 handsets initially. According to the Big Red network, its subscribers will be the first in the US to be able to download the popular franchise's mobile title, although no word was given on when exactly we can expect it to launch. Halo: Spartan Assault is set to cost $6.99 once it eventually hits the Windows Phone store -- the good news is July's almost over, so it won't be much longer before you can get in on the action. For now, it looks as if our hands-on preview will have to hold you over.

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Mobile, Verizon

Comments

Source: Verizon

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/L9YxwlsdGU8/

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