Super Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things: Power Devices with Your Plants, Modify High-Tech Toys, Turn a Penny into a Battery, Make Sneaky Light-up Nails ... Sneaky Levitation with Everyday Things
Put your engineering skills to the test with this guide to building gadgets from common household items.
Andrews McMeel, 2011, 145 p., $12.99
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On the eve of a possible government shutdown, the top congressional leaders tamped down their rhetoric and tried to reassure skeptics that their differences can be resolved at the eleventh hour.
Striking a much different note than a day before, leaders from both parties conceded that the differences over a bill to keep the government funded through next year and a separate plan to extend the payroll tax holiday were resolvable.
Continue Reading?We?ve done enough, Mr. President, back and forth, the Republican leader and me, staking out our positions, and our positions are fairly clear to the American people,? Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday morning. ?We?re going to try ? during the next few hours ? to work toward resolving some of the outstanding issues.?
The clear decrease in temperature on Capitol Hill left hope that Congress could adjourn without creating a pre-Christmas crisis.
In remarks at the White House Thursday, President Barack Obama also sought to get things moving before the weekend on the payroll tax and government funding bill.
?Congress should not and cannot go on vacation before they have made sure that working families aren?t seeing their taxes go up by $1000,? said Obama, whose own Hawaiian vacation is looming. ?There?s no reason the government should shut down over this.?
Reid said he had a productive conversation with Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) on Thursday morning and added that there are only a ?few issues still outstanding? that are ?really small in number.? House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) told POLITICO that negotiators were ?close? to a compromise, saying the end game will become clear at some point Thursday afternoon.
Reid also said it would be a ?mistake? for the House to move on its own bill and called for the two chambers to pass a $1 trillion conference report funding a host of federal agencies, saying he expected the Senate was moving Thursday to resolve the remaining concerns.
?We hope that we can come up with something that would get us out of here at a reasonable time in the next few days,? Reid said.
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) agreed.
?We?ve been in useful discussions about how to wrap the session up,? McConnell said. ?We hope to be able to pass a combination of appropriation bills and we are working hard to resolve the remaining differences on the payroll tax extension and the related issues that are important to both sides. And we?re confident and optimistic we?ll be able to resolve both on a bipartisan basis.?
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who is famously calm, matched his Senate counterparts? calm with his own zen.
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It was close, but Rih's ability to remain in the pop-culture consciousness all year places her just above the Queen B.
By Jason Kaufman
Rihanna
Photo: Getty Images
It was a showdown between two queens of pop — Rihanna and Beyoncé — each vying for a prime spot on MTV's Best Artists of 2011 list. RiRi wound up besting Lady B by a slim margin. But how did she come out on top?
MTV correspondent Sway Calloway moderated a spirited roundtable discussion with some of our very own experts: James Montgomery and Rob Markman (MTV News), Yomi Desalu and Malika Quemerais (MTV Music and Talent) and Tamar Anitai and Nicole James (MTV.com). The panel discussed the artists who ruled 2011, from the Throne and Lil Wayne to Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga. It was during that debate that Beyoncé and Rihanna met in a battle for the #6 position. In the end, Rihanna prevailed, with B taking #7.
"I love Rihanna," Montgomery said. "I think she is the kind of artist that I really like as a pop star who makes really cool, controversial videos and pushes the envelope in every conceivable way."
"She hustled so hard," Anitai added.
After all, Rih did have us buzzing about songs off two albums in 2011. New hits popping from 2010's Loud — including a remix of "S&M" with the one-and-only Britney Spears — ruled the charts in the first half of '11. While some artists would just ride the momentum of that smash album, Rih went back into the studio mid-tour and cranked out Talk That Talk. The first single off TTT, "We Found Love," was a certified dance-pop classic from the minute it hit.
See where "We Found Love" placed on MTV's Best Songs of 2011 countdown!
It was a tough decision for our experts because Knowles had such a remarkable year. Her album 4 — a collection of soulful ballads and mid-tempo tracks tempered with a deep nostalgic streak — was arguably her most mature yet. And she triumphed during intimate, sold-out shows at New York City's Roseland Ballroom in August. B was also responsible for this year's most talked-about (and tweeted about) pop-culture moment, announcing her pregnancy to the world right on our VMA stage.
But it was Rihanna's ability to rule for 365 days straight that was the deciding factor.
"It's very rare that you see an artist that's there, that is consistently there throughout the year that people don't get sick of," Quemerais observed. "I feel like the appetite for Rihanna is constant."
"If you were to go numbers by numbers, Rihanna can go toe-to-toe with anyone on our list," Montgomery reinforced. "She never gets the credit that she deserves."
She certainly got the credit here.
All this week, watch "AMTV" on MTV every day at 8 a.m. ET for our Best of 2011 lists. Then, come to MTVNews.com at 5 p.m. as we reveal our top picks of the year!
Related Videos Related Photos Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676061/rihanna-beyonce-best-artists-of-2011.jhtml
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SYDNEY ? A strong earthquake struck the South Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea on Wednesday. There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries and no tsunami alert has been issued.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude-7.3 quake struck on Wednesday 54 miles (87 kilometers) southwest of Lae, on the country's northern coast. The quake hit at a depth of 71 miles (115 kilometers).
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami alert.
People inside the country's Parliament building in the capital of Port Moresby saw windows rattling during the quake, but there was no apparent damage.
Strong earthquakes are relatively common in Papua New Guinea. The country lies on the "Ring of Fire" ? an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim.
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A look at how to trade the market ahead of the closing bell and into tomorrow, with Chris Hyzy, U.S. Trust chief investment officer, and CNBC's Bertha Coombs
Related Links:
Business & financial news headlines from msnbc.com
Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/45558710/
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New York ? Birthday cards, Netflix discs, and L.L. Bean catalogs will begin arriving a day later than usual, as the Post Office rolls back its delivery services
Snail mail is about to get even slower. In attempt to trim costs, the U.S. Postal Service announced Monday that, for the first time in 40 years, it will instate cutbacks that will slow the delivery of first-class mail in the continental United States. Here's what you should know:
How slow will mail be?
Currently, first-class mail is delivered to homes and businesses in the continental U.S. in one to three days, and?42 percent of mail arrives at its final destination the day after it was sent. Now, mail will now take either two or three days to be delivered. "Only commercial, bulk mailers might be able to get their first-class mail delivered the next day," says Mark Memmott at NPR. That is, "if they get it, properly bundled, to the Post Office early in the morning."
SEE ALSO: American Airlines' 'painful' bankruptcy: Winners and losers
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Why is the Post Office cutting back?
The struggling Post Office, which lost $5.1 billion last year and expects to have a $14 billion deficit this year, needs to cut $20 billion in operating costs by 2015 in order to turn a profit. By slowing mail delivery, the USPS estimates that it will save $2.1 billion a year. First-class mail volume dropped 20 percent in the last decade. By 2020, another 47 percent drop is expected. The USPS doesn't receive tax money, and relies largely on postage costs and product sales to fund its operation. So with revenue plummeting, it has to cut costs.
Is there more than just slower mail?
Yes. The Postal Service will close 252 of the 461 mail processing centers across the country. That will account for the loss of 28,000 jobs by the end of 2012. The plan is to?rebrand the Post Office, reduce costs, and help keep the agency alive as mail delivery becomes less and less popular. Over the long haul, roughly 3,700 local post offices are expected to close, which could result in 120,000 lost jobs.
SEE ALSO: Midnight openings on Black Friday: Is Target 'destroying' Thanksgiving?
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How does this affect me?
For starters, you're going to have to remember to mail mom her birthday card more than a day in advance. But beyond that, "the reduction in turnaround time could slow everything from check payments to Netflix's DVDs-by-mail, add costs to mail-order prescription drugs, and threaten the existence of newspapers and time-sensitive magazines delivered by postal carrier to far-flung suburban and rural communities," says Fox News.
Will this help or hurt the Postal Service?
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)?says?that theses changes "could well accelerate [the Postal Service's] death spiral."?As consumers begin to notice the effects of slower delivery, "it will only increase the shift away from mail to alternatives," analyst Jim Corridore tells Fox News. "There's almost nothing you can't do online that you can do by mail." But Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe tells the Associated Press that his agency has no other choice. "We have a business model that is failing. You can't continue to run red ink and not make changes."
SEE ALSO: Time to nationalize the airline industry?
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Sources: AP, Fox News, NPR, Wash. Post
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Posted On Saturday, December 3rd, 2011 By admin
Nowadays is becoming more and more important to lead a simple life even though it is the era of technology and speed. Saving cash and living on a budget has proved to be tough for lots of people however it doesn?t have to end up like that. Having the plan can ease the pressure of struggling to save every penny.
Putting in balance what?s gained using what is purchased and spent can give a fair evidence of the budget situation. Living out of debt is becoming peoples? goal but few can manage to do that and it isn?t just the a lot blamed system or the financial crisis. Many people simply don?t have a savings plan ? and from there come all the problems. Being on debt doesn?t include headaches unless one looses his/her job. While being on debt is the most important to begin saving.
Making a checking account and earning from that deposit will prove to be highly beneficial and in time will offer you the possibility of reimbursing earlier the credit for the house, for the car and so on. Once some money is set aside, the cycle starts again with savings. It is necessary to pay for the house before children grow because then, other expenses show up. Tuitions, more costly clothing, books and laptops, rent and utilities and all these will prove to add up to important sums of money.
The children going to school shouldn?t however be a problem since at this time money ought to be already set aside for them. When youngsters are already in school, the time is right to think about their wedding, and where they?ll live from now on. However, continually some money should be put aside in case of emergency. Retiring funds shouldn?t be touched under any circumstances. These are the money for those people who?ve worked a lot, that have paid their part and struggled to maintain their job and deserve a decent life.
Special software might help people build a budget and maintain between its boundaries. When spending less than anticipated, more income should be put aside. When spending more, you ought to consider the need and not about the ?want?.
When going out, one should consider free events that take place throughout the year and many good taste events can be found for free. Local libraries and museums can be a great place to get out of the house, meet new people and share interesting ideas with. Going for a walk in the park with the entire family is a great way to spend an evening and even save some money in a fun, healthy and natural way.
Saving cash can offer the chance to build a budget for entering a Poker Room. People gain experience by playing and they might also win a Poker Bonus. Entering a Poker Site and being responsible about ones? finances are the key for a successful and entertaining experience which will also have the benefit of winning and upgrade ones? lifestyle.
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