For China's Xi, near-summit treatment and "Iowa Nice" (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? From the power centers of Washington to a soybean farm in Iowa and on to sunny Southern California, China's president-in-waiting, Xi Jinping, will sample diverse slices of America during a major visit next week.

But as the man who is set to run China until 2023 takes measure of the United States, he will be sized up not only by Americans but - and perhaps more important for him - by a powerful audience back home in China.

"This is largely a PR visit - something to show the leadership back in Beijing that he's prepared for leadership, that he can handle the United States," said Walter Lohman, director of Asian studies at the Heritage Foundation. The United States and China are the world's two biggest economies.

Xi will remain China's vice president for 13 months, but in autumn will inherit the first top title from President Hu Jintao -- that of head of the Chinese Communist Party -- before being anointed state president in March 2013.

His formal U.S. host during his tour next Monday to Friday is Vice President Joe Biden, who visited China and held nine hours of talks with Xi in August.

But Washington is sparing no protocol detail in hosting Xi, who will meet President Barack Obama at the White House, lunch with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and call on Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at the Pentagon.

"In Asia, generally, but in China, certainly, relationships matter and high-level relationships particularly matter," Danny Russel, senior director at the National Security Council for Asia, told reporters.

Before Xi's visit, U.S. officials and analysts talk less in terms of "deliverables," or formal agreements, on vexing trade disputes and diplomatic spats over Iran and Syria. Instead, they talk of "investment" in ties with a man set to be in power long after Obama, whatever the result of the U.S. election in November.

Russel said the White House would be "striking a good balance between the formal and the informal but also a good balance between the protocol and the substance."

"Beyond protocol, we are doing Vice President Xi and China the courtesy of taking them seriously on substance," he said, adding that U.S. officials would not pull punches on human rights or other tough issues for the sake of smooth talks.

While Xi's White House meetings will take place on Valentine's Day on Tuesday, he will not be accompanied on the U.S. trip by his wife, singer Peng Liyuan, U.S. officials said.

Xi will go to Capitol Hill - often a hotbed of criticism of China - on Wednesday to meet senior U.S. senators and House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, U.S. officials said.

Hundreds of protesters critical of Chinese policies toward Tibet, Taiwan, the ethnic Uighur minority and the Falun Gong spiritual movement will demonstrate in a park outside the White House on Tuesday, organizers said.

'IOWA NICE' REUNION

After Washington, Xi goes to Iowa, where he will be reunited with a family in Muscatine he stayed with briefly in 1985, when he was an animal-feed official in Hebei, Iowa's sister province.

Terry Branstad, the current governor of Iowa who was also governor during Xi's earlier visit, told Reuters he considered the man who is now China's vice president an "old friend" and said next week's visit was part reunion and part business opportunity for the soybean- and corn-exporting state.

Branstad called on Xi last September in Beijing, where the two reminisced about Xi's fondness for Iowa hospitality.

Although the stopover will be brief, Branstad said "Iowa Nice" would be on full display for the 58-year-old Xi, who is also known to have visited Oregon and New Jersey when he was governor of provinces with sisterly ties to those U.S. states.

The governor's 5-year-old granddaughter, Mackenzie, will present flowers to Xi when he lands in Des Moines, said Branstad. The Marriott Hotel in Des Moines has added two Chinese channels to its TV lineup for the visit, hotel staff said.

The state will fete Xi with an "Iowa meal" featuring pork and beef and a salad including soybeans and corn, said Branstad.

"Iowa Nice does pay off," he said. "We treated him very nice when he came here in 1985. We made a friend."

Iowa, whose exports to China grew 12-fold, to $627 million from 2000 to 2010, is not the primary target audience for Xi's visit. That would be Beijing, said Lohman.

"The visit to Iowa is all about showing how he understands the United States, because he's been there: 'I know these people. I know how it works,'" he said.

PACIFIC PORT OF CALL

In Xi's final stop, Los Angeles, he will visit the Port of Los Angeles, to showcase that huge port's role in facilitating trans-Pacific trade.

Xi, joined by Biden, will be the star of the China/U.S. Economic and Trade Forum attended by hundreds of U.S. business officials and to which Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and California Governor Jerry Brown have invited the governors of all 50 states, said city officials.

Hollywood does not yet appear on the agenda - even though Xi famously told the U.S. ambassador over dinner in Beijing in 2007 that he liked Hollywood films, and found U.S. World War Two movies "grand and truthful."

Even if he skips Tinseltown, which might give him an earful of complaints about rampant Chinese piracy of U.S. films and tight quotas on foreign movies, Xi will be following a tight script throughout his U.S. visit - one set when predecessor Hu made a tour of the United States as vice president in 2002.

"Xi Jinping needs to check all the boxes Hu Jintao did, and that's the measure," said Michael Green, a former top adviser on Asia to President George W. Bush, and now at the Center for Strategic and Internatonal Studies think tank.

"There's a real need to demonstrate that precedent has been met, and maybe a little extra," he said.

(Additional reporting by Carey Gillam in Des Moines; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120211/pl_nm/us_usa_china_xi

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Daily Tips for Business: Marketing Direct

Car washes are an important piece to just about every community. They are needed by all car owners, and provide a great way to connect the community on a personal level. However with such high competition, many times car wash owners are faced with the hardship of finding different marketing tactics that will appeal to different sets of people. Below are four top tips to increase sales for your car wash.

Source: http://dailytipsforbusiness.blogspot.com/2012/02/marketing-direct_10.html

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Photos of love and Alzheimer's win World Press award

Colin Barras, biomedical and environment news editor

(Image: Alejandro Kirchuk )

Marcos leads Monica, his wife of 65 years, into the living room of their Buenos Aires apartment. Monica was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2007 - and Marcos has devoted his life to her care.

This photo by Alejandro Kirchuk of Argentina is one a series called Never let you go featuring the couple. The series has won Kirchuk first prize in the Daily Life Stories category of the 2012 World Press Photo contest.

Alzheimer's is likely to be a growing problem in future as life expectancy continues to rise around the world. Efforts to find therapies have yet to yield effective results.

Last month, we featured William Utermohlen's self-portraits, painted during his progressive decline from Alzheimer's.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/1c8e9433/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cshortsharpscience0C20A120C0A20Cphotos0Eof0Elove0Eand0Ealzheimers0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

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Senior U.S. Catholic cites Obama "promises" on birth control (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Timothy Dolan, a senior U.S. Roman Catholic leader, said on Thursday President Barack Obama "gave me promises" during a White House meeting in November as Dolan pressed the Church's criticism of a new Obama administration rule requiring health insurance plans to cover birth control.

Dolan, the archbishop of New York who has been designated by Pope Benedict for elevation to cardinal, said he now questions whether he can work with Obama to settle an issue that has erupted into a political controversy.

The rule requires religious-oriented groups such as charities, hospitals and universities, but not churches, to provide coverage for birth control. The Catholic Church opposes most methods of birth control.

Dolan said he met with Obama in the Oval Office in November to discuss the issue.

"I hope he would understand that I'm a bit skeptical because ... he gave me promises. So I'm a little skeptical and I'm saying, wow, I hope I can continue to work with him," Dolan said on the CBS program "This Morning."

"When I left the Oval Office, where I was very grateful for his invitation to be there, I left with high hopes that nothing that his administration would do would impede the good work that he acknowledged in the Church. I'm afraid I don't have those sentiments or hope now," said Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Dolan said he has not contacted Obama since the president called him on January 20, the day the rule was announced.

The White House has said it aimed to strike a balance between Catholic Church doctrine and women's right to health care. The administration has said it would work with groups to implement the rule but has not backed away from it.

The issue has created a firestorm during an election year, with Republican presidential candidates and other conservatives casting it as an assault by Obama on religious freedom. Church leaders have strongly objected to the rule and urged U.S. Catholics to protest it.

Dolan gave an account of his meeting with Obama.

"He said, 'I don't want anything we do to be an impediment and I take the protection of conscience and religious freedom as one of my highest responsibilities,'" Dolan added.

"So I shared with him my consternation. I said, 'Sir, I was so bolstered by your assurances, the same assurances that you gave at Notre Dame (a Catholic university) in your address, the same assurances you gave the Catholic Health Association. What has happened? Why would you back down from that?' ... It left me very unhappy."

The Catholic Church rejects unnatural forms of contraception such as birth control pills but does condone the "natural" or "rhythm" method.

"He's sensitive to some of the concerns expressed by religious groups," Obama's spokesman Jay Carney told reporters on Wednesday.

The regulation, required as part of the 2010 healthcare law, requires health insurance plans to cover basic preventative care for women. The Obama administration, acting on recommendations from experts at the advisory U.S. Institute of Medicine, included birth control as part of that but exempted houses of worship.

Most employers and health plans have until August 1 to implement the new rule, but religious affiliated groups have until next year.

(Reporting By Susan Heavey; Editing by Marilyn W. Thompson and Will Dunham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120209/ts_nm/us_usa_contraceptives

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Dressing In Hip Hop Apparel Shopping & Product Reviews ...

by djonkarter on February 9, 2012

We tend to always tend to evaluate man by the dress he wears. So it goes while not saying that the dress makes a man. But, it may not be a designer wear or a very expensive dress that would value a lot. Even a colorful mix of casual Hip hop clothing garments and accessories usually referred to as hip hop clothing will do. Since kids nowadays are crazy about dressing like the pop stars they idolize, hip hop clothing became terribly widespread with them. It needs to be understood that hip hop garment is not the whole attire but concerned accessories need to be matched with it for obtaining final look. This clothing cannot be complete without accessories or with wrong accessories. An enticing mixture of chains, danglers and bracelets would be of nice facilitate in creating the dress lovely and dazzling. The opposite important accessories for hip hop are scarves, caps and sunglasses. Here the aim isn?t the matching of colours, however of giving a look which yells angle terribly clearly and loudly.could have a variety of massive brands obtainable in business and the best of items can be picked. Several a times, you are doing not wish to pay a large amount on clothing. In case you wish to travel for a cheaper possibility, it might be advisable to attend for the amount when huge brands sell the things on sale at discounted prices. In this fashion, you?ll be able to simply procure items of famous brands at much lower rates and raise your wardrobe. If you happen to be a girl, the handbags would be another component to relinquish you a whole look. But handbag should be fashionable and funky. Those who are keen on wearing figure hugging clothes should currently think of going for Hip hop apparel. This actually means carrying casual, saggy and over sized clothing. These clothing has created rage on ramp and is certainly going to stay. Artistically painted T shirts along with a few accessories to stay the hip hop look cool will be tried. The creative and imaginative thought will facilitate in making final look. The golden rule should be remembered that the accessories ought to harmonize with the clothes and not take away attention from it. In case you go for brands solely, it might be applicable to possess information regarding the most effective brands available. Women have found brands very engaging and bizarre choice in hip hop clothing meant for men and women. These embrace jackets, jeans and T-shirts. There?s also a renowned complete from where hip hop clothing like casual and rugged jeans, T-shirts, footwear and alternative accessories may be bought. There?s a brand terribly common with youngsters, men and girls for urban clothing, swanky accessories and handbags. Besides these, there are famous brands. They need clothes to suit everyone. For creating sophisticated look, right fragrance is terribly important. In order to create whole look, it is essential to select right shoes, clothes, fragrance and accessories that ought to show your attitude clearly. The attitude should be in an exceedingly position to carry clothing and make statement as a result of hip hop clothing matches with wearer solely when wearer has the correct attitude. Some firms sell products on-line at low cost. If you wish to buy these, it should be known that hip hop caters for fun appearance and keeps low cost and fashionable shirts having loose fittings and baggy Hip hop clothes pants that have gained popularity lately. Several companies sell fashionable clothes online at reasonable rates. You?ve got the advantage of comparing costs while looking online. They have the retailers that sell low cost clothing.

Read More:

Tagged as: cheap hip hop clothing, hip hop apparel, hip hop clothes, hip hop clothing, mens hip hop clothing

Source: http://reviewbank.org/dressing-in-hip-hop-apparel/

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Advertise, Do not Unsolicited mail ? holidaytrainshow.com

There is a fine line among advertising and spammy and unfortunately lots of business owners do not understand the difference between the two. This is very important because while the cleaver, well planted Website marketing campaign can help to get new customers and keep netgear n600 review pre-existing customers loyal, spammy is likely to alienate both equally new customers and pre-existing customers. This can be really damaging to profit profit margins for the business owners. This information will take a look at a few basic Website marketing strategies such as websites, email campaign as well as message board posts as well as describe how each one can quickly cross the line via cleaver advertising to spammy.

Banner ads are one of the most in-demand strategies which come with an Internet marketing system. These ads usually are ads which search at the top of websites as well as span the thickness of the website. It can be from this appearance they will earned the brand banner ads but actually websites can refer to promotions of a variety of sizes and shapes which will appear in an array of several locations canon s95 review on a website. On most occasions the business owner expenditures advertising space on such sites but the banner ad can also be placed as part of a good exchange or an affiliate marketing online campaign. Banner ad transactions are situations by which one business owner blogposts a banner ad upon his website in exchange for another business owner writing his banner ad alternatively website. These legal agreements may be made separately between business owners with complementary businesses or perhaps as part of exchanges helped by a third party. In the event of affiliate marketing, an affiliate blogposts and advertisement to your business in exchange for settlement when the banner ad produces a desired effect just like generating website traffic or perhaps generating a sale. Your terms of these legal agreements are determined upfront and are generally based on a scale of pay in each impression, pay per click or perhaps pay per pentax k-5 review deal or lead.

Since you now understand what banner ads happen to be, it is also important to understand how they can be overused and show to be spam. Sensibly placing your hysterical on a few websites which are likely to get an audience similar to an individual?s target audience is smart advertising, placing your hysterical on any website which will display the listing regardless of the target audience is often construed as spammy. Internet users who believe that your banner ads are everywhere they turn will likely not take your business significantly and are not likely to order products or services from you because of your banner ads.

Email campaigns can also be very useful methods in the industry of Website marketing. These campaigns may perhaps involve sending occasional e-newsletters filled with information as well as advertisements, short, enlightening email courses or perhaps emails offering reductions on products and services. True customers who decide into your email list will not view these e-mail messages as spam and may even purchase additional offerings from your business because of this marketing strategy. Moreover, potential customers who have precisely requested additional information on the products and services will also come across this type of marketing to get useful. However, electronic mail recipients who wouldn?t request information will probably view your e-mail messages as spam. Producing email addresses in a unreliable manner and using most of these addresses to send away mass emails may always be considered to be spammy.

Finally, message boards produce an excellent opportunity for people who run businesses to obtain some free of charge advertising where it will likely be noticed by people the target audience. If your products and services you offer appeal to a specific niche, it really is worthwhile to join message boards and online forums connected with your industry preferred by. Here you will find a considerable population of Online surfers who may have an interest in your products. You might consider together with a link to your business inside your signature or writing the link when it is appropriate to the conversation. Having said that, care should be taken to carefully review the message forum board guidelines to ensure you aren?t doing anything wrong. This technique is smart advertising. Conversely, replying to every one message with a backlink to your website when it is not based on the conversation might be construed as spammy by other members. When they begin to view you as spam, they?re not likely to visit your internet site via the links people post.

Source: http://holidaytrainshow.com/?p=711

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Don?t stress tax time with these helpful iPhone apps (Appolicious)

It?s tax time! What, it isn?t a happy time for you? Well maybe you should spend more time prepping throughout the year with your iPhone apps so you don?t get so stressed out come the beginning of next year. Tax time shouldn?t be stressful, it should be routine. Here are some helpful tax apps to get you started on a road to financial stability.

My taxes are pretty uncomplicated so I have used H&R Block online for years. I love that the company has the free H&R Block Mobile app so I can get answers to my tax questions on-the-go. You can check the status of your return, too, to see when you will receive your refund. The app has a helpful checklist so you can make sure you have everything you need for your tax appointment, which you can use this app to make and find the nearest H&R Block location to you.

If you don?t even want to bother logging-on to a computer to do your taxes, you can use the free TurboTax SnapTax app for iPhone. Simply take a photo of your W2 and you?re almost done. However, you can?t use this app if you have children, dependents, own a house/real estate, or make more than $100,000. It?s still a magical app and you really don?t have an excuse to not get your taxes in on time when there?s app like this available.

Completing your taxes each year is much easier if you don?t neglect your personal finances year-round. The Mint.com Personal Finance app for iPhone is an easy and free way to keep track of your budget and expenses. All your loans and accounts can be rolled into one handy place. If you own your own business and pay taxes each year, you can use Mint.com to create a specific tax budget so you aren?t surprised come April. Getting this app is a no-brainer for the fiscally sound.

Do you track tax-deductible mileage? Isn?t it a pain in the rear? Well the MileBug app for iPhone ($2.99) can help you keep track of that mileage in one convenient place. Miles you drive for business, charity and medical reasons can be deducted on your taxes when you itemize. The app saves frequent trips so you save time in tracking miles you trek on a daily or weekly basis. There is also a pertinent backup function so you won?t lose your miles tracked. Get the savvy MileBug app today and have a bigger tax return next year.

Do you absolutely love doing your taxes? You are an anomaly, but you will love the free Accounting Today app for iPhone. You can use it year-round to keep up on all the latest accounting news and tax tips that personal accounts know and understand.

Create a list of the best iPhone apps for tax season

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_appolicious_com_articles10986_dont_stress_tax_time_with_these_helpful_iphone_apps/44449199/SIG=137vrje5j/*http%3A//www.appolicious.com/finance/articles/10986-dont-stress-tax-time-with-these-helpful-iphone-apps

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