ho11: December 2012

Monday, December 31, 2012

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com: Mitch McConnell: Fiscal Cliff Deal Is Close

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com

Mitch McConnell: Fiscal Cliff Deal Is Close

Dec 31st 2012, 20:13

WASHINGTON -- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says he and the White House have agreed on preventing tax hikes that the "fiscal cliff" will trigger after midnight. And he says they are very close to an overall deal that would also prevent budget-wide spending cuts.

The Kentucky Republican did not provide any details. But he said on the Senate floor that lawmakers should pass legislation averting tax increases that would otherwise take effect at the start of New Year's Day.

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com: Texas Can Defund Planned Parenthood, Judge Rules

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com

Texas Can Defund Planned Parenthood, Judge Rules

Dec 31st 2012, 20:16

A district judge ruled on Monday that Texas can legally cut Planned Parenthood out of its new state-funded health program for women, which launches on Tuesday.

The Texas Women's Health Program, which provides basic health care and family planning services to low-income women, previously received about 90 percent of its $35 million annual funding from the federal government. When state legislators voted to cut Planned Parenthood out of the program because some of its affiliates provide abortions, the Department of Health and Human Services warned the state that if it broke federal Medicaid rules by discriminating against a qualified provider, it would no longer receive federal funding for the program. Instead of reinstating Planned Parenthood funding, Gov. Rick Perry (R) decided to start a new women's health program funded entirely by the state so that it could continue to exclude Planned Parenthood from the program.

Planned Parenthood currently serves about half of the 130,000 women in the Women's Health Program, and none of the Planned Parenthood clinics that participate in the program offer abortions. Attorneys for the family planning provider filed for a temporary restraining order against the new rules so that it could continue to serve women through the program until a final court ruling is issued in January.

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com: One Plant That Grows Both Tomatoes And Potatoes Trending On Reddit

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com

One Plant That Grows Both Tomatoes And Potatoes Trending On Reddit

Dec 31st 2012, 20:21

So awesome!
Read More...
More on Gardening

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com: Best Latino Athletes of 2012: Lionel Messi, Ryan Lochte, Danell Leyva And More Shinning Stars

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com

Best Latino Athletes of 2012: Lionel Messi, Ryan Lochte, Danell Leyva And More Shinning Stars

Dec 31st 2012, 20:32

This year was marked by the 2012 London Olympics, where Latino athletes were some of the most successful players bringing glory in the shape of gold, silver and bronze medals.

Athletes like swimmer Ryan Lochte and gymnast Danell Leyva, both of Cuban descent, as well as Puerto Rican-American football player, Victor Cruz, and Venezuelan baseball player Pablo Sandoval, shone in their respective sports, becoming icons in the process.

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com: Unemployment Insurance To Be Extended, $30 Billion Cost Won't Be Offset

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com

Unemployment Insurance To Be Extended, $30 Billion Cost Won't Be Offset

Dec 31st 2012, 20:32

WASHINGTON -- One of the remaining sticking points holding up a fiscal cliff deal appears to have been resolved, as negotiators have decided to extend unemployment benefits without offsetting the cost.

A source familiar with negotiations told The Huffington Post that lawmakers would treat the provision as "an emergency measure that shouldn't be paid for." A Senate Democratic and Republican source each confirmed the plan.

What that means is that the $30 billion pricetag for a year-long extension will simply be added to the deficit. Republicans have in the past objected to reauthorizing federal unemployment compensation because of its impact on the deficit, though in recessions since World War II Congress has generally added extra weeks of benefits without paying for them.

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com: Black Monday 2012: Andy Reid, Romeo Crennel Among NFL Coaches Fired After Regular Season

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com

Black Monday 2012: Andy Reid, Romeo Crennel Among NFL Coaches Fired After Regular Season

Dec 31st 2012, 16:52

-- Less than 24 hours after the regular season ended, NFL firings began at a furious pace.

In a span of about 90 minutes before lunch Monday, coaches Andy Reid, Pat Shurmur, Romeo Crennel and Chan Gailey were let go by their teams after losing seasons. None of the moves were surprising, and more are expected.

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com: Homeless Heir To $300 Million Huguette Clark Fortune Found Dead

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com

Homeless Heir To $300 Million Huguette Clark Fortune Found Dead

Dec 31st 2012, 16:50

A homeless man who was the long-lost relative of reclusive New York railroad heiress Huguette Clark and a potential heir to her $300 million fortune has been found dead in Wyoming.

Timothy Henry Gray, Clark's 60-year-old half great-nephew, was found dead under a Union Pacific Railroad overpass in Evanston, Wyo., on Thursday, NBC News reports. Children who were sledding nearby found Gray's body.

Temperatures in Evanston, a mining town, had hit a low of 0 in recent days. The coroner said it appears the homeless heir, who could have inherited $19 million of Clark's $300 million fortune, had died of hypothermia, according to NBC. There was no evidence of foul play.

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com: 30 Days Of LGBT Holiday Giving: Give A Gift To BAGLY

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com

30 Days Of LGBT Holiday Giving: Give A Gift To BAGLY

Dec 31st 2012, 17:04

Note: This holiday season, in lieu of a traditional holiday gift guide, we'll be featuring a different LGBT organization each day for our "30 Days Of LGBT Giving." Check back tomorrow for a look at another incredible group that's working tirelessly on behalf of the LGBT community.

In the summer of 1980, a group of LGBTQ youth saw a need for a support and social group that would be run by youth and for the youth and they started BAGLY -- The Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth -- which has been serving greater Boston's LGBTQ community for more than three decades.

Today, BAGLY continues to be youth-led with support from encouraging, affirming adults, and is Massachusetts' oldest LGBT organization and one of the nation's longest running, as well. The organization provides a variety of services and programs, some of which include leadership development opportunities, through its highly involved Youth Leadership Committee, and health awareness and risk reduction groups. BAGLY also operates a clinic that provides HIV, hepatitis and STD tests two days a week.

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com: Parents React To 'Les Misérables,' Can't Stop Crying (VIDEO)

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com

Parents React To 'Les Misérables,' Can't Stop Crying (VIDEO)

Dec 31st 2012, 17:00

What does it say about a movie when it makes you cry more than attending a family member's funeral? And, though this question may best be saved for a psychoanalyst, what does that say about your family?

There's no clear answer to either of those questions, but there is this: Blubbering away because of a movie can be hilarious.

Thanks to brothers Ryan and Kevin Ferguson, who accompanied their parents to watch the latest Hollywood remake of "Les Misérables," footage of such blubbering exists. And it's glorious.

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com: Take A Tour Of Victor Hugo's Paris | Travel | Smithsonian Magazine

The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com

Take A Tour Of Victor Hugo's Paris | Travel | Smithsonian Magazine

Dec 31st 2012, 16:51

Legend has it that Victor Hugo, the prolific French scribbler whose body of published work amounts to seven novels, 18 volumes of poetry and 21 plays, also holds the record for the world's shortest correspondence. In 1862, while in exile on the British Isle of Guernsey for speaking out against Napoleon III, Hugo telegrammed his publisher "?" demanding the reaction to the release of his latest novel, Les Misérables. The reply: "!"

Monday, December 31, 2012

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